Norfork Lake Fishing Report

LINDA AND I WISH ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The weather warmed and the fishing heated up over the last several days on Norfork Lake. Striped bass fishing has been good, but the fish are moving. It appears that they are shallow (30 - 40 feet deep on the bottom)early in the morning, then they go deeper as the sun comes up. When they go deep you can find them on the bottom or suspended at 50 to 60 foot depths. You need to use your electronics to find the fish and the word is that they are hanging close to deep bluff lines. Fish are scattered and can be caught all over the lake. My guests have caught fish over the last several days in Float Creek, in the 101 and Bennetts area, the Henderson area and also in the Cranfield area. I caught and released fish in Panther Creek as well as Fall Creek on Monday. Live large shiners are working well fished straight down next to the boat.

Crappie are over the brush piles from 15 to 40 feet down. I fished for Crappie on Sunday afternoon and caught several in our cove and also over brush in the Cranfield area. I was using a small white grub tipped with a Crappie minnow. This method also caught 5 black bass. Bass are being caught in all depths of water, but I have been having the best luck in 30 - 35 feet of water. I have been releasing the bass and crappie under my dock. I hope they stick around.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowing and currently sits at 545.65. The Corps is running a couple of generators sporadically during the day. The surface water temperature is close to 50 degrees or just a little lower. The lake is clear.

It appears Basscat Boats has elected to stay at Norfork Lake for their 2011 Owners Invitational. It will be held on May 20th and 21st. Plans for a week long list of events and activities are being put together to make the 25th anniversary OI a great success. They are gearing towards making the event even more family friendly. If you need a place to stay give us a call for reservations.

Have a safe and Merry Christmas and see you on the water.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Yesterday morning was a perfect day for fishing on Norfork Lake, even with the light rain. Today, however, is a different story. Snow flurries, cold, and strong winds. This current weather pattern is to last a couple of days, but then get back to normal. I will get back to the business of fishing at that time.

I had a great day of fishing yesterday. I got back to Float Creek at around 7 AM. A few boats were already fishing. I spent the first half hour graphing different areas in Float, then I finally started to mark some big fish. I haven't used the large shiners since last winter so I decided to give them a try. I put out 4 down poles. Each pole had a 3/4 ounce egg sinker, a plastic bead and a number 7 barrel swivel. The bead helps protect the knot from the sinker. I then put on a 2 - 3 foot leader with a kahle hook. I was using a number 4 hook yesterday, small but effective with the size of the shiners. When using large gizzard shad as bait, tie on a much larger hook. I still use 8 pound test Ande green monofilament line. I started to drift down the deep bluff side on the edge of the channel. I tried to stay in 40 - 50 feet of water and the fish were at all depths. I had each pole at a different depths starting at 30 feet down to the bottom. I caught fish at all depths. The bite started around 8AM and lasted for about 2 hours in this location. I ended up landing 4 stripers and 1 hybrid in the 8 to 12 pound range and broke off 4 others. I don't know why I had all the break offs but they seemed to be close to my knots. I guess I retied my poles too late the night before and my eyes sight was just not good enough!!! When my boat drifted into 30 - 40 feet of water I started to get black bass. They were all the nice big ones. I landed 7 bass and the 4 in the photos would not go back down, so we had fish tacos for supper.

When the bite stopped close to the bank I headed out to the deeper water in the main channel. I ended up catching two other stripers. Both were caught when I was moving with my trolling motor. So this meant that my baits were much higher up in the water. The fish are continually moving so make sure you check out all areas. I have also received reports of stripers being caught in all the major creeks and also up in the Calamity area.

Crappie have moved over the brush in deep water. The brush in 40 feet of water is producing some nice fish. The Crappie are suspended over the brush from 15 - 40 feet down. Bass and walleye are also hanging close to the brush piles.

As you have noticed by my last couple of reports, I have been using live bait more than I usually do. I'm in a learning mode. My new boat gives me many more options. I have been testing out the shad tank and also learning how to throw a cast net and catch my own bait. I will be fishing the live bait method for a while until my comfort level is right with all aspects. Then I'll be back to artificial bait fishing, which I dearly enjoy.

The Norfork Lake water level is holding fairly steady and currently sits at 546.7. The surface water temperature was in the 54 to 55 degree range. The lake is clear and just gorgeous.

Stay warm, happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Have a great holiday season.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Yesterday morning was another great day for striped bass fishing on Norfork Lake. I took out Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line (striper guide on Norfork Lake) and we had a very productive morning. We boated our limit of stripers in 2 1/2 hours, broke off 2 others and missed at least 4 short bites. We were using live bait, large gizzard shad and suckers, on down rods. I was setting the bait about 24 feet down and fished in 27 - 32 feet of water. We were fishing the Calamity area. I have also gotten reports that large shiners are starting to catch fish.

Bass fishing has been good. I have had a lot of luck off of main lake points at the end of a bluff line and points on channel swings back in creeks. The fish are anywhere from the shoreline to 30 feet deep. You can also find many bass hanging around brush piles.

Crappie are just stacked over brush piles. They are suspended from 10 to 20 feet down. The brushy area where I have marked fish is in water 25-30 feet deep. Small jigs and a Northland Tackle Bro's Bloodworm has been the ticket.

The Norfork Lake level is at 547.05. The surface water temperature is in the high 50s to 60 degrees. The lake over all is clear with the main lake being the clearest. The Corps is running generators sporadically during the day.

This is a short report, but I mainly wanted to brag about yesterdays catch!!

Happy fishing, Happy Thanksgiving and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Fall fishing on Norfork Lake is in full swing. The lake is in great condition and the fish are biting. I have fished the last 6 days and have caught largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, crappie,catfish, panfish and striped bass. I fished for striped bass yesterday with my brother-in-law, his son and his son's girlfriend. We traveled up the river to the point 9 area of Norfork Lake. We arrived around 6:30AM just as the sky was starting to brighten. I was fishing with large gizzard shad. I hooked the bait onto my leader and dropped it to the bottom in 32 feet of water and set it into the rod holder. As I was reaching for the next pole the first pole bent to the water and line started zinging out. I had my nephew grab the rod and set the hook and the fight was on. All of sudden the line went slack he reeled it in and found that the line had snapped just below the weight. Must have had a kink in the line. I guess I need to be more diligent about checking the line for bad spots. I finally got four rods set, two down lines and two free swimming baits set on a Redi Rig float. This float works in the same method as a balloon keeping the bait away from the boat and at the depth you want. Our fishing trip was a success, we ended up landing five stripers in the 8 - 14 pound range (average Norfork Lake fish), broke off 2 fish and missed at least eight other bites. I had a blast watching my family fight those fish and took a lot of photos and probably gave more advice than was wanted.

Friday I fished with a writer and advertising agent of Northland Tackle and Frabill (Noel Vick). His goal was to bass fish and catch many fish. We started fishing around 8:30AM along bluff lines and points in the 101 Marina area. We were using crank baits, jig and pigs. Noel had a couple of hits along the shoreline, but no fish. The wind started to blow really hard out of the south and it became almost impossible to hold the boat and cast with any accuracy. We motored over to the Big E bluff line, which was blocking the strong winds. I went to a point that has a nice brush pile sunken in 40 feet of water. I rigged up a couple of rods with small live gizzard shad and immediately we started to get hammered. We ended up landing small mouth bass and spotted bass. We fished this location for a while then moved to the back of Float Creek. Again I rigged up live bait and was fishing in 23 - 35 foot depths and the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass were there and hitting very aggressively. I marked a small school of larger fish sitting in 25 feet of water, I told Noel get ready and all of sudden he was slammed and the drag just started zinging out. The fish was headed for deep water. Noel finally landed a nice size Norfork Lake striped bass (photo of me with the fish). I was amazed that these fish were in such shallow water. I floated over a big brush pile and was marking crappie and pan fish just stacked. They were suspended over the brush in 10 to 18 feet of water. The brush piles were sitting in 23 - 35 feet of water. We re-rigged with some Northland crappie tackle. Noel tied on a red Bro's Bloodworm and I tied on a white Mini Thumper-R-Blade (twister tail grub with a small spinner). Noel immediately got wacked on the Bro's Bloodworm and brought in a nice 12 - 13 inch white crappie. He ended up catching crappie and bluegill on the Bro's Bloodworm. My jig kept getting hits, but I think the grub was a little big and they keep biting the tail and not taking the whole bait. We ended the trip fishing back where we started. I baited the poles up with live shad and we dropped to the bottom at 23 - 30 feet. We started catching spotted bass, one after another. We both had a great day and a fun time. I want to thank Noel for the new Frabill net. It works great and hooks don't get stuck into the webbing. Great net.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and currently sits at 547.12. The lake temperature is falling as well and I was marking 59 degree water up north and around 60 - 61 degrees in my cove. The main lake is clear and the creeks and cover are clearing.

Have a great day of fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Linda and I are back at our resort after a long overdue vacation. We both had a great time. We are hard at work around the resort and I have also started fishing again on Norfork Lake. So far we have had a relatively warm fall and the fish are starting to bite. Yesterday I took some of my visiting family out striper fishing and we did Ok. We landed 2 stripers, one 15+ pounds. We broke off another and missed four other strikes. We were fishing up the river past point 8 with live shad. They were not the big jumbos so we were doubling up the shad on one hook. A couple of my guide friends have also been fishing the same area and are doing well. Yesterday Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters landed 10 stripers and hybrids and the day before landed 14. I guess my boat missed too many of the strikes.

Today I fished with my brother-in-law and we slayed the bass. We ended up landing over 20 largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass and lost over 5 fish at the boat. We limited out on spotted bass and released the largemouths and smallmouths. We started at sunrise and were throwing Zara Spooks around some docks. The fish were out in deep water (25feet) as well as right on the shore line. Next we headed over to the Big E area and switched from artificial baits to live bait. We used Carolina type rigs with a 1 ounce weight, then a couple of feet of leader with a number 4 kahle hook. I was fishing around some brush that is close to a point on the bluff line. The spotted bass were stacked. We landed 4 fish in this location then they seemed to turn-off. Next we headed to Panther Creek. I was graphing at different locations looking for striper without success. I stopped on a point and started to use live bait. We landed 3 spotted bass. Again the fish were in 20 - 25 feet of water. My third location was past Bidwell point. This was our most productive area. Again the bass were stacked and were very aggressive. We caught our first 3 fish in 8 - 10 feet of water and continued to catch fish after fish in 10 - 30 feet of water. I really think spinner baits and crankbaits would have worked great, but we were having so much fun with the live bait I could not get myself to switch. It was a great great day.

Two 17 inch smallmouth, a 16 inch spotted bass, and a white bass (all caught today) were given to an advertising firm that is photographing for 2011 fishing equipment catalogs for Northland and Frabril, both Minnesota companies. Arkansas is having over 19 nationally known reporters in the area fishing and exploring to see what Norfork Lake and Mountain Home have to offer. I am taking some of the writers out fishing on Friday and Saturday, My trip for today was cancelled.

From reports, crappie fishing is starting to get really hot. Small twister tail grubs tipped with a minnow and just minnows are working well. The fish are suspendied over brush piles anywhere from 10 feet to 20 feet down. Keep trying different depths until you find the one that works the best.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and currently sits at 547.45. The surface water temperature was 62 - 63 degrees today. The main lake water is clear and the creeks are cloudy but clearing.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather on Norfork Lake has been great. Daytime temperatures have been in the upper 60's to 70's and the evenings have been in the 40's & 50's. I couldn't ask for a better fall. The fish in Norfork Lake are starting to move to their winter patterns. Basically this is saying you can find fish both shallow and deep and anywhere in between. This morning I fished with one of our guests (Grant) and we ended up catching largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. We started throwing a Zara spook at sunrise at the end of docks, with no success. I headed into the bank and on the first cast this nice 16 inch spotted bass hammered my spook in less than one foot of water. We continued to work the shoreline for the next couple of hours and landed several bass. All received their freedom. Once the shallow bite stopped we moved to a semi deep bluff line and started working worms and a jig and pig on the bottom. I ended up landing a smallmouth. We started to vertical jig with a spoon, but the wind picked up and it became too hard to hold my location. We had a good morning and decided to head back home for that second cup of coffee.

Yesterday morning I found a large school of white bass pushing shad to the surface. We started throwing a spook, but they just would not hit them. I saw the school on my fish finder so we started to spoon and had a great time pulling in one after another, with plenty of misses. We were fishing back in the 6A area. We then headed to a point at the end of a bluff line and started to spoon. The bass didn't show up, but we did catch several crappie that were hanging around a sunken tree. One of these days I need to take my crappie gear to this location. The crappie were just stacked over the tree in 15 - 35 feet of water. In the other photo Grant landed this nice 22 inch walleye on a rogue type bait.

Stripers are starting to show up all over the lake. They have been caught in front of 101, in Panther Creek, Float Creek and up from Cranfield. I have not found any top water action yet, but hopefully this will happen soon. Fish are being caught on live bait, from 20 - 50 feet down. Hopefully I will get out and do some serious striper fishing in the next day or so. My new shad tank arrived so I will be able to live bait fish along with the artificial bait.

Linda has been after me for some catfish. I guess I will set a trot line out before long and see what happens.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 559.5. The surface water temperature was 66.5 degrees this morning and should drop over the next week. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are starting to clear. The Corps is running one or two generators sporadically during the day.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

It has been windy on Norfork Lake for the last 4 days. Even with the wind I have been able to get out this morning and a few evenings over the last week. The bass bite is still good. I am catching bass in 30 - 37 feet of water on the main lake points as well as over sunken brush piles. I have been using a 3/4 ounce spoon for vertical jigging. This morning I caught several bass. One was a 6 pound lunker. I caught a double header on a Zara Spook top water bait. Both were Kentucky bass. One was 14 inches long and the other was 12 inches. I thought I had a really big fish when I was bringing them in. The double headed was caught casting close to docks. All bass were released immediately so I have no pictures today.

The crappie bite is improving. They are on sunken brush and suspended anywhere from 15 feet down to the bottom of the brush. Minnows are working the best at this time. Once the water cools the crappie should become more aggressive.

Still have not caught any striper lately and haven't heard of many being caught. I did see some really nice top water stripers about 4 evenings ago. I was fishing the Cranfield to Point 8 area. Along the bluff line the stripers started to blow up. By the time I got close enough they went down. I started to spoon in the same area and saw them come up again right behind my boat. I got so excited I almost threw my spooning rod in the water reaching for my top water rod. To say the least I was too late and they went down not to be seen again that evening. I am soooo happy I didn't lose my rod and reel! I hope this early top water action is a sign of what's to come in November.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 550.12. One to two generators are being run sporadically during the day. The surface water temperature this morning fell to 69 degrees. (This is a good thing) The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Early fall has been a great fishing time for the bass fishermen and fisherwomen. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are being found all over the lake. I have had the best luck on bluff line points for spotted bass, deep bluff lines and brush piles for the largemouth and deep bluff lines for the smallmouth. All of my fish have been caught in 30 - 40 feet of water either vertical jigging with a spoon or with live shiners. Live crawdads will work great this time of year for the spotted bass. One guest last week fished a few hours in the morning and a few hours at sunset and after dark. He was pitching a dark colored jig and pig along the bluff lines and caught close to his limit each time he went out. His fish were caught in 15 - 25 feet of water.

I fished with a couple of my guests yesterday morning and we started looking for stripers with no luck so I started to move closer to the points and bluffs. We hooked up with some nice bass, catfish and walleye. We were fishing with live shiners as well as spoons. One of the guests started throwing a small popper at the banks. He picked up a few nice largemouth and a whole bunch of hand sized blue gill. I fished the Fall Creek area, Diamond Bay area and along the Robinson bluffs. We caught fish at all locations. It wasn't non-stop action, but we caught some quality fish.

Last week we also had a couple of pan fisherpeople. They loaded up on large hand size red eared blue gill and had a blast. They took home a freezer full. Crickets were the bait of choice. This was non stop action!

Striper fishing has still been slow. I have had reports of one or two being caught, but nothing to say they are in the fall feeding pattern. This time of year we should be finding them schooled in the mid lake area, but we're not at this time. The lake is still a little warmer than normal so this may be affecting the bite. I have marked stripers, but I can not get them to bite. This is what I'm hearing from everyone I've asked. Once the lake temperature gets into the 60's I think we will see a major change. Of course this is not going to stop me from trying to locate and catch them. If all else fails I will go catch some nice bass and walleye.

Crappie fishing has picked up. You can find them over brush piles that is in 30 - 40 feet of water. The crappie should be suspended about 15 - 30 feet down. Use live minnows, a small spoon or a twister tail grub tipped with a minnow. Keep checking the various brush piles in the lake, you will find them.

The lake level is falling slowing and sits at 551.2. The Corps is running 1 - 2 generators sporadically during the day. The surface lake water temperature has been around 72 degrees. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves cloudy.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I have been having fun fishing Norfork Lake the last 3 days. I fished in the evening Monday and Tuesday, then today switched to find the early morning bite. The bite has been equally good each day that I have fished. Monday afternoon I had planned on just traveling to several areas to check for bait and fish, but when I was graphing my cove I noticed a lot of fish in 22 - 24 feet of water. I started to spoon and caught white bass after white bass. I went back to my dock and talked one of my guests into coming out with me. In minutes we were on the whites again and had a great time. We ended up catching a dozen or so whites and a nice largemouth. Greg is picutered holding the largemouth and a white. On Tuesday afternoon I headed out around 4PM and decided not to graph my cove so I would be able to check out other areas. :) I headed across from Bidewell Point and marked a few fish, but nothing exciting. I then headed back to the 6A area and marked a few big arcs but no schools of stripers. Once I got into 30 - 38 feet of water I started marking huge schools of bait and fish. I started spooning and ended up catching 5 largemouth bass and 2 crappie. I was fishing rocky points on the bluff side. The black bass and crappie were just stacked. I was hoping for a little top water action, but didn't find any. This morning was equally good. It was a very foggy morning so I couldn't travel fast. I planned on checking out Float Creek and Diamond Bay, but decided to stay closer to home. I fished across from Bidwell and went to the back of the cove. Largemouth bass and Kentucky bass were stacked in 35 - 40 feet of water. I had one of my guide friends, Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line, with me. We end up landing 6 bass, 3 that were keeper size. We kept one Kentucky for fish tacos. Then we headed to the 101 area and fished a rocky point where I usually catch bass. We didn't find bass this time, but instead we started catching crappie on 1 ounce spoons. The crappie were stack in 30 - 38 feet of water. All fish caught were on the bottom, but I was marking many, many fish all the way from 20 feet, down to the bottom. If I only had my crappie gear with me, we would most likely have had a field day with them. I then headed back to the 6A area and fished rocky points. Again we found crappie just stacked in 30 - 38 feet of water. I found the most fish on drop offs. What a fun morning. Robert got to clean the fish since he is going to have the fish tacos for dinner this evening.

In a nutshell, I found crappie in 30 - 38 feet of water off of main lake rocky points. They were hanging on the ledges or drop offs. I had been finding bass in the same locations. White bass seem to be back in creeks or coves in 22 - 30 feet of water. For all the fish make sure you find the bait fish and the other fish will be there feeding.

Stripers have been tough to find the last 5 days. I think the cold front that rolled through our area put them on the move. Just one week ago I got into a large school of top water feeding striper and had a field day. I found the fish in 20 feet of water. Hope this happens again soon. The forecast is back to normal temperatures so hopefully the stripers will get back to their normal seasonal routine. We should start finding them in the mid lake area soon.

From all reports and my observations the lake conditions are great. Oxygen levels are up and the water is cooling. With all the fish coming up into shallow water it appears we may not have much of a turnover if any this year. If we have a lake turnover it typically happens in October some time, dependant on the water and air temperatures. Of course anything can happen at any time.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowing and currently is at 551.75. One generator is currently being run. The surface water temperature had fallen to the low to mid 70s. The main lake is clear and the coves and creeks are still a little stained.

Follow Hummingbird Hideaway Resort on Facebook for additional pictures and short notes.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

It was a fantastic morning of fishing on Norfork Lake. I needed to put a few hours on the new motor to break it in so I headed toward the dam. I caught fish everywhere I stopped to look. I first stopped near the dam and was marking fish on the bottom in 40 - 45 feet of water. Then all of a sudden the stripers started to explode close to shore. They were chasing shad on the surface. I quickly got the rod with the Zara spook and on the first cast landed a 12 pound fish. I always have a rod ready with a Zara spook tied on. The fish continued to come up in the same area for about 30 minutes. I landed a second fish about 10 pounds and then I had my third on and after about a 5 minute fight it came unhooked. I checked out my hooks and all were bent out. I guess the first two fish took a toll on the hooks. I better change out the hooks to a stronger one before my next trip. My second spot was back in Koso. Again I was marking fish in 40 - 50 feet of water on the bottom. I started to vertical jig and caught 2 hybrids and a undersized smally. I then headed back into the Diamond Bay area and marked fish in the 35 - 45 feet range. This is where I landed the 18 inch largemouth and smallmouth bass. I also caught 2 whites in the same area. The bass and whites were all caught vertical jigging with a spoon.

All in all it was a great maiden voyage (or at least the first true fishing trip) in my new Skeeter Bay boat. I am really liking this boat!!!! I do have a shad tank on order so I will also be doing live bait fishing in the future. My new bay boat will allow me to be very versatile in my fishing methods.

I hope the early fall top water action is a good sign to how the fall fishing is going to be. I'm looking for a great fall fishing season.

I am getting encouraging reports from the crappie guides that they are starting to catch crappie on sunken brush piles. The brush should be in about 40 feet of water and the crappie are suspended from 20 feet all the way down to the brush. You will need to test various depths until you find the right one. Catfishing has been really good on trot lines and jugs. I have also caught quite a few spooning in 35 feet of water. The trot lines need to be in 15 to 20 feet of water, but as the water cools shallower depths will work.

The Norfork Lake water level is holding steady at 552.26. The surface water temperature has fallen to 77 degrees. The main lake is clear, but the creeks and coves are still a little murky.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Welcomes BASS tournament

Welcome BASS fishermen and women to Norfork Lake. The Arkansas BASS Federation is holding their annual championship tournament on Norfork Lake this week. The actual tournament will be this coming Friday and Saturday and the weigh-in is at Henderson Marina. I haven't heard a final count, but I am being told it should be close to 150 boats.

My new Skeeter Bay boat has finally arrived. This new addition to the Hummingbird Hideaway fleet will allow me to fish whatever style is working best. I have a shad tank ordered so I will soon be able to live bait fish as well as fish with artificial bait as I have done in the past. I will also be able to start guiding occasionally. With all the bass boats around I was trying to wait until after the tournament to break in the boat, but I couldn't do it. We cruised around for about an hour this morning.

Look for an updated fishing report next week, but the guides are telling me that the fishing trends have not changed from my last report.

Norfork Lake level is at 552.3 and hold fairly steady. Generation has been sporadic. The surface lake temperature is in the low 80's early and mid 80's in the afternoon. The lake is clear and the creeks and covers are clearing nicely.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The Norfork Lake striper bite has been off the chart using live bait. The morning and evening bites have been really good. Fish are being caught from Diamond Bay to the dam. Guests in the photos have been fishing all week long and have been limiting out in the mornings as well as the evenings. Jeff catches live shad and this seems to be the bait of choice. Last evening Jeff and I were fishing next to each other off a point in the dam area. I watched him land two nice 12 pound stripers and miss 5 others. I was vertical jigging with a spoon and only had one hit and missed it. They definitely wanted fresh bait instead of artificial. The fish were 38 - 45 feet down either on the bottom or suspended in about 55 feet of water. This evening I am going to try live shiners to see how and if they will work. I will let you know.

I have been catching black bass and white bass with catfish and walleye thrown in for good measure. I've been fishing in 35-40 feet of water. These fish are on the bottom feeding on shad. White bass are back in coves and creeks usually towards the center of the creek not on the banks. The black bass that I have found are on points or the sides of points in this same water depth. The lake thermocline is hovering in the 35 feet range and varies depending on where you are on the lake.

The Norfork Lake level has risen to 552.3. The surface water temperature has stabilized in the low 80s during the morning and the mid 80s in the afternoon. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are still murky.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The striped bass, hybrid bass, white bass and black bass are still schooling on Norfork Lake. Fishing has been good once you find the fish. They are moving constantly and you will find them in one spot and they stick around for 30 minutes to an hour then move off. You will need to move to different locations until you find them again. There is a good morning bite as well as a late afternoon bite. Early morning and late afternoon the fish that I have found are in 40 - 55 ft of water feeding heavily on shad and crawdads. Mid day they head out to deeper water and suspend in 40 - 60 ft of water still feeding on shad. Find the shad and you should find the fish. I have been fishing the dam area and find them back in coves as well as on main lake points. There hasn't been a consistent place to fish so use your electronics to find the schools. Example, I took out a couple of our guests on Labor Day and fished Point 1, Koso Bay, Sally Hand and a couple other points with little success. We ended up with one keeper walleye. I finally found some white bass and smaller hybrids in the Diamond Bay area. Yesterday I fished the same areas and found large schools of stripers and hybrids. I caught 2 nice hybrids and a 9 pound striper. I was able to release the hybids, but the striper just wouldn't go back down. The fish are constantly on the move! I guess that is why they call it fishing!!

I have found good schools of white bass back in coves and creeks in 30 - 45 ft of water. I've fished the Diamond Bay area with success later in the morning. I have also found whites and small hybrids in Panther creek and Float creek.

Kentucky and large mouth bass are chasing shad on the surface at sunrise and also sunset. Have your favorite top water bait tied on so you are ready. The top water action only lasts a half hour or until the sun gets over the trees. I have noticed that on cloudy mornings it will last longer. I have also spooned up some nice blacks in 30 - 40 ft of water feeding on the bottom. Again they are located on main lake points, bluff lines and also back in creeks on the secondary points.

No word on Crappie, but with the cooling water they should start moving back to my brush piles. I will keep you posted.

Catfish are being caught on trot lines and jugs with a lot of success. Use live bait for a better bite.

The Norfork Lake level is at 550.49 ft, a few feet below normal pools. The lake surface water temperature has fallen to 79 - 82 degrees. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are cloudy. Rain is in the forecast for the next few days, but the forecast shows clearing by Friday. Should be a great weekend.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing is still in full swing in the heat of the summer. Live bait as well as vertical jigging is working really well. Most of the fish that are being caught are in the Diamond Bay area to the dam. Both early morning and the late afternoon bite is strong. The Stripers, hybrids and whites are schooling and once you find the school hold on for a lot of fun. I fished this morning with two of my guests. We fished the dam area in 45 - 70 feet of water off of main lake points. Today I found a huge school at around 6:45AM and it was nonstop action for about 45 minutes. Then I lost the school and couldn't find it again. I fished a few other areas and caught several small whites. We ended up catching white bass, hybrid bass and stripers. These were the first stripers/hybrids these guests have caught on Norfork Lake. I also fished Sunday morning in the same area as today and ended up catching 2 nice 9 pound hybrids. Cody is much more photogenic than me.

Nothing new on other species. I will have better info later.

The Norfork Lake level is still falling slowly and sits at 550.96. The Corps is running one to two generators sporadically during the day. The surface water temperature was in the high 80's to low 90's. The main lake is clear and the coves and creeks are slightly stained.

Happy fishing and hope to see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing has been pretty good over the last week. It does seem that I have a great day then the next day is mediocre. I guess that is why they call it fishing. Today was one of those mediocre days. I ran all over the lake this morning and ended up catching 7 white bass at the last stop closest to the resort. Yesterday was much better, I landed this 10 pound striper and missed three others and was only out for a couple of hours. I had to be back at the resort to check out one of our pontoon boats. Tuesday was an OK day. I had one of our guests with me and we caught white bass, hybrids and this nice 12 pound striper. We caught it at the same location where I caught all the whites this morning. I am finding fish from the Robinson area to the dam. Most fish are being caught on main lake points anywhere from 45 feet to 80 feet of water. The fish are at 40 - 55 feet depths. There is still is a little top water action just as the sun is rising so have your favorite top water bait ready to go. I like the Zara Spook jr. I am still vertical jigging with a spoon and will continue this method of fishing into the fall. I will start fishing closer to brush piles once the water temperature gets back in the low 80's.

Catfish are being caught on trot lines and jugs using live bait. Cut bait will work, but the turtles and gar seem to get there before the catfish. Blue gill are biting good on crickets and nightcrawlers. Crappie are still slow but will pick up once the water temperature gets in the low 80's. Black bass are feeding shallow early and late in the day then they go deep in the heat of the day. I have been catching a few walleye when I get into 30 - 40 feet of water and they hit the same spoon I am using for striper fishing.

The Norfork Lake water level is falling slowly and currently sits at 551.6. The lake is clear. The surface water temperature is in the low 90's.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Fishing on Norfork Lake at this time is outstanding. If you like to fish for striped bass, black bass and white bass then now is the time to come to Norfork Lake. I have been vertical jigging in 65 feet of water and am finding the fish stacked, suspended at 35 - 45 feet depths. The schools are so large that I can feel my spoon bounce off a fish as it is falling. Then all of a sudden the pole starts to bend. It has been amazing. After I limited out on stripers and hybrids I went to a nearby point and started jigging in approximately 30 feet of water. The whites, blacks and walleye are feeding on the bottom. I worked the same spoon I used for the stripers. I have been trying to release all fish that can swim back down, but some of the stripers are too stressed after coming up from 40 feet. The photo is of yesterday's catch. This morning I brought home 2 - 10 pound stripers and a 3 pound white bass. Linda couldn't get away for a photo op this morning. I have released over 10 fish each morning consisting of hybrids, whites, black bass and a couple undersized walleye. The spoon is working well. The live bait fishermen are also doing very well in similar type areas if not the same area.

The lake conditions are the same as last report with a slight fall in the water level.

See you all soon and happy fishing on Norfork Lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Fishing on Norfork Lake for striped bass couldn't get much better. The morning bite, as well as the afternoon bite, is in full swing. The attached photos are from the last two days. I limited out this morning and ran across school after school of striped bass, hybrid bass and white bass. I was vertical jigging in 50 - 60 feet of water. The fish were suspended in 35 - 45 feet of water. Will, with his limit of striped bass, fished last evening with Tom Reynold's of STR Outfitters. Tom was using live shad and fished similar depths and occasionally in deeper water. Dustin, with the two stripers, fished yesterday morning and was vertical jigging in the same area that I fished this morning. The fish are really active at this time. If I had taken a spook along with me, I could have caught many black bass. When the sun was just starting to come up the bass were chasing shad to the surface and erupting all around me.

Stripers and hybrids are being caught from the Robinson area and surrounding creeks down to the dam area. Early morning and late evening should be the best time to fish and then you can take advantage of the afternoon sun to play in the pool or lake.

The Norfork Lake level is holding steady and is at 552.47. The surface water temperature is still in the upper 80's to low 90's. The lake is clear and in great condition to fish, ski or swim.

See you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Stripers are schooling on Norfork Lake. Striped bass fishing has been pretty good over the last couple of weeks. Large schools of stripers and hybrids are being found from the Robinson area to the dam. Once you find the school drop a spoon and vertical jig, you will get a fish. I have had guests over the last week vertical jigging and catching some nice stripers, hybrids and white bass. Walleye have also been caught at the 101 bridge suspended in 25 feet of water. The photos are two different families/friends. One had three generations of family members on board with all catching fish. The little one had the job of the netting the big catch. One of the families was fishing out of a 20 foot ski boat and the other out of a bass boat. It shows that you don't always need a trolling motor to catch fish, but a sonar does help. These fish were caught in 50 feet of water feeding on the bottom. They were back in a cove that we have dubbed Hummingbird Hideaway Cove, since fishing in this particular cove at this time of year has been productive for me over the last 3 years. The bite is occurring anywhere between 6:00 and 9:00 in the morning. Live shad fishing has also been really good for the guides on the lake. It is a early morning and late afternoon bite. Take a break mid day to go swimming or just relax out on the water.

Black bass fishing has also been good. There is a little top water action early in the morning back in coves and creeks. Plastics are working well in 5 - 20 feet of water. Vertical jigging will pick up a few in 30 feet of water.

Catfish are being caught with live bait on trot lines and jugs. Crappie fishing is still very slow but will start to pick up when the temperature starts to fall. Pan fishing has been fantastic with nightcrawlers and crickets. My dock has produced many large slabs for our guests. White bass are still schooling in the backs of creeks and coves. Walleye are in similar areas to the white bass usually on the bottom in around 30 feet of water and close to brush piles.

The Norfork Lake level is holding fairly steady and is currently at 552.6. The water temperature is in the high 80's to low 90's. The water is clear in the main lake and slightly cloudy in the coves and creeks. One or two generators are being run sporadically.

I will see you on the water next week, my boats are currently rented.

Happy fishing.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Vertical jigging with a spoon is in full swing on Norfork Lake. For those artificial bait fishermen and women who like to fish for all species of fish, try vertical jigging. I have fished for the last couple of days back in a creek and have spooned up white bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Kentucky bass, walleye, hybrid bass, catfish and sunfish. The only fish I have not caught in the last couple days are striped bass and crappie. I have spooned up both in the past in the same location. I have been fishing in 30 - 60 feet of water and am finding the fish either on the bottom or suspended in 30 - 40 feet of water. Drop the spoon next to the boat and let it fall to the bottom. Be prepared to set the hook at any time. The fish will pick up the spoon before it hits the bottom and your line will go slack, set the hook quickly. If you don't get fish on the drop start jigging the spoon up and down, sometimes high jigs and sometimes just twitch it. You will feel the fish on as you are raising the spoon off of the bottom. If still no fish after 5 or 6 jigs reel up quickly and you might get a fish to hit the spoon on the rise. Be patient and watch your electronics for schools of fish or large balls of shad. The fish will be hanging around the bait usually under them, but I have also found them on the top side. As always the live bait guides are doing well using live shad. Black bass and walleye are being caught back in creeks and off of main lake points in 25 - 30 feet of water all over the lake. Striped bass are being caught from Robinson area to the dam. They are back in creeks and coves and also in the main lake. You can find them in 40 - 55 feet of water on the bottom feeding on crawfish and they can also be found out in deep water suspended at the 40 foot level feeding on shad. Use your electronics and look for the schools. JFor catfish jugs and trotlines are working well baited with shiners or small bluegill.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowing and currently sits at 554.09 feet above sea level. Two generators are currently being run. The lake surface water temperature is in the upper 80's to low 90's. The lake is generally clear.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

It was another beautiful morning on Norfork Lake. I started out from our dock with one of our guests at 5AM and started fishing before 5:30. We started out in the Diamond Bay area, but were not marking much to vertical jig. Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line was fishing close by and was catching his fair share using live shad. I moved to a different area around 6AM and immediately marked a huge school of feeding fish. We both hooked into white bass, we dropped again and hooked into more fish. We lost over 10 fish and landed 6. We kept a couple of the whites and a nice 6 pound hybrid. The fishing remained pretty steady for about an hour, then it slowed so I kept moving around trying to find the schooling fish without much luck. I ended the trip in Float Creek and fished an area I did well in yesterday morning, today I marked a ton of bait, but no feeding fish. Reports from various guides and fishing friends are that they are catching striped bass and hybrids near the Robinson area and surrounding creeks to the Diamond area and around the dam. The fish are definitely schooling. When you find a school of feeding fish drop a spoon and vertical jig, you will catch a fish. The schools keep moving under the shad.

The Norfork Lake water level has fallen to 554.62 with one generator currently being run. The surface water temperature of the lake was in the low 90's this morning. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves somewhat hazy.

Have a great day and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I'm back fishing Norfork Lake after a week of being home bound. All of our boats were rented last week so I got to sleep in. The striped bass are schooling and in their summer pattern. I had a huge school go under me this morning. I missed hooking the first one. I finally landed the second striper and the third broke off. I also caught 3 big white bass and two black bass on a spook. I have had reports of stripers being caught in Float Creek, Panther Creek, Fall Creek and in the Robinson Island area. The fish are suspended at levels of 30 - 40 feet and can be found in all depths, 50 feet to 120 feet of water. I have also had reports of stripers being caught in the dam area. Live bait is working the best (gizzard and thread fin shad) but spooning works once you find the fish. I spoon all summer long. The stripers were hitting my spoon on the drop this morning. Be ready to set the hook as soon as you feel or see the line go slack, you only get one chance. I have also had positive reports on the afternoon bite for stripers.

The top photo is of one of our guests that fished with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters. Bill landed this nice 20 pound striper and it is currently at the taxidermist. His fish dwarfed my little 10 pounder of today. His group had over 20 bites and end up landing 7 stripers and a nice 4 pound smallmouth bass.

Crappie fishing has been a little difficult with the summer heat. They have gone deep and if you get lucky you may find them on a deep ledge. They should start to move back into the deep brush piles soon. Catfishing has been good on trotlines and jugs. The guides are catching catfish on most of their trips with their shad. Big slab blue gills are being caught under docks and I have spooned up several in 30 feet of water. Walleye are being spooned up in 30 - 40 feet of water along rock bluffs as well as main lake points.

The Norfork Lake level is 555.8 and rising very slowly. Currently no generators are being run. The main lake is clear and the creeks are still a little cloudy due to the rise in water. The Norfork Lake surface water temperature is in the upper 80's.

Happy fishing and hope to see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Happy belated July 4th to all. It has been pretty busy around the resort and my fishing boat has been rented for skiing and tubing. I did finally get out fishing the last two days and did OK but not great. The black bass are still coming up somewhat early in the morning, by 8AM they have gone down deep. Today I caught 6 largemouth all 15 inches and all caught on a spook. I was also vertical jigging with a spoon. A large school of striper went under me and I hooked one momentarily while reeling up quickly though the school.It buried my rod tip in the water and when I set the hook the fish came unhooked! I immediately dropped the spoon and when it hit about 35 feet I felt my line go slack. I set the hook and the fish just took off. It ran across the bow of my boat and the line snapped. I think the line must have been cut by the fish's gill plate. I had another rod rigged with a spoon and dropped it and again the line went slack, I set the hook and the fish dove and as quickly as it dove the lure came unhooked. I did notice one of the hooks was bent out. I guess I have forgotten how to land a fish. I will get them the next time, which may not be until next week. I am finding white bass and black bass on the bottom in 30 - 40 feet of water. The stripers are suspended in 30 - 40 feet of water. I have been fishing back in the major creeks and fishing the secondary points especially where there is a channel swing.

The Norfork Lake level is at 554.16 and holding steady. The main lake is clear and the creeks are clearing. The surface water temperature was at 87 degrees this morning a few degrees lower than last week.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

PS: The top photo's are some black bass spooned up by my brother-in-law John over the 4th and the second photo is of Chuck Pate and his client. Chuck is a very dedicated striper guide on Norfork Lake. His client hooked into this 33 pound striper on the 101 bridge columns. The fish took off between the columns and under the support brace. Chuck grabbed the rod and dove into the water and took the pole under the support bracing so the line would not be cut by the concrete. Once on the other side Chuck handed the rod back to his 13 year old client who continued to land this monster.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY. It is another gorgeous morning on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozarks. It has been a great father's day for me so far. I went out fishing this morning (first time in over a week) and caught all the white bass and Kentucky bass that I wanted and also limited out on Striped Bass. I was releasing all that I caught this morning, but had to keep the striper and the white in the photo. I tried to release them, but they would not go down. I guess we have supper planned for today or tomorrow. The other two stripers were in the 10 pound range and all the white's were in the 1.5 - 2.5 pounds range. It was a fun, fun morning!!! I started out throwing a Zara Spook and was catching white bass, but when I saw huge schools of fish down in 35 - 50 feet of water I switched over to vertical jigging with a spoon and caught over 15 white bass and the 3 stripers. I was fishing back in a major creek off of a channel swing. It was hard not to throw my spook since there was sooo much top water action, but the bigger fish were deeper. I did end my trip by throwing the spook at a school of Kentucky's that just kept coming up. They were all 12 - 14 inches long and very fat and sassy.

I caught several channel catfish last week on my trot line, but it seemed to be slow. Not much news on crappie fishing, but I would think the hot weather is going to make it tough going.

The Norfork Lake water temperature is in the mid to upper 80's. The lake level is dropping and currently at 557.42. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are somewhat stained due to the drop in water pulling the silt off of the shore line. Once the drop stops the water will clear.

Happy fishing and see on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The sun has been shining on Norfork Lake for the last week. Our guests are having a great time fishing in the morning, playing in the water in the afternoon, then fishing again in the evening. Can't ask for a better vacation than that.

Fishing has been great for the past week and seems to just keep improving. The white and black bass as well as stripers and hybrids are chasing the shad to the surface. It is Zara Spook time! One of my guests just came into the office really excited stating that he was in the Cranfield area and all of a sudden the water just started to boil. They had spooks tied on and had a field day catching white bass. He did say he saw some really big fish busting the surface farther out in the channel. Other guests have been fishing Float, Panther, and Fall Creeks with the same results. The top water action is currently in full swing in both early mornings and late evenings. Once the fish go down, vertical jigging is working. Fish are being caught on a spoon in 30 - 40 feet of water. Fish creek channel swings as well as main lake points.

Walleye are being caught with crank baits. The fish are back in coves in 15 - 25 feet of water. Try using a crawdad colored crank bait. Troll it slowly. I have also spooned up some walleye in 30 - 40 feet of water off of rock bluffs. It should be time for the walleye to be on the flats. Start checking out the Cranfield flats, Robinson Island flats, Koso Point flats. The fish should be in 25 - 40 feet of water.

Crappie are being caught on main lake and creek brush piles in 30 - 40 feet of water. Live minnows are still working the best, but twister tail jigs are also catching some nice fish.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and is at 558.58. Only 6 1/2 feet above normal pool. The surface water temperature is in the mid 80's. The lake is clearer than I have ever seen. I can see fish swimming in 20 feet of water. It's amazing.

Have a great day fishing tomorrow and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I am back on the lake after a weeks worth of wedding celebrations. Our daughter was married last Saturday at our resort and we had close to 150 family and friends visit with us. It was a great time and we are very happy with our new son-in-law. The Friday night fish fry went off very good and all loved the Norfork Lake fish. We ended up deep frying catfish, white bass, crappie and striper. It was tasty and there were no left overs. I am sure you saw photos of what we ended up eating. We bread it before we freeze it and it goes into the fryer frozen. Just about as close to fresh caught as we can do with so many to serve.

I have been out fishing the last two mornings and the top water bite is fantastic. From 5AM until around 7AM you can see the whites, black bass and stripers breaking the surface. I have been throwing a zara spook and almost every cast I get a fish or at least had a fish slapping at my bait. I took a couple of our guests along this morning and they had a good time. I am finding the fish back in the creeks. Check out the Bennett's area, Float Creek and Panther Creek. I have also gotten reports of top water action in the dam area. Yesterday I was spooning after 7AM and caught 2 keeper walleye. One flipped off the hook as I was trying to reach for the net. I also caught a nice 20 pound Blue cat. The Cat also got it's freedom at the dock. I was taking it out of the live well and it flipped and bounced right back in the water. I guess they will be able to grow bigger and I will catch them later!! Guides are still doing well catching stripers with live shad. They are fishing my end of the lake and also at the dam area. The stripers are scattered all over the lake. The guides are catching stripers on both free swimming shad as well as down poles from 30 - 50 feet down. Some of them are suspended in deep water as well as hugging the bottom.

Crappie are being caught around docks that have brush on them as well as over brush piles submerged in the lake. The fish are anywhere from 10 - 30 feet down. Live minnows are working the best.

The Catfish are spawning, but should be close to complete. Jugs and trot lines are still doing well with live bait as well as cut bait.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 559.41. All generators are currently being run. The lake surface water temperature is in the low to mid 80's. The lake is gin clear all over. It is the clearest I have seen in quite some time.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather has been gorgeous the past week on Norfork Lake. The forecast is calling for warm sunny days with light winds for the upcoming Memorial Holiday Weekend. (We still have a few openings for those last minute plans.)

I have fished the last 5 mornings and have done well. I've caught largemouth bass, Kentucky bass, white bass, walleye, crappie and striped bass. The striped bass are are both deep and also pushing the shad to the surface. The past several days I have been using a spoon and vertical jigging, but today I got into some nice top water action. I caught these two stripers (one 14 pounds and one 10 pounds)on a Zara Spook. I caught these fish on 8 pound test monofilament line. I used my favorite spook, a junior sized one with a white body and chartreuse head. Stripers are being caught in the Fouts area, Float Creek, Panther Creek, Fall Creek, Cranfield area and the Robinson area. As you can see they are throughout our end of the lake.

On Sunday, a father and daughter team (Kevin and Abbie) took a guided trip with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters and landed 4 nice stripers and lost 8 others. Tom was using live gizzard shad and caught the fish in 25 - 40 feet of water. He was fishing the Fouts / 6A area. The second photo is of Mary Ann, one of our Collinsville, IL guests. She spooned up this nice 10 pound striped bass suspended in 40 feet of water in the White Rock area. Doug and Mary Ann also caught white bass and black bass both on top water and vertical jigging and also trolled up a nice 6 pound hybrid in the Cranfield area. Another one of our fishing guests (not in a photo) has been catching nice sized largemouth and Kentucky bass. He has also caught several walleye, one 18 inches. Larry loves to use a jig and pig and last winter he made up over a hundred jigs in various colors. He also uses real pork rind instead of the plastic ones.

As you can see fishing has been pretty active lately. For the top water bite you need to be out on the lake before sunrise as the fish start to go deep as the sun gets above the tree line. Even though this morning the striper top water bite lasted until 9AM and was still going on slowly as I left. The top water action is spotty and the fish come up quickly and go back down. If you are in the right place at the right time your spook will catch these fish.

The Norfork Lake surface water temperature this morning was in the low to mid 70's, The lake level is rising slowing and currently sits at 560.18, 8 feet above normal pool. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are slightly stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Summer has made its way to Norfork Lake in the Arkansas, Ozarks. The high temperature for yesterday was in the low 90's and today is looking to be about the same. It was 70 degrees this morning at 5AM when I was getting ready to go fishing. I had a successful morning of fishing. I caught 3 walleye, several white bass, several Kentucky bass and two largemouth bass. I headed to the Cranfield area to see if any top water action was occurring on the flats or in the various coves in the area. But to my dismay very little top action except for the carp and gar. I did get a few bass to come up for my spook, but it was relatively quiet in this area. At around 7:30 I decided to start spooning on the deep rock bluff lines. I am glad I did. I ended up spooning up 3 walleye, a white bass and two Kentucky bass. The big walleye was 6 pounds (26 inches long), I also had a 3 pounder but the third one was short. I was spooning in 30 - 40 feet of water at a location that has a lot of underwater boulders.

The backs of creeks are holding many white bass. I sent a guest to a location in Float Creek and they have had a blast the last two mornings. The bite is early and stops once the sun gets over the trees. They caught most on a Zara Spook and once they went down they started to catch the whites on a spoon vertical jigging. They also caught a few small hybrids.

The striped bass are still being caught on free swimming live baits as well as with baits set at depths of 30 - 40 feet. A report from another guest fishing back in the Fouts area reported some big fish surfacing, but all were too far away for him to cast into. They ended up catching bass and a few whites on a spook and ended up spooning in deeper water, catching white bass and Kentucky bass.

All the fish that were cleaned today showed that they have been feeding on crawdads. I'm sure this is one reason for the spoon starting to work. In addition the lake temperature is rising, giving the fish another reason to go begin going deep.

Make sure you still have a top water bait tied on, but be ready to start spooning as the fish are starting to go deep.

The Norfork Lake water depth is at 559.57 with the rise starting to slow. Generators are being run intermittently during the day. The surface water temperature was mainly in the low 70's this morning. With the upcoming hot days and warm nights the water temp should continue to climb. The water in the creeks are somewhat stained. The main lake channels are clear.


Happy fishing and see you on Norfork Lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The rain has finally stopped and a warming trend with clear skies is forecast to start tomorrow on Norfork Lake. It should be a great weekend to be on the lake fishing or just enjoying the scenery.
I haven't had a chance to get out fishing in almost two weeks. I am starting to get restless, but the resort work must come first. I will be out fishing tomorrow morning. I have been getting great reports on striper fishing from my guide friends. They are catching their limits and one guide last Sunday landed three 30+ pound stripers on one trip. That is a great catch. The stripers are schooling and feeding heavily. They are still coming up early in the morning and late in the day. If you are not using live bait, try throwing a Zara Spook or a fluke with a weighted hook. Other top water baits will work as well. As the day wears on the stripers are going deeper, feeding on shad and crawdads. Have a spoon ready and when you find a school feeding on the bottom drop the spoon and vertical jig. Try the backs of creeks. Typically when we have rising water the stripers go back to the mud line. This typically holds true for the black bass as well.

The largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass bite is still good. These fish are surfacing early in the morning and late in the day. During the heat of the day they are on the bluff lines in 11 - 20 feet as well as on the sides of points. Top water baits are working for the surfacing fish. Once they go down use a jig and pig or a plastic worm Texas rigged. Work the baits slowly along the bottom. The fish are hitting very lightly so watch your line.

The walleye are in the brush piles 20 - 30 feet down and are coming up in the shallows at night and early in the morning to feed. Crank baits and walleye assassins are catching a few when they are shallow. Live minnows are working well when they are in the brush. They are also suspended on the bluff lines with the bass during the day.

The crappie bite has been pretty good, but they have gone deeper. They are on brush that is in 30 - 40 feet of water and the fish are suspended over the brush at different depths. Live minnows with a slip bobber is working the best. Set your stoppers at different depths until you find where they are suspended.

I have had a chance to set my trot line a few times. The flatheads are coming in to feed. Jugs are also working very well. I have caught my flatheads on live shiners as well as crawdads. We'll be having fish tacos for lunch and will bread and freeze the rest for a big fish fry we have planned for June 4th.

The Norfork Lake level is rising and is currently at 558.06 feet. above sea level. (6 feet above normal pool) The lake water temperature is in the upper 60's to low 70's. The temperature should start to rise with the warm weather being forecast. The lake has gotten a little stained with all the rain we have had. We had almost 2 inches last evening.

Have a great day, happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of you wonderful and amazing Mothers. I hope you all had a nice day yesterday.

Welcome Basscat Owners. We have a great group of guys and gals staying with us that are fishing in the tournament. Several cabins are filled with guests we have gotten to know over the 8 years we've been here plus we get to welcome a few that are new to us. Good to see you all.

The weather on Norfork Lake has turned a little south the last couple of days. It has gotten slightly cooler and it started to rain last evening. We did need the rain, sorry Basscatters. But the good thing is that the weather hasn't seemed to affect the fishing much. Bass are still biting well on just about anything you throw at them. They are hanging at the edge of the buck brush, points and also on the bluff lines. Plastics Texas rigged and crank baits are working. There is still some top water at sun rise and also at sun set, so have your favorite top water bait tied on.

Walleye are being caught by the bass fishermen on crank baits. The walleye are hanging around the brush piles in 20 - 30 feet of water as well as on the bluff lines anywhere from 11 - 20 feet down. They are both suspended as well as on the bottom.

The crappie are starting to come alive. Live minnows on sunken brush are catching many nice slabs. The fish are being caught above the brush suspended close to the surface as well as buried in the brush pile. Find a good brush pile and throw out your marker. Leave this site for about 10 minutes to let things settle then return and cast in your minnow with a slip bobber. Try different depths until you find the feeding fish. A 15 1/2 inch crappie was caught off of my dock yesterday by one of our guests.

Catfish are starting to hit live shiners and crawfish on my trot line. Jugs are also working. It looks like the cats are starting to find their spawning grounds as they are full of eggs.

The striped bass are being caught all over the lake from the dam area to mid lake to the upper parts of the lake in Bennett's and before you get to the Missouri line. Live shad is working well, but artificial baits are also working early in the morning and right at sunset. Some top water action, but I am still hoping that the schooling top water is yet to occur and will happen soon. The stripers are feeding on shad as well as crawdads. Spooning may start to work when you find a school of stripers feeding at the bottom.

The Norfork Lake level is at 556.09, but will start to rise due to the rain. We have had close to an inch so far, with a 50% chance of more tonight. Right now there is no rain in the forecast for tomorrow. The lake surface water temperature last evening was in the mid 60's. The lake is clear, but might get a little stained with the rain.

Happy fishing and see you all on the lake.