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's fall fishing bite is changing for the better with the cooler water temperatures. The surface temperature ranged from 62 degrees to 64.5 degrees depending on the location on the lake and the time of day. The best bite is white bass with crappie and black bass not far behind. I have been fishing almost every day and yesterday I actually fished in the morning then went back out in the afternoon. What a life, but I guess someone has to do it! I strictly fished for stripers in the morning up north, with no success, but a friend landed a 25 pounder not far from where I was fishing. The striper bite has been slow, but fish have been caught in all parts of the lake. There has been some top water action in the mornings for stripers, but you need to be in the right place at the right time. Stripers have been caught over the last couple of weeks back in the Bennett's area, 6A area, Pigeon creek, Cranfield, around the bridges and so on. These are confirmed catches so you can see the fish are scattered with some schooling, but still a lot of fish just cruising the lake. I will keep plugging away at the stripers and will eventually find a consistent bite.

 As I mentioned above the white bass bass bite is getting very good. I fished two afternoons this week and have found schooling and feeding fish in 30 - 40 feet of water. I have been vertical jigging with a 3/4 ounce to 1 ounce spoon. When I find them schooled and in a feeding frenzy the color of spoon doesn't seem to matter. Last evening they were hitting the spoon on the fall. You have to be ready to set the hook as soon as you feel the fish attack the bait. I have been using my standard green or chartreuse and white spoon and also a blue and silver spoon. I have found the fish on flats in the mouths of coves. You will also find them on main lake flats from 30 - 50 feet. Electronics are sure nice in the search for the fish. The bite has seemed to stop as soon as the sun gets below the trees. I ended up landed 8 whites between 5 and 6PM. It was pretty windy so each time I caught a fish I would be blown off of my spot and then have to locate the fish again. It sure would be nice to have the wireless trolling motor with the anchor button on it. Some day! In with the whites are hybrids and striped bass. I caught a 20 inch striper last evening and released it to grow bigger.

The crappie bite has also improved. I have had the best luck on the bigger fish in the mornings. I find the fish in brush that is 30 - 45 feet deep. I have been using a 1/4 ounce white spoon. The crappie have been inside of the brush so you do get snagged up a lot, but if you just quickly twitch the spoon it typically frees up.

Smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass are getting aggressive. They are starting to move back to the banks to feed with this cooler water, but I have found the bigger largemouth out in deeper water, 35 - 50 feet down. I have vertical jigged up bass and have also gotten them on live bait when I am striper fishing. The bigger boys have been hitting my large gizzard shad with a vengeance. Rogue fishing slowed for me last week with the rise in the water temps, but this week it started to pick up again with the cold front that rolled though our area. As the water continues to cool the bass will be on the banks more and more. I have thrown my jig & pig a little and usually pick up a few smallies. I find the smallmouth on rocky bluff line points.

Catfishing is also picking up. I landed this nice 13.5 flat head on a 1/4 ounce spoon with 4 pound test. It was a good fight, but I finally won the battle. I was checking out some new areas off of bluff line points spooning in 45 feet of water when this guy engulfed the bait then the up and down battle began. The rod was doubled over and I thought it was going to break. Jug fishing is also picking up some very nice fish.

This time of year I vertical jig quite a bit. It is fun because you never know what type of fish you are going to catch. All species will hit the bait.

 

Again as the water cools the night bite will start. Striped bass, hybrid bass and walleye will be in very shallow water off of points that have flats off of them with deep water nearby. I use a Smithwick Rogue for this type of fishing. Cast your bait as close to the rocks as possible then reel back to the boat very very slowly and hang on. I will start to test those waters this week after dark.

 

Norfork Lake's level is falling slowing a currently sits at 543.77. The surface water temperature is around 63 degrees. The main lake is clear and the creeks and covers are somewhat stained. Partial generation is sporadic, but generation has increased with the cooler nights.

                                                                              

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Wow what an unusual fishing week and a half on Norfork Lake. We have had cold fronts, very windy days, and the lake level dropping. During the past 10 days I have gotten into top water action for hybrids and whites then the next day a cold front moved in and the wind started. Prior to the cold front the fish were in shallow water being caught on free swimming shad and shallow running lures, but from what I have seen over the last couple of days the fish went deeper. It is very hard to determine what the fish will be doing over the next couple of days as the lake level is stabilizing, the air temperature is on the rise and no frontal systems for a while.

The largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass bite is still one of the best bites on the lake. Crawdad colored crank baits diving 10 - 15 feet have been one of the best baits. Sunday, when the wind, started to blow 10 - 30 MPH, a few fishermen braved the wind and caught a lot of bass on spinner baits in the wind blown pockets close to the shoreline. The smallmouth bass that I have been catching have moved out to about 25 feet depths but are still hugging the bottom. Early and late in the day you will still find the bass along the shore line feeding.

Crappie are starting to show up on shallow (15 - 25feet) brush piles. They are suspended over the brush so you will need to find the depth where they are hovering. More small crappie are being caught but it sounds as though you get a nice slab about every 4th fish or so. Live minnows are working very well. We had a family that took a guided trip with Jay Smith, of Crappies Only, a couple days ago. They were fishing sunken tree stumps with live bait and had a good day, catching a lot of fish, many keepers.

Catfish are hitting trotlines and jugs on live bait. They are coming into shallow water to feed.

Striper fishing, my favorite past time has been up and down. I have mainly been using live bait and have caught nice fish on points close to shore in shallow water, then things changed up a lot. Sunday I was finding striper in 120 feet of water suspended 40 - 60 feet down. This is very unusual for this time of year. I guess the fronts, the lowering of the lake level and the lower surface water temperature have effected the normal spring time pattern. I ended going with my summer and winter rigged poles with a 2 oz. weight and fishing straight over the boat. This method worked for meon Sunday and from what I have been hearing, from some guests, it also worked this morning. ( I slept in this morning, but will be back at it tomorrow early) Another bait that is actually out producing live bait is the Alabama rigs, I have a group of fishermen here this week and they have been trolling the Alabama Rigs. They have caught as many if not more than I have been catching. Great job guys. The lake level has stabilized at normal pool and the weather pattern seems to becoming more stable so maybe things will get back to normal. If you can't find the striper in shallow water check out deep before you give up. There was top water action starting to happen right before the cold front rolled in. Last Thursday evening I got into some nice hybrid and white bass action casting Zara Spooks.

The lake level currently sits at 552.06. The surface water temperature has fallen to the low 60s to high 50's. The main lake is clearing and most creeks and coves are also clear, but still somewhat stained. Periodic power generation is occurring to help maintain the normal pool level.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

All fish in the photos were released except for the Striped bass. These photos only show a sampling of my catches as I do a lot of releasing on site. Check out Hummingbird Hideaway Resort's facebook page for additional current fishing information.