Norfork Lake Condition and Fishing Report by Scuba Steve from Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental (click here for comment)

Bink caught some too on the spoon in deeper water.Image title

Released under the dock.Image title

The lake level is 553.78 and has risen just a bit from yesterday. They quit generating last night and started one generator again this morning. We did get about 3/4 of an inch of rain last evening and night. It started about 4:30Pm and rained pretty hard at times. It gave me a warning with a little downpour and I came in just before it really stared to rain hard.  The fish had just began to bite around 4:Pm and I was having fun catching and releasing smallmouth bass. They were hitting the small jig and grub about 8-10 feet from the shore on a high river channel bank. Again, when the lure dropped off onto the first ledge they hit and hit hard. I was only out for a couple of hours and did not try for crappie. I did spoon up a couple of nice bass though. The temperate bass were in the same places in about 40-ft. of water but I did not bother them. I left them alone to grow. We need more big ones. If the meat hunters keep killing all of the small ones we will never have a large number of big ones again. They need to learn how to catch crappie, Kentucky bass, bluegill and catfish for food. They are better eating anyway. Dock floors full of dead small stripers and hybrids are not impressive. Wait until they grow and more are stocked or the temperate fishery will be gone except for the White Bass. They will come back on their own if there is not another kill. Holding the lake level up so high for so long is not helping things out for stripers and hybrids either. It is good for bass, crappie and walleye spawn. The stripers are ocean fish and cannot take to low oxygen levels very well especially the big ones. Hybrids can take it better and more of them need to be stocked if they continue the current lake management practices.  They fight really hard for their size and are really fun to catch. It is cooling off as the day goes on but should be very nice by tomorrow. I will try for a few crappie today as they have slowed down the bite or have moved. It is fun to find new places and is good to just be out there. Some very nice Kentucky Bass are being caught, mostly on the spoon. They are in deeper water for some reason. It is a little windy today with the front coming through but should be ok. I will let you know.