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11July2021 Norfork Lake Fishing Report and Lake Condition by Scuba Steve from Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental (Click Here For Comments))

7/11/2021

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The lake level is 570.55 and is dropping less than two inches per day with generation about 60% of the time. They are very slow in dropping the lake despite the dry conditions. The lake overall is in good condition with just a little debris with a surface water temperature in the mid 80's with the main lake clear and the creeks varying from clear to stained green almost daily and the thermocline in the mid 20's.  It is a normal July except for them holding the water level up high, which is also getting to be normal. The lake is much clearer than it has been in recent years. Stripers are deep in over 100 ft. of water suspended at various depths but mostly over 60-ft. Bass are moving up to the old shoreline to feed in the evenings at about 18-feet but some are still on shad in open water. Crappie are under docks, on steep river channel banks at the drop-offs and are in brush in 40-ft. or less about 15-ft. down. Walleye are on points in 32-ft. of water near the bottom. Spoons are the bait of choice for about everything except for bluegill which are biting on crickets off docks and around willows on the main lake. Catfish are liking 4-inch live bluegill on throw lines and jugs. A few White Bass are finally coming back but not many. Not much will change for several weeks except the fish will go deeper, the water will warm and the thermocline with keep dropping. It is a typical July. We will see if there is another big striper kill in August, when the oxygen level drops to almost zero, and the water is still in the brush and trees. Most of them are gone anyway. We need a few medium water level years in a row to get them back. Bass, walleye and crappie fishing has picked up the slack and are in high numbers. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals, the biggest pool with slide and all cabins are individual with covered porches and no duplexes. Your first normal sized boat stall is still free. We do not have stalls for one night rentals and we no longer allow dragging anything behind our boat or allow them out after dark. It just was not working out for us. 

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