Carl Scott continues th catch and release some nice Bass on top-water both early and late. 
The lake level is 553.31 and is rising very slowly with no discharge. The White River at Newport is 3.60 feet and remains very low. No, Norfork Lake is not low. The top of the power pool is 553.75 and we are just a bit below that. I hope they drop it about 5-feet going into the spring to give us a little surge capacity for the spring rains. We are not dry either as we receive a rain about everytime we need one. The grass is still growing. The lake is trying to clear after the turn-over and fishing is getting better and it needed to. Everything is the same down to about 40-feet where it starts to get cooler and the sun does not penetrate very much. I am seeing no fish below 39-feet but there could be some but I do not go down in the dark water. More and more bait fish are moving part way back in the creeks both early and late and some large predator fish are following them including some smallmouth bass that had been in open water on the main lake. The surface water temperature is 79-degrees and stable with the very warm ambient temperatures. The days are shorter and the sun angle has changed or it would be warming back up. We now have about 12-hours of light and 12-hours of dark. I am seeing more and more crappie on and around main lake brush but they are roaming and spooky. If you find brush with bait fish in it there will be crappie and bass. No bait fish no crappie. I start looking on banks where the wind has been blowing into but there has not been much wind lately and the plankton are just floating around indiscriminately. There are a lot of small schools of shad in open water and creek minnows, bluegill and bass minnows in cover and under docks in the shade. Nothing is going hungry. The fall foliage is starting to change color and it is not being caused by stress. It looks like there could be a very good year for color and it is on schedule to peak at the very end of October barring any big changes. It has not been the best the last few years to say the least. It looks to be good fishing and leaf peeking at the same time this year. My burning bush and Maple trees are changing colors already but nothing is evident on the lake shoreline. There are sure a lot of dead CedarTrees starting a few feet above the current shoreline and continuing up the bank further than high water levels of the past several years. It must be from some disease and not from being under water for too long. Things are good around here and the very warm temperatures are to continue until about Wednesday of next week when it is to cool down to the 70's for highs. The lake is at a good level and fishing is getting better. Blackburns is still the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins and $79/day two bedrooms with three and four bedrooms priced accordingly. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches to get out of the sun and rain and they come with a free stall for your boat in our dock. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. We especailly welcome Veterans and Police. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation before you have to pay way too much elsewhere. We are open year around. Loyalty is good until you are being charged too much and then it is not so good.
