Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Striped Bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye and crappie are all being caught on Norfork Lake. The fishing has been really good and will only get better as the temperature rises. I have guests striper fishing using medium size gizzard shad and they are just hammering the fish. All of their fish were caught on free swimming baits and the stripers came out of the water to attack the bait. The best bite for them seems to be in the late afternoon. The Bennett's area has been their top location, but they have caught stripers in East Pigeon and the Cranfield area as well. I have heard that the night bite is taking off. I can't confirm that since I have fished after dark in several areas and have found no stripers. Or at least they didn't like the flavor of rogue I was casting. I will keep trying and will find them eventually.

Crappie, bass and walleye fishing yesterday under the cloudy skies was really good for Ed, a Wisconsin guest. Ed was using a small paddle tail with a 1/8 ounce jig head. The paddle tail was in the darker colors with a lighter tail. He found fish in shallow water 7 - 15 feet deep back in coves. He found some fallen timber that was laying on the shore and stretched out into the water and caught fish all day long yesterday. This almost 16 inch crappie was his prize. Ed was fishing the Cranfield area and coves heading up river. The fish were lying on the bottom to a few feet off of it.

As mentioned earlier I fished last evening. I started trolling a couple of shallow running crank baits because the wind was blowing pretty brisk. As the sun was setting I started to cast the shore with a rogue. All of sudden fish started to break the surface. I cast my rogue into the break, cranked down two cranks and largemouths would just hammer the bait. In about a 45 minute period I landed 6 bass in the 3 - 4 pound range and lost several other. It was fun!! Once it got real dark the fish went down and I started casting the shoreline again. I fished until about 9PM with only one strike. I think it was a bass. I was fishing back in the Bennett's area.

The lake level is rising slowly and currently sits at 548.31. Minimal generation. The surface water temperature has fallen to 51 - 53 degrees due to the cool nights that we have been having. The water clarity is gin clear. The clarity may change a bit as there is rain in the forecast tomorrow, then the weather is to become gorgeous and warm again. Fishing in April should be out of site!

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

This past week has shown what spring fishing is all about. Top water action for stripers and bass, as well as the night bite starting to kick-off. What 5 days in the 70's and nights in the 50's and 60's can do for the fishing and lake water temperature. Of course my fishing time last week was very limited due to spring time cabin opening and maintenance. Work first play second.

I have credible reports that several lucky fishermen got into some nice striper, hybrid and spotted bass top water action for about 2 1/2 hours last week. They were launching their boats at Panther Bay and the fish started erupting. They were catching fish on every cast. Also back in Pigeon Creek the Kentuckys and whites were hitting top water baits.

Spawning report: The white bass are spawning back in the creeks. Crappie have either started or they are really close. Stripers are ready to go though their mock spawn as you can see white milk pouring out of the males when you catch one. Bass are still a ways off, but it appears they are staging. Walleye should be close to finishing their spawn

Stripers are being caught all day long. The best bite appears to be in the afternoon. I got a call from some of my guests yesterday at about 7:30PM for a photo opportunity, they landed 5 nice stripers. All fish were in the teens and twenties. The two larger fish (23 and 24 pound) were released and the three in the mid teens will become supper. I didn't get the photo as I was in Float Creek trying to catch my own striper. They had better luck! My guests have been catching fish all week long in different areas of the lake. The photo of Peter holding a nice 15 pound striper was caught Wednesday afternoon. They have caught fish in East Pigeon, Bennett's, and the Fouts area. They are using gizzard shad both the large and small ones and the fish don't seem to be very choosy on the size. All fish have been caught on free swimming baits without weight.

I had the chance to get out several nights during the week. Last evening I ended up landing 4 largemouth bass and 2 smallmouth bass, but no stripers. I fished Float Creek until about 9PM. A few nights ago I fished the Cranfield area and ended up landing several bass and one smaller striper. There were several other boats that landed fish and they were in the same size range. I also tried the Diamond area with zero luck, even though I had many reports of stripers and walleye being caught. I have been using different color rogues and using a very slow steady retrieval to the boat. The night bite should get much better with the warmer water assuming our current cool front doesn't mess things up.

Crappie fishing last week was really good. The fish are suspended over shallow brush and being caught in 3 - 6 feet of water. Small live minnows has been the best bait, but small jigs are producing some fish. They are ready to spawn.

The Norfork Lake water level currently is at 547.4 ft above sea level. The water is gin clear. The lake surface water temperature was 57 degrees back in float and 53-54 degrees on the main lake.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Spring has finally arrived on Norfork Lake. It has been sunny and warm the last couple of days and more of the same is in store for us next week. There are a few days of rain forecast, but this will only help the spring bite get better.

The striped bass, hybrids, white bass, black bass and crappie are starting to get very active with the warming of the lake. Yesterday I was marking 50+ degree surface water temperature for Norfork Lake.

Ed, a guest from Wisconsin, was thrilled with the battle given to him from this nice 23 pound striped bass. He states that the stripers are much stronger fish then Muskies. He caught this fish yesterday trolling a Shad Rap back in the Bennett's Bayou area. He was following the channel in around 20 feet of water and his bait should have been about 7 to 8 feet down. He was also using light tackle with only 6 pound test. The fish are coming up. He also noted that there were other boats in the area, both trolling and using live bait, that he saw boating fish. Ed has also caught his share of white bass and hybid bass in many different areas of the lake. I believe the whites have started their spring run and fishing for them will only get better. Look for the whites and hybrids on shallow sand flats. Small crank baits, jigs, rooster tail spinners and gulp minnows should all start to work.

After working around the resort all day yesterday, I decided to see if the night bite was heating up. I have heard though the grape vine that stripers are being caught after dark, but I guess I was not in the right location. I was throwing several different colors of rogues and did catch a few nice largemouth but no stripers. The largemouth bass were caught right as the sun was setting, then I did have a few bumps after dark, but did not hook them. I only fished till about 8:30PM so the bite could have been later.

Crappie are on the brush and should be close to their spawn. Whenever I crossed a brush pile last evening the fish were just stacked from 5 to 15 feet down. The brush that I was marking was in 20 - 30 feet of water. Live bait on a slip bobber should be the most active bait, but throwing a small jig tipped with a minnow will entice a few fish.

The surface water temperature last evening was 50 degrees in the main lake up to 55 degrees back in the creeks and coves. The main lake is clear with the creeks off colored due to the rising water. The lake is rising slowly and currently sits at 545.2 feet above sea level. Currently no generators are running and they have mainly been shut down for that last week or so.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather on Norfork Lake has been fantastic. Warm temperatures have arrived, but I don't think it is going to last. A slight cool front is on its way and the evening temperaturess are forecast to get in the high 20's and the days are to be in the 40's and 50's. Not bad for fishing, but not warm enough to increase the water temperature. I'm looking for surface water temperatures in the 50's to activate the fish.

Jeff and crew had another good day fishing in the Bennett's area. They caught this massive 37+ pound striped bass. They landed another and lost several others. A large gizzard shad attracted this trophy fish. The fish have been back in the creeks where the water has warmed to the upper 40's. Shad has also been back in the bayou in the shallow water. Sun and a south wind really helps fishing this time of year. I have also gotten reports that the stripers are up past Red Bank in the shallow warm water.

I was feeling pretty good yesterday afternoon so I headed out at about 4pm to see what I could catch throwing rogues. (It felt great just being back on the lake.) I fished back in Float Creek until about 8PM. I landed 3 smallmounth and 1 largemouth just before it got really dark. I was hoping to get a little striper night bite action, but nothing was happening, for me anyway. The water temperature was about 46 degrees back in Float. Two other boats arrived at dark, one left before me and the other was still fishing when I left. Hopefully the fish finally came in for them.

The Norfork Lake level is still rising slowly and currently sits at 541.5. The main lake surface temp is around 45 degrees, a little warmer back in the creeks. The lake is clear.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Temperatures in the 70's for the past several days has really made the fish active on Norfork Lake. I had two different guests fishing, one up river past Cranfield and the other fishing in the Bennett's area. Walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass were the catches of the day up river. My guest was using a 3 inch paddle tail with a small jig head. He was finding fish on points. When he got off of the points, he got no bites. He ended up catching 6 walleye, only one keeper size and as many bass. He caught all his fish in 7 - 20 feet of water dragging the bottom. The water temperature up river was in the mid 40's. (hopefully I will be able to get the walleye photo tomorrow)

My other guest was striper fishing in the Bennett's area and using live shiners. The stripers were active and chasing shad to the surface. The water temperature was near 50 degrees. The big fish was 27 pounds and was caught on a free swimming shiner (no weights). He told me the striper came clear out of the water when it attacked the bait. (I just love spring time fishing!!!) They also caught this nice 15 inch crappie and several nice bass.

I have been homebound with the flu, but hopefully I will feel up to fishing in the next day or so. It seems like I haven't fished in forever with all the bad weather, our winter sport shows and now this yukky flu. I am really starting to get anxious to get back to fishing. The 10 day forecast shows that the temps will fall a little, but still should be great for fishing. Forecast is calling for highs in the 50's & 60's and lows in the 30's and 40's.

The Norfork Lake level is rising very slowly and currently sits at 541.35. No current generators are being run. The lake temp is in the mid to upper 40's. The main lake is clear, with the creeks slightly stained.

Happy Fishing. Hope to see you on the lake soon.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather in the Arkansas Ozarks and on Norfork Lake is starting to settle back to normal. Our daytime temperatures are in the mid 40's and the nighttime temperatures are in the upper twenties. Makes for a cool morning of fishing but the bite has been better earlier rather than late for striped bass. Last week a couple of our guests had a really good morning striper fishing. They were fishing in the Henderson area using live shiners. Over the last week the best locations have been in the deep channels. They had their bait 50 - 60 feet down where they were seeing a lot of bait fish. The bait fish are suspended in 80 - 120 feet of water. They ended up landing 4 and missed netting a fifth. They also at least 6 other bites that were missed. The stripers ranged from 10 - 16 pounds. The trick is finding the bait fish. I have been out a couple of times in the afternoon over the last week and really have had a hard time finding the bait. Usually around 5PM I find the bait but it is getting late and starting to get too cold for me. The mornings have been chilly, but I guess I am going to have to suck it up and go out at sunrise. The stripers are hanging in and around the bait so set your shiners just above the bait or if you are spooning drop the spoon to the top and start jigging or let it fall all the way through the bait then reel up through through the bait and start jigging over the top. With the cold water a slower presentation works the best for all species.

I haven't been out bass or crappie fishing lately so no news from me. I have heard that crappie are still on the brush, but are going a little deeper. They may start to come back up with the warmer days we are having. You should be able to find them 10 - 25 feet down, over and in the brush.

The Norfork Lake water level has dropped to 542.6 and falling about 1 - 3 inches per day. The lake is getting really clear. The surface water temperature was 42 - 44 degrees yesterday afternoon.

Remember that in this cold water slow down your presentation and also downsize your artificial baits. The lake is clear so using light and clear line will get more bites.

Have a great day and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Happy New year to all!

It has been a pretty busy winter for Linda and me, but I am finally back to fishing on Norfork Lake. I think I have only been out on the lake a couple of times, so I am more that ready to get back at it. I headed out on the lake around 1PM to try the afternoon bite. My goal was to striper fish and try to find where the fish are feeding. I did a lot of graphing. I started graphing around the 62 bridge and Henderson area. I marked bait and some fish, but nothing real exciting. I then headed to the mouth of float creek. I headed towards the hump and marked a nice school of striper. I set out four down poles with large shiners. Two at 60 ft and 2 at 45 ft. But as happens on occasion (more than I like to say) I could not find the school again. I was getting ready to move and one of my deeper poles bent to the water. The fish started to run, then it just stopped. I thought I was snagged, then took a quick glance at the depth find and saw I was in 99 feet of water. I finally felt a few head shakes and a constant pull straight down. For about 10 minutes each time I gained on the fish, it headed to the bottom and gained on me. It was a good fight, but I knew it was not a striper. It had to be a huge walleye or a big catfish. Low and behold it was a monster blue catfish. As I was trying to net the fish the hook came out and the cat just layed on its side. I got the net over the head with the tail hung over the edge. It was fun trying to get the fish into the boat, but I finally did. The cat weighed well over 50 pounds as my scale maxed out. I am guessing in the 65 pound range. I am still using 8 pound test monofiliment fishing line on light tackle.

I resumed my search for stripers and graphed back by the 5A marker and didn't see much. I did mark a lot of smaller fish, largemouth and Kentucky bass when I got into less than 40 feet of water. Spooning would have worked as these fish were in good size schools. I headed over the mouth of Fall Creek and then to Panther Creek and again I marked bait, but no fish. I graphed the bluff line along the number 4 marker and started to mark stripers and a lot of bait. I set out my poles and my bait was continually becoming excited, but no strikes. There was fish, but I guess the Arctic blast that we had slowed the bite. Hopefully the warmer days will turn the fish on!

I currently have a guest striper fishing and he had a similar type day. He did land two small stripers, marked plenty of bait and fish, but they were not going to cooperate today. Tomorrow will be a new day.

I went to the Corps of Engineers office on Wednesday and picked up my tree cover permit. At the meeting I got to talk with several crappie fishermen and crappie guides. They are currently doing well with live bait. The crappie are suspended in 10 - 12 feet of water over brush that is in 25 -35 feet of water. Start using your slip float and cast to the brush as our water has gotten really clear. I have also been told that suspending rogues and small crank baits are working for crappie and walleye when cast over the brush.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 544.08. The surface water temperature was 45 - 46 degrees today in the main lake and colder in the creeks where the water is more shallow than 20 feet. The lake is getting gin clear, some stain back in the creeks. The Corps has been running all generators sporadically during the day. The air temperature this afternoon almost hit 50 degrees. I LOVE IT!

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.