Caught Monday by the 62 Bridge. More too.
The lake level is at 554.16 and is pretty stable with one generator running most of the time. We are to get some rain tonight with maybe some snow. We have not had any snow yet this year. Do not have much use for it. The people that love winter wonderlands can have my share. The lake is clearing and is now stained a greenish color. i wish I could say fishing was good but I cannot. One day I catch some good fish and the next it is tough. The old saying that find the shad, find the fish is not true now. There are many more schools of shad than fish making locating them difficult. One day I caught all I wanted by Cranfield Island and the next they were all gone. Bink and I caught some good bass in 30-ft. of water on a grub with no shad around back in big creek. There are some big schools of shad part way back in the creeks now along with main lake. It is not easy finding feeding fish. The water temperature was approaching 50 degrees but this cool weather will slow the rise way down. The white bass are really close to spawning. Bink went to the Striper Club meeting last evening and gave me a report on what was happening with the stocking program. I was not feeling well and did not want to be around a lot of people. He said the AGFC feel that the Hybrids are feeding on other fish other than shad while stripers do not. I do know that when stripers get scarce (and they do) 10-lb. hybrids are a good substitute and make a lot of fishing trips successful when they were otherwise not. They also do not die out as easily as stripers when the water gets hot and dissolved ozygen gets low. I do not believe there are too many fish in Norfork and wish there were more of all species except gar and carp. I like it when a family can go fishing and catch a few fish easily and can have a good time no matter what they catch but at least catch something. Sometimes that is not easily done. I do know that the local biologists love the lake as much as I do and want what is best for it. I am sure of that.
