Norfork Lake Walleye Fishing

It was rainy and windy this morning on Norfork Lake, so I elected to sleep-in. It felt really good to get up at 7AM instead of 4:30, but I am itching to get out on Norfork Lake. I have been out the last couple of days and have started walleye fishing. Sunday evening I dragged a crawler harness with a bottom bouncing weight. I caught two slightly undersized walleye and several blue gill. I think that the walleye fishing would be great if it wasn't for the blue gill stealing the worms. I am going to try the Gulp worms and leaches next time. They are suppose to last longer and blue gill will have a harder time pulling them off. I have a friend that has been using shiners Carolina rigged and has been picking up a few walleye. The fish I caught were in 17 - 25 ft of water. I was dragging nightcrawlers next to the buck brush. I tried the points without luck. I also picked up a few 15 inch smallmouth on the crawler harnesses. The smallmouth are on the points at about 20 feet deep.

Largemouth and spotted bass are still coming up early in the morning and late in the afternoon. I caught 5 keeper size Kentucky bass yesterday morning on a spook back in the Bennetts area. I cleaned the Kentucky's and last night Linda made a fabulous fish cake appetizer with spicy tomatilla sauce. The striped bass are coming up early and late in the day. I have seen them in deep water, usually in the channel. When I get close enough to cast into them they go down and come up a different area. It looks like the striper top water action is coming to a close until the fall. The striped bass will start coming back up in September and/or October, when the water temp gets back in the mid 70's to mid 60's. I am still hopeful that I will be out and have them erupt around me. Spooning for stripers or trolling will start to work in 30 - 40 ft of water. Watch for a large school and drop the spoon on top of them and start jigging up and down. Be erratic with your jigging technique until you find the speed and action they are looking for.

The Norfork Lake level is at 562.44 and rising slowing. The Corps has forecast that the lake will stabilize at this level for a few days. (Of course if we get more rain it will rise.) The Norfork Lake water temperature is in the upper 70's to low 80's. The water is clear in the main channel and stained in the creeks and coves. Fish should start to hold at the edge between the stained and clear water.

Have a great day and happy fishing.