Scuba Steve with some nice ones yesterday diving his brush piles. Yes we know where they are because we go down amonst em. 
The lake level is 551.62 and has risen 1.2 inches in the last 24-hours with one generator running from 2-8 PMis. The White River at Newport 2.66 feet and very low. The surface water temperature is 68-degrees and the water is cloudy with fair to poor visibility. We received 2.2 inches of badly needed rain starting at about 2:AM this morning with thunder, lightening and some wind. It rained hard and the creeks run.. It would have all sunk in if it had not come down so hard and fast. The lake has quit rising already and is dropping again with no generation. About the same generation is scheduled for today as yesterday. We are to get more rain the next several days and the burn ban should be over. The incessant wind the last few days really dried things out. It has moved to from the West now. It looks like summer is over. My Scuba Diving days are numbered for this year but it has been a good one with pretty good visibility most of the time. I have seen a lot more Crappie the last few days on brush and some are shallow on top of brush about 15-feet down and others are deep in 30-35 feet of water near the bottom. The bigger ones had been scarce for a while. Nothing is biting very well yet and the fish that I am cleaning are mostly void of any food. It is best to go for reaction strikes until they start feeding more. That means you have to present your lure or minnow right on their heads. They are also spooky and line shy. Use light clear line and use your trolling motor sparingly. If you use spot lock to stay in one place you will spook them for sure. The Walleye population has increased with more keepers than in the past but also a lot of throw backs in the 12-16 inch range. I would like to see more of them stocked but I believe more and more are reproducing naturally in the absence of the Dawt Mill Dam. I know more of them along with Stripers and Hybrid Stripers are being seem much further north than before. It is no secret that Scuba Steve likes Walleye, Crappie and Catfishing. He is seeing a lot less Bluecats than in previous years but more Flatheads and large Channels. The Bluegill population is good with less big Redear than in the past. Norfork Lake has a lot of fish. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental continues to have the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks. Compare prices and give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. It is nice here and we will not charge you too much. You can launch nere and park here with no need to go elsewhere to launch. Panther bay launch is still under construction. It is good to launch your boat, put it it a free stall at our big dock, plug it in and have it ready to go anytime you want. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. Scuba Steve is a Veteran but does not need nearly as much policing as he used too for some reason.
