Scuba Steve From Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental On Norfork Lake Arkansas Near Mountain Home in the Ozark Mountains Blog. (Click Here For Comments)

Caught Fishing With Bink's Guide service Yesterday.Image title

These are nice but Tom Kelly caught some bigger ones.Image title

The water temperature hit 50 yesterday. There is no normal temperature. A few years ago it never dropped below 50 all year and the year after that the shoreline froze back in the creeks. You just cannot tell. Last year it stayed warm until spring and then was very slow warming up. The year before it was in the 70's by early May. The rain did stain the lake a bit but it is a good color for fishing. I am finding very few fish in the shallower water in the creeks. It warms up more quickly there and I will keep watching. I did notice some bluegill moved back in under my dock. The stripers will move to the bank at dark in March to simulate a spawn in the Cranfield area and across from Quarry marina. They always do. They sometimes do it again to feed in November but not necessarily. They just follow the shad then. I was catching big bass near the bank on steep bank river channels but they are gone. I am now catching them on brush in 40-ft. I have lost the big crappie for now but am catching 11-12 inchers instead of 16-17 inchers.  They must have moved out to open water on shad. They disappear for a while this time of year for some reason. They will move to Blackburn's brush piles and I have some good ones. Some males will go to the bank in the creeks next month in the pigeon creek area.  Bass fishing is the best right now but it is not easy. You cannot go fishing one time and give a report. Things are changing too quickly. I caught 10 big fish of all different varieties in one area last week and they are gone now. Shad is everywhere in the mouths of major creeks in 70-feet of water 60-feet down. Some are holding bass and a few stripers. Once I catch one fish out of the school and look around I have lost them and have to look hard to find them again. I would rather fish brush piles. Deep ones are harder to find with the lower water. The warm weather is nice and the lake is in excellent condition. Do not cut points with your boat.