Caught fishing with Bink's Guide Service yesterday. 
The lake level is 557.08 and has dropped about 3/4 inch in the last 24-hours. They quit generating for an hour yesterday and again for several hours early this morning and are religiously holding the White River at Newport at 14-ft. for some unknown reason. I guess they are hoping for a big rain so they can close their campgrounds. We are to get a little over an inch of rain the next 24-hrs.There was just a little last night The surface water temperature is holding at under 60-degrees in this area but that should change with ambient temperatures to reach 80 next week. It looks like the cold weather is over. I am tired of wearing a coat. It should be 72 everyday now. A couple of warm 60-degrees low nights will really get the spawn going in full swing. The fish are also getting tired of waiting for warm water. The nearly stable water level is making for a good spawn so far and we need to just avoid any sudden drops or rises in the level. The creeks seem to go from stained to fairly clear almost daily but the main lake is clear as it has been for a long time. It does not need to be any clearer for fishing. The lake overall is in excellent condition. Everyone caught fish yesterday and crappie and bass are still the best bite. The striper fishermen are all turning into crappie fishermen and few stripers of much size are being caught. Normally they would be coming in all over the place by now. Maybe they can get the crappie population down also as they are killing many fish. Catch a few. keep a few and release a few. There is another generation of fishermen coming. Blackburns has several good fishermen in now and is very busy. They are taking advantage of the best prices on both cabins and rental boats on Norfork lake plus the first boat stall for your boat is free. You can save a lot of $ by staying here. If the gas prices go any higher you will need it. The top-water bite has ben slow coming but it will come. If you are out there at sunrise have a top-water lure on and be ready. I can usually tell where they will come up by where the shad are the night before. It is usually on the bank with the predominate wind blowing into it with the plankton. The problem is I am not finding very many shad. At least where I am catching fish during the day. Most of the fish are either staging for the spawn just outside the brush or on the bank either making nests or spawning except the walleye which spawned weeks ago. Keep using three inch creature baits, like crawdads or worms on a jig head and stay as far from the bank as you can cast them and work the bottom. Some are using finesse worms. I am using Bobby Garland baby shad or 2-inch twister tails. Tip with live minnows if fishing gets slow. The incessant and cold north wind has made north facing creeks the best now part of the way back. Some are just fishing Blackburns Creek and not leaving and catching several fish. I am still catching a few crappie on the main lake on the spoon in 16-feet of water fishing for walleye. They are full of eggs and I do not know why they are there but they are big. If you are sight fishing for bass on nests use a gitzit. The male bass will pick it up and take it out of the nest. I do not use this technique but it works and does not hurt anything if you release right on the spot. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and the weather is to get warmer. Blackburns is your family and fishing headquarters on Norfork lake. If you are not here you are paying too much. Police and Veterans are especially welcome.
