Norfork Lake fishing and lake conditions by Scuba Steve from Blackburns Resort and Boat rental (click here for comments)

We have received a little less than 3-inches of rain the past few days and the lake has risen to 546.68 and about 0.7 feet in the last 24-hours with about 6 hours of generation during that time. More rain is on the way. It was cold out there yesterday but the crappie were biting. I caught mine on the 1/8th ounce Blue Bink's spoon on Blackburns's brush piles in 30-ft. of water. I saw no other boats. It only got up to 38 degrees but is to be in the 50's today with warmer weather on the way. The lake is staining up a bit but the creeks are not running. We were very dry but are in good shape now. The rain has come slow and steady with little runoff. There are roads closed in the Gainsville area so they must have received locally heavy rain meaning the lake will rise more since they are part of the Norfork watershed area. I have been able to get in several hours fishing a day despite the rain without a complete washout. Our normal high is 53 for this date. If it is windy, drift or cast a jig or grub over the brush and let it sink. If no wind, vertical jig the spoon right in the brush. Crappie fishing is best with bass second. Trolling for them does not work very well unless they are in open water on shad and that will change with the spawn when the small fish move to cover and the crappie stay with them in the brush. The bass are very healthy and fat. I have not seen any red meat fish brought in but there are very few fishermen out there. The walleye migration up the river is not what it once was and not worth the trip up there with most of them small fish. They will be back down here around Cranfield Island anyway in May. The lake is in excellent condition.