Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort 870-492-5113

Norfork Lake fishing has been really good over the last week for most species of fish. I have mainly been targeting striped bass, hybrid bass and white bass and have had a blast. The striped bass are on their fall feed before the cold winter months.

I have found large schools of fish in a feeding frenzy. The best bite for the last couple of days has started a little after sunrise and has lasted until late morning. This time of year, however, they tend to feed all day 😊 (No Joke) My third method has been to cast out a ½ ounce silver Kastmaster blade bait. I do modify this bait by adding a white feather/hair jig trailer to the hook. I actual buy treble hooks with the feather/hair tied on. Gamakatsu makes a nice one. I use size 4 on the ½ ounce blade bait. I have been counting down about 8 to 10 seconds after I cast out the Kastmaster, then I start to retrieve the bait with slight jerk and stop motion to get the bait acting like a wounded minnow. Trolling is another great method of fishing at this time. Swimbaits, A-rigs, crankbaits are all producing some nice fish. Keep the bait 15 to 25 feet down. The last bit of info is that nature is currently providing a natural fish finder. Migratory seagulls are here and if you see these birds flying in a certain area and dive bombing the water, go fish under the birds, there typically will be feeding fish under them. This happens annually in the fall and winter months and can be very helpful.
long especially on cloudy days with a little bit of wind. A

great example was last Saturday (12/8). I had a hard time finding feeding fish early, but at about noon the fish started to go crazy and the bite lasted all afternoon. The old belief that if you find bait there will be fish feeding at some point is really holding true at this time. Best locations for me have been the large flats in the mid-lake area, such as, Cranfield area, Mallard Point, 101 bridge, 101 Boat Dock area. There are others, but these are the ones I have been concentrating on. I am finding stripers in 35 to 50 feet of water with the fish at all depths. The bigger stripers and hybrids seem to be suspended up high in the water column, from 10 to 25 feet down. On the bottom I have found whites, but I have still found large schools on the bottom of the bigger fish. I have been fishing three different methods. I have used live minnows, such as threadfin/gizzard shad and bigger shiners. I set the live bait at 15 and 23 feet down, but I think it would also work to cast out the bait with a split shot and move around slowly. The second method has been vertical jigging with a spoon. Use a ½ to 1 ounce spoon. Drop your spoon to the bottom and jig it up and down off of the bottom. Be a little crazy with the spoon by using hard fast pulls and also very slowly moving the spoon. I have caught several nice stripers when my spooning rod was put in the rod holder

while I was answering the phone. The rod would just get buried. Keep an eye on your fish finder while you are jigging your bait on the bottom. When you start to mark fish up high reel your bait up and hold on. I have caught the bigger fish while reeling up and sometimes they hit it just before I take the bait out of the water. Have your drag set loose or your line will break off or you’ll get your rod pulled out of your hands.

Don’t forget to follow Hummingbird Hideaway Resort on Facebook and definitely press the like button for our page. I have frequent posts giving some great fishing information for that day.

Norfork Lake level is dropping very quickly at this time. The Corps of Engineers currently has the flood gates opened to bring the lake back to normal pool. The lake is currently dropping 6 or so inches per day and currently sits at 555.12 feet MSL. The surface water temperature has remained fairly stable over the last week and is in the 53 to 54 degree range. The lake is stained and will stay this way until the water level stabilizes.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort 870-492-5113

Happy Fourth of July to all. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday period. Norfork Lake is mainly in its summertime pattern. This means fish are starting to go deep. Most fish species are hanging out in the 20 – 30 feet range. Norfork Lake has formed a thermocline at about 20 – 25 feet and the fish are hanging very cl

The best bite on the lake at this time, is for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. At sunrise, you can find some topwater action up close to the shoreline and out on long shallower points. Yesterday my daughter and I had fun throwing Zara Spooks and Whopper Ploppers. The fish are very aggressive. When you see a small swirl in the water cast your bait at the swirl and give it a twitch, the fish will hammer it. As the sun gets over the tree line the fish start to go deeper.  Once they go deep start looking just outside of the sunken buck brush on the wind blown points, which will be in about 20 – 25 feet of water. Start throwing a grub or just about any dark plastic, and work it along the bottom. You don’t need to work it fast, but you will need to pay attention as the bite at this time has been very light.

The striped bass have gone deep earlier this year than normal. You will find stripers anywhere from 30 – 70 feet, either suspended or on the bottom.  I have been having difficulty in finding large numbers of stripers in any one area. They are scattered throughout the lake. Live bait has been working the best, but you have to work at it. When you find the fish, you can also vertical jig a spoon and you will pick up a few nice fish. Trolling large swimbaits is also picking up some nice fish keeping the bait at about 50 feet deep back in some of the major creeks. The best locations to start looking for this species are from the Robinson area down to the dam and also back to the Big Creek area. They will be up in the 30 feet range early in the morning, then head deeper as the sun comes up.


Norfork Lake has risen to 573.78, but currently is starting to drop with both of the generators running constantly. Both generators running for the entire day will drop the lake about 3 inches per day. The main lake is fairly clear, with the creeks and coves slightly stained. The current surface water temperature is in the mid 80’s.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird HIdeaway Resort

Norfork Lake's fishing scene is getting exciting. The lake surface water temperature has reached 60 degrees and should increase a little this week with the forecasted warm nights and daytime temperatures. As the water temperature increases the fish will increasingly become more active. For me the best bite on the lake at this time is for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Many of the bigger fish have moved to the banks and are starting their spawn. If you are a bass fisherman it is definitely a great time to come and fish the lake. A couple of our guests over the weekend landed over 20 smallies on a centipede with approximately half of them being of keeper size.  I landed some nice fish this morning using a swim bait, and jerk bait as well as live bait. Another of our guests was fishing from our dock casting a spinner bait to the shore line and landed 5 largemouth bass, one a 4 pounder. Watch for top water action early and late in the day. They are also coming up for a Zara spook even if you don't see the fish break surface.

Striped bass fishing has had its ups and downs over the last several weeks. They are still scattered though out the lake. When you locate big schools of baitfish the stripers will be close by. The stripers, hybrids and white bass are all in similar type areas. Look back in creeks and coves and on shallow flats. In the early mornings I have found them in shallow water, but as the sun comes up they are moving out to deeper water along with the shad. Trolling a swim bait has been picking up a few nice fish as has fishing with live bait. The night bite is continuing, but like the day bite, one day you can find them then the next day they have moved on and you're looking again. I have been using Kastmaster type baits as well as small spinners to catch these species. With the warming of the water, I anticipate top water action for these species to start very shortly, so keep a watchful eye out. It could happen anywhere- could be in 100 feet of water or along the shoreline.

Crappie fishing is starting to heat up. The best locations for the biggest numbers of fish are back in the shallow waters of the major creeks. Find some brush close to shore and cast out a 1/16 jig and let it fall slowly. When your line tightens set the hook. I landed an almost 16 inch fish the other night while striper fishing. I was throwing a Smithwick Rogue and this fish just hammered my bait. All you could see was the head and the bill of my bait. Talk about being aggressive!

Lake Norfork's current level is falling slowly and sits at 552.88 ft above sea level. The Corps is running one generator sporadically to maintain the lake close to the normal pool of 553.8. The main lake is clearing, but still a bit stained. The creeks and coves are partially clearing with the backs still stained. The surface water temperature is approximately 60 degrees.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.