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.