Norfork Lake Fishing Report 4/16/09

What a catch! Last evening was definitely one of the best times I have had fishing on Norfork Lake. I started out from our dock at around 6PM. I ran up the river to the Red Bank area and decided to crappie fish for a while. I caught 4 nice slabs in less than an hour. I was using a white twister tail jig tipped with a live crappie minnow. The sun was setting so I moved across to a point and started casting a rouge, immediately caught a large and smallmouth (both under size), but still a blast to catch. I moved around a few different points and continued to catch bass, but around 9PM the action really started. I was on a point not far from the resort and the striped bass started to hit. I caught 3 stripers and two walleye between 9 & 10. The biggest striper was 11 pounds. I was throwing a bone colored, no eye suspending rogue the whole night (except for the crappie). This has become my favorite lure for the night bite. When I was bringing in my second walleye I looked down in the water and saw my fish and also saw 4 other eyes that had followed it in. The walleye were males, it appears they are still going through their spawn.

One of our guests have been fishing with live shad and yesterday caught, I think, 5 stripers and lost one (the big one). It looks like the stripers are still on the move and being caught anywhere from our resort up to the Red Bank area. I'm sure they are all over. Our guests from Texas really enjoyed being able to take home the majority of the fish I caught last evening. They have never tried striper before.

The lake level has risen slightly with the rains, but the Corps. is generating and keeping it close to normal pool of 552. The water temp is low to mid 50's. It should rise with the warm days and nights forecasted. And as normal the lake is clear most everywhere.