Don Eggleston and Troy Schneider with the trifecta of Temperate Bass. Good fishermen. 
The lake level is 554.17 and had dropped 1-inch in the last 24-hours. They have spillway gates open equal to a little less than one generator and the one operating generator running about 1/2 speed. It should drop faster if they keep this up. The White River at Newport is 19.57 feet and has leveled off. The surface water temperature is 47-degrees and the visibility is not bad and you can see your lure down 6-7 feet on the main lake and the water is stained green back in the creeks. The weather has been beautiful with sunshine and highs in the 60's. It is too soon to predict spring is here. I have been catching some nice bass and have been giving the crappie a rest. The striper fishermen are catching some nice ones but not a lot. They are working hard for them and the fish are on the move and hard to stay on them. I have not caught a walleye in three weeks but do not want to travel that far upstream to find them. They will be back in this area after the spawn. People ask what months are the best fishing on Norfork? I would have to say April and May are the best but November is not far behind. By April 15th the top-water bite for red-meat fish and bass is in full swing and the fish are the easiest to catch and it lasts through May but diminished after that. The big crappie spawn in April and move to the brush piles with the smaller ones following. Catfish move to the backs of the creeks in the last part of April and all of May with some big flatheads being caught. The channel cats move in later and hang in there through June until the gar move in. The catfish like live bluegill and shiners about 3-inches long. The walleye will be shallow and caught on jerk baits and soft plastics until the thermocline forms in early June and then they will be on main lake points in about 14-16 feet of water and hitting jigging spoons. The bass will be all over and spawn for several weeks usually in May. Some people sight fish for them and throw a gitzet in the nests but I do not do this. They also ask what months are the worst fishing? I would have to say March and October. The stripers go to their spawning banks just before the full moon in March and bite at dark but that bite is diminishing with the absence of the big stripers. Fewer fishermen are fishing this bite as it is not near what it used to be when we caught big ones in the 25-30 pound range. The lake turns over sometime in October and slows the bite way down and it is hard to predict when this will happen. It can be quick or last for several days. The fishing gets better and better after this. Fishing is good until this happens. March has continuous cold fronts coming through about twice a weeks and it gets cold and windy and hard to fish. You can get some but not a lot and not everyday. People get cabin fever and want to get out in March when we sometimes get very warm weather but it can be disappointing. Scuba Steve goes out almost everyday and enjoys fishing when it is difficult and likes to catch fish when others cannot. I am not out to see how many fish I can kill. Blackburns is open all year and you are welcome in any month and we will not charge you too much and a free stall for your boat at our dock comes with the cabin. We are on our off-season rates from after Labor dayuntil the beginning of Memorial Day. Come on down and and take advantage of the best prices in the Ozarks. Scuba Steve will show you where the brush piles are located. We like our customers to catch fish. We are pet friendly but charge for them. Call Debbie at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. We are the first to fill up.
