Norfork Lake Fishing Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norfork Lake Striper fishing has really picked up over the last several weeks. Stripers and hybrids have schooled up. When you find them it can be non-stop action. Live bait and vertical jigging with a spoon are both working great. I have been using a one ounce spoon, in various colors, white, white/chartreuse, white/green and white/blue. The spoon itself is a lead weight in the shape of a minnow with a treble hook at one end and a swivel at the other.There are many types of spoons on the market, but I use and carry a full stock of the Bink's spoons if you are interested in trying them out. I have caught and released 6 + stripers per day over the last three days. Today was no exception, I landed 8 and had to keep 3 today due to the fish feeding very heavily and swallowing the spoon so deep that after retrieving the spoon the fish could not swim away. So here is dinner for the next few days. After I had 3 in the boat I started to fish for other species. I caught a couple white bass and called it a day. Today I found the stripers in 60 feet of water suspended 30 to 40 feet down. I dropped the spoon to this depth then jigged it up, and let it float back down. Before my line got tight there would be a fish on the other end. Lots and lots of fun. Sounds easy, right! The biggest challenge is to find the fish. Today I looked at 3 different areas before I found them. Sometimes the fish will be in the same area day after day, but in the last week I found a huge school of fish back in Georges Cove, but I keep checking and they haven't found them again in that area. These fish keep moving and following the bait. The joy of fishing for me is the feel of success once I've find them and they start to bite.

There is still a good, but short lived, topwater bite for largemouth, smallmouth and spots at daybreak and sunset. Have your favorite topwater bait ready for some fun action. Once the sun gets high they start to go deep. I have heard that the after dark bite for black bass has been pretty good.

White bass are also schooling. It seems that after the stripers and hybrids take off from an area, the whites are nearby. I have caught them on topwater as well as down deep with a spoon.

I fished some for walleye two days over the last week and have caught several. I found them around brush in 30-40 feet on the bottom. The biggest problem has been that they have all been short. I guess I need to keep looking.

Catfishing is still good on trotline and jugs. Set your baits down about 15 - 20 ft back in the creeks and coves or next to a bluff line. This morning when I was cleaning fish the turtles were in feeding on the scraps as is normal, but then I saw two 10+ pound blue cats come in and start hauling off the carcusses. It was fun watching them feed.

The current water level is 551.3 falling slightly each day. The dam has been generating 6 - 10 hours per day on most days. The surface water temperature is in the mid to upper 80's which is getting close to normal for this time of year. The creeks and coves are somewhat stained and the main lake is still clear. The lake is in great shape for water depth and temperature.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake summer fishing has been slightly different from prior years. The fish are in their summer pattern, but in my view point they're in an early July pattern. Let me explain, typically in August the lake temperature is in the upper 80's to low 90's, but currently the lake is only in the low to mid 80's. This is not bad, we are still finding stripers and hybrids starting around the 62 bridge & Robinson flat area all the way down to the dam,  not only at the dam as is typical for this time of year. Crappie are still on 30 foot brush instead of being suspended out in deep water and there is plenty of top water action for largemouth, smallmouth, spots, white bass and some striper and hybrids. All species are still shallower than normal, which is good.

I have been fishing the Robinson flat area and the dam area catching hybrids and stripers from 38 - 50 feet of water sitting on the bottom. My grandaughter (top photo on the right) caught her first hybrid bass in this area and was really excited. Today I fished in the dam area and the fish erupted all around me. Big whites and medium to small size stripers were flying out of the water chasing small shad. I landed 9 fish and kept the two in the second photo because they both swallowed my spook too deep to retrieve. I also spooned up several stripers in 48 feet of water on the bottom. While spooning I noticed that the fish were not hitting the spoon on the jerk up or the fall, so I started letting it sit on the bottom and twitch it a little. I could feel a light bite then would set the hook. If you are live bait fisherman get out on the lake by 4:30AM, the bite is really strong in the dark. Spooning for stripers is just starting to take off so have a spoon ready to vertical jig and of course your top water pole.

Crappie fishing  has been good, which is  very unusual for this time of year. They are still sitting in brush that is at the 30 feet level. Also you can find them under docks especially if the dock has brush under it. My dock is just stacked with them, 4 - 6 feet down. Live minnows are working very well as are small jigs tipped with a minnow. If the lake warms to its normal temperature, I would speculate that he crappie will move off of the brush.

Catfish are also being caught on jugs, trotlines and pole fishing. Flatheads are hitting the best. You will find them around brush in the 30 ft of water during the day and in the shallow water feeding at night.

White bass are starting to school. I couldn't say this last week. You can find some good top water action early in the morning or at sunset. This action can be found at all ends of the lake. Two days ago some of my guests said they saw great top water action close to the 101 bridge and this morning I found them in the dam area. Use your topwater bait when you see then erupting and spoon for them when you find them deeper.

Black bass are hanging out around the 30 ft brush as well as along the deep bluff lines. You will find them on the bottom or suspended 30 down. Early and late in the day they will be up closer to the shore line in shallow water feeding. There is also a good topwater bite early and late in the day. Check back in the major creeks.

The Norfork Lake level currently sits at 552.9 and is falling slowly at about 2 inches per day. This level is approximated 3 feet below the new normal pool. The lake surface water temperature this AM was 83.5 degrees. The main lake is clear, and creeks and coves are stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.