Halloween fun at Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental on Norfork Lake. Yes we are the faimliy place. 
The lake leve is 552.86 and is exactly what it was at this time yesterday with very little generation of 3/4 generator for 2-hours. The lake is clearing daily and the surface water temperature is between 66 and 67 degrees in Blackburns area. The White River at Newport is 4.11 feet and they continue to hold water. The lake overall is in excellent condition and the fishing is picking up. It needed to. Both the bass and Crappie fishing has improved in just the last couple of days during the rain and we will see what happens with this high pressure and warmer temperatures for the next several days. It is to be beautiful with highs in the 70's with a chance of rain later this week. The drought is over and we now have moisture in the ground going into the winter. The brush piles that were holding very few fish now have fish on them and some of them are biting. It is not a feeding frenzy but you can catch some good ones every day if you work at it. I have lost the big walleye that I had been catching for several weeks but that is normal for this time of year. it was a good run. Now I am focused on crappie and bass but a walleye or two mixed in would be welcome. Most of the bass that I am catching are Kentuckies with a black bass every once in a while including a few smallmouth. Large bluegill are plentiful and are on top of the brush and make for good eating. The fish are very healthy and fat but I am noticing a few with bacterial ulcers starting to show up. This is not uncommon and does not hurt them for eating. Just cut it out like you would with the red meat in the temperate bass. Small spoons and jigs are working best for crappie with the spoons straight up and down snapped up about 3-4 feet and allowed to fall on slack line and the jigs cast past the brush and allowed to sink into it. Most crappie are biting lightly on the fall and the bass when the spoon touches bottom. If you see schools of shad that are not balled up but scattered drop a spoon right into them for some white bass and smaller hybrids. I do not keep them but they are fun to catch and they usually do not die this time of year after being caught in the shallower cooler water. It is nice to have the wind die down for a change and have the sun shine down on you. It makes life almost worth living.
