Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort



Norfork Lake Fishing continues to be good for striped bass, hybrid bass, large and smallmouth bass and crappie since my last reporting period.

I am finding stripers and hybrids in 2 different types of area. The first area is part way back in major creeks with a deep channel swing. I am finding fish in 50 - 80 feet of water suspended from about 40 feet to the bottom. Live bait is working very well, but artificial baits are also working. Vertical jigging and throwing a swim bait with a heavy (up to 1/2 ounce) jig head are my artificial baits of choice. All three of these methods of fishing will work throughout the summer. The second type of area where I am finding stripers is along deep bluff lines where the old river channel swings in close to the bluff line. The above methods of fishing will also work in this type of area. I have found fish suspended along the bluff lines from 40 - 80 down  in 80 to 120 feet of water. If you find fish 60 - 80 feet down jigging a spoon will work the best.

Crappie fishing has been abnormally good this summer. The fish are on deep 35 - 45 feet deep brush and are typically suspended 20 - 30 feet down. Slip floats with minnows are working the best. Night fishing for crappie has also been producing some really nice slabs. Use the same style of fishing as during the daylight hours. A light in the water helps with after dark crappie fishing.

Large and smallmouth bass fishing has also been good. There has been some nice top water action early in the morning and a spook is working great. As the sun comes up start working the bottom from about 15 - 40 feet deep. Jig a spoon or cast out a Texas rigged worm and work it back to the boat slowly.

Norfork Lake water temperature is rising and currently in the mid to upper 80's. The lake level is also rising slowly and currently sits at 570.4. A short period of power generation is occurring each day, but not enough to start lowering the lake. The higher water has not affected activities on the lake. Plenty of boating, skiing, tubing and fishing going on. The higher levels just makes for more lake to play on. Our guests are having a blast on the lake with the warm sunny days. The current forecast is not predicting any rain for the next couple of weeks. Yay!

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Spring has officially arrived and the weather is finally cooperating. Norfork Lake fishing is really starting to heat up. My daughter and I have been fishing the night bite over the last week and having a blast. We are throwing suspending stick baits after dark and slow rolling them back to the boat. We have been catching 7 to 8 stripers an evening from around 8 - 10pm. The bite is continuing after that but my daughter seems to get cold and tired around 10PM. :-) Remember to reel as slow as you can and reel all the way back to the boat. I get hits a lot of times next to the boat. One evening I landed a monster 28 pound striped bass and Keri landed a nice 12 pounder. A few days later one of our guests landed a 26 pound striped bass in the early afternoon throwing a soft plastic jerk bait. The best bite for striped bass is after dark, but the morning bite will start very soon as the water continues to warm. Top water action is on its way, but warmer water is needed. Check out my last report for details on how to fish for stripers after dark.

Largemouth and spotted bass fishing is also getting good. Start looking part way back in creeks and coves and watch for bait working on
the surface. The bass will not be far behind. Hard and soft jerk baits are working well. My guests slammed the bass this morning throwing pearl colored flukes with a weighted hook. In the early afternoon work some of the docks as the bass are coming under them for cover and bait fish. You will also find some nice bass around the shallower brush piles especially if the brush is on a point.

Crappie fishing is getting better and better every day. All the crappie fisherman that I talk with are doing very well in shallow water. The crappie are moving up to the shore line to start looking for their spawning areas and are on their typical pre-spawn feed. There will be a lot of the males in tight to the shore as they are the ones doing the search, but the big females will not be far behind. Crappie typically like 60 - 65 degree water to spawn and we are not too far away from that water temp. Now is a great time to catch crappie and have a lot of fun. Start looking back in creeks and coves where you can find dead timber and brush in shallow water. Cast out small grubs or swimming minnows with a light weighted jig head and reel back to the boat slowly. During your retrieval stop occasionally and let the bait fall, the crappie will hammer it during the fall. I also like to tip the plastic baits with a live small minnow for added action and scent. The fish are in 2 - 20 feet of water near brush anywhere from the surface and down 10 feet depending on the time of day . You still may find some of the big females down a little deeper in the brush. Yesterday around 2PM I was at my dock and my granddaughter yelled at me to look at all the fish. When I came over there were dozens of big slab crappies 2 - 10 ft down, stacked like cord wood. This is a great sign of the fish getting ready for the spawn.

I have caught a few walleye after dark slow rolling a jerk bait. One of my guests landed a nice 23 inch walleye last evening. Some of the walleye have spawned already and a few are still back in the creeks spawning. The night fishing for walleye will pick up everyday. Look for walleye in the same areas as the striped bass as they will be feeding up tight on the shoreline after dark. Jerk baits are working after dark, slow rolled. In daylight hours look for them along the bluff lines and also large flats. Crawler harnesses with bottom bounces will work. Drop shot rigs with large minnows will also work well.

Norfork Lake is still rising very slowly and currently sits at 554. 09. This is basically normal pool. The surface water temperature is in the low to mid 50's depending on time of day and location. The creeks and coves are stained, but clearing and the main lake is fairly clear.

It is time to fish Norfork Lake. The weather is great and the fishing is good. Give Hummingbird Hideaway Resort a call at 870-492-5113 to make your reservations and find out from me where and how to catch the fish. I am always excited to help my guests catch fish. If you haven't heard we are also running a fishing derby this year with a $300 prize for 3 different species as well as a chance to win a free one week stay. Give us a call for details or go to our website at www.hummingbird-hideaway.com .

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

 

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The Norfork Lake Fishing Report is written by Lou Gabric, owner operator of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort on Norfork Lake. Open year round, Hummingbird Hideaway Resort has a cabin to fit your needs, whether it be for your vacation or a place for family and friends visiting you in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Call for more info. 870-492-5113

Fall fishing season is here on Norfork Lake with the winter fishing season just around the corner With fall comes cooler air temperatures which in turns lowers the lake water temperature. With the cool off, the fish start feeding heavily for the winter months and move to shallower water. And yes, it has been frigid for the last week, but I still braved the cold the last 3 days and fishing was good. This is a great time to stock up your freezers with some Norfork Lake fish for the winter.

The best bite on the lake is for striped bass, hybrid bass and white bass. If you get out at day break start looking on large flats in 25 feet of water and as the morning progresses keep going deeper. I have been catching a lot of fish from 25 - 45 ft of water. As the water continues cooling the bait will move to deeper water and the fish will follow.The bite this morning was good, but not as good as the last two days. I caught over dozen fish by 8AM, then decided to check out different areas to find the big stripers. Over the last week I have caught good fish on several flat areas. I have fished the 101 bridge and marina areas, Fouts area, Mallard, Cranfield, Steward Point and others. You can also find good fish going up river to the Calamity area and above into MO or head the other direction into the Bennetts area. Friday afternoon I headed into Float Creek and got into some huge schools of stripers in the 10 + pound range in 45 ft of water. My bait of choice has been a white 3/4 ounce spoon vertical jigging off the bottom. If you decide to cast for these species you might want to try a large Kastmaster or a Rooster Tail, but you will need to let if fall to the bottom and retrieve it slowly working it off the bottom. Swim baits will also work, but again work the bait off the bottom. When the evenings get warm enough for me to be out, I will start casting a suspending jerk bait for stripers after dark. I do believe the night bite has started.

Black bass have started their move to the banks to feed early and late in the day. Jerk baits are starting to work as well as crank baits. Jig and pigs are always a good choice especially once the fish go a little deeper during the mid day hours. The bass are feeding on crawdads so choose your colors appropriately.

Crappie are moving back to the brush. I have caught several nice fish on the tops of brush piles that are in 20 - 30 ft of water. Early in the morning they will be deep in the brush and as the water warms they will move up. Minnows are the best bait, but I like small spoons or a paddle tail grub tipped with a minnow. Remember as the lake continues to clear you may need to back off the brush and cast into it so you don't spook the fish.

Walleye have eluded me, but I really have not targeted them. You should be able to find them on the same brush piles as the crappie, but work your bait off the bottom. They will also be off both sides of main lake points.

Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and currently sits at 549.72. The surface water temperature has also fallen to 58 degrees with all the cool weather we have been having. The main lake is clear and the coves and creeks are still stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.