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 is in full swing on Norfork Lake. The stripers, hybrids and whites have moved into their fall patterns and will stay in the same general areas though November and into December. Of course this being said, if mother nature throws some really cold weather at us dropping the lake temperature into the mid to low 50's all bets are off. You are probably asking yourself "what the heck is he talking about"? From prior years fishing experience, I am seeing that the fish are moving into the same types of areas that they typically move to in the fall. This has been the same fall pattern year after year. Start looking for stripers, hybrids and whites from the 62 bridge up though the Bennetts Bayou area, and also from the 101 bridge though the Cranfield area up to and a little past the the MO/AR border. In the early mornings and afternoons fish can be found on large flats in all water depths, 20-50 feet of water typically feeding on the bottom. Large schools will be roaming these flats so electronics are very helpful. Once the sun comes up they typically move closer to the old river and creek channels so start looking in 50 - 70 feet of water, but still on the bottom. Over the last 4 days, I along with my fishing guests, have found stripers, hybrids and whites in these types of areas. The morning bite has lasted 2 - 3 hours and the evening bite seems to kick off around 3PM. Today after we lost the fish in the flats I started to look in the the deep channels and found roaming schools on the bottom at 50 ft close to bluffs. I am also very hopeful that we will get some consistent topwater action. This morning a handful of big fish came up on the flats, but it was sporadic. It could happen at any time. Slow rolling a suspending stick bait after dark will also be effective soon. A few more degree drop in water temperature and I believe the night bite will get active.

Crappie are moving back to brush piles in 20 - 40 ft of water. I caught a nice 14 inch slab with 3 other 11 inch crappies two evenings ago. I was jigging 15 - 20 ft down on the tops of the sunken trees. You will also find many of the big bluegills in these same brush piles. Black bass and walleye will also be hanging in the same areas, but you typically will need to get closer to the bottom of the trees for these species.

Most of the walleye that I have caught are still out in open water. I have spooned up several keeper size walleye along with a bunch of short ones in 40 - 50 ft of water. I catch these while striper fishing.

I have noticed big largemouth bass (3 pounders) roaming the shore line at dusk feeding on minnows and bluegills. I always check both sides of my dock walkway when walking onto my dock and I see several each evening. I have not targeted black bass lately, but these shallow fish tell me it is almost jerk bait time.

The Norfork Lake water level is falling very slowly and currently sits at 550.34 which is a little more than 3 feet under the seasonal normal pool. The water surface temperature this morning was 66 degrees. The creeks and coves are still stained and the main lake is somewhat stained, but clearing.

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.





Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Happy Halloween all! Today was a Zara Spooktacular fishing day!

In my last Norfork Lake Fishing Report I mentioned that the big stripers and hybrids will move in shortly, well today I have confirmation! This morning was a day to remember. I caught 8 stripers and 4 hybrids all on a Zara Spook. Top water action galore and it lasted the whole time I was fishing. I found the fish heading back into a major creek on a shallow flat. The stripers were skyrocketing out of the water chasing shad. They were feeding on very small 1 inch shad, but had no problem hammering my Zara Spook Jr. (white with a chartreuse head). The schools of fish were roaming and feeding in 20 - 60 feet of water. When I got in deeper water I could see huge schools of fish under the boat so dropping a spoon and vertical jigging would have worked great. Get out on the lake at sunrise and if you find the fish, the top water action should last until the sun gets above the trees, but today was very overcast and lightly raining so the action lasted much longer. The same action should also occur in the afternoons around sunset time. Remember the clocks fall back 1 hour this coming Sunday. Other baits to try would be a blade bait such as a Kastsmaster or a spinner bait like a Rooster Tail. I like the blade baits a lot because you can cast them a mile. When the stripers go down start looking in the 30 - 50 feet of water, both on the bottom and also suspended in deep 100 foot channels.

Crappie have been biting pretty good lately. I have been using a 1/4 ounce jigging spoon in and around brush piles. The crappie are on the top and within the brush. What I have found is that after I catch a couple of crappie the bite stops, so all I do is move to the next brush pile and catch a couple more fish. You can limit out on nice 12 - 14 inch fish, but you do need to keep moving. Small swimming minnows and twister tail or paddle tail grubs will also work, tip them with a live minnow for better action. Live bait with a slip float will also work well. You will find the fish in 20 - 30 feet of water suspended from 6 to 25 feet down.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are starting to move in to shallower water. I have caught some nice spots in the brush piles while crappie fishing. Today I found the largemouth bass along a deep water bluff line chasing shad on the surface. My Zara Spook did the trick. Once they go down try using crawdad colored crank baits or one of my favorites, a jig and pig. The after dark bite has been the better bite for bass lately.

The bigger white bass are starting to show up in similar areas as the stripers and hybrids. I got into some top water action a few evenings ago in a deep water channel close to the shoreline. I found several schools of fish that would erupt for a few minutes then go back down to erupt again in a different location in the same general area. I have also found them on a big flat in 30 - 40 feet of water. Early morning or late afternoons have been the best fishing times for me.

Walleye fishing ?? at this time. They should start to show up in shallow water once the water cools a little more.

It is looking to be a very good fall fishing season, so make your plans to get out on the lake and if you need a place to stay give Hummingbird Hideaway Resort a call 870-492-5113 and book a room. I will give you all the fishing information you need to help make it a successful fishing trip. The fall leaf color this year is also one of the best I have seen in years. Pretty scenery and good fishing, what more can you ask for!

The Norfork Lake water temperature was 67 degrees this morning and holding steady until the next cold front rolls through. The lake level is currently at 552.53 and is dropping very very slowly with slight power generation and small minimum flow releases. There has been a slight increase in the lake level today due the rain. The main lake is clear with the creeks and cove somewhat stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The fish in Norfork Lake are still in their summer pattern, but changes should start to occur over the next several weeks. (In my opinion). Norfork Lake fishing continues to be very good for striped and hybrid bass. The stripers are still 70 - 90 feet deep typically on the bottom. You may be able to find them suspended in deeper water, but still at this 70 - 90 foot level. The best location is in the dam area, but look the fish to move to the mid-lake area as the lake cools. Live bait is working the best, but trollers and spooners are catching a few good sized fish. If you're trolling you will have most luck with a down rigger in order to get your bait down to the 80 foot level. Using in-line snap-on weights are very difficult to use to get your bait down to the proper depth.

Walleye are being found in the same location and water depth as the striped bass. Yes, walleye are being caught in 85 ft of water, on the bottom, either with live bait or vertical jigging with a spoon. Look at the size of those deep water walleye in the 3rd and 4th photos. I have started to look for walleye in shallower water around brush with no success, but it won't be long.

I went looking for bass this morning. I first started vertical jigging a spoon around brush part way back in major creeks not far from Hummingbird Hideaway Resort. I caught a few 14.5 inch largemouth, but nothing much exciting. I finally moved away from brush to a hump that is surrounded by deep water. I found schooling bass in 32 feet of water chasing bait. I ended up spooning up 4 nice size largemouth in the 17 - 18 inch range and released all. They were nice size fish, but very skinny. I look for them to start feeding more and getting much more active as the lake water cools. There was also some top water action with nice size bass, but of course always a little too far away for me to cast into them. I always have my spook rod handy every time I go out fishing just in case I'm in the right spot at the right time.

Crappie fishing has been good most of the summer. Unusual, but the lake water was cooler than normal. Look for crappie in brush that is in 30 feet of water. The fish will be inside of the brush or at the top. You will need to keep working different depths until you find the feeding zone. I did catch 2 crappie this AM, but both were undersized. Use a 2 inch swimming minnow or grub with a curly tail or a paddle tail attached to a 1/16 - 1/8 ounce jig head. Tip the artificial minnow with a live crappie minnow for best results.

Catfish are also holding up in the same locations as the bass and crappie. They will be on the bottom so drop a nightcrawler or vertical jig with a spoon. I hooked into a really nice size fish this AM. I fought this fish for about 5 minutes and could see it on the graph about half way up when it came unhooked. It was not running like a striper so my bet was that it was a good sized cat. Jugs and trotlines are also catching some nice cats.

The Norfork Lake level is dropping very very slowly and currently sits at 554.9. This is basically normal pool. The Corps is generating a few hours each day causing this slight drop, but generally the lake is very stable. The surface water temperature this morning was 78.5 degrees, it will warm up slightly during the sunny afternoons. Assuming the forecast holds as it currently is look for the surface water temperatures to continue to fall. The main lake is generally clear with the creeks and coves stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing has been really good after the rise in the lake level. We received over 7 inches of rain in a week period and the lake has come up about 7 feet from two weeks ago. The lake level is perfect for fishermen and pleasure boaters alike. Plenty of lake to play on with little or no diminished amenities at area resorts and campgrounds.

 

The striped bass have finally started to school. This morning I caught 8 legal length stripers and hybrids with 2 stripers in the 10 pound range and 2 hybrids about 8 pounds each. I released all fish except for a hybrid and a striper. Neither of these fish would swim away so they will become dinner. No photo since my photographer brought the camera down to the dock, but the battery had no charge! I was vertical jigging with a spoon in 105 ft of water and the fish were suspended in 40 - 60 ft of water. There was also plenty of top water action where I caught several 15 inch spotted bass and some smaller hybrids and stripers on a Zara Spook. It was a blast. A few days ago I was fishing with my daughter and she landed this monster 25 pound striper. I was trolling a white headed Hyper Striper with a 6 inch green with silver fleck tail. I was using 6 ounces of clip on weights about 60 feet back of the bait then another 150 feet of line. I think my bait was down close to 30 feet deep.  A father and 2 son team fished with Jim Nichols about a week ago. They landed a nice 25 pound fish and several others. Jim was fishing with live gizzard shad. With the rise in the water level the fish have moved back into the creeks and coves. Start looking for fish from 30 ft down out to the deep channel. Once the lake stabilizes the stripers will start to move out to the main lake points if this hasn't already started to happen.

Believe it or not, but crappie fishing has also been really good. Typically this time of year crappie are very hard to find as they suspend out in deep cool water. With the cooler water temperature and the relatively shallow thermocline crappies have moved back to the brush and at times are only 5 ft down. Bob and Angie caught well over a 100 crappie last week with maybe 40% of them being of keeper size. Lots of 9.5 inch fish, but anytime you can catch 32 fish in day and have 15 keepers you have had a great day. Small jig heads with a 2 inch swimming minnow tipped with a live minnow did the trick. Find brush in 30 - 40 ft of water then start fishing at different depths until you find where the fish are feeding.

Walleye fishing has also been pretty good. They can be found in 30 - 40 ft of water near brush. I have been vertical jigging a spoon at this water depth bouncing the spoon off of the bottom. If you don't catch walleye you will catch white bass as well as black bass and catfish.

The Norfork Lake level is holding fairly steady at 562 with a slight rise when no generation and a slight fall when the generators are turned on. The lake surface water temperature ranged from 79 - 82 degrees this morning. The cooler nights are starting to drop the temp. Our forecast is for warmer temperatures in the next few days. The water is starting to clear after all the rains. Very little floating debris in the lake, but still be on the look out for any floating logs that may have broken loose from the shore line. Be safe and wear your live jacket and kill switch lanyard.

We still have a few cabins available for the Labor Day holiday week end. Our mid season rates went into effect today. A get away to Hummingbird Hideaway Resort is always great but it is a real bargain this time of year. You get summer weather with fall rates. We have great dock access, plentiful dockside parking and a hard surface launch.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

 

 

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing has been on fire since my last report on 5/8/13. Fishing was good 9 days ago and has only gotten better. I anticipate that fishing will continue to improve with top water action getting better and better. I have been using 3 main baits. A fluke or bass assassin with a 5/0 worm hook unweighted, a Heddon Zara Spook junior size and live shad. You can use large shiners if you don't have a shad tank. Rogues, or a similar type of suspending jerk bait, are working the best for walleye. The best bite has been at sunrise and at sunset. If you are fishing mid-day, you may need to go a little deeper for all species. A jig & pig has been working well for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass for one of my guests.

All species are showing up in the same areas. It is fun to go out fishing without really knowing what you are going to catch. I just love this time of our fishing year!  Fish are being found from the mouth of the major creeks to half way back into the creeks. Some fish have started to move out to the main lake points. This is still slow to happen, but it won't be long. The shad are in the buck brush possibly spawning. As I have said before, find the shad and you will find fish. I have found shad just going crazy on the shore because the fish have them cornered and are having a buffet.

This morning was no exception to prior mornings. I landed several good size bass and lost two really nice hybids. The first was lost when I was getting ready to net the fish and had the hook that was in the fish break. I have never had a spooks hook break at the barb. I guess I was placing too much pressure on the fish to get him in the boat so I could get back to fishing. The next hybrid was next to the boat still acting up, but when I reached for the net it came unhooked. I finally changed out the broken hook after this fish got away! One of my guests was in a different part of the lake and came across a huge area of water just boiling with top water fish. It was a fun morning.

Overall the best bite has been for largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass. Striped bass and hybrid are probable the next best bite with white bass, catfish, walleye and crappie rounding out the species being caught. Look for points in the creeks with sunken brush and I bet you will find a few catchable fish.

Norfork Lake is rising very slowly and currently sits at 558.8. The surface water temperature is also rising slowly and was in the mid to upper 60's this morning. The main lake is gin clear with some of the major creeks somewhat stained.

Don't forget, on the evening of May 25th, Cranfield Marina will be shooting off fireworks over the lake. Should be a great show. It is really fun to watch fireworks out of your boat. We still have several one bedroom cabins available over the Memorial Day holiday period. If you are looking for a great place to stay give us a call at 870-492-5113.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake Fishing is heating up for a great spring season. The lake has finally warmed up to the low fifties and the temperature is gradually increasing each day. The winds are starting to come from the south which is the sign I always look for in the spring.

Striper fishing is improving daily. I fished Friday and Saturday with live thread fin shad. Friday I pre-fished with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters 870-421-1541 with great success on the number of bites. We landed 4 stripers. The biggest was 16 pounds and we caught several white bass in the 3.5 pound range. We also had 4 other fish hooked and the fight was on, but things happened and they got their freedom earlier than we wanted. Overall it was a great day. Yesterday I fished alone and landed 2 with the biggest being 13 pounds and missed more than I should have. It is difficult to get a good hook set and work the trolling motor in a windy day, but I had fun. Both days we fished with live thread fin shad free, swimming with just a very small split shot. The baits were floating about 80 ft behind the boat. I also have credible reports that 3 nice stripers were landed in the 101 area on flukes and rogues. The night bite is also improving, but slowly. I expect the night bite to really take off with the warmer water. Fish were landed last evening in the Cranfield area as well as the 101 area. Slow rolling a rogue back to the boat is the ticket for the night bite. Walleye are starting to move back into the area so things are looking up. Find the bait and you will find the fish.

White bass fishing had been phenomenal for me the last couple of weeks. I was landing big fat 3.5 + pound whites at will. I was spooning the fish, as well as casting, and trolling an umbrella rig. I have found whites back by 6B and in the Cranfield area. The last couple of days has slowed somewhat for white, but I really wasn't targeting them. We did land several Friday with live shad. The few fish that I cleaned were still full of eggs so expect them to be travelling back into the creeks to do their annual thing. Look back in Pigeon Creek, back in the Bennett's area and up river in the Calamity area. The males should be waiting .

I haven't been out just bass fishing lately, but good sources have been catching nice size fish off of creek bluff lines and main lake bluff lines in about 15 feet of water. With the rise in water temperature they should start to stage for their upcoming spawn.

Crappie had started to move up to the shoreline before our unseasonal snowfall. They moved back out, but with the warming of the water they have started to move back to the banks. Look for dead timber on the shoreline and shallow brush and you should start to find the crappie. I have seen crappie and blue gill back under my dock, as well,  so that is a great sign for the arrival of spring.

Walleye are starting to be caught all over the lake especially in the evenings and early mornings. Their spawn should be over and the migration out of the creeks has started. Look for more walleye during the night bite.

Norfork Lake is rising very slowly and currently sits at 552.2. The new normal pool is 553.75 with minimum flow so the level is perfect for this time of year. The lake water temperature is rising daily and currently in the low 50's. The main lake is clear with creeks up by Hummingbird Hideaway Resort still a little stained.

If you are planning on visiting Norfork Lake in the next couple months be sure to check out the Norfork Lake Chamber of Commerce fishing derby. Details can be found on Hummingbird Hideaway Resort's website at www.hummingbird-hideaway.com or give us a call for more information. 870-492-5113

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing patterns are starting to change a little with the cooling of water. Since my last report most of my fish were caught in deep water 50 - 60 feet down, but over the last couple of days I have seen a movement of the larger fish to shallower water. It appears fish are starting to move to their winter patterns and locations which means you will need to start to down size your baits, as well as, your fishing line and slow down your method of fishing. During the winter months I typically use 4 pound test mono for black bass, crappie and walleye. I continue to use my 8 pound test mono line for striped bass fishing.

Lately I have been fishing more in the afternoons than the mornings but the bite seems to have been about the same either time. Over the last 3 or 4 days the bass bite has started to improve for  bigger fish. I have been vertical jigging with a 1/4 ounce spoon in 18 - 30 feet of water. I am trying to stay around brush piles. Sunday afternoon I was fishing a main lake point near our resort and landed 7 bass including this 20.5 inch largemouth. The others were all Kentuckies in the 12 - 15 inch range. Saturday evening was much of the same, but walleye was the fish  in the area biting. I landed this 22 inch walleye and lost two others at the boat. My netting techniques need to improve as I lost one as I was reaching for the net and the second cut the line when I was trying to scoop him up. All of the walleye were in 18 - 25 feet of water on the bottom. I was slowing jigging a small white spoon.

Crappie still appear to be some what scattered, but are starting to show up on brush in 30 - 40 feet of water. I have caught many crappie over the last couple of weeks, and most were caught in places where I did not expect to find them. I was striper fishing about a week ago around a sunken bridge and was spooning with a 1 ounce spoon off of the edge in 60 feet of water. I was dropping my spoon in bait that were 40 feet down and caught two nice white crappie. I caught one along a bluff line in 50 feet of water. Each time I really wasn't targeting crappie, but there they were. I have picked up a few in the normal spots, in and around brush, but still the numbers have been hard to come by. But that being said in order to catch a lot of crappie you need to keep moving from brush to brush after you catch a few. They are a very skittish fish and get spooked easily. I have only been using my 1/4 ounce spoon, but live small minnows on a slip float and also a small grub tipped with a crappie minnow will work great.

Striped bass fishing has been hit and miss for most, but there have been some nice fish caught. Luke was fishing with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters and landed these two nice stripers up north in the Calamity area. Stripers have also been caught over the last couple of weeks in the Bennett's area, White Rock area, around the 101 bridge, Red bank area and Float Creek. As you can see they are scattered all over the lake and starting to feed. They have been alluding me, but I will find them! Six inch gizzard shad have been the best bait of choice, but shiners are starting to catch a few fish. If you find a school drop a spoon in the school and I am sure you will get hammered. I have also found big schools of white bass and hybrids on the deeper flats around our resort. (Hummingbird Hideaway) I have found them in 35 - 54 feet of water. When you do find the school there will be the big whites and some nice hybrids. I have tried the night bite a few times last week with no luck. I got hit a couple of times, but could not get a good hook set. I will go out a few times this week after dark to see if they are coming in to feed. I have been fishing until about 7PM, but who knows, they may be coming into feed after that. I have become a big sissy because it sure is starting to get cold as the sun sets! Hard to stay out too late.

 

When you are planning your spring fishing trip on Norfork Lake don't forget about staying at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort. Why stay somewhere else when you can stay at a resort that the owner actually fishes most every day. We have very affordable pricing with clean and comfortable cabins that your wife and friends will enjoy. I will give you my best spots to fish and tell you the best fishing techniques to use at the time. I even like to get your cell number so I can give you a call on the lake if I get into fish. Where else can you get this service and comfort! Give us a call for reservations at 870-492-5113.

 

Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and currently sits at 542.45. Sporadic power generation. The lake temperature yesterday was 58.5 - 60 degrees. The main lake is clear with the coves and creeks a little stained.

 

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

 

 

 

 

 



Norfork Lake Fishing Report

25 pound striped bass caught 7/6/12

 

14 pound striped bass caught 8/1/12

18 pound striped bass caught 8/29/12



Summer fishing on Norfork Lake has been challenging at times, but some big fish were caught. The warm weather with little rain kept the thermocline at about 30 feet of water and most fish are at 0 - 30 feet. This should make fishing easier, you would think, but finding where the fish are feeding has been the challenge. I have found them on the bottom, but most recently I have found them in 130 - 165 ft of water. That is a lot of water to cover! When I have been able to get out fishing, I have fished the early mornings. At times I have caught fish right before light, but most recently I haven't caught a striper until around 9AM or later. Is the bite becoming later in the day? This is another challenge. This is what makes fishing so much fun, yet sometimes frustrating with the ever changing feeding habits of stripers. I have been using 4 - 6 inch gizzard shad that were netted in very shallow water way back in the backs of creeks where the water gets muddy. I use a 2 ounce trolling weight with swivels on both sides and then attach a 4 - 6 foot leader with a #1 or #2 size kahle hook. I set the bait around 28 feet when I find bait fish and start marking a few big arcs. Troller fishermen have been doing well, and on occasion are doing much better than live bait fishermen. The trick to trolling for striper is to get the bait to the correct depth. There are several methods of doing this; using lead core line, using in-line weights with a lot of line let out, and the easiest method if you have them is to use down riggers. Hair jigs and larger crank baits have been working. Chartreuse and white colored hair jigs have been the color of choice.

Norfork Lake White bass

Kentucky bass and largemouth bass

Walleye, Kentucky and largemouth.

I have also been bass and walleye fishing several times since my last report. I have done very well part of the time and OK the other times. I have been finding bass on main lake points and also midway back in creeks on points where the channel swings in close to shore. Again these fish are in 0 - 30 ft of water. Right at sun rise I have been finding some top water action and using a Zara Spook Jr has caught some nice fish. Most often though, I find the fish on the bottom in 25 - 30 ft of water and vertical jigging with a spoon has produced some nice fish. Throwing a jig and pig or plastics worked slowly along the bottom will also catch some good fish.

 

Over the past month I have also been learning how to fish with nightcrawler harnesses with a bottom bouncing weight. The challenge for me is to find the right speed to drag the bait and the the amount of weight to use. The first time out I drifted very slowly along a shoreline using a 1/2 ounce weight staying in 25 to 30 ft of water. I picked up 3 undersized walleye, two catfish, a Kentucky bass and a small striper. Yesterday I worked the bait the same way for a while and was catching bass and bluegill. I decided to move a little faster, increased the weight to 1 ounce and found that the strikes I got were much more aggressive. I ended up landing several nice size bass and one 21 inch walleye. I was fishing half way back in a major creek following the shore line in 25 - 30 ft of water.

 

You will also find white bass in the same locations as the bass and walleye. Spooning has been working the best for me for whites. I have found more whites when I move out into a little deeper water and they are suspended 20 - 30 down.

 

Norfork Lake level is currently at 545.03 and rising slowly due to rain from Isaac. The Corps is generating sporadically during the day which has dropped the lake slowly. The surface water temperature has dropped to around 82 degrees in the mornings and rises slightly in the afternoons. The water is stained, but a great fishing color.

 

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

A quick update on Norfork Lake white bass fishing. The whites are schooling and feeding heavily on shad. I fished last evening back in a cove across from Hummingbird Hideaway's cove and found whites in 30 - 35 feet of water. At least I assumed they were whites. They were feeding from the top to the bottom. I hooked into 6 fish but only got to boat 1 black bass. The trip today trip confirmed that the fish I did not get good hook sets on were actually white bass.

Today I headed out fishing around noon before the storms arrived. I found the whites at the mouth of the same cove in 50 - 80 feet of water. They were feeding on shad from the surface to 30 feet down. I started to vertical jig with a 1 oz. spoon and hooked into 9 fish, but only boated 5 of them. I think the hook on the 1 oz spoon is a little large for the mouth of white bass. I will downsize to a 3/4 oz spoon the next time. They were all in the 1.5 - 2.5 pound range. Nice size fish! They also were surfacing a little, but most of the whites that took a swipe at my spook were small. I only got to fish for a little less than an hour before the storms started rumbling all around me and it hasn't stop rain since. We have had over an inch of rain today.

Other baits that will work when you find suspended feeding white bass are Rooster Tail spinners and blade baits like a Kastmaster. I like both of these to be 1/2 ounce or larger so they can get down to 15 - 20 feet.

That is all for now.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake has been on fire for the past week. I have been out in the mornings live bait fishing as well as throwing a topwater Zara spook . We have landed striped bass, hybrid bass, white bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, with a few catfish thrown in for good measure.

The stripers and hybrids were caught in 25 - 40 feet of water. They seem to be suspended in the 10 - 25 feet range. I have been using all down poles with live shad set at 20 - 30 feet deep. My daughter and I arrived at my current fishing location at around 5:15AM this morning. I started marking fish, but nothing was biting. I was rebaiting a pole and had drifted into 25 feet of water when all of sudden one rod bent to the water. My daughter grabbed that pole and the fish started to swim into a line next to it, I grabbed this rod and as soon as I had it, it bent to the water. I got that pole out of the way and it had a large white bass on it. I flung it into the boat because a third rod took off. Both of us had a big fish on and it was really fun listening to the drag of both rods zing out to deep water. I had my fish close to the boat, it took a dive and my line snapped. I guess I should have retied after yesterday's trip. My daughter did a much better job and finally landed her 12 pound striper. With all the break-offs, missed fish and released fish we could have had 3 limits by 7:30AM. It was a really fun morning.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spots are coming to the surface early in the morning, off of points that have trees in the water. You need to have space between the trees to cast your lure. I caught 4 nice black bass this morning and I think around 6 yesterday morning all on a spook. Live bait still is working the best for the black bass. Today we released over a dozen bass including this nice 3 - 4 pounder that my daughter caught. Shiners should work as well as the shad. I have been using a down rod with a slip sinker and dropping it to the bottom. The fish are in the 20 to 25 feet range. Last Friday I had a couple of our guests (Jim & Scott) out and we started to pitch live shad between the trees with no weight. We were catching fish after fish. Jim also landed one nice striped bass. On Wednesday I fished with one of my guests (Greg) and my daughter and we landed one nice striper and many, many black bass. It has really been a great week of fishing for me..

I have been fishing the mid lake area both on points in the creeks and off of main lake points.

Pan fish are biting well on crickets, worms or nightcrawlers. Use a bobber and a small split shot. The fish are on the bottom in the trees and at the edges of the trees. You should be able to fill up a basket in no time.

Catfish are still biting well on trotlines with live bait.

Norfork Lake is still falling slowly (about 2 - 3 inches per day) and currently sits at 573.91. The water temperature is in the low 80's. The main channels are clear and the creeks and coves are clearing up nicely.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.