Mike Eakle with some nice ones caught on brush with a Bink's Jigging spoon. 
The lake level is 553.28 has has been the same for three days with no discharge except minimum flow. Still no rain here and we are getting dry. It is not good going into the winter with no moisture in the ground. The White River at Newport is at 2.08 feet and rising a bit with some water now being let out of Bull Shoals Lake. It was about dry yesterday with just over a foot deep. It is making it rough on the river resorts downstream who cannot launch a boat. The wade fishermen like it as they can fish the holes and catch the easily caught trout more easily and not have to use a boat. It is not good on a floating dock to have it on dry land. The surface water temperature is 55+ degrees and dropping slowly with the cold nights. The lake level was exactly at the same as was the surface water temperature on this date last year but the fishing is not as good as it was then for some reason. One day I catch 6 or 7 good ones in a couple of hours of hard fishing and the next day 1 or 2 and I am out there everyday. Open water fishermen are catching almost nothing for a couple of days and then find some feeding fish and catch a bunch of White Bass in a few minutes and then nothing again. There are a few small stripers and Hybrids mixed in but not many for as much gas as they are burning looking. I am not finding fishing on fire, hammering anything or catching jumbo fish but the crappie and bass that I am catching are pretty good sized but not high in numbers. Your best bet is to be out there just at sunset and fish until dark when the wind usually lays if it is going to. It also is usually the warmest part of the day. I have no desire to charge out there before sunrise in the dark with temperatures in the 20's to get red meat fish. I do not hate them that bad. If you are in the Mountain Home area for the holidays stop by Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental and check us out and make plans for your return next spring. We are open all year and welcome your visit. We also welcome drive throughs, just go slow as our pets are old, cannot hear or see very well. There are also usually a lot of children playing on the playground and we like that too. Blackburns is definetely the family place. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. The first stall in our dock is free for your boat and we have the best prices in the Ozarks. Why pay more unless you just have too much money? If you do stay at Blackburns and give the difference to disabled Vets. We like them too.
