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 549.31 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with no generation. The White River at Newport is 3.75 feet and very low. The surface water temperature is 52-degrees and it is raining. We need it badly. The water is still stained and is not as clear as it usually is in the winter and is not clearing for some reason. Scuba Steve could see his lure down about 3-4 feet last evening.  Open water fish on Shad and Crappie on or near cover are the best bites with a Walleye or two showing up now and again. Jigs are working the best for Crappie and Spoons for schooled fish on the flats in open water. The Crappie move up shallow in the late afternoon.  Some are trolling umbrellas and crank baits for Temperate Bass of all kinds. The Stripers are in the 4-7 pound range and there are a lot of White Bass. They have made a comeback after having low numbers for several years but the meat hunters are killing a lot of them again. There are still guides out there bragging about how many fish they can kill every day and loading the boat. I guess it helps people that want to pay to go fish take freezers full of fish home. They do not care about the next guy or the next generation just $. Catch a few, keep a few and release a few. The two best bites are early in the moring and about 4:PM. Scuba Steve is catching a lot more small Crappie than normal and not as many big ones. Most keepers are just in the 11-12 inch range with a few 13-inch. He usually catches several in the 15-16 inch range but not this year. The Largemouth Bass are not plentiful but a few are being caught. 2-3 Pound Kentuckies are common and I am glad we have them. The dropped the size limit on them and more people are killing small ones. There is no competion for food out there and there are shad everywhere with many schools holding no predator fish. They think getting rid of the Kentucky Bass will help the Largemouth get bigger but I am not sure about that. It might if there was a shortage of Shad. I remember several years ago when almost all of the Largemouth Bass died on Bull Shoals Lake and if it was not for Kentuckies you could not catch a Bass. That is when the Walleye population really increased there. Now the Largemouth are back. Most people release Largemouth Bass and few release a keeper Walleye. Scuba Steve does except in the summer when he is scuba diving. They are hard to find but it is fun looking for them. Overall the lake is in good condition and at a good level and fishing is getting better. Some nice ones are being caught every day. Come on down and Scuba Steve will show you where his brush piles are located. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental has the best place with the best prices and is closest to Mountain Home, dining and shopping. A free stall for your boat comes with a cabin rental of two days or more and you can launch right here. It is perfect for a single fisherman. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. Call Debbie at 870-492-5115 for a reservation.