The lake level is 551.60 and has been stable for the last few days with very dry weather and small generations. They run one generator from 4-9 PM yesterday and are scheduled to run less than one from 1-8 PM today. The White River at Newport is 1.4 feet and is as low as I have ever seen it. We have a burn ban on here but should get some rain later on this week. It has been very windy. It is to cool down on Thursday but the rain is not to start until the weekend. We need it badly. The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a normal level. The surface water temperature is 69-degrees and the water is clear in the creeks and very clear near the shore. The main lake is a little off color but fairly clear down to 30-feet. The visibility at that depth has deteriorated a bit but diving conditions are good. Some fish are in and around brush in 25-30 feet of water and others are deeper on shad in 40-45 ft. of water. Main lake points with brush are holding Walleye and Kentucky Bass and a few smaller Stripers. Small spoons and live bait are the best bait right now. I am not seeing nearly as many big Crappie as I usually do at the end of October but there are are a lot of throw backs just short. I am also not seeing nearly as many White Bass. Fishing overall is just fair but is getting better. We will see what November brings. It is usally a good month for fishing. Blackburns is still the home of the $69/day one bedroom cabins and $89/day 2-bedrooms. Compare prices. and a free stall for your boat comes with a cabin rental of two days or more. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. It is nice here and the price is right. Scuba Steve will show you where his brush piles are located when you get here. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. We are family owned and operated and are not for sale and are not sold. We like it here. We also especially welcome Veterans and Police. Old Glory and the Thin Blue Line Flag fly proudly over Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental. We sell peace and quiet. 
The lake level is 554.64 and has dropped 1.2 inches in the last 24-hours with 1-1/4 generators running for 8-hours. 12 hours are scheduled for today. The White River at Newport is 7.03 feet and still low. The surface water temperature is 80-degrees and the water clarity is 5-6 feet at 30-feet. The summer thermocline has been gone for two weeks and the lake has turned and is clearing. The fall foliage on the lake shore is starting to turn and everything is about a month early for some reason. We have been dry but seem to get a rain everytime we need one. The lake is in excellent condition and at a good level for swimming, boating, scuba diving and fishing but fishing is just fair. You can beat the bank early and late with a crank bait but catch mostly small bass. Most are Kentuckies part way back in the creeks. There is a top-water bite most days early and late but again mostly small bass. Your best bet is to spoon brush piles in 25-35 feet of water and catch Walleye, Bass, Crappie and Bluegill but not very many. You can also try live minnows just above the brush on slip floats at sunset. Some Stripers are showing up on the same brush. They have moved north out of the deep water and most are gone from the dam area. Not many are being caught but some are near Robinson Point. Bink reports the fishing was better this morning than it has been and he was spooning in 35-40 feet of water and catching several Striper and Walleye when he reeled up fast after tapping bottom.He said shad were everywhere. The Stripers were not big but in the 5-8 pound range. The bite started at 7:15 AM and was over a 9:AM and there was no top-water. The fish that I am cleaning are void of food and are getting skinny but that is normal for this time of year. It is hot out today but the coming cooler water will get the bite going again. Scuba conditions are good and people are getting some nice Walleye and Crappie on brush in 25-35 feet of water with the Walleye being the deepest. October looks to be good fishing but it is not usually the case as the lake has turned a month early. Unless we get a big rain, it looks to be excellent this fall. Thanksgiving time is alway good fishing especially for big Crappie and Bass. The night bite for Stripers can be good with a stick bait just prior to the full moon in November when they go to the bank to feed at dark. Fish for Walleye with a soft plastic in the evening on shadowy banks and switch to a stick bait at dark. Main Lake point brush piles will hold big Crappie and Bass and the best bite will be just at sunset until it is too dark to see.There are still several big boats and jet skis out there especially on weekends. It is time for them to get winterized and off the lake before it is too late and leave the lake to the fishermen. Blackburns resort and Boat Rental is still the home of the $69/day one bedroom cabins and a free stall for your boat comes with a cabin rental of 2-days or more. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. It is nice here and the price is right. Scuba Steve will show you where his brush piles are located and he has some good ones. We are Family Owned and Family Operated and are not for sale and have not sold. We like it here. 
The lake level is 560.96 and has risen 1-1/2 feet in the last 24-hours with three inches of rain. They are generating very light and holding Norfork up as high as possible for a long as possible for some unknown reason. The White River at Newport is 11.68 feet even after the rain. All other area lakes are below top of the power pool except Norfork. The water is very clear and the thermocline is at 26-feet with a surface water temperature of 82-degrees and has dropped from it's high of 88 a week ago. The lake remains in good condition for boating, swimming, Scuba Diving and fishing. Catfishing is very good on live bait with the rising water and little moon. Bass are in their summer pattern and are on brush in deeper water during the day and move in shallow to feed on crawdads at dark. The best fishing for them is with a black light, fluorescent line and a flourescent salt craw. Try the bank just northeast of Cranfield Island just north of the old road bed. A few crappie are moving to main lake brush but most are still in open water. Stripers are deep and by the dam and Walleye are around Robinson Island in 25-30 ft. of water. Spoons are the best overall bait for them. Bluegill are under willows and off docks on Crickets. Go out early, take the middle of the day off and go out at sunset. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental continues to have the best prices on both cabins and Boat rentals in the Ozarks and a free stall for your boat comes with a cabin rental of two days or more. The big pool with slide is ready for you to get out of the heat. Come of down. We will not charge you too much. Compare prices and Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. We are closest to Mountain Home, dining and shopping and especially welcome Veterans and Police. Pet friendly. 
The lake level is 560.82 and is way too high for the amount of rainfall we have received. They just will not let out much water despite the heat, high electrical power demand and high water effects on resorts, campgrounds and marinas. We have not had excess rainfall this year but they continue their policy of hold and hope with no real plan. I think they will be forced to generate more with the current heat wave. We should be at least 5-8 feet lower. The surface water temperature is 83-degrees and rising and the thermocline starts at 23-degrees and is very cold at 26. The water clarity is fair and there is a mud line from 22-26 feet with clearer water below. Several fish of different species are on main lake points at various depths near and in brush at or just under the thermocline. Stripers and some larger Walleye are headed out into deeper water and will continue to go deeper as the water temperature rises and the thermocline drops. Some Crappie are part way back in larger creeks near cover, some are in open water on shad and some are on main lake brush. Bluegill are in shallower water in the willows and under docks and biting on crickets. Bass are biting worms and small crankbaits shallow early and late and spoons on brush during the day. Fishing is fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental continues to have the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks. A free stall for your boat at our dock comes with a cabin rental of two days or more. We have 12-pontoons to rent. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report. Compare prices and call Debbie at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have either screened-in or big covered porches to get out of the sun and weather. No dock and no pool no resort. We have it all here at Blackburns and at the best price and especially welcome Veterans and Police. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. No we are not for sale. Over 1/2 of the resorts on Norfork Lake are for sale or have just been sold. We are not. We like it here and want to continue to serve our loyal repeat customers without charging them too much. 
The lake level is 558.28 and has risen about 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours. They need to drop the lake. They have been running one generator from 9:AM to 5:PM often but quit when it rains. The White River at Newport is 14.15 feet and rising. The surface water temperature is 78-70 degrees and rising slowly. The water is churned up from the holiday boat traffic expecially on mud and clay banks. There is a thermocline at 18-feet but not very big and not pronounced. The visibility is about 5-feet. Several fish of different species are in brush on pea gravel banks at the thermocline and are biting 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoons. I caught two walleye, two bass, one crappie and a striper all of the same brush pile yesterday. Scuba Steve puts in his own brush and will show you where they are when you get here. Some fish, mainly White Bass and Smaller stripers are on shad in open water across from Mallard Point and around Cranfield Island in 50-ft. of water. Bass are biting top-water, worms and single spins. The lake overall is in good condition and at a good level but not very much surge capacity for a big rain. Most crappie have finished spawning but a few are still near shallow wood back in the creeks. I am not finding big schools but some big fish. A lot of White Bass and small Stripers in the 5-7 pound range are being caught in open water with live scopes. They are a good crutch for poorer fishermen. Blackburns received no damage from the storms last weekend and was very fortunate. Others were not and we feel badly for them. Come on down to Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental and we will not charge you too much and a free stall at our dock comes with the cabin rental. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches. You will like it here. We have lots of boats to rent. Why pay more? 
The lake level is 557.26 and has risen 3/4 of an inch in the last 24-hours and 3.62 feet in the last two weeks. They now have both generators in operation but are not running them very much. The White River at Newport is 12.03 feet and they are regulating it to 12-feet and not letting out much water anywhere. The main lake is clear and the creeks are stained a little green with a surface water temperature of 74-degrees. The water has been fairly stable this spring with no quick rises or drops and it has made for a good spawn for about all species. Most are finished now except for Flathead Catfish, about 1/2 the Crappie and Bluegill. Kentucky Bass spawn well into June. It looks to be a good future despite all of the fishing pressure. The top-water bite for stripers has been disappointing this spring but sporatic for Bass and White bass. The lake overall in in good condition and at a good level and fishing is as good as it gets for most species. The summer thermocline will form soon and the Walleye will move to main lake brush on points in about 16 ft. of water. The large crappie that have spawned and have moved to main lake brush with the bass fry and fingerling Bluegill. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks and a free stall for your boat at our dock comes with a cabin rental of two days or more. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation and we will not charge you too much. 
Purple Martins are here and at the Resort
The lake level is 554.08 and has dropped 1-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with 10 spillway gates open 1-ft. to an equivalent of one generator and they just started up the one operating generator at 9:AM this morning. If they keep this up it will drop quickly despite the rain. We did not get the predicted rain yesterday or last night and we received a 4-day total of 1.9 inches and most of it sank in with little runoff. The ambient temperature is to get very warm starting tomorrow and should really get things going. The surface water temperature remains stubbornly low at 64-degrees with the cold fronts and cloudy weather and has slowed the top-water action. It has started sporatically but is not consistant and is mostly bass and White bass. The White River at Newport is 7.40 ft. and rising indicating more water is being released into it from both Bull Shoals and Norfork. The water is clear on the main lake and stained a little green in the creeks but a lot of fish are in the creeks at various stages of spawn and it is a good color and not muddy. Last year's spawn of Bluegill have moved in under Blackburns Dock and that is a sure sign Big Bass and Catfish are closeby. Bass and Flathead Catfish love 2-3 inch Bluegill. Walleye, Stripers and White Bass have finished spawning and Crappie and Bass are at vatious stages with some being finished, some on beds and some staging. I saw some freshly hatched Bass near the shore along with males on the nests yesterday. Things are a week or two behind but will catch up fast now. I am ready for the spawned out Crappie to move back to the main lake point brush piles. The big ones come back first and then the smaller ones. It takes about a month or more until the smaller ones are finished. Overall the lake is in excellent condition and at a good level and fishing is getting better everyday. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental is still the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins and $79/day two bedrooms. Three and four bedrooms are priced accordingly and a free stall for your boat at our dock comes with the cabin rental of two days or more. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all either have big covered or screened-in porches to get out of the weather. Come on down to Blackburns and we will not charge you too much. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservarion. You can stay at the best place and save a lot of $. We have two launches close-by so you do not have to go elsewhere to launch your boat. We have it all here and at the best price. Pet friendly. 
The lake level is 553.77 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with the one operating generator running about 1/3rd the time. The White River at Newport is 7.37 feet and very low indicating not much water is being released anywhere. We received 1/2 inch of rain yesterday but overall a little less than normal. The level has been very stable for several months and has been near the top of the power pool of 553.75. It should make for a good spawn if it stays steady for a few more weeks. The surface water temperature is still in the high 50's and has struggled to get and stay above 60 with the cold fronts and cool nights coming through at least once a week. It warms up and then cools down with the fish following the warmest water. The lake is very clear and does not warm as fast as stained water. Bass and Crappie are staging for spawn but have held off so far waiting for warmer water. The females are full of eggs with blood lines and the males have moved back in the creeks. It is to get very warm this weekend and it may be just enough to get them started. Several bass are back in the creeks shallow and some are still on main lake brush with some still in open water on shad. Walleye have finished spawning and are feeding next to the shady banks especially in the evening and are liking both creature baits and 3-inch grubs. Trollers are catching some dragging crank baits in about 10-15 feet of water on pea gravel banks. The White Bass have spawned and are back downstream. They spawn steadily several times a year. People cleaning them think they have not spawned yet but they do not spawn all of their eggs every time and start growning more. Put on a 3-inch creature bait on a 1/8th ounce jig head and work banks partway back in the creeks for some nice Black Bass. The top-water bite for stripers, white bass and bass usually starts about Aptil 15th when the water gets to the mid 60's and gets better and better until early June and then tapers off but does not quit. Walleye and stripers go deep as the water warms in July and August and then a jigging spoon is the best. The best overall fishing is when the first shallow thermocline forms in early May. The lake overall is in excellent conditionand at a good level and it looks to be a good spring so far. I am glad March is over. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental is still the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins and $79/day two bedrooms with three and four bedrooms priced accordingly and come with a free stall for your boat at our dock. All cabins are individual and either have big covered or screened-in porches and there are no duplexes. We also have the best prices on both bass boat and pontoon rentals in the Ozarks with several to choose from. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation before you are forced to pay much more elsewhere. If you are not staying at Blackburns resort and Boat rental you are paying too much. Yes we are pet friendly but do charge for them and they must be kept on a leash. 
The lake level is 553.59 and has risen 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with no generation for three days. We did receive about 0.3 inches of rain yesterday at about 4:PM and it rained hard for a few minutes. It was very dark and a lot went around us. The lake stained up a little with no water flow but is still fairly clear and Scuba Steve could see his lure down about 8-feet on the main lake and 6-feet in the creeks. The water has cooled just a bit and is 54 degrees on the main lake and 56 in the creeks with the cloudy days and cool nights. The water temperature was 53-degrees and the level was 558.97 on this date last year. The average ambient high temperature is 57-degrees. They flooded us out at the end of March last year. This is a typical March as far as fishing goes and the cold fronts just keep coming through shutting down the fishing for a few days. The water warms and then cools again and the fish are all scattered out. Some are back in the creeks on brush in about 25-ft. of water, some on the banks in the afternoon after a day of sunshine and others are still in open water on shad. The big numbers of trollers that were in Howards Creek catching White Bass and small Stripers are gone and having a hard time catching anything. They are looking far and wide. I am starting to catch a few walleye so they must be coming back downstream from the spawn. Bass fishing is the best now and it is not good. A good tip is to fish any cover back in windblown creeks in 25-30 ft. of water. The night bite for stripers should start just before the full moon in March which is the 25th on stick baits. Walleye will be in the same places. The White Bass are gone so they must be upstream spawning. I do not fish for them anyway but they are fun to catch but so are carp. Some are clipping a weight in front of a crank bait and dragging it near the shoreline. Not much skill involved but you can catch some fish if you go far enough for a long time. I would rather watch paint dry and it is hard on motors and burns a lot of expensive gas. It is getting higher every week. The same people pay too much for their cabins and go get gas in cans and bring it down to the dock to save money and not buy it from a marina. Go figure. Blackburns will have no price increases for 2024 and some have raised them already this spring and are planning another increase next week. You can get a 0ne bedroom cabin for $59/day here and it comes with a free stall for your boat in our dock. Some even charge for that. We do not. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. Call Debbie at 870-492-5115 for a reservation before we fill up and you have to pay way too much elsewhere. We are the first to fill up and for a good reason. It looks like spring with the Redbuds, Dogwoods and Bradford Pears in full bloom but you cannot trust March. The lake overall is at a good level and in good condition but fishing is fair at best but some good ones are being caught everyday. 
The lake level is 553.83 and rising slowly with no discharge from the dam for three days except minimum flow. As soon as it gets to the top of the power pool of 553.75 they shut everything off and let it rise again. There has been no effort to drop the lake this winter to make room for the spring rains. The surface water temperature is dropping again with the cool days and cold nights and is now at 48-degrees. The water on the main lake is very clear and Scuba Steve could see his lure down about 10-feet yesterday. It is more stained in the creeks but very clear near the shore. The weather is to warm starting tomorrow and get near 70-later next week. The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a good level but fishing is just fair. I was catching some big crappie on brush in the evening after sundown until dark but that bite has slowed so I switched to bass fishing. I have been using small spoons, grubs and minnows and jigs in main lake brush piles in 23-ft. of water during the day and then beating the bank in the evening and catching some nice bass. There are more species of fish in open water on shad in the last few years with the absence of the large stripers. When I say absence I do not mean all of the big ones are gone but a vast majority of them are and bass, catfish and large crappie are taking their place feeding on shad and there is a lot of them out there. The heavy fishing pressure and people killing too many small stripers is keeping the size down. They are getting bigger now and there has not been a late summer striper kill for three or four years. The the lack of stocking during covid left a void in one whole year. I am catching catfish in places where I have never caught them before and later in the year when they usually get scarce. White Bass are making a comeback after the big kill several years ago but are not what they were. They took the size limit off of Kentucky Bass and more people are keeping smaller ones and their numbers are decreasing. Tournament fishermen were complaining about too many small bass in the lake but there seems to be enough food for everybody and the Kentuckies bite when the Largemouth get lockjaw. I am not a big fan of fishing tournaments anyway because they are mostly in the spring during the spawn. Yes, I know they release the fish but several of them die anyway and they take fish off the beds and move them and leave the nest unprotected for the everpresent bluegill to ravage as soon as they are gone. Open water striper fishing has been tough lately and they are looking far and wide for them and when they do they spook and they have to look more. They are moving a lot and an have plenty of feed. The best chance for a big one will be just before the full moon in March when they move to spawning banks at sundown and will hit a stick bait.This is also a good time to catch shallow walleye. The big crappie are full of eggs with bloodlines and some will spawn early this year. A good time for Norfork Crappie fishing is in the last part of April and is also good for top-water bass and stripers. This continues through May and then diminished as the weather gets warmer. Blackburns is still the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins until Memorial Day and there will be no price increases for 2024. A free stall for your boat at our dock comes with the cabin. Compare prices and give give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation before you have to pay a lot more elsewhere. We are the first to fill up. We have the best place, best price and are closest to Mountain Home, dining and shopping. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. Go to Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report. 
The lake level is 554.95 and has risen 5-inches in the last 24-hours with spillway gates opn to an equivalent of 3/4 of a generator. Both generators are still inoperable. The White River at Newport is 20.82 feet so a lot of water is going into the river with the recent rains, melting snow and frost going out of the ground. The creeks have been running pretty hard. The surface water temperature is 45-degrees and the clarity is not the best and Scuba Steve can see his lure down about 3-4 feet on the main lake and less in the creeks. It is stained a greenish brown. The cold weather was followed by rainy weather and now it is nice again for the next week. We do not need any more rain for a while. The overall lake is in good condition and at a good level but is too high for this time of year with the upcoming spring rains on the way. I would like to see it about 7-feet lower but they have had all winter to lower it and refuse. Fishing is just fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. Trollers are catching some smaller stripers in the 5-8 pound range in deep water and some Bass and White Bass are with them. Crappie and Bass fishermen have been fishing brush piles in 18-30 ft. of water with some fish being right in the brush and some just around the edges. Some bass are also feeding near the shore just around main lake points to the inside just at and after sunset. The best fishing is from sunset to dark. I am using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows on windy days on brush and on calm days vertical jigging a small spoon slowly. Also try casting the jig past the brush and letting it sink into it. Use a 3-inch grub on a jig head for the shallow bass. Blackburns is open all year and has the best prices on cabins and rental boats in the Ozarks. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and a free stall for your boat comes with the cabin. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. No we are not for sale. 
A cast from the past.
The lake level is 553.33 and has been almost the same for a month. The White River at Newport is 1.55 feet indicating not much water is being released into the White River anywhere. The surface water temperature is 53.3 and has also been stable with the warm ambient temperatures. The water is fairly clear and I can see my lure down about 6-feet on the main lake and less in the creeks. Ovarall the lake is inexcellent condition anf fishing is getting better especially crappie and bass. I am fishing brush in 18-25 feet of water and the fish are near the bottom and the best time is just before sunset until dark. They start a litte learlier on cloudy days. The crappie do not like the bright sunshine. I am using the Bobby Garland Baby Shad Blue Ice on a 1/16th ounce white with red eye jig head on 4-lb. test clear line. Sometimes I tip it with a live minnow on slow days and cast past the brush and let it sink into it. For bass I am using the 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoon vertical jigging and tapping bottom in and around brush. I am fishing mostly main lake points but some fish are moving part way back in the creeks to feed in the evening and for cover. Others are open water fishing for red meat fish and catching stripers in the 5-8 pound range and some Hybrids and White Bass on the bottom in 50-ft. of water. They bite best when they are on the bottom instead of suspended. Some White Bass are as big as the Hybrids. Drop it right on their heads and snap it up about 5-feet and let it fall on slack line and touch bottom. Fishing had been slow but is now about normal and the fish are slow getting into the winter pattern this year. I have not caught a walleye in a week. Several fish of different species are in open water on shad during the day and move off them late in the day. I mostly go out in the warmest part of the day and come in when it cools off or it is too dark to see. I leave it up to others to charge out there in the dark in the early morning when it is freezing. I do not hate them that bad but mostly catch quite a few fish. I just do not kill very many. There are enough meat hunters out there. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and rental boats in the Ozarks and the first stall for your boat is free. All of our cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches. Come on down and check us out. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. We are not closed, on vacation spending your money or for sale. 
The lake level is 553.44 and creeping up but very stable for several weeks with no discharge from the dam except for minimum flow. Both generators are still inoperable. They have not been letting out much water into the White River and the level at Newport is very low and is at 2.65 feet. The surface water temperature is 62-degrees and dropping slowly. The water clarity is good both on the main lake and in the creeks and is a good color for fishing. The lake turned over early in late September and fishing has not been very good since then. Bass and crappie were the best bite but they have slowed and open water fish including all temperate bass is getting a little better on shad but is also poor. They are looking far and hard for any feeding fish with just a few being caught. White Bass are the best bite. Fishing is usually very good in late November but has not picked up very much yet. I am catching a few crappie, bass, walleye and bluegill but they bite for about 20-minutes and then quit for several hours. The evening just before dark is the best time. The fish sense when the weather is going to cool in the fall and start feeding before winter but that has not happened yet. I expect it to start any day but i have also expected it to start for about 3-weeks. Fishing is always tough in October, which is usually the worst month of the year but it has continued up to now. Your best bet is to use live minnows on a slip float and set the depth about 5-feet further than you can see your bait right over main lake brush piles in 18-25 feet of water for crappie, Kentucky Bass and Bluegill. Otherwise use a small spoon in the same place. Some are trolling around all over the lake looking for shad and feeding fish in open water.They are not haveing any trouble finding schools of shad, which are everywhere, but finding feeding fish is the problem. If you do drop a jigging spoon on their heads. After you catch one or two they are gone and I get tired of looking. I will let you know when things get better. The lake is in good condition and at a good level but fishing is fair overall at best. For a daily report go to Scuba Steve's Blog for details. Blackburns has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals and also the best brush piles on the lake. We will show you where they are when you get here. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. I quit diving about two weeks ago and was seeing a lot of fish so they are there. 
The lake level is 553.29 and creeping up with about as much water being let out for the minimum flow as is coming in from the river. The lake level has been very stable for several months. They are reluctant to drop it lower than 553. Both generators are still inoperable. The surface water temperature is 69-degrees and dropping very slowly with the warm ambient temperatures. The weather has been very nice but we are getting dry again. The water usually clears after the lake turnover, which occurred early this year, but has been slow to do so far. The White River at Newport is 3.61 feet and very low indicating not much water is being released anywhere. The water is homogenous down past 40-feet and there is little oxygen past that and few fish are below that level. Some fish of different species are in open water on shad and others are on or near brush piles in 18-30 feet of water. Most fish are not feeding heavily and are difficult to catch now. Crappie, Kentucky Bass and Bluegill are the best bite with a few Smallmouth mixed in. Some walleye are on main lake point brush that the wind has been blowing into but not as many as a few weeks ago. Some Bass are shallow and feeding on crawdads and can be caught on 3-inch or smaller creature baits. The best method for crappie is to set quietly over a brush pile on the main lake and use a slip float and live minnow and set your bait about 5-feet deeper than you can see it. Small Spoons are also working but not as well. The fish are schooled and roaming looking for baitfish. No bait fish around the brush no crappie. Big Bluegill are biting crickets off docks and shallow brush. The moon is getting bigger and the catfishing has slowed with it. They will really slow as the water cools. Bink is still catching stripers on his spoon part way back in deeper creeks and they are moving upstream. If there is an after dark bite for them this year it will be near the full moon in November slow rolling a stickbait on The flats north of Thumb Point or in frot of the walleye rearing pond north of Cranfield Island. They go there to feed at dark but that does not always happen and has been less lately with the absence of the larger stripers. The meat hunters are targeting the stripers heavily and not giving them a chance to grow. There are a lot of them dragging live bait and umbrellas or clipping a weight in front of a crank bait and dragging it around through schools of shad. It does not take much skill to catch them but when the bite gets tough they do not know any other way. White Bass are showing up again on shad. They are quite easily caught and are fun. The lake overall is in great condition and at a good level and things look good for the late fall bite so far but it is slow coming. The fish are there. Scuba steve and Mike Eakle have done well this year scuba Diving. Blackburns Remains the home of the $59/day 1-bedroom cabins and $79/day two bedrooms and they come with a free stall for your boat at our dock. 3&4 bedrooms are priced accordingly. The cabins and dock are nice. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. Why pay more? For a daily report go to Scuba Steve's Blog. 
The lake level is 553.33 and rising very slowly with no discharge for several days. Both generators are still inoperable. The White River at Newport is 3.21 feet and very low indicating not much water is being released anywhere. The surface water temperature is 79-degrees and steady with very warm ambient temperatures. The lake has turned over about 2-weeks ahead of normal and is clearing again. The water is homogenous from the surface down to about 40-feet where it is normally cold ths time of year. Few fish are below 39-feet and most are from 25-35 feet. Fishing is starting to improve after being poor for a couple of weeks but is still not good. As the water cools it will keep getting better and better as we get to November when it will be good again. Most fish are schooled, roaming, scattered and spooky. The crappie have started to move back into brush on the main lake especially on points and steep river channel banks. The best bet is to use a slip float and live minnow directly over the brush and set your bait down about 5-feet further than you can see it and do not use your trolling motor any more than you have to. Brush holding bait will have fish and others will not. Start with the banks that the wind has been blowing into. There are a lot of nice sized Kentucky bass with the crappie and between the banks and the brush especially early and late. There is occasionally some top-water action for bass early. 3-inch Creature baits on a 3/16th ounce jig head are working but also finesse worms. Some largemouth are mixed in with them and a few Smallmouth are showing up. Temperate Bass are scarce and in open water and roaming. Trolling just spooks everything. Big Bluegill are biting best on crickets on a #6 red trueturn hook with a very small sliptshot about 1-foot above the hook on 4-lb clear line with no hardware. The fish are not only spooky but line shy. Flip the cricket out past the brush and let it sink towards you into the brush slowly. Again do not use your trolling motor any more than you have to and I even shut off my locator. You have to keep moving positions until you find baitfish in the brush. The lake is in good condition and at a good level and fishing will get nothing but better as the water cools. It looks like the best fishing and the fall foliage color will both be the best about the end of October. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. Blackburns is still the home of the $59/day 1-bedroom cabins and $79/day 2-bedrooms. Three and four bedrooms are priced accordingly. A free stall for your boat comes with the cabin and they all have big covered porches and are individual with no duplexes. Why pay more? For a daily report go to Scuba Steve's Blog. He is out there everyday and will keep you informed on what is happening on Norfork Lake. Blackburns has some good brush piles and we will show you where they are when you get here. We put in our own for our customers. Most do not. 
The lake level is 557.19 and has risen 2-3/4 inches in the last 24-hours with no discharge for three days, They did open sluice gates equal to one generator a couple of hous ago. The White River at Newport is 6.93 feet and ahs leveled off. We have received about 6-inches of rain in the last week in five different events. It seems to rain every night. The lake has been rising slowly and now is approaching too high again with no effort to drop it all summer. 560 is when things start to get too high. The surface water temperature is 85-degrees and the thermocline is at 27-feet. The water is clear down to 25-feet and is cold at 30-feet. Some crappie have moved into the brush at 25-32 feet and are roaming and not biting very well. There is a lot of baitfish out there. A slip float on a live minnow just above the brush is working the best. The night bite for bass is slowing with a black light and salt craw but some nice ones are still being caught. The rising water and little moon is good for catfish on jugs and trotlines on live bait and some cut bait is also working for channels and some blues. A few stripers are being caught on jigging spoons in 50-70 feet of water suspended at various depths depending on where the shad are. Some Whites and larger Walleye are with them. Fishing overall is just fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. The lake is in very good condition but I would like it to be lower so there is more surge capacity. Smaller walleye are on and around main lake brush near the bottom at 30-32 feet and can be caught on the smaller jigging spoon. Trollers are catching a few but are mostly small and they are traveling a long way to get them. Blackburns goes on their off-season rates right after Labor Day and remain the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins. Come on down and we will not charge you too much and a free stall for your boat comes with the cabin. If you are not staying at Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental you are paying too much. 
The lake level is 556.97 and is creeping up slowly. The generators are still inoperable but they did open up sluice gates equivalent to 2/3rds of a generator for 10-hours yesterday after 5-days of letting out nothing. The White River at Newport is 4.96 feet and very low indicating not much water is being let out anywhere. The surface water temperature is 87-degrees and the themocline is at 23-feet with clear water down to 16-feet and a mud line after that to the thermocline with little visibility. There are a lot of fish on main lake points near brush from 20-25 feet including bass, walleye and a few crappie. If you see some bass early feeding on top they are eating lethargic shad damaged by stripers deeper and the stripers will be right below that but this is not happening often now nearly as much as before as the stripers continue to go deeper and are in 60-70 ft. of water near the bottom. Drop a spoon on their head. Night fishing with a black light and saltcraw is producing some nice bass. Catfishing is fair on drop-shotted jugs with live bait and trotlines in the backs of the creeks. Prepared bait is working off docks. Bluegill are biting on crickets in the shade off docks. Some White bass are roaming around main lake points in 25-ft. of water about 5-feet off the bottom. It is a typical late July report but the lake is not flooded out and is at a good level. It rained yesterday but the weather is to be good all this coming week and a good time to visit Blackburns before school starts. The children will like swimming in the big pool with slide and feeding the fish and turtles off the dock. Come on down and we will not charge you too much. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. The drought is over for now and everything is very green. 
The lake level is 556.34 and is the same for the last 48-hours with no water being let out. the White River is 5.37 feet but it is not coming from Norfork. The Surface water temperature is 87-degrees and the water is clearing after the holiday churning and is clear down to 16-feet with a mud line starting there and continuing to the thermocline at 21-feet and it clears again in the cold water under that. There are not a lot of fishermen out there and the ones that are go out early, take the middle of the day off and go out again in the evening. The after dark bite for largemouth bass is pretty good with a black light and saltcraw just off steep banks with a ledge. They are in their normal places. Other bass are coming in shallow to feed on crawdads in the evening. Stripers are moving deeper and deeper with the warm weather and are biting the spoon if you drop it right on their heads. Some walleye are with them. Other walleye are around the thermocline with some Kentucky bass but not very big. Catfishing is getting better with the moon getting smaller and are biting live shiners and bluegill on drop-shotted jugs and throw lines. The flatheat bite has been pretty good but they are also mostly small. The bluegill bite is good under docks in the shade with crickets. Crappie are slow and spooky. Catch one and they are gone. They will move in on brush right after labor day in big numbers. Septermber is a good month for crappie. The lake overall is at a good level and condition for boating and swimming but fishing and diving is not the best but some nice ones are being caught everyday. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks and will not charge you too much. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches to get out of the sun and rain. Your first boat stall is free here at our dock. Come on down and join the fun. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. If you are not staying at Blackburns you are paying too much. 
The lake level is 557.24 and is dropping very slowly with one generator running about 1/3rd the time. The White River at Newport is 12.23 feet and they are regulationg to 12-feet with both Norfork and Bull Shoals being near the top of the power pools. For Norfork that is 556.76 feet for this time of year. The surface water temperature is 80-degrees and rising slowly in the warm sunshine with light winds. A summer thermocline has formed at 17-feet and a lot of fish are at or just around that depth especially if there is brush around. The spring top-water bite for stripers is diminishing but some bass are still surfacing early and late. The water clarity is clearing again after the holiday boat traffic and varies with the type of bank. It is still poor near clay and dirt banks but good off steep rocky banks. It is jigging spoon and plastic worm time again. The stripers are going deeper with the water temperature and walleye are scattered all over the place with about 1/3rd of them being 18-inches. Crappie are on shallower brush with bluegill. Overall the fishing is fair to good depending on the amount of sunshine and the size of the moon. Some nice catfish are being caught but gar are moving into the creeks and chasing them out. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches and come with a free stall for your boat. If you are not staying at Blackburns you are paying too much. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. 
The lake level is 554.92 and has risen 1-inch in the last 24-hours with about 6-hours of running one generator. It has been very stable for 2-weeks now with just a slow rise. The White River at Newport is 12.53 feet and they are regulating to 12-feet. The surface water temperature is 70-degrees and the water is clearing and you can see your lure down 7-8 feet on the main lake and it is very clear near the shore. Overall the lake is in excellent condition and at a good level for both boating and fishing. There is a top-water bite most days now early at sunrise for both bass and red meat fish and it lasts much l;onger on cloudy days. The one in the evening is mostly bass part way back in the creeks. Several bass and crappie have spawned but several have not. Some are still on beds. Spawned out crappie are moving to brush piles at various depths. Bass fishing is the best with smallmouth getting better everyday on creature baits on shallow banks. Some large White Bass are surfacing along with some hybrids about the same size. Every once in a while a striper in the 15-lb. range is being caught. Fishing is about as good as it gets and catfishing is also picking up on live bait. Come on down to Blackburns and we will not charge you too much. A free stall comes with your cabin for your boat and we continue to have the best prices in the Ozarks for both cabins and boat rentals. Birds and other wildlife are everywhere. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. 
The lake level is 557.19 and has dropped 6-inches in the last 24-hours with one generator running continuously and spillway gates open to an equivalent of another 1-2/3rds generators. The White River at Newport is 20.96 feet and dropping and they are regulating to about 21-feet. The surface water temperature is in the low 60's and we could get a frost tonight. The coild fronts just keep coming through but we have missed the severe weather that has been all around us. The water is still stained a little tea colored in Blackburns area but is trying to clear despite the quickly dropping water and wind. You can now see your lure down about 4-feet and it is a good color for fishing. The crappie spawn is in full swing and the bass are wanting to spawn badly but do not like the rapidly dropping water. They are predicting the lake will reach the top of the power pool of 553.75 on May 2nd and when that happens the power company takes over generation schedules and typically slow down generation quickly and close flood gates. Many bass will move to the banks when that happens. There is a top-water bite at sunrise on warm mornings but not cold ones. If they do not come up to the surface you can still call them up from a few feet down with a good top-water presentation if you know where they are. They typically come up in the same places every spring. Clear Spook Puppies for stripers and White Bass and Spitin for largemouth some walleye are with them.The smallmouth are wanting to make nests but are reluctnat to do so . When they do use a 3-inch creature bait on a jig head. Position your boat as far as you can cast to the shore with a small jig or grub and minnow and work it slowly to the boat back in the creeks near any wood for Kentucky Bass and crappie. If you find any bait part way back in the windblown creeks use a 2-1/2 inch swim bait. White is a good color but green will aslo work. Blackburns still is the home of the $59/day one bedrrom cabins ahd also has the best prices on rental boats in the Ozarks. Your cabin comes with a free boat stall. Come on down we will not charge you too much and especially welcome Veterans and Police, 
The lake level is 564.20 and has dropped 3-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with one generator tunning continuously and spillway gates open to an equavalent 0f another 1.4 generators. The White River at Newport is 23.86 feet and dropping and the surface water is 58-degrees on the main lake and a little warmer back in the creeks in shallow brown water. The lake had risen 10-feet with the big rain a couple of weeks ago but is down a couple of feet now. The water is slow clearing and is still tea colored from Red Bank to 62-bridge but is much more clear south of there. The water is not muddy and the color does not affect fishing. It is very clear down by the dam but the fishing is not good there. You can find whatever water clarity that you prefer. We are not expecting any rain for the next week so the lake should continue to drop and clear. Male Crappie are staging for spawn back in Pigeon, Middle Pigeon, East Pigeon, Briar Creek and Twin Coves and are being caight on jigs off the bank a few feet. Black Bass have moved to their normal spring banks and are being caught on crank biats and creature baits. Trollers are catching a few White Bass and small stripers on shad partway back in the creeks. The top-water bite for bass has just started both morning and evening but are mostly small bass. The temperate top-water bass bite will begin in earnest soon. It usually starts on about April 15th or when surface water temperature hits 60 on the main lake. Overall fishing is just fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. Blackburns still has 1-bedroom cabins for $59/day and they come with a free stall for your boat. We are closest to Mountain Home, dining and shopping and also have the best prices on Boat Rentals. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and especially welcome Veterans and Police. 
Cabin #12- 2-bedroom deluxe $85/day
The lake level is 559.51 and has crested if they keep the one generator running continuously. The White River at Newport is 24.46 feet and has been stable for several days. They are letting out as much water as they can without flooding out people down stream. The surface water tmeperature is 51 degrees and is dropping slowly with the cool days and cold nights. There is a hard freeze warning for tonight and again later this week. The cold fronts just keep coming through slowing fishing just when it starts to get better. The water is stained and is about the same both on the main lake and in the creeks with much more clear water near the shore. You can see your lure down 3-4 feet. I am catching a few crappie on main lake brush but not a lot. There are also a few bass partway back in the creeks near the shore and some stripers are still spawning at dark right on the bank. Walleye are finished spawning and White Bass are not far behind. Fish of several different species are in open water on shad and fairly shallow in the 20-25 ft. range and can be caught with a jigging spoon or dragging live bait or umbrellas through the shad. I am casting a small grub or jig past the brush and letting it drop into it for bass and crappie. Fishing overall is just fair but some good ones are being caught everyday. Blackburns will have no price increases again this year on anything and you can get a 1-bedroom cabin for $59 that comes with a boat stall for free. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation. If you are already in the area stop by and check us out. We will not charge you too much. 
The lake level is 553.87 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with one generator running most of the time. We are approaching the top of the power pool where Southwestern Power takes over the generation schedule and typically slow it way dow. It may be short lived though as we are expecting significant rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday. The White River at Newport is 17.66 feet and dropping. Both the main lake and the creeks are stained a brownish green and I could see my lure down only a couple of feet last evening. Cold fronts just keep coming through slowing fishing just as it starts to pick up. It is a typical late February and early March pattern and can be some of the toughest fishing all year. The surface water temperature is 49 on the main lake and in the early 50's back in the creeks. The best chance for fish is to go back in the windblown creeks and look for bait fish in 32-35 feet of water and drop a spoon. There will be predator fish with them including bass, crappie and temperate bass. When the cold front moves through and the wind shifts to from the south it blows the baitfish back out to the main lake. Walleye are up the river spawning with some being finished and the White Bass are staging and starting in the same area. Some bass and a few crappie are on main lake brush in 25-30 feet of water but not a lot. Things will get better soon and the middle of April through the end of May can be the best fishing of the year. Come on down to Blackburns and we will show you where our new brush piles are located. There will be no price increases on anything again this year. We do not want to charge you too much and want you to have an affordable vacation. If you are not staying at Blackburns you are paying too much and your first boat stall is free here. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. 
The lake level is 556.74 and has risen 3-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with both generators running for only a couple of hours. The White Rive at Newport is 26.05 and about back in it's banks after the 3-inch rain last Tuesday. The lake water has risen four feet since then. The creeks are starting to clear up and the main lake was not affected much. The surface water tmeperature is 46-degrees and trying to rise a bit but has been very stable. The fishing has gotten better in the last couple of days including bass and crappie. Walleye and White Bass are up river spawning or getting ready to spawn. Some White Bass have finished. Try crappie on main lake points or just around them on brush from 25-35 feet with a slip float and minnow or a 2-inch jig on a 1/16th ounce jig head. Some are on top and some are deeper just abound the brush depending on if it is sunny or not. Bass are with them and also on shad in open water. Trollers are catching White Bass and Hybrids together on shad dragging umbrellas but it is not easy. Overall fishing is fair to good depending on the cold fronts. At least it is getting better. More rain is scheduled for Tuesday with wind followed by another cold front later in the week. The next couple of days are to be beautiful with good fishing conditions and light wind. Spring is on the way but the cold fronts just keep coming but are not as cold each time. The normal ambient high is now 50 and is headed in the right direction. Blackburns continues it's policy of continue improvement and there wil be no price increase again this year. We have put in some new brush piles and will show you where they are when you get here. Come on down and we will not charge you too much and will help you catch fish. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report. 
The lake level is 553.42 and is the same as it was at this time yesterday with both generators running for about 6-hours. The level has been very stable for several weeks. The surface water tmeperature is 46-degrees and has also been stable and has only had about 3-degree swings in a month or more with alternating warm and cold weather. The clarity has also been stable and you can see your lure down 4-5 feet on the main lake. Overall fishing has been fair to poor with fishing deep for White Bass and small stripers being the best with a spoon followed by crappie and bass in about 30-ft. brush. Using a 3/8th ounce spoon and tapping bottom for white bass on flats in 55-ft. of water is catching several fish if you know where they are. The best bite for crappie and bass is in the evening at sunset when they come up shallow to feed behind brush near the bank. You have to work hard for everything but some nice fish are bering caught every day. Open water trollers are catching a few but are dragging stuff a long way to find feeding fish on shad. I am using grubs and minnows, slipfloat with live minnows, 2-inch jigs, 3-inch flat tailed grubs and small spoons and catching fish on all of them but not a lot on any of them. Blackburns continues to have the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks and there will be no price increases on anything again this year and your first boat stall is free. We still have our policy of continued improvement with no price increase. Friends do not increase prices on friends. 
The lake level is 553.60 and has dropped 1-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with one generator running most of the time. The White River is 10.37 feet and dropping and the surface water temperature is 49-degrees and dropping with the last cold spell. It is warming back up again. The clarity is good for fishing and you can see your lure down about 5-feet and the lake is in overall good condition. Small Stripers and White Bass have gone deeper and can be caught on the jigging spoon. Some Largemouth are with them You can also use the 3-inch avacado stingray grub exactly like the spoon for bass.The shad are schooling up more and the schools are getting bigger where they were scattered. Several schools are not holding fish but some are. Look for broken dots rather than black blobs with lines running through and drop the spoon right in them. Crappie and bass are on brush together during the day and can also be caught on the spoon and also a slip float with live minnow. They then move up shallow to feed in the evening at sunset until dark on windblown banks. Points with the wind blowing directly on them are best. Bluegill have slowed for some reason. White Bass are ready to spawn and walleye are a couple of weeks behind. Overall fishing is just fair but it can be good at times. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the ozarks and there will be no price increases on anything again this year. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. 
The lake level is 553.35 and has risen 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with about 3-hours of running one generator. The White River at Newport is 6.6 feet and dropping indicating not much water is being let out anywhere. The lake surface water temperature is 49-degrees and has risen just a bit with the warmer weather. The water clarity is good for fishing and you can see your lure down about 5-feet. I went fishing with Bink yesterday and we caught several nice sized White Bass on the bottom in 53-feet of water on his 3/8th ounce white jigging spoon. They were full of eggs with blood lines indicating they are about ready to spawn. I then went back home and fished Blackburns brush piles and caught some crappie and a walleye. It was a fun day with warm temperatures approcahing 70-degrees but a little windy. I have been out everyday since Christmas after my work is done and have caught fish each time but not high numbers until yesterday. Overall fishing is just fair but White Bass are pre-spawn feeding. We continue to make big improvements here at Blackburns and you will like what you see when you get here. There will be no price increases in 2023 so come on down. We will not charge you too much and a free stall for your boat comes with your cabin. Can't beat that. Call Debbie at 870-492-5115 
The lake level is 554.09 and has risen 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with one generator running for about 12-hours and nine spillway gates open letting out the equivalent of a little over 1/2 of a generator. The White River at Newport is 15.14 feet and is as high as it has been in months. The Corps of Engineers have now taken over the generation schedule from the Power Company as we got above 553.75 feet. The main lake remains clear after the 1.7 inches of rain total in the last 48-hours which most of it run off staining the creeks brown in the back. The ground is now saturated. The surface water tmeperature is still 55-degrees but that is about to change with the very cold weather moving in next week. There is still a morning bite for temperate bass in open water on shad with some bass with them and an evening bite for crappie and bass shallow near the bank. Spoons are the overall best lure with smaller ones in brush for crappie and larger ones in open water. Small jigs and grubs are the best for evening fish. Overall fishing is just fair but the lake overall is in good condition. 
The lake level is 552.25 and is dropping very slowly with one generator running for about 4-hours in the morning and then again for 3-hours in the evening. It is 1-1/2 feet below the top of the power pool of 553.75 and there is no effort to draw down the level for the winter. The White River at Newport is 4.82 feet. Surface water temperature is 57-degrees. We received 5-inches of rain for the month in November which is about normal. November is our raniest month. The water color is stained just a little green and you can see your lure down about 4-5 feet in the sunshine but is a good color for fishing. Fish are either in open water on shad, on main lake brush or near the shore depending on the time of day. Find broken schools of shad in open water 40-45 down at various depths of water. They are shallower in the early morning and the bite is better then but not good anytime. You have to look long and hard for feeding fish and then they are gone again. Some nice fish are on main lake brush in anywhere from 18-35 feet of water near the bottom during the day and then they come up shallow to feed just before dark but are not in schools and scattered. Work the bank for bass and crappie at sunset until dark with soft plastics and jigs and small spoons for brush fish. Fishing overall is just fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a good level. 
The lake level is 552.06 and has dropped 1.2 inches in the last 24-hours with one generator running for about 5-hours in the morning, taking the middle of the day off an then about five more hours in the afternoon. It is 1-1/2 feet below the top of the power pool. The White River at Newport is at 4.86 feet so they are not letting out much anywhere. It has taken it since November 6th to drop one foot and the surface water temperature has dropped seven degrees since then with very cold temperatures. The surface water is just under 60-degrees on the main lake and a few degrees lower in the shallow water back in the creeks. Both the main lake and creeks are stained green and you can see your lure down less than two feet. The fishing is not the best right now but you can catch fish in two different ways. Go from just around the point at Mallard Point and look to the last dock west from 20-feet of water in the morning to about 40-ft. as the sun comes up for broken schools of shad. Leave the black balls alone and look for ones with dots, arcs and lines around them and drop a 1/2 ounce Bink's Spoon right on their heads. It is hard to stay on them in the wind and after you catch one but a variety of fish are on the shad. More and more different species of fish are on shad in open water now that most of the big stripers are gone. Another place to start looking is just across from Bidwell Point on the east side as the river goes north in front of the docks. It is more out of the north wind. It is very difficult to stay on open water fish in the wind and expect to do more looking than fishing. Another way is to go out in the late afternoon about 3:PM and beat the shadowy banks part way back in a creek that the wind has been blowing into and fish until dark. I use a small white grub tipped with a live minnow or you can use a gulp minnow. You will get at least three times as many fish this way than using just a bare jig or grub but will catch more smaller fish but just as many big ones. I am just not catching many fish on brush right now. When the water gets colder try a 3-inch Mann's avacodo grub on a 3/16th ounce or 1/4 ounce jig head and fish back in the creeks around points that are next to deep water. Keep your boat in about 40-ft. of water and cast to the shore and keep the grub just on or just above the bottom as it drops into deeper water on it's own It has no action but is dealy for winter bass. The heavier jig head works better but gets snagged more than the lighter one. Fishing is tough right now but you can catch some if you know how. There will be no price increases at Blackburns this year so if your so called friends charge you too much give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115. We have it all here and at the best price. 
The lake level is 552.71 and is the same as it was at this time yesterday with very little generation. The White River at Newport is 3.9 feet so they are not letting out much water anywhere. The surface water temperature is 66-degrees and the main lake is pretty clear with the creeks a little stained. The water warms more quicky in the creeks than on the main lake with the unseasonable warm ambient temperatures and then cools down again and the fish are moving back and forth trying to stay in the warmest water. It has been windy most days until recently and more is coming today. Fishing windblown banks with a crank bait has been the best for bass. When the wind quits the fog moves in early. Open water fishermen are dragging everything they can hook onto through shad and catching some decent sized white bass and a few Hybrids in the 3-lb. range and smaller stripers but are having to work hard for them. I continue to fish main lake points and just around them in brush at 20-25-ft. of water near the bottom for walleye and on top of the brush for crappie. Fishing is not the best but a few good ones are being caught everyday. There are a lot of nice sized bluegill shallow on brush and under docks. Small sooons and crickets are best for them. Try a 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoon in the brush on calm days and a 2-inch jig on windy days casting it past the brush and letting it sink into it. Crappie are mostly hitting on the drop right over brush. Catfishing has slowed with the full moon approaching. There could be an after dark bite for stripers on a stickbait starting about Monday but it is not for sure. It is fun when it happens. The lake is in excellent condition and fishing overall is just fair. Come on down to Blackburns and we will not charge you too much. A one bedroom cabin is $59/day for two people and a two bedroom is $77/ day for four people. Can't beat that and they come with a free stall for your boat. Scuba Steve knoiws where the fish are but cannot make them bite. Sometimes. For a daily report go to Scuba Steve's Blog. 
The lake level is 553.13 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with 3/4 of a generator running for about 5-hours. It has taken almost 3-weeks to drop the last foot with minimum generation. The surface water temperature is 72-degrees and is dropping very slowly at this time but cold weather is on it's way the next couple of days and a frost is predicted. The lake is clearing nicely after the turnover a couple of weeks ago and fishing is getting better and better including bass, crappie and walleye. Trollers are catching a few temperate bass but they are not very big and they are travelling a lot of miles to get them. The wind has been incessant for several days and it is supposed to go down after the cold front on Monday. We have had 0.1 inches of rain since September 6th and it is very dry. Bass fishermen are doing well fishing the wind blown banks with crank baits, creature baits and other soft plastics. Crappie fishermen are fishing brush in 14-30-feet of water on main lake points but some are also on river channel banks. Small spoons, jigs and live minnows on slip floats are all working. Walleye are in brush on main lake points in 30-ft. of water on jigging spoons tapping bottom but some are also shallow in the evening on soft plastics. The larger ones are in the brush or right around it just a few feet off bottom. More fish are on the main lake than in the creeks especially the larger ones. The top-water bite is mostly just small bass. The lake overall is in excellent condition and you can see your lure down 6-7 feet. November is my favorite time to fish especially for large crappie. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. Blackburns is still the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins and $77/day two bedroom. We will not charge you too much and a free stall for your boat comes with the cabin on stays of two days or more. No need to go elsewhere to launch but we will help you if needed. We know where the fish are. 
The lake level is 554.20 and has dropped 3/4 inch in the last 24-hours with generation a little over 1/2 the time. They are not letting out much and the White River at Newport is 4.37 feet and very low. The surface water temperature is 80-degrees and dopping slowly. Our ambient normal high is 79. It has been much warmer than that but is going to get back there this week. The new moon is today and that combined with the slowly dropping water is making for better catfishing. I am using live bluegill on a short throwline back in the creek and doing quite well. They are all over under the dock and biting nightcrawlers on the bottom. Some Scuba Divers are finding some laying on logs in brush. Crappie fishing is picking back up after a few days of them moving back out in open water on shad with the very hot weather raising the water temperature last week It is back down from 85- and the fish have moved back to the brush and should stay there for quite a while. There are a lot of fish on main lake brush in 25-30 feet of water including crappie, bluegill an Kentucky Bass. The small spoon is working the best but a slip float with a live minnow is also working. The jig fishing has not been the best. The Kentucky Bass are full of crawdads so they are feeding near the bank sometime or other. I am not getting very many walleye like earlier and the ones that I am catching are mostly short. It has been a good walleye year so far overall. Some White Bass are also just outside the brush suspended. The lake is clearing overall and is in very good condition and at a good level. Fall fishing looks to be good so far. There are a lot of fish in Norfork Lake. Come on down and we will not chatge you too much. Blackburns is the home of the $59/day 1-bedroom cabin and it comes with a free boat stall on stays of two days or more. Can't beat that and it is nice here. The fall foliage is starting to turn a little on the hillsides but is mostly from drought and not the season. It is still on track for a late October peak.
Scuba Steve with some good ones.
The lake level is 555.40 and has dropped 2-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with continuous generation with alternating one and one and one half generatoirs. We are now back into the power pool which is 555.75 feet after the 3-inch rain last week which raised the level a little less than one foot. The lake is churned up after the holiday boat traffic and the run-off from the rain but will clear again as the water cools. The surface water temperature is now 82-degrees. The nights are getting cooler with lows in the high 60's but it still gets warm in the afternoon but not for as long with the shorter days. We are no linger in a drought and everything is very green. They are keeping the White River at Newport between 7 and 8 feet and were not letting out much water anywhere until yesterday and the lake had been dropping very slowly. We should be at below 552 this time of year but they refuse to drop the lake level. Several varieties of fish are on main lake brush piles in the 27-30 ft. range including crappie, walleye, bass, bluegill. The walleye are near the bottom and the others are suspended at various depths. You have to get down to them so a jigging spoon. grub or jig are all working. Catfishing is getting better on jugs and trot lines baited with live bluegill. You can also catch crappie on slip floats and live minnows directly over the brush and just above it. The big schools are back in the brush but are spooky and roaming but do not go far. Blackburns Resort brush piles are at perfect depths now and are holding a lot of fish. I am fishing nothing but brush. Blackburns is the home of the $59/day one bedroom cabins so come on down. We will not charge you too much and a free boat stall comes with your cabin on stays of two days or more. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have covered porches. We also have the best prices on boat rentals in the ozarks.
The lake level is 562.52 and is dropping two inches/day with one generator running continuously as they are regulating the White River to 12-feet. The surface water is 90-degrees and it has been hot and dry. We have received 0.7 inches of rain so far in the Month of July. Summertime fishing is here with the thermocline dropping to about 23-feet and cold water at 30-feet. There is a mudline from about 20-feet to the cold water and then it clears after that. Many fish are in the mud line.There are a few ways to catch fish. One is to get out at 6:AM and look for shad suspended starting at about 30-ft. of water. They can be in any depth of water up to 100-feet but are mostly 30-45 feet down. Drop a spoon on their heads. These are bass, small stripers. Another group are on main lake points on brush in about 35-feet of water suspended just a few feet up and near the bottom. These are walleye, bass and some smaller stripers. The larger stripers are deeper and in the old river channel and not feeding much. Some Kentucky Bass are shallow and feeding on crawdads in the evening. The after dark bass fishermen using black lights and fluorescent line and saltcraws are doing well from about 9-11 PM in their normal places. Bluegill are under docks along with some catfish and the bluegill are biting crickets and the catfish prepared bait. Get out early, take the middle of the day off and then go out again about 7:PM. The lake is in excellent condition for boating, swimming and fishing. You can beat the heat by staying at Blackburns resort and Boat Rental. Go fishing early when it is still cool and then go swimming in the lake or in our big pool. Take a nap in the airconditioning until evening and then go for a pontoon ride and another swim in the lake. Have dinner and hit the pool again. The fishermen cah then bass fish again about 7:PM. All you need is a resort with good airconditioning and covered porch, a big swimming pool , big dock for fishing, getting out of the sun and to swim off of. The dock is the coolest place on the lake and the children spend hours there. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and a free boat stall comes with your cabin.
The lake level is 567.70 and has dropped 3-1/3rd inches in the last 24-hours with both generators running for about 1/2 the time and one the rest. The lake is down about 5-1/2 feet from it's high of 573 on June 6th which was also the date of our last rain. We received 1/2 inch of rain for the month of June and it is very dry. The surface water temperature is 85 degrees and the water appears clear from the surface and is down to about 12-feet and then it gets cloudy down to the thermocline which is 20-feet and then it clears again in the cold water at 26-feet. Several fish are in the 20-ft. range including bass, walleye and bluegill with some White Bass suspended and roaming the area. Stripers and Hybrids are the best bite right now with the fish going deep and are near the bottom from 40-80 ft. of water and hitting the spoon. The bridge piers under the Hwy 101 bridge are getting fished very hard. There is a top-water bite some mornings early but are mostly bass. There are many fry of different species hanging around in the shallow warm water part way back in the creeks and the bass are feeding on them in the evening but are also biting on plastic worms and creature baits. They are mostly Kentuckies but some a re nice sized. Crappie are back in the creeks on wood in 25-ft. of water and also under docks in the shade. Try throwing a jig past the brush and let it sink into it. Overall the lake is in good condition for swimming, boating and fishing and the level drop is opening up more launching and parking areas. Come on down to Blackburns where a free boat stall comes with your cabin or you can rent one of our pontoon and bass boats at the best price on the lake. Sorry no dragging anything behind our boats and you must be in by dark. We will not charge you too much and you will like our big pool with slide and baby pool.
The lake level is 572.94 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with about 8-hours of running both generators. This is the first drop in several months. The White River at Newport is 14.15 and rising slowly with a little more water being let out of the area lakes. The surface water temperature is 77 degrees and the visibility is very good on the main lake and a little stained in the creeks. Crappie fishing is picking up again as is Black Bass. Bass are both on the old shoreline before the lake rise and are hitting plastic worms and are also in open water on shad and spoons are working on them. Catfishing has slowed as has the top-water bite. Some stripers and White Bass are being caught in open water dragging umbrellas and live bait through shad. Walleye are around both Cranfield and Robinson Island and can be caught dragging nightcrawlers or spooning in 20-25 ft. of water. Crappie are in the backs of the creeks on shallow wood in 20-25 ft. of water biting and are biting small grubs tipped with small minnows and Bobby Garland Blue Ice Baby Shad on the drop. Big Bluegill are biting crickets and small spoons in the backs of creeks on willow bunches and under docks. Fishing is fair to good overall. It is to get hot next week and good for swimming and boating. Come on down to Blackburns where we have the best prices on both Cabins and boat rentals and a free stall comes with your cabin. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches. No need for tents and umbrellas. The children will like the big pool with slide and a baby section and big green playground.
The lake level is 570.21 and has risen 2-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with about 8-hours of running one generator. It has been hot and dry with wind so a lot of drying has taken place in the last several days and most of the slug of water has moved through the system except what was held back and that was a lot. The surface water temperature is 73-74 degrees and rising with sunshine and record high temperatures. We have gone directly into summer. The water is very clear and you can see your lure down several feet. The flathead catfishing has been very good for about two weeks on live bait but has slowed just a bit with the blues and channels moving into the creeks. The top-water bite for bass and stripers is happening most days at just before and at sunrise so keep a top-water lure ready at all times. Most bass and crappie have spawned but not all. They have had to move their nests several times due to rising water and some are still full of eggs. Crappie can be found around most every brush pile and dock from 25-35 feet of water. Some bass are feeding on the bank on crawdads lizards and creek minnows. Overall fishing is good and most everyone is catching fish of some species. This is the best combination of weather and fishing for all year so come on down. Blackburns just had a cancellation for two cabins for Memorial day after being booked full for several months. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 and fill them. We will not charge you too much and a free boat stall comes with your cabin or you can rent one of ours. Our big pool is nearly full and will be ready tomorrow. Compare prices. Why pay more?
The lake level is 561.17 and has risen 2-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with less than one generator running for about 8-hours. The surface water temperature is in the low 60's and rising and the water is clearing with the light generation. It is a good color for fishing. The crappie are in various stages of spawn with some finished, some spawning and some full of eggs. The fish are scattered all over the lake and are even in the main lake on shad. Some very large ones are being caught. Black bass are starting to spawn and a few have finished but I have seen no fry. Temperate bass are coming up some mornings but not like they useally do in early May. They should be coming up everyday but are not. The early morning after a warm night is the best chance. Trollers are catching some stripers and crappie on planer boards free-swimming shiners shallow. When they do come up bass and walleye are with the temperate bass. Everything is in transition now but people are catching good fish everyday using various methods. Using a small jig, grub, popper or creature bait on the bank behind the buckbrush is catching about everything as is fishing brush piles in about 20-ft. of water back in the creeks. Some male crappie are still guarding nests and fry on any wood shallow back in the creeks. Catfish are part way back in the creeks and hitting live bait on throw lines and off docks. Get out early, take the middle of the day off and go back out again around 5:PM for best results. Keep a top-water lure handy. Blackburns Still has cabins for $59/day so come on down. We will not charge you too much and you first boat stall is free. Why pay more?
The lake level is 557.70 and has risen steadily for a couple of weeks with quite a bit of rain mostly in two events. They had been generating a lot but have slowed down with the rule change effective April 15th lowering the level on the White River at Newport. We can not expect much of level lowering in the next several weeks unless we have a drought and that seems unlikely with the rain and cold fronts every week for several months. The surface water temperature is 54 on the main lake and 58 in Blackburns Creek and that reverses when a cold front comes through and cools the shallow creeks faster than the deep main lake. The fish do not know what to do but the crappie have started spawning and the bass want to very badly. When it warms up they move to the creeks to stage for spawn and then it gets cold and they move back out to main lake brush. Now there are a lot of fish in the wind blown creeks. Smaller paddle tailed grubs, jigs and creature baits are all working on a jig head casting to the shore and bringing them in slowly to the boat. Several fish are hitting in about 8-ft. of water. Crappie, bass and walleye can all be caught in this manner. Catfish are also showing up in the creeks and can be caught on the same lures and also throw lines with live shiners. The top-water bite varies with the weather but is best at sunrise after warm nights. It has been windy and hard to fish most days but some nice fish are being caught everyday. When you try and get out of the wind sometimes the fish are there and sometimes they are not. You cannot alway fish in the best place. The lake is stained from the big rains but is starting to clear now with the lower generation. It is to get warm later next week and that should get the top-water bite going every morning. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free. All cabins have covered porches with no duplexes and you can launch right here and there is plenty of parking. The grass is green, the flowers are blooming and the mushrooms are popping up. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report.
The lake level is 553.17 and has risen 2-inches in the last 24-hours with generation about 1/3rd the time. The White River at Newport is 17-feet and the lake surface water temperature is in the mid-50's. It has been very windy and hard to fish. I just dumped 2-inches of rain from my gauge and it is still raining. The creeks are running but not fast. Another cold front is on it's way followed by very warm ambient temperatures late this weekend. The cold fronts have been coming through at least once a week for about two months now but are better than severe weahter which we have not had any. The lake is at a good level now but there is not much surge capacity for a big rain. The water is stained a little green but a good color for fishing. The stripers are finishing up their spawn now and most of the walleye have finished and some have moved to the main lake points near brush. White Bass are the same but are moving back to the larger creeks in the bays and will begin top-water in a couple of weeks or less. All of april and all of may are the best months of the combination of both weather and fishing. Black Bass are pre-spawn feeding now and are the best bite and crappie are just getting ready with the males staging back in the creeks near any wood. They will begin in earnest in april. The ones that I am catching are full of eggs with big blood-lines. It just needs to warm up a bit and it will soon but definitely not today or tomorrow. The ground is saturated and the warm weather will bring out the mushrooms. Come on down to Blackburns where we will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free. Our 1-bedroom cabins start at $59/day and the 2-3-4 bedrooms are priced accordingly. Every cabin has a big covered forch and there are no duplexes. You can launch right here and there is no need to go elsewhere to do so and we will help you if needed. We especially welcome Police and Veterans.
The lake level is 554.22 and has dropped 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with generation about 1/2 the time. The White River at Newport is about 22-ft. and they are letting out quite a bit of water at this time from all of the area lakes about equally. The warm sunny weather is warming the water rapidly especially in the shallow creeks and shoreline. It was 55-degrees in Blackburns creek yesterday and 48 on the main lake. That will change this weekend with rain followed by another cold front. The creeks are very clear and the main lake varies a bit with the amount of generation but is an excellent color for fishing. The water is very clear near the bank. Some bait fish are moving to the warmest water causing predator fish to follow them and the plankton is blowing with the wind followed by the shad and other predator fish. If the wind changes from south to north , which happens frequently, everything gets all mixed up which is typical for March. The 80-degree weather is not. We will be back to the 50's with below freezing nightime lows after it clears off after the next cold front. That is why fishing is not predictable during March except the stripers will move to their spawning banks just before the full moon which is the 18th and can be caught on the suspending stick bait at dark. Some big bass are back in the creeks and some are in open water on shad. I see nothing on the beds or making nests. The water temperature says yes but the calendar says no. Some crappie have moved back into the creeks and some are still on brush but much shallower. The ones that I am catching are only 5-7 feet down and are very spooky so stay away from the brush and cast to it. Do not park over the brush and set yout trolling motor on anchor and expect to catch very many. Maybe just one. Some walleye are on the shadowy banks part way back in the creeks before sunset on soft plastics. Some go up river to spawn and some just go back in the major creeks. There used to be a late february, early march, run up into Missouri to spawn but not so much anymore. This is the best time to catch White Bass back in the major creeks in big flat bays. Come on down to Blackburns where all of the cabins are individual with no duplexes and all have big covered porches. Rent a boat from us or bring your own. The first stall is free here and we have no price increases for 2022 and expecially welcome Police and Veterans.
Caught this last week near Blackburns
The lake level is 552 even and is dropping slowly with a surface water temperature of 43 degrees and the water is fairly clear and you can see your lure down about 6-feet. We received about 8-inches od snow and a little sleet starting wednesday afternoon but it was not too bad. The snow was very light in weight and fluffy and we avoided the ice. We had no power outages and it did not cause much trouble. It was our second snow of the season and was more than the other one January 6th. It dropped the lake water temperature a little over three degrees in Blackburns area. I took a day off from fishing and then went out everyday since. The sun has been shining and the ambient temperatures are in the high 40's with 50's for next week. The average high is 47 and rising. The snow is going away fast with some bare spots already. Bass and crappie are the best bite but some stripers were being caught earlier but no report of any the last few days. This is about the time they hide. A few walleye are showing up but not many. The big bluegill and catfish have slowed way down. Some white bass are being caught on the spoon with a few larger ones mixed in with the small ones. The fishing was the best that it has been in weeks just before the last cold front. I went out on tuesday the first day of february and the fish were biting almost at will, especially largemouth bass and big crappie. Cloudy, warm days with light wind just when the low pressure gets here are just what I wait for. Stay until it rains you out because if it is also a cold front fishing will go downhill quickly and not get much better until the high pressure has been around for a while. The lake in general is in excellent condition but I just wish it was lower going into the spring. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free unless you bring the Queen Mary. We are open all year and there are no price increases for 2022.
The lake level is 553.34 and is dropping very slowly with minimum generation. The White River at Newport is over 19-feet. The surface water is 51 degrees and both the main lake and creeks are stained green with low visibility. Cold fronts come through regularly slowing the fishing and then it gets better until the next one comes. Bess, crappie, bluegill and temperate bass are the best bite right now using various methods. Walleye have slowed. I am using the 1/4 ounce jigging spoon for crappie and bluegill and the 3-inch stingray grub for bass. Crappie are moving from brush in the 20-ft. range during the day to the banks in the evening and some black bass are with them. Some black bass are in open water on shad. Bink is catching all kinds of temperate bass deep right on the bottom on his 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce spoon. It is good to see some White Bass with some size to them. People are still killing many stripers in the 5-8 pound range. They are on shad in the area between 101 Bridge and Cranfield Island and again in Big Creek. The ones south are deeper on the bottom and the ones around here are in open water from 40-50 ft. suspended at various depths. People are using spoons and trolling umbrellas. It has been cold but is much better now with ambient temperaters in the 50's for the next several days with thursday to be the pick of the litter. Fishing is about normal for this time of year but the water temperature has not dropped to below 50 yet. I had a 49 several days ago but it is back up now. Last year it was much colder. The lake is in good condition as far as level is concerned and the color is getting better. We need to be several feet lower going into the spring to help prevent high water but there is a reluctance to do so. The power pool is 553.75 and we are barely in it. Fishing overall is fair but has good days. The light snow we received last week is gone and the weather is nice. It is good to have the wind die for a few days. It has been relentless.
The lake level is 553.79 and has dropped 3-inches in the last 24-hours with generation about 3/4ths the time. We are approaching the power pool of 553.75 and we will see what happens with the generation then. The White River at Newport is 11-feet and dropping. We had no ill-effects from the rain a week and half ago but the lake rose over 3-feet to 554.82 but has dropped a foot since then. The surface water temperature is 57 degrees and stable with the warm weather which is to go away after this weekend. The lake overall is in excellent condition and a good color for fishing. The creeks are stained a little more than the main lake. You can see your lure down about 4-feet. Live bait trollers are catching several stripers in the 5-8 pound area and more white bass are showing up with some of them pretty good sized. Most are still small. Some walleye are with the white bass deep just off the bottom for some reason and I am not finding them on brush like before. Some catfish are still being caught which is pretty rare for almost January. They usually slow way down but the warm water is keeping them active. Crappie and Kentucky Bass fishing is pretty good on 25-35 ft. brush piles but they have slowed a little too. It was very good last week but you have heard that before. Cold fronts keep coming through once or twice a week slowing the bite but not stopping it. We have had wind most days but not so bad the last few. It was swirling and hard ot get out of. Fishing overall is fair now but there are moments of very good fishing but sometimes several hours of not so good. Find shad in open water, work the bank in 12-14 ft. of water in the evening and drop a spoon in brush for best results. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and go to Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report. I am out there almost every day.
The lake level is 551.93 and has dropped 2-inches in the last 24-hours with more generation than before and it is dropping more quickly. The water surface temperature is 57 degrees and has been virtually the same since the last report. It is dry here and we could use some rain. The lake in general is in good condition and at a good level but the fishing is only fair. Crappie and walleye fishing has slowed from a couple of weeks ago but the catfishing, bluegill and Kentucky Bass have been good. Most of the big largemouth are in open water on shad and are not on their winter banks yet because of the higher than normal water temperature. They will move there when the temperature drops to about 50. Trollers are catching some white bass and a few small stripers in the 5-9 pound range. Some very large bluegill are being caught. Some call them bream, some call them perch but to avoid any confusion I will call them bluegill. They are excellent eating if not the best especially the big ones. Just fillet one, fry in beer batter, add black pepper on two pieces of buttered bread and that is all you need. Try to stop at one if you can. No red meat on these fish. We have had very warm weather followed by cold fronts with wind and big temperature swings for a month and the fishing changes everytime this happens. It can go from 70 to 40 in just a matter of an hour and the fishing can get slow right when it clears up with high pressure. We only get a day or two of light winds until the next front comes through. The fishing does not stop but it sure slows down. It gets better the longer the high pressure stays and continues until the wind picks up with the cold front and this happens over and over. Sometimes twice a week. Right now we are in a transition with most crappie moved off the shallower brush into deeper water and bigger bass out in open water suspended in about 40-ft. on shad. Trollers are finding some schools of white bass and some smaller stripers in the 5-9 pound range also in the 40-ft area. The umbrella rigs are working the best for them. Some report that they are using A-rigs, which are Alabama rigs, but the Umbrella ones are much bigger and catch more fish trolling. The Alabama rigs are better for casting and are not allowed in most bass tournaments, but there are not many fish on the banks except for after sunset until dark. The crappie that I am catching are good sized but the numbers are low. It was just the opposite a couple of weeks ago. Things change and you have to be out there everyday to keep on them. Doing the same thing and going to the same place everyday will not work very long. The big Black Bass are there and will move to the known winter banks as soon as the water temperature drops. It should be near 50 by now. Fishing overall again is just fair but some nice fish are being caught everyday and especially catfish for some reason. Come on down to Balckburns. We are open all year, your first boat stall is free and there will be no price increases. Veterans and Police are especially welcome.
The lake level is 553.34 and has been within about 3/4 of a foot for several weeks with very little generation and no effort to drop the lake. The water is clear and you can see your lure down about 6-ft. on the main lake. The surface water temperature is between 59 and 60 degrees and has also been stable for several weeks. It held in there at 60-61 for a month. The late fall fishing has finally started and that means big crappie, bass and walleye. I always say Thanksgiving is an excellent time to catch fish and I was just a couple of days off but it is now happening. Fishing had just been fair for several weeks but now is being up graded to good. I do not say this lightly as I do not induce customers to come when the fishing is poor. Bass, crappie, walleye and bluegill fishing is good and temperate bass fishing is poor and most of the ones being caught are small (in the 5-8 pound range). Some White Bass are being caught but not nearly as many as usual. Trollers are having a hard time. Many schools of shad are holding no predator fish but some are and the fishing can be fast for a couple of minutes and then they are gone. Spooning brush is the best bite now in about 30-ft. of water. Drop the spoon in and around the brush near the bottom. Some giant crappie were caught yesterday by Blackburns customers along with several bass and walleye. More again today. All were using the spoon. I switch from a spoon, Bobby Garland Baby Shad and slip float with a minnow depending on the wind. It has calmed down for the last few days but has been incessant all month with cold fronts coming through about twice a week. We have not received our normal amount of rain for November and it has been much less. The lake overall is in excellent condition and fishing for some species is good and others are poor to fair. You need to fish for what is biting and not be set on a particular kind or you will be disappointed. This changes almost daily this time of year as cold fronts come through. We are catching a lot of good sized fish here at Blackburns now. Bass fishing has improved the most and the big crappie are finally showing up. Come on down to Blackburns and we will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free. We especially welcome Veteran and Police.
The lake level is 553.61 and has been very stable for about 5-weeks with just enough generation to keep it so. There is no effort to drop the lake for the winter. The surface water is 66 degrees and the lake turnover is just completed. The cooler than normal ambient temperatures are dropping the lake temperature steadily and the water is clearing. Temperate bass are all together and are on shad in open water at various depths along with some largemouth bass. Jigging spoons are working the best for them. Drop it right on their heads. Crappie, Kentucky Bass, Bluegill and catfish are in brush from 20-40-ft. and some are moving to the bank in the evenings to feed. Jigs, small spoons and minnows on slip floats are all working in the brush. There are a lot of creek minnows and game fish fingerlings there. Crank baits and creature baits on jig heads on the bank. A few smallmouth are being caught and that bite will do nothing but get better as the water cools. The full moon is the 19th this month and it is typically time for late evening and after dark fishing on the bank for stripers on stick baits. This does not always happen but is worth a check. Time change is November 7th on Sunday morning so after that go out in the evening about 3:PM and fish until dark on the bank for crappie and Kentucky bass on a small jig tipped with a live minnow part way back in the creeks between the shore and brush. I use a 2-inch twister tail white in color on a white jig head with a red eye on 4-lb. clear line with no hardware. Other things work but this catches the most fish. Fishing will do nothing but get better as November progresses and Thanksgiving is an excellent time to catch fish. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals of any place in the area and is open all year. Your first boat stall is free. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. I am a veteran but not a policeman but have had a few encounters with them in the past of which none of them made me stupid enought to resist arrest. Come on down to Blackburns, We will not charge you too much and it is a nice place.
The lake level is 553.54 and is dropping very slowly. It has taken them 17 days to drop the lake one foot since the power company took over much of the generation schedule when we finally hit the power pool level. They must not need electricity anywhere. The surface water temperature is 77-degrees and the lake is stained just a bit but is a good color for fishing. You can see your lure down about 6-ft. on the main lake and 4-ft. in the creeks. Most fish are on the main lake from 0-40 ft. of water with none below 40-ft down no matter how deep the water is. I am catching bass, crappie, catfish and a few walleye on brush in 30-32 ft. of water near the bottom using both the spoon and jig. Blackburns brush piles are at the right depth finally and are producing. A few temperate bass are out a little deeper outside brush suspended 40-ft. down and can be caught on the spoon. Some larger bass are on steep banks right at the drop off near the bottom again at 40-ft. The top-water bite is pretty good for bass early on the spook puppy and spitin image. I caught my third tagged fish on a spoon on brush yesterday. I am really surprised how close they stay to the place where they are tagged and released. The lake is busy with bass fishermen with tournaments every weekend in October. They were pushed back because of covid but I think it is a good time for them. Most people are catching fish and the lake is in excellent condition. There are a lot of bait fish on the bank both early and late and the bank pounders are catching several but most are small. More bigger ones are coming out of deeper water. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much and a one bedroom cabin is $59/day and comes with a free boat stall.
The lake level is 557.16 and has dropped a little over three inches in the last 24-hours with 1-1/2 generators running most of the time. It is taking about 4-days to drop a foot. 555.75 is the power pool and they tend to slow down generation as this approaches but we will see. It is at a good level now but there is no room for any big rains. They have been all around us but we have been fortunate to miss all of them. The surface water temperature is 87 degrees and has been near there for several weeks. The main lake looks clear from the surface but is cloudy down to the 30+ foot thermocline. The creeks are stained a little green but a good color for fishing. It will settle now that the last summer holiday is over and the boat traffic lessens and the water temperature drops. Spooning continues to be the best overall fishing technique but working the bank in the evening with soft plastics and worms is catching some good bass. Some fish are coming up back in the creeks in the evening. There is a lot of baitfish out there especially in the buckbrush near the shore. Drop a spoon in brush at 32-35 feet of water and tap bottom. Bass and crappie will hit on the drop and walleye are near and around the bush on the bottom. Trollers are catching s few stripers but they are small in the 5-6 pound range. Bluegill fishing is excellent on crickets and worms but some are also biting small spoons. Fishing will get better and better as we get into October and the weather looks to be excellent for at least a week. November is usually the best month for fishing except for May. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much.
The lake level is 567.87 and is dropping a little less than 2-inches per day with generation about 1/2 the time. The lake is clear and there is a thermocline at about 28-feet with a mud line there and a surface water temperature of between 87and 88 degrees and rising with the hottest weather of the season. The bass fishermen are catching several fish on worms and saltcraws in the late evening and others are catching about everything else on jigging spoon early. The bass in the evening are on steeper banks with a ledge and the early morning fish are on main lake near brush in 30-35-feet of water near the bottom. Walleye, bass and bluegill are the best bite now but some white bass and smaller stripers are also being caught on the spoon. Get out early, take the middle of the day off, and go again in the evening. It is typical late july fishing except the lake is much clearer than in previous years and is in good condition but at least 8-feet too high and the normal shoreline is in about 15-ft. of water. Fall fishing looks to be good if current conditions continue. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals and you first regular sized boat stall is still free. All cabins are individual with no duplexes and have covered porches so you can social distance. You can launch and park your boat trailer right here. We are not huddled up on a hillside and have plenty of parking and a big pool and green playground.
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.
The lake level is 573.08 and still rising slowly with very little generation despite the dry conditions. The lake is very clear but a stray log or smaller debris are still present. The surface water temperature is 87 degrees and it has been very warm for June. We received a storm with wind last friday evening and caused some down trees and power outage. Blackburns is in a valley and did not receive any damage and we are thankful for that but our power was out. If we receive severe summer storms in this area it is usually the last part of June and early July. This one came out of nowhere and a 10% chance of rain. So much for that. The best bite is early morning at first light for top-water bass and stripers and then when they go down switch to jigging spoons on main lake points. A lot of fish are at about 20-ft. of water just above the 22-23 ft. thermocline on the old shoreline before the water rise. There is a lot of cover there. Catfish are biting live shiners and bluegill on limb lines and jugs. Bait them right before dark to keep the Blue Herons and turtles from robbing your bait. Bluegill are anywhere there are willows in 10-20 ft. of water and under docks. Crickets are the best. Some crappie are being caught but they are scattered with most brush piles being too deep with the high water. It seems more and more species of fish are in open water now on shad with the absence of most of the large stripers. There are not nearly as many shad as there were before the kill last winter. Bass fry are everywhere in the cover. The lake is big and there is a lot of cover and the water is warmer earlier than usual. Some walleye and stripers are going deep already but several walleye are near the bottom on or just around main lake points. It is just past the middle of June but we are having fishing conditiond like mid July already. The top-water will diminish and temperate bass and bigger walleye will go deeper and deeper. This will continue through August. We will see if they finally drop the area lakes or not. They are all in about the same condition but fishing is not affected much. The people getting hurt the most are day users who want to launch a boat or go swimming on weekends. All swim beaches and many camping spots are under water and it is best to swim off a dock, off a boat or in a resort pool. Blackburns has a big one and also has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the area. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. This is as busy as I have seen it here at Blackburns and I have been here for 27-years. Go figure.
The lake level is 567.15 and has dropped a little less than an inch in the last 24-hours with both generators running most of the time. We are to get more rain for the next several days. The lake in general is in good condition but a little debris is blowing with the wind but not bad. There is no brown water now but I do not know what the next few days will bring. Fishing is fair to good with bass being the best bite. Several are spawned out now as are some crappie but not nearly all. The lake has risen exactly 10-feet since it's early low of 557 in April before the two big rains. The second one was not nearly as bad as the first but we did not have enough time to recover. The top-water bite for temperate bass and black bass should be in full swing but is not. The water just stayed at a surface water temperature of 60 for a long time and then at 65 for another long time with very cool nights. It is now in the high 60's to low 70's depending on where and when you take it. The water is stained but you can see your lure down a few feet and is good for fishing. It is very clear near the shore. Walleye fishing is the bright spot for the spring with several nice ones being caught. They are on main lake points and just around them in 20-ft. of water near the bottom. Bass are scattered everywhere as are crappie. Some crappie are still in the backs of the creeks and some are on main lake brush. Several smaller ones are showing up as are bass but so are big ones. Bluegill fishing is just starting and they are also on brush and under docks. Several fish of all kinds are still near the bank behind the buckbrush. Spinner baits and creature baits are working for several species. I will keep you informed after the rain leaves and the weather gets warmer. Things are changing everyday and old reports are not worth much. There are a lot of fishermen out there and the weather has been beautiful for several days but that is gone for now. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals and your first boat stall is free. We especially welcome fellow Veterans and Police here and will not charge you too much.
The lake level is 564.50 and is still rising from last week's rain. There has been very little generation here with the emphasis on keeping Table Rock and Branson Landing from getting high and sacrificing the other area lakes. The White River at Newport is near flood stage preventing any other generation. Norfork has risen about 7-1/2 feet from it's low of 557 last month before the rains. The lake is still in pretty good shape though and fish are being caught everyday. Not as good as last month but people are still catching fish. Things that have changed are the quickly raising water has messed up the spawn but it had begun before it came up and the fry have a lot of cover to greatly help their survival. Most of the big stripers are gone and people are now showing off small ones because that is about all they can catch. Just a few over 15-lbs are being caught. Bass fishing has and continues to be good but like crappie, a lot of small ones are being caught now unlike a couple of weeks ago. Smallmouth bass are still biting pretty good. The best bite is bass, crappie, bluegill, small stripers, hybrids and walleye. The top water bite has started on sunny mornings but has not been as good as normal. Threadfin shad were spawning and I though the top water would have been better. Some White Bass are being caught but not nearly as many as a couple of years ago. Walleye numbers and size are really encouraging. There is some debris on the lake from the rising water but it has been a lot worse. There are still many places with clear water. If it would drop a couple of feet to stick stuff to the bank and slow down the rain we would be in good shape again. The lake surface water temperature is 65 has been stable for several days with cool nights. Blackburns still has the best prices on Both cabins and boat rentals and your first boat stall is free here. We continue to especially welcome Veterans and Police and try hard to keep the prices low for everyboday. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and have the biggest pool in the area and it is filling and will be open soon. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com for a daily lake condition and fishing report.
The lake level is 558.82 and is dropping about 3-inches a day with both generators running continuously for several days. It has dropped about 2-1/2 feet from it's high of just over 561. We have been very dry here but we did get just a bit of rain yesterday and it greened things and settled the dust. The surface water temperature is hanging in there stubbornly at about 60 on the main lake with mostly cool nights and varies several degrees depending on where and when you take it in the backs of the creeks where most of the fish are. All of the brown has finally settled out and the debris is gone and sticking to the banks with the dropping water. The lake overall is in good condition and a good color for fishing. Last week was not the best fishing but things are getting better every day. Everything is just starting. Top-water bite for white bass, stripers and bass at 7:Am or just before sunrise has begun on some sunny days. Bass and crappie are beginning the spawning process with males moving to the banks. Smallmouth fishing is very good now on 3-inch creature baits back in the creeks in the buckbrush. This should continue for several weeks. Norfork lake is an excellent smallmouth lake. Trollers are catchin some stripers but they are small. Crappie, bass and catfishing is the best with some walleye starting to come in. Work the windblown creeks. Mostly south facing ones. Go to this site and check out Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report. Blackburns still has the best prices on both cabins and boat rental on Norfork Lake. $59/day for a one bedroom. Come on down. No price increases this year and we will not charge you too much. Do not pay for your first boat stall elsewhere.
The lake level is 559.40 and has risen 5-inches in the last 24-hours with no generation since noon yesterday. it has risen 6-feet since the 3-1/2 inches of rain in four days last week. The surface water temperature is 56-57 degrees and a lot has changed. There was some brown water that came down from Missouri in the river with some debris and also from the north in Bennetts Bayou. It did not affect the fishing here in Blackburns Creek area except during this time the fish and birds have cleaned up most of the dead and dying shad from the cold weather in the middle of February and the birds are mostly gone. There was a lot of dead shad going through the spillway at the dam and the fish and birds were feasting there but not now. The main lake in this area still has some brown water in the middle of the channel moving south with the current caused by generation but the shore and creeks are mostly clear east of Mallard Point with just a little debris blown into the predominate wind blown cuts and shore. It will stick when the lake starts to drop a little and is not causing much of a problem except north of here. There are lots of places with good colored water for fishing. Some bass are on the banks and can be caught on a jerk bait, crank bait and small grub. Spripers in the 8-10 pound range are showing up in Bennetts but very few of any size. The night bite for the spawning stripers will start soon with the full moon approaching on the stick bait. Fish for walleye on shadowy banks with a soft plastic in the evening until almost dark and then switch to the jerk bait north of Cranfield by the walleye rearing pond. Some crappie and bass have moved to main lake brush in about 23-ft. of water and can be caught on small spoons. small jigs and minnows on slip floats. If it is sunny fish the slip floats just above the brush about 7-9 feet down in stained green water. The crappie that I am catching are full of eggs and the big ones have bloodlines. The small bluegill have moved in under Blackburns Dock by the hundreds and that indicates big bass and catfish will be after them soon. They always do. I would like to see the lake lower this time of year but I guess that is asking too much. If they had dropped it to 548 as I suggested it would be at 554 which would be perfect. The spring rains are here and we usually get about two cold fronts a week come through during the variable month of March and fishing changes almost daily. Top water bite for everything starts in early April and is in full swing by the 15th. That is the easiest time to catch fish. The overall condition of the lake is from fair-good and fishing gets better a couple of days after the high pressure gets here and up until it rains you out. Fish right up until then. Then repeat.
The lake level is 553.62 and dropping slowly with generation about 1/2 the time. The lake is in overall excellent condition.The surface water temperature is back above 50. The new news is that fishing has just changed today. The low pressure is moving in with wind and good chances of rain for the next several days. Now is formally jerk bait fishing time. First make sure your bait is tracking properly and make necessary adjustments. Go part way back in the larger creeks and stay as far from the bank as you can cast, crank your suspending 5-inch jerk bait down about three turns, give three jerks with a 6-1/2 ft. medium heavy rod and let set for several seconds and repeat until you are about 1/2 way back to the boat. Retrieve your lure and cast again. Most fish are near the bank now. Your lure should have some white on it. Walleye and bass are both there right now and crappie will be soon. Some white bass should also show up. This is why you have to be out there every day. Stay tuned. This is much better than dragging live bait.
The lake level is 553.90 and is dropping very slowly with generation about 1/2 the time. The lake overall is in excellent condition but should be lower this time of year to make room for spring rains. Some places the water is very clear and other it is stained green. We had very cold weather starting on about February 14th causing surface water temperatures to drop into the high 30's resulting in a significant shad kill. They are still feeling the effects of that now and are very lethargic making for easy prey for the predator fish. This continues for several days, even weeks, after the shock of the cold water stuns or kills them. The surface water tmeperature is at about 49 degrees now where ever you check it no matter if on the main lake or back in the creeks. The shallow water that warms more quickly in the sunshine also cools faster with the cool nights. I am seeing very few dying shad at this time. The shad are not very strong now and are at the mercy of the wind and are blowing into the creeks with the prevailing winds which have been mostly from the south lately. I went out yesterday and found huge schools of shad way back in the south facing creeks in shallow water from about 12-20 ft. deep and from the bottom to the top of the water column and were blacking out the fish finder. There are few shad and fewer predator fish in the middle of the main lake. Any fish on the main lake are near the bank on shad that have not found their way back into the creeks. There are no predator fish on Norfork lake that are hungry and all of the fish that I am catching are full to the point of overflowing with shad. To catch anything you have to simulate a dying shad and make your lure bigger than the shad and easier to get. Jerk baits and spoons are your best bet. Bass fishing is about all there is. I am catching a few crappie but very few. All of the game fish are on schools of shad with not enough game fish to go around with many schools of shad with nothing under them. It is hard to tell which ones on a blacked out screen. Some fish are being caught but not a lot. I am catching about three fish on an outing total now and all I can say is I will be out there to let you know when things get better. Some of the stunned shad have to get cleaned up before any very good fishing and the stronger ones have to move out to the main lake where they are less easily eaten and can move at will. The absence of the big stripers is not speeding things up any as they would usually clean these up quickly after a kill and actually make overall fishing much better. I am not predicting when anything will happen with the variable March weather but the stripers that are left will go to the bank the end of this month to simulate a spawn near full moon and will start top water in the middle of April. I do not know where the White Bass are but I was catching some before the cold weather. Blackburns Resort still has the best prices on both cabins and rental boats and if you bring your own boat the first stall is free. There will be no price increases this year. All cabins have covered porches with no duplexes and there is plenty of parking for both your vehicle and boat trailers. I will be out there and let you know when things shake out. It will not be long I hope. I will let you know.
The lake level is 554.64 and has been within two feet for over a month. The surface water temperature is 46+ and has also been very stable. It looks like no shad kill this winter so far. The lake is pretty clear and you can see your lure down about 6-feet and clearer near the bank. There is some algae on the rocks on the shore and we do not normally have that. We need the dam back at Dawt Mill on the Norfork River. My friend Don caught a trout fishing off his dock last week and I have never had that happen in 26-years. I am sure people have released trout in Norfork before but they had a life expectancy of about five minutes with the big stripers. Stripers love trout and they can not stock them fast enough when they are around. Bass, crappie and bluegill are now the best bite here and they are deeper than normal for this time of year with many of them on shad in the absence of the big stripers. Some are still near the bank though and good bass fishermen are doing well and they are getting bigger and bigger. I have seen more largemouth in the 5-6 lb. range last fall and this winter than ever. Kentucky bass in the three pound range are also common. White Bass are making a comeback after their kill-off a couple of years ago and they need to. Hybrid fishing has been the staple for the temperate bass fishermen but none were stocked this year due to covid and the class of 2020 will be absent for the future. They do not stock very many of them anyway. Catfishing was very good later in the year than normal and the numbers look good as well as big bluegill. Those two seem to go together. Walleye was very good all season and the future looks good with many just short of the 18-inch limit being caught. That is about the only way any of them get released. The spring outlook looks very good for everything this year except for the big stripers which are nearly gone due to an early fall kill-off due to low oxygen caused by water left too high for too long and over fishing. Again the Game and fish not stocking any of them last year will not help anything for at least several years. The non-stocked fish are doing very well. The lake overall is in excellent condition and I am catching fish everyday. Blackburns is your fishing headquarters for Norfork Lake and there will be no price increased on anything this year. Come on down and look at all of the improvements. You will like what you see and the price even better. No charge for your first boat stall and all cabins have covered porches and there are no duplexes so you can social distance. Be glad to have you. We just finished refurbishing the dock and a new roof is on cabin #9 the mibile home. The pool deck and basketball court are being worked on now.
The lake level is 553.51 and has been about the same for a month. They are not generating much and holding the area lakes up. The surface water temperature is just under 50 degrees and is dropping slowly. The Water is stained just a bit and you can see your lure down 4-5 feet. Overall the lake is in excellent condition for fishing. Bass fishing has been good and crappie, bluegill and walleye have slowed but some are being caught every day. Some hybrid stripers in the 6-lb. range are being caught. Most Bass are on their winter banks but some are in open water on shad as are all other species. It seems more game fish of different species are on shad now with the reduced number of big stripers and White Bass competing for bait fish. Few stripers over 10-lbs are being caught but White Bass seem to be coming back some, but what people are calling big ones are about 1/2 the size as in the past. There are some reports of fungal mold on a few fish but I am out there everyday and have not found any. All the fish that I am catching are very healthy. I did catch a tagged bass and reported it to game and fish. It was released several months ago and was still in the same place when I caught it. It was released again under my dock. There are some schooling fish but not nearly as many as in the past. We are paying for too many years of killing dock floors full of dead temperate bass and high water that depletes oxygen. and the game and fish stocked nothing in Norfork this year due to Covid. Catfish are still biting well this winter and that is uncommon. They usually cut way back on feeding when the water gets cold. Trollers are looking hard and long for feeding fish and it is hard to tell what they will catch when they find some. Norfork Lake fishing is changing with the new brush piles that the game and fish have put in and all of the increased cover. There are lots of schools of shad out there with no game fish under them. There is a good population of walleye but several are under 18-inches. Few big ones are ever released. I would like to see more stocked. It has been a good winter so far, just keep the ice away and let out some water before spring.
Caught this reporting period.
The lake level is 554.01 and has dropped 1-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours and the surface temperature is 61 degrees. The lake is clearing again and is in excellent condition for fishing. This is a typical November and overall fishing is fair with crappie, bass and bluegill being the best bite followed by walleye and catfish. Temperate bass fishing has been disappointing with no night bite this fall. Some years the stripers go to the banks to feed near the full moon after dark but not always. I have seen very few stripers over 10-lbs caught this month but the bait fishermen are trying hard to get them. The White Bass are making a comeback but are small also. The walleye fishing has been good for a couple of months with some nice ones taken but most are under 18-inches. The numbers are high and it looks good for the upcoming years. Crappie fishing has been good to me with many fish in the 11-13 inch range. Spoons, slip floats with minnows and jigs are the best baits. What I use depends on the wind. They are on most good brush piles and at different depths. I caught some in 35-ft. of water and some in 14-ft. of water yesterday all right in the brush. Most walleye are next to the brush but close. Many bass are also on brush but some are also on the wind blown banks and others in open water on shad. Bass numbers are also high with many small fish being caught but several big ones too. Crank baits and grubs are working on the bank fish and spoons are best for both brush fish and open water fish. There is a lot of bait fish out there and many schools of shad are holding no predator fish. Some fish are coming up at dark but mostly bass. There are a lot of shad in front of the houses on Mallard Point as usual but are holding only small White Bass, small hybrids and very small stripers. Fishermen are working Bennetts Bayou hard for stripers but are lucky to get into one school a day and trolling a long ways. There were a lot of them there in November in the past. There were no stripers or hybrids stocked this year by Game And Fish due to Covid so what you see is what you get for several years. They do grow fast but cannot take low oxygen water that we have had due to long periods of high water with decaying vegetation. Hybrids can handle this better and I would like to see more of them stocked. Blackburns still has the best prices on Both cabins and boat rentals in the area and are open all year. Your first boat stall is still free here. We have no duplexes and all cabins are individual so you can social distance. You do not have to get close to anybody if you do not want to. Why pay more?
The lake level is 553.54 and is dropping slowly with very little generation. The surface temperature is 69 degrees and the lake is clearing after the turn and is at a very good level and in excellent condition for fishing. A cold front comes through about twice a week slowing the fishing a bit but in general the overall fishing is pretty good. Bass, Crappie, bluegill and walleye are the best bite now with a few catfish coming in. Spoons, jigs, grubs and worms are the best bait. Crankbaits are working sometimes mainly when it is windy and we have been having our share of that. Bait fish are moving back into the creeks in the evening shallow but not many fish are with them. Open water temperate bass fishing is slow and trollers are having a hard time finding stripers of any size. Some are being caught north of Red Bank but are small (in the 5-8-lb. range). Very few large ones are being caught. White Bass numbers are low and most hybrids are also small. It will take a while to rebound with very few stripers and no hybrids stocked this year. I am fishing brush piles and 25-ft. seems to be the best depth. Over 30-ft. is producing almost nothing for me. Some walleye are in front of brush shallow (14-ft.) in the evening and are hitting spoons. Bass fishermen are having good luck working the banks early and late with pretty good numbers but not great size. A few big ones are being caught though. Most fish are hanging in or around brush. Kentucky Bass are biting very well all day as are big bluegill. Good time for panfishing with crappie numbers good with several in the 13-inch range coming in but most are about 11-inches. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free.
The lake level is 564.48 and is exactly what it was at this time yesterday with very little generation. We received about 1/2 inch of rain yesterday and it really helped green things up after very little moisture for the entire month of August. The corps of engineers are now predicting the lake will be at about 555 by October 24th. Blackburns group put in some shallower brush piles last winter anticipating having high water again this summer due to lake managemenet and they are paying off now with crappie, bass, bluegill and walleye being the best bite. There has been a fish kill down by the dam recently and most fishermen have moved away from that area. It usually occurs a little later after Labor Day and is caused by the high water washing Biological Oxygen Demand into the lake and using up all of the oxygen as it decays. The surface water temperature was 83 degrees and the lake was stained green when I went fishing yesterday afternoon. I went to one of the above mentioned brush piles in 27 feet of water which is just above the thermocline about 3:30 PM and the fish started biting immediately. A 1/2 ounce Binks Many Shad was the lure of the day. I caugh three keeper walleye and a couple of throw backs, three keeper crappie and three very nice bass in the 3-4 pound range in less than an hour. My trolling motor died and I came in. Bad battery. Drop the spoon directly in the brush near the bottom and snap it up about 3-4 feet and let it drop on slack line. If you feel resistence do not set your hook. The brush almost feels like a fish and you will set the hook right into the brush and make it difficult to get loose. Most of the fish will hit on the drop or after you pull the lure off the brush. Walleye, bass and crappie are all in the same place. 25-27 feet of water near the bottom on or near structure. The water is stained green and you can only see your lure down a couple of feet. Everytime I think it is clearing a bit it stains again. It usually gets more clear after the boat traffic goes away and the lake cools a bit after Labor day but is is good for fishing now. Just work main lake points where there is brush at about 27 feet. You have to get down there to them. Bluegill are shallower just outside the buckbrush and a Bobby Garland Baby Shad is working pretty good. Blackburns Winter Rates for cabins goes into effect on September 7th and you can get a cabin for $59/day with a free normal sized boat stall. You cannot beat that anywhere. We know where the fish are and will help you. Binks did catch some White Bass yesterday along with Walleye and that is the first that I have heard of anybody catching very many. That is good news as they were almost gone from last year's fish kill. The lake has a good fish population for most everything except big stripers. Too many small ones in the 7-10 lb. range have been caught before they can grow and the low ozygen affects the biggest ones the worst. Also very few fingerlings were stocked this year affecting the future. Walleye fishing has picked up the slack with the best bite for them that I have seen in years. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much.
The lake level is 579.02 and dropping very slowly with both generators running continuously. The surface temperature is 78-degrees and the water is clear. There is some debris out there though. Basically the fish are on the old shoreline in the cover part way back in the creeks. The old shoreline is 25+ feet. They are feeding on crawdads, shad and other bait fish. Most everything has spawned now except some bass and catfish. Baitfish are everywhere. Catfish are biting on jugs and limb lines and bluegill are biting on crickets off docks. Otherwise use a 3-inch swim bait, topwater bait or jigging spoon when they go back down and when they go to deeper water after feeding. Get out early, take the middle of day off and go out about 5:PM and fish until sunset. Crappie just got scarce for me. There is a top water bite most days early but not every day. Overall fishing is fair but some nice ones are being caught everyday. Things have not changed much the last three weeks and Blackburns still has the best prices on cabins and rental boats and your first boat stall is free. All cabins have covered porches.
The lake level is 570.16 and rising just a bit with 1.3 inches of rain last night. The surface temperature is 65 degrees and has not moved much with the cool weather. This is to continue for several days. It is slow warming this year. The creeks are stained just a bit and the main lake is clear. There is some pollen in the water. Crappie should have finished spawning by now but are mixed up. Even some very large ones have not spawned yet. Some are finished, some are in progress and some are still staging. Just yesterday most of the fish caught were males in 18-19 feet of water indicating the fry have left the nest and the males are post spawn feeding. I am casting a Bobby Garland blue Ice jig or a 2-inch white twister tail tipped with a minnow over the partially submerged wood and letting it sink about 10-12 feet on a 1/16th ounce jig head.They are hitting it agressively when the conditions are right. Go back in the creeks and fish the old shoreline. Bass are there too as are about everything else. The walleye are a little deeper near the bottom. They have not moved to the flats yet and are roaming with the bait fish. There are a lot of bait fish out there but not as many as there will be with the bass spawn also being slow this year. A few are starting the make a nest now though. A few stripers and hybrids are also on the old shoreline. The white bass are scarce and the ones that are there are small. Work it with a swim bait and it is hard to tell what you will catch. The smallmouth bite was as good as I have seen it in years for about a month but has slowed some now. Same with flatheads. It is time for blues and channels now. Throw lines are still catching some mixed cats baited with perch. There is a top water bite early some days but not every day. Go to their normal places and watch for them but if they do not come up you can still call them up with a spook if you can work it properly. They will not be very deep. After that switch to a swim bait.Sunny days are the best for top water. Go back in the creeks, work the old shoreline with a swim bait, creature bait or three inch worm. Go out a little deeper for walleye and crappie in barely exposed wood or exposed big logs. You will be surprised what you get. The first sunny day after a cold front do not expect much but it gets better after that. It is good to just be out there. Some good fish are being caught every day. 17-20 feet is best overall. Do not use heavy jig heads. Let lures sink slowly and count down until you know what is going on. Blackburns still has cabins for $59/day with a free stall for your boat and you can still launch here so far. We have the best set up around.
The lake level is 569.97 and is dropping about 3-inches a day with one generator running continuously and four spillway gates open one foot. It has dropped about 2-feet from it's high several days ago. The surface temperature has dropped again and is now about 62-63 and will drop again with the cold weather moving in now. The lake is clearing nicely and is a perfect color in Blackburns area for fishing. Most of the fish are on the old shoreline in cover. The shad have spawned and are flitting around everwhere. Top water bite is in full swing so get out there early with your clear spook and spitin image. If none are surfacing, use a 3-inch green plastic worm on a 5/16th ounce jig head. I am using a Bobby Garland blue ice jig for crappie. Some crappie have spawned, some are spawning and some are still on the beds. I have seen no fry yet. Carp are spawning the the very backs of the creeks. Catfish are biting on limb lines baited with perch near the surface in the brush. I have not found any bass that have spawned but they are close. Smallmouth bass bite is really picking up. We are catching good fish everyday. The lake in general is in very good condition for fishing.
The lake level is 569.85 and still rising a little with little generation. Most of the rain has gone north of us but is still in the Norfork lake watershed. We are mostly just holding Missouri water. It was very warm earlier this week with highs near 90 but has cooled to the 60's which is more seasonal. The lake was brown from Missouri to just south of Robinson Island but is settling out nicely now. Float Creek, Fall Creek and Panther Creek water all remained a good color for fishing.The surface temperature is still in the mid to high 50's on the main lake and gets much warmer on sunny warm days in the backs of creeks in shallow water. Most of the fish including bait fish are near the old shore line just above and around the buckbrush. Trollers are not catching much. Male crappie are moving up in the creeks and the females are still pre-spawn feeding but are scattered and roaming. The females are full of eggs with bloodlines and are wanting to spawn bad. Use a jerk bait early and switch to a 3-inch worm and a spinner bait a little after sunrise for about everything. There is a top-water bite for bass some days now so keep a lure ready. I am using a spook puppy and a spitin image. The threadfin shad spawn will start when the main lake hits about 60 and the top-water bite will go into full swing then. Panther Creek is a good place to start looking for this just at sunrise. I have seen that whole creek explode in April in the early AM. Crappie fishing is a little tough right now but bass fishing is good. It is about time for catfish to start coming into the creeks as soon as the small bluegill move in under the docks. Bass is the best bite now with about 1/4th of them being legal size. Please release as many fish as possible this spring during spawn season. I do not bed fish. Come on down to Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental where we do not charge you too much and your first boat stall is free. Check prices and watch for price increases in the spring and then call us. Our summer rates do not start until Memorial day and we do not raise ours until then and have only two tier pricing.
The lake level is 558.26 and was dropping about 2-1/2-3 inches a day with continuous generation until last night when we received some rain north of us. The surface temperature is 49.5 and rising with warm weather on the horizon. Fishing has finally picked up a bit after several weeks of being fair to poor. Open water fish are hitting the spoon in 50-70 ft. of water with some suspended and some on the bottom. Some are trolling swim baits with a little success. Just a few big stripers are being caught and the white bass are small. Hybrid fishing is about normal but the numbers of big stripers (20-30 lbs.) are way down. A big striper is now 12-15 lbs. The fish seem to be shallower early and then move out to deeper water. You have to look hard to find feeding fish. Crappie are biting but you have to wait for several hours with nothing and then they bite for about 5-minutes. They are very healthy and have blood lines in their eggs. Bass fishing on the bank was slow with mostly small fish being caught until just recently when the larger ones started showiing up. I caught a 4 pounder and a 5-pounder yesterday evening on the grub in 14-15 feet of water on the bottom. Walleye have ghosted me for a month. Bluegill fishing is slow as is all brushpile fishing. There is a lot of bait fish out there and many schools with no feeding fish on them. Game fish are having no trouble finding food. Fish are very fat overall. If I could choose a permanent lake level it would be where we are right now. The lake is stained green and you can see your lure down about 4-feet. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much. Compare prices. Why pay more?
The lake level is 553.68 and is dropping slowly with both generators running about 1/2 the time. The lake surface temperature is 49 degrees and the lake is stained. You can see your lure down about 3-feet. The lake in general is in excellent condition and the fishing is pretty good. Bass, crappie and bluegill are biting the best now and the jigging spoon is the best lure. I am catching some big fish everyday. Trollers are catching a few stripers and hybrids but not many. It is either feast ot famine with a lot of schools of shad not holding fish. When you find a school of shad feeding, fishing can be fast. I am fishing brush piles in 25-30 feet of water. Crappie and big bluegill are over the brush and the bass are in or just around it near the bottom. I am getting a lot of bites on the drop. White Bass and big walleye are scarce but some smaller ones are being caught of each. Bass fishermen pounding the bank are having mixed results but are catching several smaller fish with just a few keepers. Brush permits are being issued by the Corps of Engineers at 9:AM January 14th at their office. This is a good way to help fishing and the habitat. Blackburns resort and Boat rental is open all year and have the best prices. Your first boat stall is free. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. Check out Scuba Steve's Blog for a daily report.
The lake level is rising and has now hit 560. They just opened all of the spillway gates. We will see what happens now. Be carefull out there on the river. The fishing overall is pretty good with crappie and catfish being the best. Bass have slowed a bit but some good ones being caught with a lot of smaller ones. Crappie are both on shallow brush next to the bank, if you can find any, and on brush piles about 10-feet down. Spoons are best for about everything but catfish are biting best on jugs with shiners but some of them are biting on spoons too. There are big schools of open water fish on shad out there about 25-ft. down but it is hard to get them to feed. A lot of smaller fish are being caught of all speces. The surface water temperature is about 57 degrees and the lake is stained a bit. You can see your lure down about 4-feet which is just right for fishing. We are catching fish everyday. Come on down to Blackburns Resort and Boat rental and we will not charge you too much. We are open all year. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on scuba Steve's blog for a daily report.
The lake level is 555.39 and has risen just a bit in the last 24-hours with very little generation. The lake in general is in excellent condition for both fishing and boating. You can drive or walk to the dock and step right on. The surface temperature is 66 degrees and is dropping slowly. The best bite right now is bass and bluegill and crappie and walleye are next. A few White Bass are finally showing up. Some fish are near the bank in front of the buckbrush, some are on brush in 20-35 ft of water and others are suspended in 50-ft. of water on shad at various depths. Big schools of large bluegill are showing up on shad in deep water for some reason. i have not seen any White Bass all summer but a few are being caught now in open water in front of Mallard Point flats along with a few hybrids and smaller stripers. Some big crappie are being caught but most are about 11-inches long. Walleye are on main lake points on brush in 20-25 ft. of water near the bottom but only about 1/3 of them are keepers. They are biting best at and after sunset. I am seeing no signs of a night bite for stripers yet but the full moon is not until the12th. This does not always happen in the fall but always happens in the spring. A lot of the fall foliage has blown off and it was not the best this year. The roadways are the best. Fishing is getting better and better after the lake turnover and will continue to so so until the stripers disappear in mid December but the bass and crappie will still be good. Blackburns is open all year and has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals. Your first boat stall is free.
The lake level is 572.70 and has dropped 1.3 feet from it's high of 574. They have been generating continuously for several days. The surface temperature is about 87 degrees and the thermocline is at about 20-feet and the visibility is about 10-feet on a sunny day. There is still a top water bite for mostly bass early and then they move to the old shoreline about 16-20-ft. suspended about 5-6 feet and are biting plastic worms. The stripers and hybrids are in their normal places for this time of year but are not as deep as usual. They are now about 60-feet near the bottom and the best lure is a jigging spoon. I use a 1-ounce Bink's Many Shad. Big Bluegill are biting well on worms and crickets under docks and around sunken willows. Catfish are moving again part way back in the creeks and are biting live perch on jugs drop shotted with hooks set at different levels. I am finding a few walleye on main lake banks right at the thermocline. Not very many but the ones that I am getting are good ones in the 3-4 lb. range. Crappie are scarce and most of them are on shad on the main lake but a few are under docks especially after dark under lights. The lake in general is in good condition but there are still a few logs floating on the main lake. The creeks are most free from them. The people fishing the night tournaments are doing well for bass on salt craws. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much.
The lake level is 573.79 and is dropping very slowly with increased generation. The lake is pretty clear and you can see about 10-feet at the thermocline at 20-feet. Many fish are around that level in the buckbrush including walleye, bass, crappie, bluegill. Stripers have moved out deeper and are near the bottom in about 60-feet. There are many baitfish in the brush with bass fry about 1-inch long being very numerous and the spawned shad are also growing. Spoons are the best for the deeper water and shakey head plastic worms for the rest. There is still a topwater bite most mornings early for both bass and red meat fish. Some crappie, blugill and walleye are under docks but most of the dock walleye are small. Fishing is pretty good but you have to get out there early. Some bass are biting during the day on rattletraps on cloudy days. The surface temperature is about 80. Fishing overall is fair and the lake condition is good.
The lake level is 557.49 and the surface water temperature is 66 degrees and the lake is in excellent condition. The new news is that the early morning top-water bite for bass, hybrids, white bass and smaller stripers is going on in earnest now and should improve as we approach the full moon in May which is the 19th. Check out Panther Creek. Many fish are spawning with most of the larger crappie and bass spawned out and some smaller ones still staging and some guarding beds. Bass spawn continues throught most of the summer here. The big ones always spawn first and then either move to open water on shad or cover to feed on spawn. Bass in the 2-2-1/2 pound range and crappie in the 12-13 inch range are still pre-spawn feeding and walleye are finished spawning and moving in shallow. They will go to cover in the 16-18 ft. range on the bottom when the thermocline forms in May. Creature baits are good for bass and clear spooks on sunny days and bone colored on cloudy days are working for red meat fish and spitin image for bass on top water. They also work when the fish do not surface and you can lure them up from 10-ft. down or less. This is an exciting time to fish Norfork and Blackburns resort will not charge you too much. Things are changing now so stay tuned to Scuba Steve's Blog.
The lake level is stable at 554.50 and in general is in excellent condition for fishing with a good color and a surface temperature of 56+ degrees. Spring is here at Blackburns with flowers and trees blooming, the grass growing and the fish biting. The Two best bites now are the night bite for stripers, bass on grubs, small worms and grubs. Crappie fishing is slow with a few males starting to move into the creeks shallow. The walleye bite is also slow with just a few being caught in open water on shad with the temperate bass. Cold fronts are coming through every week slowing the fishing and then it picks up again as the high pressure hangs around for a while. When the night time lows stay in the high 50's and 60's and the surface temperature hits 60 degrees things will really break loose. Smallmouth bass have just started showing up and that is a good sign. There are a lot of fish in this lake and it is being managed very well. I am going to put in a trot line for catfish today. It is time. Blackburns resort and Boat Rental has the best price on both cabins and boat rentals and have made many improvements everywhere. You will like it when you get here and we continue to not charge you for your 1st boat stall.
The lake level is 552.67 and rising very slowly with no generation. They need to start dropping the lake for the winter. Surface temperature is 57 degrees and the lake is pretty clear and you can see your lure down about seven feet on the main lake. The creeks vary from clear to stained almost daily. Open water fishing has been good the last few days with white bass, hybrids and bass moving into the creeks in about 35-feet of water early. It has been foggy most days with the water being warmer than the air except when the cold fronts move through and that is weekly. Crappie, bass, catfish and bluegill are on 25-ft. brush and are coming up to about 10-feet to get the bait. Some very nice fish are being caught everyday. Blackburns has been very busy this fall with people taking advantage of the best prices on both boats and cabins and getting their first boat stall free. Trolling motors are also free on fishing pontoons. All cabins have covered porches and none are duplexes. Spoons, minnows and grubs are the best for crappie with spoons, drop-shot and finesses worms for bass. Spoons are also best for open water fish. A lot of white bass, bass and a few hybrids are hanging out together with an occassional striper and walleye on shad in 35-40 ft. of water suspended. Some bass are on the bank in the evening on steep river channel banks. Fishing overall is pretty good with the lake in excellent condition.
The lake level is 551.17 and rising very slowly with no generation. It is raining now.The surface temperature is about 72 degrees on the main lake and cooler in the shallower creeks. You can see your lure down about 6-7 feet on the main lake. The new news is that the lake is starting to turn over and the crappie and bass are moving to the brush piles. There are still a few walleye and stripers very deep but they are moving north out of the deep water. We will see if there is a night bite for stripers in November. This does not always happen but depends on the shad an plankton. If they move or are blown to the bank in the evening there will be. The crappie bite is the best now with the bass next. Spoons and slip floats with minnows are best for crapppie and plastic worms for bass. The fish are not in any special pattern and everything is changing as it always does in October. There are lots of shad and not all of them hold fish. The old saying " find the bait fish and you find the striper is not true. It should be " when you find schools of shad learn how to tell if there are fish on them" if you do not, you will waste a lot of time fishing dry holes. Look for shad with broken schools and not just blobs. Also look for lines and slashing fish. Many times the stripers are under the shad but not always. It just takes time and a good locator. It is also hard to stay on them after you catch one. I like to spoon them but others like to drag live bait with several poles out. If you do this long enough you will catch some. You can stay on them easier vertical jigging a spoon. Bluegill fishing with jigs and nightcrawlers is also good. Look for shad part way back in the wind blown creeks in 45-ft. of water and the fish are 30-ft. down suspended. All species are together. Brush piles in 25-30 feet inside main lake points are all holding fish. Mostly bass, crappie and bluegill. Go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on scuba Steve's blog for a daily report.
A lot has changed in the lst few days. First the lake is dropping rapidly and is at 562.84 and dropping about 3-1/2 inches a day with continous generation. Surface temperature is 86 degrees. There is a thermocline at 20-feet with a mud line (area of very cloudy water) just above with cold water below. There are a lot of Bass, bluegill and walleye in this area from 19-24 feet. Many undersized bass but some very nice walleye and also many bluegill. Fry of all speces are around cover at this depth attracting the big fish. There are many very small shad and bass that have recently hatched in this area. The creeks are not very clear with a visibility of about 7-feet down but the main lake is pretty clear down to the mud line and then pretty good again in the cold water below the thermocline. Some stripers have gone deeper in 55-60 feet and can be caught on the spoon. Crappie are under docks in the shade but are pretty slow biting. The ones I am catching are recently spawned out and still bloody and roughed up. Big ones. Walleye and bass are the best bite now with spoons for the walleye and soft plastics for the bass. Bluegill have spawned and have moved to cover. All of this typically happens now with no specific pattern but they will move deeper with the thermocline and stay on cover or near it with the bait fish. Some of Blackburns Brush piles are coming into play and will be just right soon. We need the level to get to 560 for the brush fishing to get good. There are a lot of fish out there. Get out early, take the middle of the day off and fish until sundown. You can still get a cabin at Blackburns for $75/day for two people and we have 11 pontoons for you to rent at low prices. Our big pool is open and ready for you to enjoy. Why pay more?
The lake level is 562.09 and is still rising with very little generation. It should be 553.75 and the top of the flood pool is 580. The main lake is clearing and the creeks are still very stained. Surface temperature is still in the high 50's and very slow rising. The best bite now is white bass and crappie. Crappie have moved to the bank in the backs of the creeks to spawn and the males have already made their nests. Jigs, grubs and minnows are all working well. Flathead catfish have moved part way into the creeks and are biting on jugs and trotlines with live bait. White bass are the easiest to catch now and are in 45-ft. of water 25-ft. down are are biting on spoons and anything with a spinner. Bass fishing is just fair with smallmouth being the best. Finesse worms and smaller creature baits are working. Walleye have moved into their spring places and are near the bank in 20-ft of water on the main lake on the drop-off. Spoons and soft plastics are the best. Fishing is picking up and this has just happened in the last few days. Carp are in the back of Blackburns Creek spawning. good for bow hunters. Top water bite will start when the shad have spawned and that should have happened April 15th. Everything is slower than normal, whatever that is, do to the cool weather and cold nights. We will probably just go straight to summer. People are taking advantage of Blackburns Resort's low cabin prices as well as the selection of 30-rental boats and we are very busy. You can get a 1-bedroom cabin for $53/ day and a free boat stall. All cabins have covered porches for rainy days and to get out of the sun and none are duplexes. No charge for trolling motors on any of our boats. Compare rates before you book. Why pay more?
The lake level is 559.54 and pretty steady if they keep running one generator. If they quit it rises again. They cannot seem to run both generators. We received 5-inches of rain in March and the average is 4. The normal high for today is 67 and we will not get anywhere near that. The surface temperature is still in the mid 50's and does not want to rise. It has been the same for weeks. The lake is trying to clear a bit but is still very stained green with just a couple of feet of visibility. The brown water is mostly gone but there is still some in the Bennetts area. The fish want to get active despite the cool water. Temperate bass are biting better and several are coming in. Trolling an umbrella is working the best with jigging spoons next. There is an after dark bite for stripers simulating a spawn in their normal places on a stick bait. Walleye can be caught before dark on shadowy banks on soft plastics. Some crappie are on brush in 25-ft. of water shallow and some are still in open water on shad. You can catch some good ones if you know where to go. Bass fishing is getting better and better and they are full of eggs as are the crappie. They just need a little heat to hit the beds. We need some warm nights in the 60's but are not getting any of those. Things should get a lot better as the top water bite begins in earnest. That is usually April 15th and gets better as the middle of May approaches. Fishing in general is pretty good but not great. I wish more big stripers in the 25+ range were showing up. People are keeping a lot of stripers in the 6-10 lb. range thinking they are big and they are not. Things are just a little slow coming around but will get there. I am catching some good fish everyday but it is not easy.
The lake level is 553.36 and rising with no generation. The White river at Newport has dropped to 17 feet and it could be 21-ft. with current rules. They need to drop Norfork, not because it is too high, but in order to have enough surge capacity to handle the spring rains. We are dry here again. It was very warm yesterday and approached 80 degrees and the main lake surface temperature is in the low 50's with the creeks being warmer. Normal ambient highs are 61. I am finally writing this report because the spring temperate bass fishing has begun. Stripers, hybrids and big white bass are all biting on the spoon in 15-30 foot of water on shad. The Bink's spoon is the preferred lure vertically jigging it. Fishing has gone from fair to good in just a few days. Some are trolling live bait also. Blackburns has some umbrella fishermen coming in tomorrow and we will see how they do. Bink reports catching all he wants now far back in the creeks in the warmer water. Some giant largemouth are with the red meat fish. The slug of brown water caused by the heavy rains a few weeks ago is settling out and the lake is in excellent condition. The top water bite at sunrise and the night bite for stripers on the bank on a stick bait are right around the corner. We just need some warm nights. This is an exciting part of the year. It is good to get through early March and the rollercoaster weather. Early March fishing is the worst for me all year and I am glad it is over. Blackburns is opening more cabins everyday and have a one bedroom cabin for $53/day with a free boat stall. Best price around. The 4-bedroom is good for a large group and is only $130/day and has two baths.
The lake level is at 550.53 and is dropping a little over 1-inch/day with several hours of generation. The lake is trying to clear and the surface temperature is 52 back in the creeks and 54.8 in the deeper main lake. The lake is at a good level for this time of year and Blackburn's brush piles are at a good depth. There are cold fronts coming through about every day followed by high pressure and it is really affecting the fishing. The ambient high temperatures are varying from 60's one day and 40's the next. It is not susposed to freeze after tonight for the next week. It is very dry and there is a burn ban on here. We need rain very badly. Crappie, walleye and catfishing has dropped off considerable in the last week and open water fishermen are working hard to get temperate bass. One day they catch nothing and the next they find a school of feeding fish and get a bunch. You cannot count on it. They are finding open water fish on the North west side of Cranfield Island in a triangle around the Cranfield beach, Entrance to East Pigeon and the island. Some are also in Bennets around point 1-D near Walkers entrance and Talbot and in the back of float creek. They are catching mostly small stripers, hybrids and white bass. Do not count on what the fish usually do for this time of year because the flood really changed things up. The Norfork river discharge from the dam run brown for a couple of weeks last month and I have never seen that before except for maybe a day after a big rain. I am usually catching big crappie almost at will in December and was until recently. They are now scarce for me. Bass fishing is fair and some good ones in the 3-lb. range are being caught . One time they are next to the shore on the main lake and next they are in 25-ft. of water in the creeks on brush. I caught my limit of good ones on Tuesday and only one yesterday. Sometimes they bite grubs and the next spoons in deeper water and sometimes nothing. The wildlife is very hungry with no grass, acorns or other nuts available. I am feeding them and they are getting very brave to get something to eat. They too are usually scarce during and just after hunting season. I will work hard to try to find the walleye and crappie and let you know where as soon as I do as I am out there every day and have some very good fishermen reporting to me. Blackburns has cabins starting at $53/day with a free boat stall and all cabins are individual, have covered porches and we have no duplexes and lots of parking. if you have already winterized you boat we have rental boats available at a good price. We are open all year, are closest to town, dining and shopping and have bait. Blackburns guests Brett and Beau Govreau from St. Louis won the Toyota Bass Master team championship and received a boat, trolling motor, trailer and motor totaling $42,000. We like Bass masters. Their two day total was just over 26 lbs.
No white bass pictures here.
The lake level is 551.67 and dropping just a bit with a few hours a day running one generator. The surface temperature is 59 degrees. The lake is still stained for this time of year with visibility only a few feet down and this is changing daily for some reason. We are very dry and need rain badly. Crappie fishing has slowed but you can still catch some if you work the brush with a spoon or grub. A few are being caught on minnows but not many. I am catching several every day but have to work for them. Some are moving to the bank in the evening and are being caught bass fishing. Some good bass are on the banks in the evening and morning but many are still in open water on shad. There are many shad everywhere and most do not have fish under them. Some stripers and hybrids were schooled by points 1-c and 7 but this is old news. You have to move around a lot to find any red meat fish feeding and many are small. I am concerned about the numbers of large stripers with the summer kill. There are not nearly as many as usual. There are many small fish with hundreds of them and white bass about 8-inches long. They are changing the law to eliminate the 20-inch minimum for stripers in the summer. That is good and it should not have been implimented in the first place. All of the fish caught out of deep water die and venting does not work as some people proclaim. There were small stripers that were released floating around all summer. Culling also should not be allowed. Catch your three fish and quit. A few walleye are coming in but most are also small. The night bite has not happened this fall but if there is any it could happen with the full moon of December coming up the 3rd and the surface temperature still approaching 60. I should and usually do catch walleye this time of year but the nombers and size are low but an occasional big one is showing up. Not many were caught by fishermen and very few by scuba divers this summer so they should be there. If you use live bait, put out a half dozen rods, have a good locator, and troll through enough shad you will catch some fish. I am spooning brush for crappie and catching white bass and bass. My brush is at perfect depth now and the fish I am catching are mostly at the 25-ft. level. There are shad just outside brush in deeper water but I am not catching much off them. Bass fishing in the evening on the bank is getting better and the fish are getting bigger. The big fish are there. I bet the Bass Masters will catch them next week. They always do. There will be a lot of spinner baits and cranks baits bounced off the shore next week. The 1/8th and 1/4 ounce Bink's spoon is working for about everything down to about 30-feet and then I change to the 1/2 ounce. The blue one is my favorite. Try to keep your spoon staraight up and down. The weather is to remain warm for the next several days. Blackburns has several fishermen in now and they report the morning bite is the best. They are taking advantage of the low cabin rates and free boat stalls. Some places close for the winter but Blackburns is open all year. The lake is in excellent condition.
The lake level is 553 and dropping very slowly with just a little generation. We had a couple of cold windy days but the last few have been in the 60's with light winds. It rained a bit last night but it is to get in the 80's this weekend. We received just under 3-inches of rain in October. The surface temperature is 65 degrees and the creeks are starting to clear. The warm weather will slow the turnover but it has not affected fishing much. Lots of shad are in the creeks with the wind blowing in but most of the fish under them are small. They are coming up all over just before dark. I am fishing mostly main lake except when it is very windy and I move out of the wind to the creeks. A few things have just changed. Crappie are still on brush at 25 ft. about 8-ft. down on minnows and when spooning they are hitting on the way down. I started catching black bass on brush near the bottom yesterday and some nice smallmouth on the steep banks on the north side on a grub from 6-12 feet down around Cow Point. I have been fishing for about 3-hours everyday and am putting from 8-11 keeper fish of all kinds in the trophy pond. Many schools of shad have no fish around them so if you are looking for open water fish you have to keep moving. They are not jumping in the boat but you can catch some if you work at it. Those of us that have been here a while call the fall bite when the walleye start moving to the shadowy banks just before dark and can be caught on soft plastics and the red meat fish move to the banks near Cranfield Island and Near Quarry Marina after dark to feed. This usually happens, if at all, near the full moon in November but it is the 4th this year and is too early. Fall fishing is stick bait fishing but it also is not happening yet. The stripers are mostly 5-8 lbs. and small and it is better to leave them alone for now. Many walleye are short but about 1-in-4 are keepers. I am seeing large schools of shad on the mainlake just outside brush piles in 38-45 feet with a few smaller fish on them. Crappie and Bass fishing is the best now with big ones just starting to show up. Crappie are pretty much on all brush in the 25-ft. range with a lot of them being caught. The numbers will go down but the size will go up as the water cools. I am catching more large ones everyday. They will come up shallow as the water cools in the evening but now set your slip float at 7-8 feet right over the brush. This very warm weather coming up may change things but if you stay around brush you will catch fish. Spoons, grubs with minnows and slip floats with minnows are all I am using and when one does not work switch to another and keep moving. I am catching some good ones every day. Cabins are $53/day at Blackburns with a free boat stall.
The lake level is 554.45 and stable with no generation for over two days.The lake is stained with the creeks being more clear than the main lake which is starting to turn green. The weather has been beautiful with highs in the mid 70's and should continue for a few days. The surface temperature is 73-74 degrees. There are small stripers floating by my dock. Someone must be throwing them away after bringing them in. They will not stay alive in a well now. Release them immediatey. Crappie fishing is still ok and I am catching about 6-7 keepers in about two hours of fishing. About 1/2 are hitting on Bink's spoons and the rest on minnows. They are about 10-feet down over brush. Bass fishing is slow. I have several good bass fishermen in and they are working hard for keeper fish. White spinner baits, grubs, and crank baits are best. The top water bass are mostly small. The backs of creeks are full of shad about 2-1/2 inches long in the late evening. Spooning is the best technique now for walleye and crappie but some bass are caught on the shelves on wind blown steep banks beating the shore. They seem to hit about 10-12 feet deep around cover. I am usually spooning big bass this time of year but it is not happening now. Bluegill are everywhere and I have some giant ones under my dock. Bink reports catching walleye everyday but only about one in four are keepers. Some open water fish are showing up on the flats between Mallard point and Cranfield Island in 30-ft. of water. A lot of small ones. Yes you can get a good locator, get out about two hours before daylight and net shad, put out a half a dozen lines and troll. Sooner or later you will catch fish if you go through enough schools. Sorry but that is not for me. I prefer to catch them myself. Trolling unbrellas is more effective than that and requires a lot less equipment. I do not do either but a lot of people do. Bink reports the river is running brown for several weeks. What is up with that? It must have something to do with keeping the lake level so high for so long. The only time I have seen it is after a heavy rain. The lake is about to start turnover and may be already. I usually know exactly but have been unable to go diving for a while. It sometimes is quick but more often takes a while. That is why I put in brush for my friends and customers so they can have an advantage. Some nice flatheads are coming out of the brush on spoons also. November looks to be good. There are a lot of fish.
It is still very warm here with highs near 90 and and a surface water temperature of 80-degrees. Any changes in fishing is more due to dropping water level than any pattern. Most big fish this time of year are still in open water on shad but some are on brush at or near the thermocline which is at or just above 29-feet. If you can find brush at 30-feet on main lake points there will be walleye on them. I was catching them on flats but they have moved. I wish more people were helping to put in brush piles rather than fishing other people's. They hand out permits in January. Catfishing is fair on jugs and trotlines with live bait but it is hard to keep the small bass off them. I am starting to try prepared bait but flat heads will not bite anything that is not alive and that is what I really want. Crappie are in their normal places for the end of September and have not moved from the open water for the fall yet. The ones being caught are left overs from the summer and you can catch out a brush pile easily. I have been catching some every day but no big ones. I call big ones from 15-17 inches and typically catch them in the winter. There are a lot of shad and there is no reason for them to move from open water yet. The ones I have been catching during the middle of the day are 8-ft. down over brush at 28-feet and I am using both a 1/4 ounce Bink's spoon and a small crappie minnow with a slip float. My other favorite lure, 2-inch white twister tail turned the wrong way on a 1/16th ounce white with red eye jig head and tipped by hooking a small crappie minnow through the top of the head is not working well yet. I cannot keep the small bass off them. Bait fish are everywhere. Smallmouth bass are numerous with some big ones being caught but a lot of small ones. Same with Kentucky and Largemouth. I caught some white bass in Blackburns Creek but they were small also. You have to get below the small bass which are very shallow to get the crappie. This looks to be a typical year now with the water level finally going down and the surface temperature about normal. I am very sorry about the striper kill down by the dam but the ones in this area are looking healthy but a little thin. I do not fish for red meat fish much anyway but a lot of people do and to each their own. Leaves more crappie, walleye and catfish for me and the trophy pond. Lake is stained and you can see your lure to about 5-feet down on main lake. Set your slip float for crappie about 3-feet deeper than you can see the minnow. We received a little over 1/2 inch of rain this week and it helped but we are very dry. Blackburns has it's parking lot by the dock back now and you can walk or drive to it and step right on and cabins are still $53/day with a free boat stall. All cabins have a covered porch and there are no duplexes. Big pool is open and boating conditions are perfect.
Things have been the same for a while. The surface temperature is 80 degrees and the lake is dropping slowly and is at 574.85 They have the level at Newport, which is their most important thing for some reason, down to 16-feet and they might start letting some water out when it hits 14. We have had no rain and it is getting dry here. They have been dropping the lake about 1-inch per day with generation less than 1/2 the time. Almost all of the fish are in the buckbrush and trees and under debris including the shad and other minnows. The thermocline is forming and will be at less than 20-feet and the fish will be just above that. As the thermocline goes deeper the fish will follow it as long as there is dissolved oxygen. Just about every bait is working for something, just look for the shad being pushed up to the top. This is happening all day. Fishing is not great but you can catch some good ones working where you can get your lure or bait close to the shore. Points part way back in the creeks are a good place to start. Limb lines are not working very well but trot lines baited with prepared bait are working across the backs of creeks for smaller channel cat weighted to the bottom. I keep trying live bait but the flatheads have eluded me so far this year. Dragging night crawlers around the islands are getting walleye. Bass are everywhere. The debri on the main lake is almost gone and the main lake is clearing faster than the creeks. We need the lake to drop about 5-feet for launching and parking to be less congested with the increased summer boat traffic. They could do this if they wanted to. Norfork Lake in general is in good condition. Blackburns is very busy with people taking advantage of our low prices on both cabins and boat rentals and free boat stalls. Pontoon rental with trolling motors is very busy this season. Norfork lake is the best option for lakes in the area for boating.
The lake level is 551.4+ and the surface temperature is in the mid to high 60's and the lake is pretty clear except for the pollen. It is to rain for the next couple of days and we seem to get some just when we need it. It is to get very cool this weekend so bring jackets. It is not too wet or dry. We are at a good level on the lake and it is in general in excellent shape. The best bite for now is the top water bite early in the morning but they can come up any time when the shad get pushed up to the surface. Get out there about 6:AM and fish until they go down which is about 9:30 AM part way back in the creeks. East pigeon and middle pigeon are good places to start. If the weather is clear and sunny use a clear spook. It sparkes in the light and resembles a shad in the sunlight. If it is cloudy a white spook and a 5-inch bass assassin will work just fine. Use a spittin image for bass. Learn how to use the spook properly and it will draw them up even when they are several feet below the surface. I like the spook puppy because it is more the size of the shad but the larger ones can be cast further. They always seem to come up just out of reach. Some big bass are with the red meat fish, some are on the bank spawning, some are making nests and some are finished. Bass on Norfork spawn up into the summer. That is not the only bite. Smallmouth bass are on the river channel banks just off the bank as are warmouth. I am catching them from 2-4 lbs. quite regurlarly and in the middle of the day too. Many fish have moved under docks both on main lake and just off. Bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill are loaded there but are hard to catch. They are shallow and can see you. I looked for walleye on the flats around the Islands but could not catch any. It is usually a may thing but the water is too low to bring them in early this year. The best bite for them is evening just before dark on shadowy banks near brush on the 5-inch plastics. Some crappie have spawned and moved to brush but some are also still in the creeks on any wood. Bluegill fishing should get very good soon. Blackburns still has 1-bedroom cabins for $53/day for two people with a free boat stall with your cabin and free 24-volt trolling motors for your fishing pontoons which we have several for rent. Check prices before you book and save a lot of $ here at Blackburns where we do not charge you too much.
We received a little over an inch of rain last night and it is misting a bit now. The water level is at 549.43 and is at a good level. It has come up about 4-1/2 feet from the low earlier. The main lake surface temperature bumps 60 when the sun comes out but it is just in the 50's for ambient temperature today so it will not rise today. We need some low temperaures to stay in the 60's for fishing to really take off. Spring fishing begins when open water fish start to come up in the morning and they are doing that. The places that are first to have a good topwater bite are fall and panther creeks and they are coming up there now most days. It will get better and better as we get deeper in April and start tapering off the end of May. Bink reports catching fish morning, noon and night with some walleye still full of eggs. When the top water fish go down try casting a spoon where they were last seen and hopping it back to the boat allowing it to go about 20-feet down. A lot of small fish are being caught but a few good ones. They are not jumping in the boat but you can get some big ones if you are persistant. Top water fishing is the best and trolling umbrellas when they go down is next. Using bass assassins in the evening on shadowy banks are producing some walleye and bass. For some reason flukes work better than assassins on this lake for bass. The only difference is the split tail. Use a weighted nose hook and keep that head dropping as much as possible. The rising water has washed some dirt from the shore and pollen are combining to stain the lake. I saw some very large turkey and found several mushrooms yesterday and the purple martins are back. Those are all indications of good fishing to come. Blackburns resort and Boat Rental is full now but have a few openings next week. People are taking advantage of our low cabin and boat rental rates. If you are staying at a place where you are nearly the only customer you are paying too much. Come on down. We will not charge you too much and there will be plenty of people here to help you with fishing tips. All cabins have covered porches and we have no duplexes. Your first boat stall is free with cabin rental. 1-800-635-0526
Norfork lake giant crappie.
Brian Deardoff with 2 of 20 caught yesterday
Caught last night.
Tom Kelly with some good ones.
Fishing had slowed dramatically after the cold weather and snow but is picking up now. Surface water temperature is 56 degrees on the main lake and 58 back in the creeks in shallow water. We have had big variations in ambient temperatures and the water has been slow to warm up. We need some nights to have low temperatures near 60 to really get things going. Our normal high is 62. The lake level continues to drop slowly with generation occurring for several hours a day and it is now at 545.27 and it is clearing a bit but is a good color for fishing. There is a lot of pollen in the water on wind blown banks. It is brown indicating juniper which comes out early. Bink reports catching good fish on the bank in the evening and after dark. Walleye before dark on stick baits and soft plastics and stripers and hybrids after dark. Walleye are showing up more and more everyday. Crappie fishing was fair and then the water cooled and they came back to the brush and it got good again. Now very few brush piles are holding fish where they were thick on them last week. It is their transition period between the males moving shallow in the creeks to make a nest and the big females in open water on shad. Many shallow brush piles in the Pigeon Creek area are exposed with the lower than normal water level. Be carefull when going around Robinson Island and Cranfield Island and do not try to cut through. There are a few bass coming up at sunrise but not too many. A few are also surfacing back in the creeks in the evening but are small. The big ones are being caught on south facing main lake channels with steep banks on grubs and crank baits. Some stripers are on the banks at night but most are in open water and hard to find and if you do hard to find feeding. Top water fish are on their way and one of the first places to find them is Panther Creek. Blackburns has many good brush piles but few are holding fish now. They will after the spawn. What we do not need now is a fast change in water level to hurt the spawn. Keep it right where it is for now. When the main lake hits 60 degrees things will really break open. Right now you have to work for the fish but you can catch them if you are persistent. Get back to the basics and use only clear light line and take off all of the hardware. Smallmouth bass fishing is getting good. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental has one bedroom cabins for $53/day and your first boat stall is free. 1-800-635-0526
The lake level has been dropping and is below 548. Surface termperature is 48 degrees. I do not know why they are lowering it so much but it does not bother me much. It just gives us more capacity for the spring rains and lets us fish in a smaller bowl. The main lake is stained but clearing a bit and the creeks are stained just right for fishing. For you smallmouth bass fishermen this is the time. i am catching 4-lbers everyday along with giant crappie up to over 17 inches and thick across the back. I like winter fishing. Usually I am nearly the only one out there but the lake was very busy with the nearly 70 degrees yesterday. The smallmouth were off the steep river channel banks in 16-18 feet of water on a grub tipped with a minnow, the crappie were on brush with a minnow on a slip float and the black bass were on brush on main lake points on a 1/2 ounce bink's jigging spoon. Caugh fish steadily all evening until dark. For you open water fishermen there are a lot of shad 50-feet down no matter the water depth at the mouths of the major creeks on the main lake channel. We had some good striper fishermen in yesterday and they had a little trouble getting very many fish. They fish umbrellas and almost always catch fish. I am not much on trolling a half dozen rods with live bait on them until I run out of gas. I am poor and it is hard on motors and I always get tangled up when I catch a fish or get two on at a time when going through a school. The fish population is good on Norfork Lake and they are healthy. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental has the best prices on both cabins and boats and is open all year. A free boat stall comes with your cabin.and you can launch right here and do not have to go elsewhere to do so. We have it all and at the best price. If you are staying somewhere where you are nearly the only customer you are paying too much. Pet friendly. 1-800-635-0526
Iowa Boys can catch fish too.
Scuba Steve
Gus Carlson With Some Good ones.
Caught Yesterday. Steve deardoff
Things are changing here on Norfork Lake. The surface temperature is in the low 60's and the level is 552.8 and rising slowly. The creeks are stained and the visibility is about 5-6 feet down on the main lake. There are a lot of shad and finding them does not necessarily mean fish are under them. Quite a few white bass and a few hybrids are on the flats in front of the houses on Mallard point on the way to Cranfield island. Some good stripers are west of the bridge and east of Cow point in about 50-feet of water. The fish seem to like to suspend down about 40-feet no matter the depth. Spooning and trolling umbrellas are both working. The crappie have moved to the shallower brush in 22-25 feet on the main lake near Blackburns Creek and in the area around Briar Creek and the brush near the launch near Red Bank. The ones that are not on shad have moved off the deep brush so find several brush piles at 20-25 feet deep and work them. You have to stay right on the brush to get the fish and they bite for just a few minutes and then quit for about 2-hours. The stick bait bite after dark has been a dud but keep checking the walleye rearing pond area for fish anyway. The biggest change is the bass. I am catching several shallower in the creeks on brush in 20-25 feet of water on the spoon. Good ones too. I am not having much luck pounding the bank on the main lake yet. I love winter bass fishing and it looks like it is starting despite the water temperature. The fact that they are showing up on the points on brush in the creeks is good news for me. i do not chase the open water fish in the winter much but a lot of people do. I like those big fat Kentucky Bass and 15-17 inch crappie and throw in a Walleye or two. They are in the brush with the crappie but on the bottom next to the brush. My poles are rigged with small grubs, slip floats and 1/4 and 1/2 ounce Bink's Spoons. I like the white and red ones this time of year. It is good to just be outside and if you have already winterized your boat, come on down we have one for you. There is no closed season and you can not walk on our water or drill holes in it. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental has the best prices on Both cabins and boat rental and do not charge you for boat stalls and are open all year. 1-800-635-0526
Caught By Joe Cebula
Gavin
Caught Today
A lot has changed. First the thermocline is gone. It was at 38 feet for a long time and the oxygen level was poor at below 32-feet but not now. A lot of fish that were staying in 30-feet of water are schooled, roaming and scattered. Big fish are anywhere from shallow to 48-feet. Deep brush in 40-feet or more are holding big walleye and black bass. Many crappie have moved in from open water and are schooled on brush at 30-feet. The surface temperature is 75 degrees and the visibility is pretty good on main lake and clearing in the creeks. Some open water fish are showing up suspended a bit in 60-feet of water. Catfish are also on brush at varied depths. This is a good time to catch some good bass and many are holding crawdads. I got a nice striper on a main lake point in 30-feet of water on brush. The lake level is 553.25 and dropping slowly with one generator partially running for several times a day. Many bait fish, mostly bass and bluegill have moved to cover at all depths. This is a good time of year to catch about anything and will continually get better for several weeks. People are getting stripers up-river near the border on shad and hybrids and white bass are moving into Blackburns Creeks area on spoons. I like this time of year for both pole fishing and diving. Good weather, good fishing and low prices. $53/day for a one bedroom. Why pay more? Most boat stalls free. 1-800-635-0526. Fall foliage peak is coming the last of the month and we received 1-1/2 inches of rain this week to help everything out. We were dry. Peep leaves, fish and dive all in the same day.
The recent heavy rains have really muddied up the creeks and filled them up with debris from Cranfield to past the Robinson Point areas. The debris is moving with the wind. The middle of August also brings early morning fog so this combination is bad for props so watch out. The lake is very stable at 553.12 and they are running one generator just enough to keep it that way. The rain has muddied up the water on main lake points as well as the creeks and the visibility, which was good to 25 feet is gone. Bink reports that the rain had little effect except the level rose a few inches in the dam area. It is still clear and there is no debris. What a difference a few miles can make. He is catching walleye at the mouths and part way back in the creeks in 32-34 feet of water on the spoon. He is concerned about the stripers. They are schooled in 150 feet of water 35-40 feet down in the middle of the lake and there is no oxygen deeper than 45 feet. They want to go deeper but cannot. He says if it does not cool down there could be another fish kill. It is susposed to cool this weekend. I hope so we do not want to lose our big striper. People are catching them by trolling umbrellas. Smallmouth and Kentucky bass are off steep banks on the ledge at 25-28 feet and are schooled. Catfish are with the walleye near the bottom. Bluegill are on brush and crappie are scarce. The lake It is at a good level. The surface temperature is 89. Different tactics for different parts of the lake.
Darrel and Rum
Scuba Steve
Dave Carnefix
The lake level is very stable now with one generator running just enough to keep it at just below 553. The thermocline has dropped to about 27 feet with pretty clear water to there and a mud line from there to about 31feet. Striper are scattered and roaming and feed early and then move to deeper water. I am not seeing very many brought in but some. Walleye is the best bite and they are in 32-35 feer of water near the bottom on the end of main lake points. Some big crappie are with them on brush but the schools have not moved in yet. There are not very many fish on the brush but several fish above it in warm water especially smallmouth bass but they are mostly small. There are some big bluegill on the brush. Spooning is the best but good fishermen trolling deep diving crankbaits in 30-35 feet of water across points are catching good fish of about all species. I am surprised at the low number of fish on brush that is not on main lake points. Night fishermen are catching some good bass on blacklights. It has been and is susposed to remain very hot for several days and the middle of the day fishing is poor. Get out at first light, fish until about 10:AM, take the middle of the day off and go out again about 6PM. I like glow in the dark saltcraws for after dark bass fishing. Scuba diving is getting better as far as visibility is concerned but fish always get a little scarce this time of year until the crappie move in. They are getting several catfish but I do not hunt them very much preferring walleye and crappie.
Nice Fish Ben Harkin.
The lake is still rising slowly with little generation. It is now over 557. Both the main lake and creeks are stained. There is a thermocline at 20-feet with cold water under. Crappie are fairly scarce but you can catch some if you know where. You have to cull several to get a keeper. Walleye are on main lake points in 23-30 ft. of water near the bottom with smaller ones suspended in 50-ft. about 30-ft. down. Spoons and dragging night crawlers are the best. Striper have moved deeper and to the main lake and are also suspended in about 50-ft. of water. The surface temperature is 85 degrees and rising. Out normal ambient high is 85 and we have been in the 90's with lows near 70. Night fishing with blacklights and salt craws are producing some nice bass. The only top water left is bass and they are mostly small. I got some nice walleye and white bass diving yesterday and the big ones were all below the thermocline. Bink is on the big striper and catching them everyday but they have moved from the creeks. Blackburns resort and Boat Rental has some openings for this week and would appreciate your business. Call 1-800-635-0526 if you do not want to pay too much. We have mostly free boat stalls and do not charge for trolling motors on pontoons.
The lake level is stable at 553.8 with one generator running continuously. The surface temperature is 74 and is not changing much. The main lake is cloudy and the creeks are stained. There is no thermocline yet and there is no reason for the fish to be at any particular depth. The visibility is about 4-feet down to near 30 feet. Fish are coming up both mornings about 6:AM and evenings at 6:pm and other times in between on cloudy days. Spooning is best when the fish go down. I am catching walleye on brush at about 20-feet on main lake points and some big bluegill but few large crappie. Several smaller ones are being caught in Pigeon and Redbank. Black bass are both on the brush and in open water on shad. Small bluegill and warmouth are holding the big fish on the brush. Shad are everywhere and can come up anytime. Look first on banks where the wind is blowing into. Learning to catch fish after they go down is the secret. Otherwise it makes for a short day of catching. I had a report of walleye being in 10-feet of water on points but have not personally found these. Fish are coming up around Cranfield Island and Point 5. When the thermocline finally forms the fish will be right above it or just below it. There will be a lot of fish at about 16-20 feet soon.
We received 3.3 inches of rain last evening and night and the creeks run heavily for a while. The backs of the creeks are muddy but not too bad. We were dry and a lot sunk in. The level raised from 553.26 to 554.15 and is still going up as they quit generating this morning. The surface temperature was 69 degrees last night when I came in. The top water fish are the best bite now with the best time to get them is just before sunrise. They are all over the lake depending on which way the wind has been prevailing. The shad follow the plankton and the open water fish follow the shad. Start looking on the bank where the wind has been blowing into. Depth does not matter much as the shad are being crowded to the top. Bink and I have been catching walleye on spoons in 16-26 feet of water on brush near the bottom. They are where they always are in May before the thermocline is formed and will be right at the thermocline later. Crappie fishing is not the best yet with a lot of small fish being caught before a good one. Larger bass have mostly spawned and are in their post-spawn period with the females getting healed up. Some good ones are on the banks with more in open water on shad. Bass top water on the banks is getting better every day. Smallmouth have slowed a bit. Bluegill are biting well and catfish has slowed a bit also with flatheads slowing and channels picking up. White bass are easily caught on top most every morning with Hybrids next and then stripers. Blackburns resort and Boat Rental has the best prices on both cabins and boats and we do not charge for most boat stalls. We have bass boats and fishing pontoons. 1-800-635-0526
Well the water has warmed up, the spawn is almost over and the spring top-water action has begun. Many fish have left their beds, crappie are moving to the brush piles and walleye are starting to go to mainlake points. Stripers, Hybrids, White Bass and Bass are coming up almost every morning and some evenings. This is the time to get your zara spooks for stripers and spitin image for bass and be out there before sunrise and again in the evening and walk that dog. Take the middle of the day off unless it is cloudy then fish a creature bait like a 3-inch plastic crawdad with a 3/16th jig head in the creeks. This has been slow coming but is finally here. Come on down. 1-800-635-0526.
James Soltysiac With Some Nice Fish
The lake level is 559+ and the surface temperature was 58.4 last evening. They need to do more to drop the lake. It is much too high for December. There has not been a fall bite where the open water fish move to the bank to feed after dark but they are still on the long flats suspended in 30-60 feet of water but feeding more heavily. The high water has allowed the shad to spawn several times this year and their population is back up. The fish do not have to move to the bank at night to feed but just stay on the shad and feed all the time. If you have a good locator and know where to start you can catch fish. They will feed heavily until the water temperature drops and they become more lethargic and move to the old river channel by the bridges and Bidwell where they will be more difficult to catch. Find the shad, note their depth, drop your spoon to the botton and reel it up two feet per turn for a baitcaster and one foot per turn for a spinning reel and snap your line up about six feet and allow to drop on slack line into the shad. Some times it is good to drop the spoon to the bottom and reel up fast through the shad. Bink and I usually catch the biggest fish of the year during the full moon in November on a stick bait but not this year. I am spooning brush in 28-32 feet of water and catching some good smallmouth, largemouth and crappie . That is what I am after. There have not been many changes except the open water fish on the flats that have been there for several weeks are feeding more heavily and the water is still rising. Walleye are getting a little more difficult to catch. Several crappie are being caught off the dock but only about 11 inches. The big ones are near the bank at dark on a grub but not very many. Not many big stripers are being brought in only in the 5-8 pound range but a lot of white bass and some hybrids in the 3-5 pound range.
The lake level is 556.44 and dropping 4-inches a day with heavy continuous generation. Wish they could have done this during the summer. All launch ramps, parking lots and roads are open again and in good shape again. The surface temperature is in the low 70's and the main lake is clear and the creeks are stained just right for fishing. The open water fish are following the shad which are following the plankton which follow the wind direction. One day the fish will be in the North Creeks and the wind shifts and they move to the south creeks. I like this level now and the brush which had been too deep is now in play. The most important tip now is to fish the stained water. I have been catching fish close to Blackburns in 30-feet of stained water with a 1/4 and 1/2 ounce Bink's Jigging spoon. I only use the heavier ones in deep water. Grub fishing was pretty good but has stopped now. Crappie are starting to bite on brush with a slip float and minnow but are also moving with the wind and bass are still hitting a single spin and crank baits in the creeks. I am not much on crank baits but they are catching smaller fish now. I am only fishing brush piles now. The white bass are biting in the creeks but are small. The big ones with hybrids mixed in are not here yet. It is too early for a night bite but that is determined by the lake turnover. Norfork lake does not turn over violently with debris coming to the surface off the bottom like shallow northern lakes. The thermocline just inverts and the clarity, water temperature and oxygen level is the same for several feet down causing the fish to scatter. After the surface water cools down with the short days the open water fish will school and come to the banks to feed at night and move further out during the days. This usuall happens during November. The other fish will also move shallower to cover and stay there. Spoons will be the bait of choice for a while during the day and stick baits at night. Until then I switch to a grub when the sun goes down. I have no luck with spoons after dark. This is a fun time of year and the lake is in excellent condition.
The lake level is 571.60 and dropping about one inch per day with just a few hours of generation. The surface temperature is in the high 80's and the visibility is about 7 or 8 feet off rocky banks. The thermocline starts at 23 feet with cold water at 30 feet. I am finding walleye at the end of mainlake points just at the drop offs at 35 feet. Some bass are with them and the crappie are starting to move in. If you know where there is brush at less than 40-feet crappie will be there. Billie Springer and his crew just left and did well on walleye, stripers and hybrids. They troll umbrellas and are good at it. Most people are using jigging spoons. Look for shad near old river channels part way back in the creeks. Bass are coming up most mornings early. Nothing has changed for several weeks.
