The lake level is 553.72 and has risen 1-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with no generation for over 24-hours. The lake is too high for this time of year and there is no room for spring rains. It is in good condition and at a good level now though. I talked to Donald about this when he called me asking for advice about another matter and he said he would look into it but he would be very busy until after Monday. He gave me Elon's number and said I should talk to him about down-sizing the Corps of Engineers and even completely out-sourcing them especially the ones responsible for managing the lake levels and the ones weaponizing the government by threatening to take away people's dock leases. The lake is clearing nicely with the melted snow on top and I could see my lure down about 5-feet last evening. That is about right for fishing. The fish that I am catching are on the main lake for stripers and crappie on deeper brush about 18-20 feet down and just around main lake points or secondary points in deeper creek channels near a channel swing. especially for Bass.Most Striper and Hybrids are on the main lake on shad but some come in to feed shallower at dark. I am not an after dark fisherman but stay out there if they continue to bite which they have been. At about 7:PM it is hard to tell what you will catch but you can count on some big ones. It would be nice to have the night vision like I used to. Fishing is typical for this time of year The very cold weather coming up on Sunday night will drop the surface water temperature but should no drop it below 40-degrees where the shad start to get lethargic or 36-degrees when they start to die. Shad kills are good for easy fishing but I do not like them and we need a good population of shad which we have. I have seen a lot more but it is about right now. One winter I had my fish finder black out all the way from Robinson Island to the 62-bridge and fishing was tough with so many shad. That is not the case now but there is enough food for everybody and the fish are very healthy. Norfork Lake has a lot of fish and I am happy to live here. Drop a 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoon in and around brush in 25-32 feet of water and you will be surprised what you catch. If it gets tough set up a slip float on clear 6-8 pound line with a number 4 red hook with a lively 3-inch shiner just at dark and watch closely. Do not set your rod down or try to fish with multiple rods. How to rig up a slip float. Get some bobber stoppers with are just a barrel knot, some glass beads, split shot sinkers #3,#5,#7 sizes and some #4 and #6 red Mr. Crappie true turn hooks and live minnows in varying sizes. Small for Crappie, Medium for bass and 3-inch for Stripers.You can also use the smaller minnows to tip a jig head with a 2-inch grub or jig for Crappie and Bluegill and cast it past the brush and let it sink in. Put the bobber stopper on first and tighten it and clip off the string. Leave a little on each end to retighten later when they loosen up. Be sure to pull the stopper up the line so you can pull the little plastic barrel down off the line and discard. Next put on the glass bead. This is important. It cleans the line and keeps the stopper from going through the top of the float. Plastic beads are not as good. Next put on the balsa pencil float through the line right side up. Next tie the hook at the end of the line with a good knot. The next is also important. The weight of the minnow, hook and the split shot must just match the buoyancy of the pencil float. Do not use a clip-on float. Squeeze the split shot 10-inches above the hook. When you put the baited rig in the water the float should be partially submerged and straight up and down but not under water. If it goes down your split shot is too big. If the line does not go down it is too small. You can now slide the knot up and down on the line to set the depth and crank it up through the reel and keep it where it is set. Do not use a rod with a very small first eyelet so the knot can move through the rod freely. After catching a few fish the knot may loosen a bit and slide but you can just tighten both ends of the barrel knot with your finger nails.If the rig is set up properly you can tell if your live minnow gets an erection. Keep a lively minnow on at all times and change frequently if there are no bites and adjust depths. Fish will mostly come up to get the minnow so it is better to be too shallow than to be too deep. If your float lays down you have a fish coming up and took your bait taking the pressure off the float. If it goes down you know what is happening. Do not get antsy but make sure the fish has the minnow before setting the hook. Set it immediately if the float lays down. A very large crappie will often play around with the minnow before he finally takes it and is much harder to catch than a smaller one. I do not use multiple rods because when the big one finally takes it there is not time to do anything but set the hook properly. Check you drag often and use the net. If you try and lift a big Crappie over the side of the boat without a net you will be sorry one time or another. It is not like the Bass fishermen on TV. The Mr. Crappie hook catches a lot of fish in the upper jaw and not in the sometimes paper thin sides.I like red because it is the color of an injured minnow and I hook the minnow behind the dorsal fin in the tail. If you get lots of bites but no fish it is probably Bluegill and you can hook the minnow in the lips but it does not stay on as well. It you get it too far back it kills the minnow. Do not hook them through the eyes. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation and Scuba Steve will show you where his new brush piles are located when you get here. Yes he knows where the fish are located and will not charge you too much. Compare prices. It is nice here and the price is right. A free stall for your boat comes with a cabin rental of two days or more. We are family owned and family operated and are not for sale or sold.
