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

Caught yesterday on the 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoon in 30-feet of water on brush. Image title

The lake level is 553.44 and is stable with very little generation. They are holding all of the area lakes up except Table Rock which is still dropping and keeping the White River at Newport almost dry at 7-feet. Why? Nobody knows and there is no accountability just incompetence. It is a good thing it has been dry. It was windy on the main lake yesterday and is again today with cold weather coming for Christmas and then warming again right after. The surface water temperature is hanging in there at about 54 degrees and the lake is stained a little but you can see your lure down about 5-feet if it is a light colored one. The lake in general is in good condition and fishing is just fair with bass and crappie being the best bite. A few temperate bass are being caught but very few have any size and people are fishing hard and long to find them. Sometimes two or three days to find one feeding school. I sure hope this Covid goes away so the game and fish can get back to their regular routine of stocking. With the increased fishing pressure, fishermen learning how to catch them trolling unbrellas and live bait, and low oxygen kills in late summer the big ones are rapidly decreasing and getting smaller. I have been catching several spooning just outside brush piles but most are under 20-inches. We can get the big ones back with good stockings and no high water for several years. I am releasing all red meat fish no matter the size and not fishing deep water for them. It does not look like we will get back to where we were for several years but I would like it if we could. I caught crappy yesterday and will try for bass today. Walleye are eluding me as of now but I have released litterly hundreds of them this year so I at least know some are there. The undersized ones numbers are high but more and more larger ones are being caught every year. A cold front is coming through and we will see what it does to the fishing with the moon getting bigger. At least the days are now getting longer and that is good. Blackburns has two cabins not rented now and would welcome your visit. Better than setting on the sofa and you can social distance and not get near anyone. Your first boat stall is free and all cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have covered porches.