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

The bite continues to be good for most species in the lake, especially striped bass, largemouth bass and crappie. It really surprised me that after the lake temperature dropped about 3 degrees it didn’t affect the feeding habits of the fish. What the drop in water temperature did was to make the bait move to other areas of the lake, but not necessarily far away from where they were. The fish will follow the bait.

Striped bass fishing continues to be strong. Yes, you will need to do some searching, but if you find some bait, I just about guarantee you will find striped bass nearby. The best areas to find these fish have been back in major creeks, deep flats and today I found them in the old river channel in the main lake area. In the creeks they have been on or very close to the banks first thing in the morning. After the sun gets over the tree line, they seem to concentrate more in the creek channel. Their depth will depend on the depth of the bait. The deeper flats have

started to hold more bait in the 40 to 50 foot range. The fish again relate to the depth of the bait. I have found that the stripers seem to be on the flats late morning. The bait that I found today was in the old river channel which, in this area, was roughly 70 feet deep. The bait was 20 to 40 deep and varied. The fish were at the same depths. The striped bass that I found today were in large schools that appeared to be feeding. My bait of choice for the shallower fish, say from the shoreline out to 30 feet down, has been casting a Kastmaster blade style bait. I do replace the hook with a feathered treble hook. I think that gives it a closer resemblance to a injured live shad especially if you work it in a twitching motion. I reel back to the boat very slowly letting it sink more as it is being retrieved. For deeper fish, I have been vertical jigging with a spoon or a small 3-inch plastic jig with a 3/8 ounce jig head.

Crappie fishing has also continued to be very good. Of course,

crappie as most species go through a feeding cycle. If you find them and they are not feeding, you will need to wait them out until they get energetic again or move to the next brush pile. Small spoons or small crappie jigs and of course live minnows are all working very well. The best brush has been in 20 to 25 feet of water and the fish will be on the tops to buried within the brush. You will just need to keep working different depth until you find that magic area.

I have not done a lot of bass fish lately, but they do appear to be going shallow.  Crank bait, wiggle warts, soft plastics, and a-rigs have all produced some nice fish. As the water temperature continues to rise back in the creeks the fish head back to the warmer water. Today I fished a brush pile to see if crappie were there. No crappie, but the brush pile was inhabited by some nice size largemouth bass. They loved my Tater Baits Electric Monkey crappie jig. The bass were buried inside of the brush

towards the bottom. I can’t believe I could pull these beasts out of the brush with 4-pound test.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature is rising very slowly after the 3 degree drop from last weekends storms. The lake temperature was 48 - 52 degree this morning. The lake level has been stable with a slight drop with intermittent power generation and currently sits at 554.05 feet msl. The lake is clear to stained depending on where you are at in the lake. If our current forecast holds true, we have another deep freeze arriving Friday afternoon. I guess I will be out seeing where the bait moved to next Sunday.

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Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Striped bass, largemouth and spotted bass, and crappie continue to be the best bites on the lake.

Striped Bass Fishing: Over the last week there has been a definite change in where to find the bait and then the fish. The bait had been concentrated out on the main lake in the deep-water channels, but they have recently made the move back into the major creeks and some of the smaller coves. With this movement of the bait the striped bass has been following. Some of the bait is also starting to move close to the shoreline. The bait movement has currently created 2 totally different areas to fish. I have found bait near the creek channel in 40 – 60 feet of water. The stripers have been very close to the bait, either above it or below it. Several methods of fishing have worked for me, so far. I have had luck vertical jigging a 1-ounce spoon or vertical jigging a 3-inch soft plastic jig. I’ve been using a mini version of a fluke called a Tater Shad, which is made locally,

with a 3/8-ounce jig head. Both the spoon and the Tater Shad need to be worked slowly with just slight twitches for the deeper water fish. The most important tip is to get your bait at the same depth as the fish to get the most bites. Another method is trolling A-rigs, crank baits or 5-inch swimbaits. Here again get your bait very close to where you are seeing the fish. Fish have also been found tight on the banks, especially at sunrise and at sunset. Some of the bait has moved very close to the shoreline or the fish have started to push the bait tight to the bank. Yesterday (3/1) I found feeding striper right on the bank. I casted out a Kastmaster (blade bait) and worked it back to the boat very slowly with a jerking motion. I replace the treble hook with a feathered treble hook which seems to attract more fish. You should also be able to use long minnow type crankbaits and swimbaits. 

Bass Fishing: The largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass have moved up tight to the bank especially early in the morning and late afternoon. Other times they move off a little and will be 10 to 20 down. Various lures are

working such as swimbaits, crankbaits (rock crawlers and wiggle warts). On windy days don’t hesitate to cast a spinner or chatter bait. You will find them in both the clear water as well as the stained water. I found some nice ones the other day that had corralled some bait on the bank and I was getting hits on my Kastmaster 3 to 5 feet from the shore.  We have some rain coming up this weekend, so after the rain head toward the running water coming into the creeks.

Crappie Fishing: This species is starting to school up and roam out in deeper water. They are still 10 to 25 deep. I have found this to be true with the white crappie. The black crappie still appear to be holding a little tighter to the brush. Trolling crank baits have started to work and will get better as the water warms a little more. Plastic jigs, spoons, and live bait are producing some nice fish.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature is rising very slowly

and is the 45 to 48 degree range. The lake level has been stable with a slight drop with intermittent power generation and currently sits at 554.19 feet msl. The lake is clear to stained depending on where you are at in the lake.

I post almost daily on Facebook. If you want more frequent information, please visit and like Hummingbird Hideaway Resort’s Facebook page.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

There are currently 3 good bites on the lake making fishing Norfork Lake fun for everyone. Striped bass, largemouth and spotted bass, and crappie are the 3 best bites on the lake at this time.

You can find largemouth bass in several different types of areas. Bluff walls have been very productive. The fish can be up tight to the rocks or suspended out from the bluff. Most of these fish are 10 to 20 feet down either on the bottom or suspended over deep water. A-rigs are working great with white swimbaits. You can judge how heavy of a jig head you need

depending on the depth you want to get the bait to. Typical ¼ ounce works great. If you are using an A-rig that already has added weight to the center piece you may only want a hook with no weight. Crank baits, jigs and spinners are also producing some nice fish. There are still some nice fish hugging the bottom off of long rocky points from 30 to 40 feet down. My best way to catch these deep fish is to vertical jig a spoon slowly right on the bottom.

Striped bass are still in their winter pattern. Basically, this is saying that the bait has moved out to the deep-water river channels or very close to the channel. You will find streams of bait 10 to 30 feet thick and the stripers will be very close by. I find the striped bass on top of the bait, at the bottom of the bait or some are even buried inside the bait. If there is a deep flat next to the channel you may find large schools of stripers cruising through the flat, but they always stay close to the large streams of bait. The bait is typically suspended 30 to 60 feet down. This depth will vary, and the thickness of the bait will vary. The fish will be found suspended at the same depths as the bait. There are various methods to fish for this species. Live

bait is a tried-and-true method, vertical jigging a one-ounce spoon, vertical jigging a 3-inch swim bait with a 3/8-ounce jig head or trolling swimbaits, umbrella rigs, or hard crank baits. The key is to get your bait at the same depth as the fish. This pattern will stick around until the water temperature starts to warm, which should be in the next couple of weeks. With the warmer water the bait tends to start to move back in the creeks or farther upriver. When the bait moves the stripers will be chasing.

Crappie are on brush. Find brush in 20 to 40 feet of water. The fish will be at all depths depending on the time of day. Early and late in the day they are typically suspended on top of the brush and on occasion only 5 to 10 feet down. Mid-day they tend to drop a little deeper. Of course, the weather plays a big role on how the bait acts in the brush, and just like all fish species they tend to follow their food

source. This morning I hit a couple of brush piles. It was a very cloudy windy day and the fish seemed to be deeper and buried inside of the brush. Live bait, small twister tail grubs with a 1/16-ounce jig head and a small 1/8 – ¼ ounce spoon are all working great.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature is holding in the 45 to 46 degree range but may start to rise slowly with the spring type weather we are having. The lake level has been rising slowly with minimal power generation and currently sits at 552.75 feet msl. The lake is trying to clear but still remains slightly stained.

I post almost daily on Facebook. If you want more frequent information, please visit and Like Hummingbird Hideaway Resort’s Facebook page.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Over the last week we saw a big cold front with a major winter storm come through. After the weather improved, I was able to get back on the lake and found that not much had changed except for a slight drop in water temperature. I have mainly striped bass fished the last several days and found the bait and fish in the same areas as before the storm. There is alot of bait near deep water channels as well as right in the channel. When you find these massive schools of bait, you need to start looking with your depth finder until you locate the feeding fish. The fish are feeding anywhere from 20 feet down to 60 feet in 70 to 95 feet of water. I mainly have been vertical jigging with a one-ounce white spoon. I keep my bait at 30 or 40 feet down and when fish come though at a different depth I either reel up or drop the spoon down. You will need to figure out how many feet of line per crank of your particular reel to get the to right depth. When trying to go deeper, figure out how fast your lure drops so you can count down to get to the proper depth. Live bait is also working very well. I have also trolled Berkley

Flicker Minnows set at 30 to 40 feet down and have picked up some nice fish. My fishing area has not changed. I am finding fish from the Cranfield area down to the 101 Boat Dock area. Find the bait and the stripers should be nearby.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature is holding in the 44 – 46 degree range but may start to rise slowly with the spring type weather we are having. The lake level is fluctuating a little up, then down with intermittent power generation. The current lake level sits at 552.19 ft. msl. The lake remains slightly stained.

I post almost daily on facebook. If you want more frequent information, please visit and like Hummingbird Hideaway Resort’s facebook page.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been concentrating my fishing habit on finding and catching striped and hybrid bass with a little bass fishing thrown in. The bite has been good for me. I’ve used several different fishing methods to catch this species. Live bait is the easiest and a very good way to catch striped bass. You can purchase large shiners, or you can try and net your own threadfin shad, but that is difficult at this time as they are deep. One of my favorite methods is vertical jigging a one-ounce spoon. My preferred color at this time is white. Another bait that I have been vertical

jigging is a 3-inch soft plastic spit tail bait, similar to a fluke with a 3/8-ounce jig head. This method is a little harder to fish due to the lightweight bait. It falls slowly and it’s hard to get to the fish in a timely fashion. I fished with a guide friend, Chad Bleeker of Norfork Bayou Fishing last week, and he showed me this method. It worked really well with using his Garmin Livescope. I have added this new electronic to my wish list. I also like to cast out a Kastmaster, blade style bait. I let the bait sink to the desired depth and slowly reel back to the boat in a jerking motion. The fish typically hit it on the fall. I use the Kastmaster when I see the fish on my sidescan and when they are shallower, say 20 to 30 feet deep. The final method that I

use is to troll a hard crankbait. I use the Berkley Flicker Minnow, sizes #7 and #9. I use the 50/50 rule with a one-ounce snap weight which will get the bait down to 30 feet. Use a 2-ounce weight if you want to get to about 40 feet. When I troll, I use my trolling motor and go about 1.4 mph. The key to catching these fish, once you find them, is to get your bait to the depth where the fish are.

I have been finding striped and hybrid bass in 2 types of areas. They have been out in deep water near the old river channel in 70 to 100+ feet of water. The second area has been on a large deep flat in 50 to 70 feet of water. The key clue for finding stripers is to find the bait fish. If you can find a large concentration of bait the stripers will typically be in the area. I have found bait and fish from the Cranfield area to the mid lake bridges, then from these bridges back

to the 101 Boat Dock area. The bait has been moving back and forth in this vast area and sometimes overnight. The stripers and hybrids have been suspended from 20 feet down to 60 feet and anywhere in between.

Largemouth bass fishing has also been very good. The fish I have been finding are out chasing shad along with the striped/hybrid bass. The Kastmaster has worked great for me as these fish seem to be only 20 to 30 feet down. The second and best area for me has been in 33 to 40 feet of water off of long rocky points. The points are usually at the end of a bluff line that leads into a cove. The outside edge of the point has been more productive for me than the inside. I use my 1-ounce spoon and jig it slowly on the bottom. Sometimes I leave it laying on the bottom briefly and it seems the bass suck it in at this point.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature is holding in the 45 – 46 degree range but may drop a little more with this incoming winter storm. The lake level is

holding fairly stable at this time with minimal power generation and currently sits at 552.61 ft. msl. The lake remains slightly stained.

I post almost daily on facebook. If you want more frequent information, please visit and like Hummingbird Hideaway Resort’s facebook page.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Winter arrived in our area this week with a little of that white stuff and cooler weather, which has dropped the lake surface temperature a few degrees. The bait is starting to move out to deeper water due to the cooler water and has suspended 40 to 60 feet down in 70 to 100+ feet of water. When the bait moves so do the predator fish. The striped and hybrid bass are following suit. I have been finding quite a few striped bass in pairs, up to large schools. It appears the fish that have moved under the bait are not feeding but the fish on top of the bait have been feeding aggressively. The areas to start finding them is anywhere from the mid lake creeks around the Robinson area, to the bridges then farther north toward the 101 Boat Dock area and anywhere in between. Concentrate your search to areas close to the deep river channel specially on channel swings. Live bait is working well set at about 38 feet. Artificial baits are working as well. Vertical jigging a spoon, larger ice jigs and plastic jigs have been the best. Find the depth the stripers are feeding at and drop your bait to that level.

Largemouth and spotted bass fishing has been really good for me. My best areas have been bluff line

points in 33 – 38 feet of water. The fish are hugging the bottom. I have been dropping a 1 ounce spoon to the bottom and slowly jigging it up and down just a little. When the jig is falling is the time when the bass have been sucking it in. Once you start to lift the bait off of the bottom, you feel the fish and the fight is on. With the cooler water temperature, the bass will also move into shallow water early and late in the day to feed. Use crank baits for these shallow fish or jigs worked slowly along the bottom.

Crappie fishing has stayed about the same. The best areas have been on brush piles in 20 to 25 feet of water. The fish will typically be toward the tops of the brush. They may move inside the brush to shallower water early and late in the day. Jigging a spoon on top of the brush is working or dropping a small soft plastic with a 1/16 – 1/8 ounce jig head. You can also cast out the plastic jig to the shore line and let it sink to your desired depth and reel it back to the boat, making sure the jig crosses over the top of the brush pile. Live bait is typically always a great way to catch crappie.

Norfork Lake level currently sits at 553.82 feet msl. The lake has risen roughly ½ foot since last week. The surface water temperature is currently around 48 degrees. The lake is slightly stained.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Norfork Lake fishing has been good over the last week or so. Striped bass fishing has improved the most, and as the water continues to cool the striped bass bite will only get better. Stripers & hybrids have started to school up and feed for the cold winter months. The biggest change for this species is that they have started to go deeper to feed. There is a lot of bait that has moved out to deeper water and you can find them from 40 to 60 feet down in depths of water from 40 to 100 feet. The easiest for catching them is if you can find the bait on the bottom.  That makes vertical jigging much easier than trying to catch a suspended fish. I am still finding this species on moderate to deep flats. Try and find some structure on the bottom whether it be a drop-off, old foundations or some rotten timber that has sunk over the prior years. Jigging a spoon, ice jig and a plastic jig is working. Many times, the fish will hit the bait on the fall, so if your line goes slack, set the hook quickly. Live bait is probably working the best at this time because it is much easier to catch that lone fish with live bait than trying to drop a spoon in front of his mouth.

Largemouth bass fishing has also been very good for me. The fish I am finding and catching are in 30 to maybe 36 feet of water relating to underwater points, small drop-offs, small humps or to nearby brush piles. The areas that I have found to be the best are typically out in the middle of the lake. Small schools are feeding at different times of day. When you find these feeding fish it has been very normal to land 5 to 10 nice size largemouth in a very short period of time. Just remember when you jig up a bass and are reeling it up to the boat do not let the fish jump out of the water. If they do get to jump 9 times out of 10 you have lost the fish. You can also find bass in tighter to shore and fishing jigs and worms are working for these shallow fish.

The white bass bite has also been good. You will find them in the same areas as the stripers and largemouth. Vertical jigging a spoon in 35 to 45 feet of water has been the best method and depth to catch this species.

Catfish have also been biting very well out in deeper

water along with the largemouth bass, striped bass and white bass. I have caught some nice flatheads over the last week from 26 feet of water out to 34 feet of water. Vertical jigging a spoon will catch this species along with the channels and blues.

The main reason I enjoy vertical jigging in the fall is that you never know what you might catch. All species in Norfork Lake will be roaming and feeding on the flats at the same depth and time of day.

Crappie are in their typical areas, inside of or on the tops of sunken brush. Find brush in 30 to 40 feet of water and vertical jig a small spoon, cast out a small plastic grub or drop live crappie minnows to the tops of the brush.

Norfork Lake is falling slowly and currently sits at 551.66 feet msl which is roughly 2 feet below normal seasonal pool. The surface water temperature has fluctuated from 55 to 57 degrees over the last several weeks and this morning was close to 57 degrees. The lake is slightly stained to clear.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.