Northern lights last night at Blackburns Dock and Launch.
It looks good here at Blackburns and we are ready for your visit. Stop by and check us out. 
The lake level is 557.13 and has risen 2-inches in the last 24-hours with very little discharge. The White River at Newport is 12.93 feet and dropping quickly. They are now regulating to 12-feet and for absolutely no reason. The minor flood level is 26-feet at Newport and up to 25-feet does not hurt anything. Any water released into the White River here will not affect any high water in the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana. It will be gone before ours get there plus we are a small amount compared to everything going into the Mississippi. 557.13 is not a bad level but is too high especially when it is not necessary and one good rain would put us in trouble. 560 starts to flood some roads. The surface water temperature is 71-72 degrees and has not risen much in the last few days. The main lake remains clear but the creeks are stained green but are a good color for fishing. The slowly rising water is floating some stuff barely stuck on the bank but it is not a serious problem. The top-water bite is happening some days but is sporatic and you cannot count on it. The full moon is the 23rd and there will be a spike in the shad spawn then. If the top-water bite is not good by then it probably will not be. Now it is mostly for bass and white bass. Most of the big stripers are gone anyway and the increased fishing pressure for the rest of them is preventing them from growing like they used to. A big one used to be 30-lbs and and now it is 10-lbs. The same people are out there everyday killing them for meat. They dress out at about 25% after the red meat is cut out. They are sports fish and should be treated as such. Charters in the ocean treat Sea Bass as almost trash fish and go for them only when they cannot find the salmon because they are on shallow reefs and quite easily caught. I guess some meat hunters do not know how to catch other species except to troll for them. More larger crappie are finished spawning and are moving to main lake brush piles every day. Smaller ones are back in the creeks. Black Bass are almost finished spawning except for Kentuckies and they spawn well into June. Everything is dead along the shore line so it is not good for limb lines because they are most effective on limber green limbs but throw lines, trot lines and jugs are effective and it is almost time for them. Flatheads will move part way back in the creeks soon and will bite larger live bait. Either shiners or 3-4 inch Bluegill. This is an exciting time on Norfork and the best combination of quality fishing and weather. We have dodged all of the severe weather so far. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. We have the best place at the best price and are closest to Mountain Home, dining and shopping. A free stall for your boat comes with the cabin rental of two days or more at our dock. Compare prices. It is nice here and we will not charge you too much. Why pay more unless you just have too much money? If you do stay at Blackburns and give the difference to disabled Veterans. Loyalty is good until you are paying $30/day too much for a cabin and also payinmg for your first boat stall and then it borderlines on something else.
