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.

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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.

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

Norfork Lake fishing really has not changed a lot since my last report two weeks ago. The lake temperature has dropped a little and the thermocline has dropped to basically the edges of the old river channel. The deep water will eventually become totally oxygenated and the water temp will be consistent from surface to the bottom. I have mainly been fishing on the various flats in the mid to northern parts of the lake. Heading west of my resort, Hummingbird Hideaway Resort, the flats are near Mallard Point, Cranfield Island, Cranfield Campground, Seward Point, Briar Creek and then up around the Red Bank area. Heading east of our resort are the 101 Bridge Flat, Big Sandy which is a little past 101 Boat

Dock and the Cow Pasture, which is the area right before the 6B marker. (A few of the names have been given by local fishermen.) Striped and hybrid bass, white bass, largemouth and spotted bass, catfish and walleye can all be found on these flats at some point during the day and sometimes multiple times during the day. The bait moves onto the flat and the predators move in to feed. The best fishing depth seems to vary based on the time of day. But it seems that 30 – 40 feet of water has been the most productive depths during daylight hours. As the lake water cools the bait and fish will continue to move a little deeper. In the dark, the fish seem to move up shallower following the bait. My bait of choice for flat fishing has been to vertical jig a ½ to a 1-ounce spoon. The fish are currently feeding on 1 ½ inch to 2-inch thread fin shad. This does not mean they won’t attack a bigger bait and at times they may prefer a little heartier meal. I have also been casting out a 5-inch swimbait, as well as, my ½ ounce Kastmaster. Other styles of blade baits, such as a cicada, are working very well. Trollers are also picking up some nice striped bass by trolling umbrella

or Alabama rigs. Other areas where these species are showing up or will very soon, are back in the major creeks, such as; Big, Brushy, Float, Panther and Fall Creeks, as well as Bennett’s Bayou and up river around the state line.

I can not personally talk about crappie fishing as I have been spending the majority of my time locating and catching the species talked about above. From what I have been told by the crappie guides is that the bite has been good. The bigger slabs are starting to move into the brush and small jigs and minnows are working very well. I will take some time off from my striped bass fishing and check out the crappie bite myself before long.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature this morning was in the mid 60-degree range. The lake has become fairly stable with just slight variations either up or down and currently sits at 553.62 feet MSL. The lake is slightly stained from the mid-lake area and heading north, but there has been a slight clearing starting to

happen. The lake continues its slow progression to a total lake turnover. I am starting to mark bait and a few fish 75 – 80 feet deep which tells me the good cool oxygenated water is continuing to fall lower and lower until eventually it will reach all depths and the lake will be totally turned over. This year the turnover process has been virtually unnoticeable.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.

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

Norfork Lake fishing has been pretty good for me over the last week. Striped bass is the one species that was slow to bite during September and the first part of October, but the bite has now improved dramatically. A slower bite for stripers in the latter part of summer is not uncommon, since warm water is not what the stripers want, so they just go deep to the cool water and wait for their preferred water temperature of 60 – 70 degrees. We are to that point and they are starting to become aggressive. There is a good after dark bite for striped/hybrid bass and the morning bite is starting to take off. Various Norfork Lake flats have been the areas where fish are being found. The best depth for the after dark bite has been anywhere from 25 to 33 feet of water. Trolling crank baits that dive roughly 16 feet has been productive for a couple of our guests. Last weekend, several other guests found nice fish feeding early in the morning on a large flat. The fish were in roughly 32 feet of water and vertical jigging a spoon worked best. I have been graphing various flats and have found feeding stripers each morning since last weekend. The fish have been in 30 to 35 feet of water cruising around at all depths.  Some fish are suspended 15 feet down to the bottom. I have noticed that the larger fish seem to be suspended up in the water column and the smaller ones are laying on the

bottom. In the same areas you will also find large schools of white bass. Most are on the bottom feeding, but some may be suspended. The news even gets better, feeding along side of the striped/hybrid and white bass are many channel and flathead catfish lying on the bottom. It will not be long until walleye move into the same area. Vertical jigging a 1-ounce spoon has been my best method to catch all of the above species. In order to catch these fish, I have had to experiment with presentation methods. I have caught fish casting the spoon out and letting it drop to the bottom. I then retrieve the spoon in a jerking motion, usually trying to keep the bait close to the bottom. Vertical jigging has been productive, but on a few occasions, I had to move slowly with the trolling motor and let out more line until the spoon hits the bottom. I then give it a hard forward jerk and then let it settle back to the bottom. Sometimes the fish hammer the bait as I am jerking it and a few times they have picked the spoon up on the fall and the line goes slack. You’ll need to reel the slack up very fast until you feel the fish and set the hook.

Norfork Lake surface water temperature this morning was close to 70 degrees. The lake has become fairly stable with just slight variations either up or down and currently sits at 553.26 feet MSL. The lake is slightly stained from the mid-lake area and heading north. The lake continues its slow progression to a total lake turnover. I am starting to mark lots of bait a little below 60 feet telling me the good cool oxygenated water is continuing to fall lower and lower until eventually it will reach all depths and the lake will be totally turned over. Some years it is an obvious abrupt turnover, but typically it is a slow unnoticeable process.

Happy Fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.