Norfork Lake Arkansas near Mountain Home in the Ozarks Mountains Region Fishing Report and Lake Condition by Scuba Steve from Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental.

The lake level is 569.66 and is up 4-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with no generation. The White River at Newport is 17.12 feet and rising but not flooded. The surface water temperature is 72-degrees on the main lake and has cooled a bit with the rain and runoff from the 2+ inch rain early Tuesday. The creeks also stained up a bit. Bryant creek in Tecumseh is 5.58 feet and crested and not too high. Bull Shoals is very high and continues to rise with Table Rock Generating heavily into it. Table Rock remains at a normal level and Branson Landing expects a busy holiday weekend at everybody else's expense. The dams are for flood control only or maybe some flood control capacity should be taken away for the minimum flow for the put and take trout on the rivers and maybe preference if the dam is in a highly populated area with a big economic influence. The Gar have moved back into the creeks and have slowed the Catfishing. Scuba Steve does not know why but he does know when the Gar move in the Catfish move out. The Channel Cats come back when the Gar finish spawning and leave for deeper water. The largest Catfish like to lay on logs in brush piles after the thermocline has formed right at the transition. Early June is a good time to catch Channels on a trot line baited with about anything. Flatheads will only bite on live bait. Some post=spawn Bass are right at the brush line near the shore where the schools of fry are hiding. Crappie are around cover back in the creeks and there is a lot of cover but they are near their usual areas. There is a lot of feed and they are not very hungry. Big schools od Bass fry are everywhere. It was a good spawn. There is a top-water bite for red meat fish with some bass mixed in with them early most days. When you see some small Bass come up on shad on the surface you can bet they are the ones that are wounded by the larger Stripers below them. That is a good time to drop a spoon. If you are in the Mountain Home area for the holiday stop by Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental and check us out and pick up a brochure. We continue to have the best place with the best price in the Ozarks and we will be here for your next visit. We are not closing, not sold and are not for sale. We like it here and are not trying to cash out.