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

The lake level is 552.68 and has risen over 2-inches in the last 24 hours with no generation. The fishing is not the best. The brown water extends from Red Bank to past the 101 bridge and in Brushy and Big creeks in the south. The area from Robinson Point to the dam is stained green with visibility down 5-6 feet. It  looks like darker brown water is following this first slug and I do not anticipate it getting clear anytime soon. Some very small white bass are biting in the brown water but nothing else. Bennetts is also brown but most of it is staying in the main river channel There is not any current with no generation so it is not moving very much. It usually starts to settle a bit in three days but not this time. I have only been catching bluegill and bass with the crappie getting scarce. There are some bass right on the bank in green stained water. Bink reports finding some stripers in his area near the bank on the main lake also. He is casting the 1/8th ounce spoon to the bank and hopping it to the boat. He is the only one catching stripers that I know of. The brown water is spreading to part way back in the creeks from the main lake. Good places to fish are float creek, panther creek, shoal creek and diamond bay. Everything is fine there. The top of the power pool has been changed to 553.75 from 552 because of the worthless minimum flow. I would like the level to drop a bit to below 550 to have enough capacity for another big spring rain. The level a Newport is dropping so this may happen in a week or so if we do not get much rain.  There is no such thing as normal pool. It is impossible to predict anything with any accuracy now but I would not drive very far for a fishing trip now unless I was going with Bink. Give it several days. The rain warmed up the water quickly but it is still too cold and the nights are too. Surface temperature is mostly 49-50 now.  The ambient is to get down to the 20's both Wednesday and Thursday. I will be out there everyday and will keep you informed. I do not see any pattern to anything. If you find shad, spoon. If not work the bank. I did see some large schools near Robinson yesterday at 45-feet but nothing on them. I am getting nothing on brush piles.