Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Vertical jigging with a spoon is in full swing on Norfork Lake. For those artificial bait fishermen and women who like to fish for all species of fish, try vertical jigging. I have fished for the last couple of days back in a creek and have spooned up white bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Kentucky bass, walleye, hybrid bass, catfish and sunfish. The only fish I have not caught in the last couple days are striped bass and crappie. I have spooned up both in the past in the same location. I have been fishing in 30 - 60 feet of water and am finding the fish either on the bottom or suspended in 30 - 40 feet of water. Drop the spoon next to the boat and let it fall to the bottom. Be prepared to set the hook at any time. The fish will pick up the spoon before it hits the bottom and your line will go slack, set the hook quickly. If you don't get fish on the drop start jigging the spoon up and down, sometimes high jigs and sometimes just twitch it. You will feel the fish on as you are raising the spoon off of the bottom. If still no fish after 5 or 6 jigs reel up quickly and you might get a fish to hit the spoon on the rise. Be patient and watch your electronics for schools of fish or large balls of shad. The fish will be hanging around the bait usually under them, but I have also found them on the top side. As always the live bait guides are doing well using live shad. Black bass and walleye are being caught back in creeks and off of main lake points in 25 - 30 feet of water all over the lake. Striped bass are being caught from Robinson area to the dam. They are back in creeks and coves and also in the main lake. You can find them in 40 - 55 feet of water on the bottom feeding on crawfish and they can also be found out in deep water suspended at the 40 foot level feeding on shad. Use your electronics and look for the schools. JFor catfish jugs and trotlines are working well baited with shiners or small bluegill.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowing and currently sits at 554.09 feet above sea level. Two generators are currently being run. The lake surface water temperature is in the upper 80's to low 90's. The lake is generally clear.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

It was another beautiful morning on Norfork Lake. I started out from our dock with one of our guests at 5AM and started fishing before 5:30. We started out in the Diamond Bay area, but were not marking much to vertical jig. Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line was fishing close by and was catching his fair share using live shad. I moved to a different area around 6AM and immediately marked a huge school of feeding fish. We both hooked into white bass, we dropped again and hooked into more fish. We lost over 10 fish and landed 6. We kept a couple of the whites and a nice 6 pound hybrid. The fishing remained pretty steady for about an hour, then it slowed so I kept moving around trying to find the schooling fish without much luck. I ended the trip in Float Creek and fished an area I did well in yesterday morning, today I marked a ton of bait, but no feeding fish. Reports from various guides and fishing friends are that they are catching striped bass and hybrids near the Robinson area and surrounding creeks to the Diamond area and around the dam. The fish are definitely schooling. When you find a school of feeding fish drop a spoon and vertical jig, you will catch a fish. The schools keep moving under the shad.

The Norfork Lake water level has fallen to 554.62 with one generator currently being run. The surface water temperature of the lake was in the low 90's this morning. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves somewhat hazy.

Have a great day and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I'm back fishing Norfork Lake after a week of being home bound. All of our boats were rented last week so I got to sleep in. The striped bass are schooling and in their summer pattern. I had a huge school go under me this morning. I missed hooking the first one. I finally landed the second striper and the third broke off. I also caught 3 big white bass and two black bass on a spook. I have had reports of stripers being caught in Float Creek, Panther Creek, Fall Creek and in the Robinson Island area. The fish are suspended at levels of 30 - 40 feet and can be found in all depths, 50 feet to 120 feet of water. I have also had reports of stripers being caught in the dam area. Live bait is working the best (gizzard and thread fin shad) but spooning works once you find the fish. I spoon all summer long. The stripers were hitting my spoon on the drop this morning. Be ready to set the hook as soon as you feel or see the line go slack, you only get one chance. I have also had positive reports on the afternoon bite for stripers.

The top photo is of one of our guests that fished with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters. Bill landed this nice 20 pound striper and it is currently at the taxidermist. His fish dwarfed my little 10 pounder of today. His group had over 20 bites and end up landing 7 stripers and a nice 4 pound smallmouth bass.

Crappie fishing has been a little difficult with the summer heat. They have gone deep and if you get lucky you may find them on a deep ledge. They should start to move back into the deep brush piles soon. Catfishing has been good on trotlines and jugs. The guides are catching catfish on most of their trips with their shad. Big slab blue gills are being caught under docks and I have spooned up several in 30 feet of water. Walleye are being spooned up in 30 - 40 feet of water along rock bluffs as well as main lake points.

The Norfork Lake level is 555.8 and rising very slowly. Currently no generators are being run. The main lake is clear and the creeks are still a little cloudy due to the rise in water. The Norfork Lake surface water temperature is in the upper 80's.

Happy fishing and hope to see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Happy belated July 4th to all. It has been pretty busy around the resort and my fishing boat has been rented for skiing and tubing. I did finally get out fishing the last two days and did OK but not great. The black bass are still coming up somewhat early in the morning, by 8AM they have gone down deep. Today I caught 6 largemouth all 15 inches and all caught on a spook. I was also vertical jigging with a spoon. A large school of striper went under me and I hooked one momentarily while reeling up quickly though the school.It buried my rod tip in the water and when I set the hook the fish came unhooked! I immediately dropped the spoon and when it hit about 35 feet I felt my line go slack. I set the hook and the fish just took off. It ran across the bow of my boat and the line snapped. I think the line must have been cut by the fish's gill plate. I had another rod rigged with a spoon and dropped it and again the line went slack, I set the hook and the fish dove and as quickly as it dove the lure came unhooked. I did notice one of the hooks was bent out. I guess I have forgotten how to land a fish. I will get them the next time, which may not be until next week. I am finding white bass and black bass on the bottom in 30 - 40 feet of water. The stripers are suspended in 30 - 40 feet of water. I have been fishing back in the major creeks and fishing the secondary points especially where there is a channel swing.

The Norfork Lake level is at 554.16 and holding steady. The main lake is clear and the creeks are clearing. The surface water temperature was at 87 degrees this morning a few degrees lower than last week.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

PS: The top photo's are some black bass spooned up by my brother-in-law John over the 4th and the second photo is of Chuck Pate and his client. Chuck is a very dedicated striper guide on Norfork Lake. His client hooked into this 33 pound striper on the 101 bridge columns. The fish took off between the columns and under the support brace. Chuck grabbed the rod and dove into the water and took the pole under the support bracing so the line would not be cut by the concrete. Once on the other side Chuck handed the rod back to his 13 year old client who continued to land this monster.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY. It is another gorgeous morning on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozarks. It has been a great father's day for me so far. I went out fishing this morning (first time in over a week) and caught all the white bass and Kentucky bass that I wanted and also limited out on Striped Bass. I was releasing all that I caught this morning, but had to keep the striper and the white in the photo. I tried to release them, but they would not go down. I guess we have supper planned for today or tomorrow. The other two stripers were in the 10 pound range and all the white's were in the 1.5 - 2.5 pounds range. It was a fun, fun morning!!! I started out throwing a Zara Spook and was catching white bass, but when I saw huge schools of fish down in 35 - 50 feet of water I switched over to vertical jigging with a spoon and caught over 15 white bass and the 3 stripers. I was fishing back in a major creek off of a channel swing. It was hard not to throw my spook since there was sooo much top water action, but the bigger fish were deeper. I did end my trip by throwing the spook at a school of Kentucky's that just kept coming up. They were all 12 - 14 inches long and very fat and sassy.

I caught several channel catfish last week on my trot line, but it seemed to be slow. Not much news on crappie fishing, but I would think the hot weather is going to make it tough going.

The Norfork Lake water temperature is in the mid to upper 80's. The lake level is dropping and currently at 557.42. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are somewhat stained due to the drop in water pulling the silt off of the shore line. Once the drop stops the water will clear.

Happy fishing and see on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The sun has been shining on Norfork Lake for the last week. Our guests are having a great time fishing in the morning, playing in the water in the afternoon, then fishing again in the evening. Can't ask for a better vacation than that.

Fishing has been great for the past week and seems to just keep improving. The white and black bass as well as stripers and hybrids are chasing the shad to the surface. It is Zara Spook time! One of my guests just came into the office really excited stating that he was in the Cranfield area and all of a sudden the water just started to boil. They had spooks tied on and had a field day catching white bass. He did say he saw some really big fish busting the surface farther out in the channel. Other guests have been fishing Float, Panther, and Fall Creeks with the same results. The top water action is currently in full swing in both early mornings and late evenings. Once the fish go down, vertical jigging is working. Fish are being caught on a spoon in 30 - 40 feet of water. Fish creek channel swings as well as main lake points.

Walleye are being caught with crank baits. The fish are back in coves in 15 - 25 feet of water. Try using a crawdad colored crank bait. Troll it slowly. I have also spooned up some walleye in 30 - 40 feet of water off of rock bluffs. It should be time for the walleye to be on the flats. Start checking out the Cranfield flats, Robinson Island flats, Koso Point flats. The fish should be in 25 - 40 feet of water.

Crappie are being caught on main lake and creek brush piles in 30 - 40 feet of water. Live minnows are still working the best, but twister tail jigs are also catching some nice fish.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and is at 558.58. Only 6 1/2 feet above normal pool. The surface water temperature is in the mid 80's. The lake is clearer than I have ever seen. I can see fish swimming in 20 feet of water. It's amazing.

Have a great day fishing tomorrow and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I am back on the lake after a weeks worth of wedding celebrations. Our daughter was married last Saturday at our resort and we had close to 150 family and friends visit with us. It was a great time and we are very happy with our new son-in-law. The Friday night fish fry went off very good and all loved the Norfork Lake fish. We ended up deep frying catfish, white bass, crappie and striper. It was tasty and there were no left overs. I am sure you saw photos of what we ended up eating. We bread it before we freeze it and it goes into the fryer frozen. Just about as close to fresh caught as we can do with so many to serve.

I have been out fishing the last two mornings and the top water bite is fantastic. From 5AM until around 7AM you can see the whites, black bass and stripers breaking the surface. I have been throwing a zara spook and almost every cast I get a fish or at least had a fish slapping at my bait. I took a couple of our guests along this morning and they had a good time. I am finding the fish back in the creeks. Check out the Bennett's area, Float Creek and Panther Creek. I have also gotten reports of top water action in the dam area. Yesterday I was spooning after 7AM and caught 2 keeper walleye. One flipped off the hook as I was trying to reach for the net. I also caught a nice 20 pound Blue cat. The Cat also got it's freedom at the dock. I was taking it out of the live well and it flipped and bounced right back in the water. I guess they will be able to grow bigger and I will catch them later!! Guides are still doing well catching stripers with live shad. They are fishing my end of the lake and also at the dam area. The stripers are scattered all over the lake. The guides are catching stripers on both free swimming shad as well as down poles from 30 - 50 feet down. Some of them are suspended in deep water as well as hugging the bottom.

Crappie are being caught around docks that have brush on them as well as over brush piles submerged in the lake. The fish are anywhere from 10 - 30 feet down. Live minnows are working the best.

The Catfish are spawning, but should be close to complete. Jugs and trot lines are still doing well with live bait as well as cut bait.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 559.41. All generators are currently being run. The lake surface water temperature is in the low to mid 80's. The lake is gin clear all over. It is the clearest I have seen in quite some time.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.