I went out at about 3:PM and stayed until after sunset. The lake level is 554.4 with a surface temperature of 48 degrees and the water color is brown and is not clearing. They are dropping the level about 6-inches a day and I suspect it will not clear until they stop or slow generation which should be when the level reaches about 554 or at the current rate about three weeks barring any heavy rains. On the way out of Blackburns Creek at the mouth there were huge schools of shad in 80-feet of water about 20-feet down but only had a few white bass on them. I was unable to spoon up any stripers. I then moved to a couple of my favorite brush piles that were in 37-45 feet of water and they had some fish on them but I could not catch any big ones. I was on some large black bass but they are gone too. Most of the fish are in open water on shad. I hope the level stabilizes before the crappie spawn and rapidly raising or lowering levels is hard on them and we are not getting any more stocked. The jerk bait fishing on the bank is not happening yet but does not normally start intil mid February. If you are close and want to go fishing you can have some fun but do not make a special trip or drive a long way now. I am just not interested in trolling around with live bait in open water for several hours to catch a couple of 5-8 lb. stripers but to each their own. I am ready for the spring large crappie, bass and walleye. Walleye numbers are up now on Norfork and spring fishing should be very good for them. I just am not seeing big numbers of large stripers being caught and I am out there almost every day. I am usually catching some giant crappie this time of year but they are just not there. Maybe in open water on shad too. There are quite a few in the 9-10 inch range.
