Caught fishing with Bink's Guide Service yesterday on top-water.
The lake level is 571.32 and has risen 1-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with one generator running about 9-hours and a partial one for a couple. The White River at Newport is 21.27 and dropping. They are running Table Rock as fast as they can with all generators running full blast and spillway gates open filling Bull Shoals quickly. It will be a long time before it gets back to normal even if we have a drought. They have changed the crest prediction for Norfork to 572.10 on 29 May and that the lake is 61% full. It sure looks high to be 61% full but they change the way that is calculated regularly. You would think full was full and empty was empty but not with the government running things. Inflation is only 8%. It is important because that % is how they regulate the level of The White River at Newport and the generation schedule for the area lakes. It is difficult to figure the average % full for the 4-Lakes. All of these regulations need to be reviewed and changed as they are not working and are antiquated. They can predict water levels and lake rises much better now than when the rules were implemented. The surface water temperature is in the mid 70's and the main lake is clear and the creeks stained just a bit. The top-water bite in the mornings remains good for temperate bass and black bass. They are all together on shallow shad. Some nice hybrid stripers are being caught. Other bass are near the old shoreline before the water rise and are feeding on crawdads, lizards and creek minnows early and late on sunny days and all day on cloudy rainy days. Some big bluegill are pre-spawn feeding and some have spawned. Some very large ones are being caught on brush piles. This is the time for you brim fishermen. Catfishing has slowed dramatically with the full moon but should come back strong with the rising water and waning moon. Channel cats will be showing up in the backs of the creeks and caught on trot-lines and limb lines. You do not need to have live bait for them like you do flatheads. Go back in the creeks around docks for crappie. Unless the main lake brush piles are big and close to the surface the water is too deep on most of them but some crappie are still on them. I am still catching big crappie full of eggs.