Norfork Lake Fishing Report. from 101Grocery and Bait

06/30/08 Well, we finally got that rain, they said we had a 40% chance and hey what do ya know, we got over 2 inches. The water is nice, come on in. The fishing is still good with the water temps. in the mid 80's and water visibility is from 5'- 20' depending on what area of the lake you are in. Blue Gill fishing is good using worms and crickets fished from 15-25 feet deep in most any cove. Striper fishing is good using down lines with 2-3 oz weight fishing around 40' deep around main lake points from the mid lake area towards the dam. The best fishing time has been early mornings from 5am- 7am and there has been some decent top water action at that time. White Bass fishing is fair. Large Mouth and Small Mouth Bass fishing is fair. Walleye fishing has slowed down. Crappie hunting is , well it is what it is, Slow.. a few are still being caught fishing with lights at night. Catfishing is good using live bait on limb lines. Some are being caught with rod and reel also. Over all fishing is good, has been all year even with the water up a bit LOL . Just a thought for ya, the fish are still in their normal areas, the bass are hanging around the bluffs, the blue gill on their brush piles, the walleye around the bluff ledges and points, you just need to fish a little deeper, they dont know the water is up a bit.            Have Fun Go Fishin.  

 06/23/08 The heat is here 90's and sun shine. Fishing is good. Blue Gill fishing has been great using redworms, nightcrawlers and crickets have been working well in most any cove with brush pile fishing 15-25 ft deep. Walleye fishing has been fair. Striper fishing is good early mornings fishing around 40ft deep. Bass fishing is fair. Cat fishing is fair. White Bass fishing is fair. Crappie fishing is slow thats all there is to it, some crappies are being caught under lights at night. Hay here is a TIP...With the warm weather you need to keep them minnows cool out there on the lake. The best way to do that is freeze some 20oz soda bottles with water and drop one in your live well or minnow bucket, they will last a long time. Do not use store bought ice. Chlorine will kill your minnows. Go fishing Have Fun.

06/17/08  Norfork Lake level around 576' and looking good. Water temp. is in the low 80- mid 80's. Blue Gill fishing is great using crickets, red worms and night crawlers. Striper fishing is good using live bait (small shiners or shad). The stripers are also hitting on artificial baits fished around 20-30 ft deep. White Bass fishing is fair. Try using inline spinner. The Whites are on white. Walleye fishing has been good. Small Mouth Bass fishing has been good. Large Mouth Bass fishing is fair. Cat fishing is good. R U  ready for this ....... Crappie fishing   is ........ slow,  my o my. They are out there but finding them can be a challenge.  Over all fishing is good, the best times has been early mornings and late evenings. Blue Gill fishing is good all day around the brush piles. The water is clearing up good. You would think with all the rain around we would get a little but no we have not had any rain here to speak of at all. Some clouds but NO rain. Have Fun Go Fishing.

06/09/08 The heat is here, air temps. have been in the 90's and the water temp. in the mid 80's. Needless to say this will begin to push the fishing deep during the day. The best fishing time has been early mornings. Some are starting to fish in the late evening but we have only heard of a few fish being caught at this time. Striper fishing is good using down lines with 1-1 1/2 oz sinkers getting the live bait down around 20-30 feet deep in 50 feet or more of water. Some stripers are being caught on artificial bait also. Walleye Fishing is fair on live bait and deep diving stick bait. The walleye have been around 20 ft deep. Blue Gill fishing has been Great using red worms and crickets fished with a slip bobber around 20 ft deep in the coves. Large Mouth Bass fishing is fair. Small mouth bass fishing is good. White Bass fishing is slow. Crappie fishing is slow. Cat fishing has been fair. The catfishing tournament has been moved to July and it will be a night tournament. I will let you know of the date and time as it comes in. Have Fun Go Fishing. 

06/03/08 Howdy. Sorry we have had some technical difficulties. But fishing is still good. Blue Gill have been doing well on red worms and crickets. Stripers are being caught free lining live bait about 100 feet behind your boat with little or no wieght at all fished in less than 40' of water. Crappie fishing is still slow. Large mouth Bass are still doing well fished in shallow water. Small mouth Bass are hitting anything white. White Bass are biting inline spinners in white. Walleye fishing is good with minnows and worms some are being caught on stick baits fished in less than 20' of water. Cat fishing is good using live bait with rod and reel and limb lines are still doing good also. The best fishing has been early mornings. The water temp. is in the mid 70's and visability is about 5- 10 feet in some areas. Don't forget this week end is Free fishing you will not need a license to fish Arkansas waters see our Home Page for more information. The 7th of June is ACA catfishing tournament here on Norfork Lake So come and have some fun. Have Fun Go Fishing.

05/20/08 Bass fishing has been good using any top water bait, and slow sinking plastic baits. Fish in the grassy areas and around any structure. Striper fishing has been best using live bait fished in less than 40' of water and very little weight if any at all, top water lures are also working good. Crappie fishing is slow. Walleye fishing has been fair using live bait and small leadhead jigs  fished around main points and in some of the shallow grassy areas. Cat fishing is good using live bait on rod and reel and limb lines. On that note if you are using limb lines and you decide you are done fishing, please take them down, some one else may want to fish that area, and with the old lines hanging around its hard to tell if that spot is available or not. Have Fun And Go Fish.

05/12/08 Water claity is looking good, we fished Thursday and could see down 4-5 ft. Water temp. ranged from 63-71 degrees nice and with the water level you can fish all over the place. There was hardly any debris although you must be on the look out because you never know what lies just below the serface of the water. Large Mouth Bass fishing has been good using top water lures and shallow crank baits fishing in the trees and grass. Striper fishing is good free lining live bait or your favorite stick bait. Catfish are still hitting live bait using rod and reel and limb lines. Walleye fishing is fair, most are using spoons or live bait. Crappie fishing is fair using minnow and jig, finding them is the challenge. Sun fish are begining to hit worms and crickets. Have Fun Go Fishing

05/05/08 Norfork Lake fishing is good. The water temp. varies from 61 - 64 degrees.  Walleye fishing has been good using live bait spoons and rogues fished around 6-10 ft deep along bluffs and main lake points. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and small chrome head jigs. Striper fishing is good most are being caught using live bait and your favorite stick bait. Bass fishing has been fair. Catfish has been good using limb lines and live bait with rod and reel. Sun fish are starting to hit on wax worms and crickets. Have Fun Go Fishing. 

04/28/08 Lake level is around 578' and the water temp is in the low 60's. Water clarity is looking good, you can see down about 2' or more in some areas now. Striper fishing is good using live bait. There are some stripers being caught using rogue's and other stick baits. Walleye fishing is fair using the same methods  for stripers, there have been a few walleyes caught while jigging. White Bass fishing has slowed down a bit. Crappie fishing has been a challenge, some are being caught at 20' - 30' deep on the brush piles and some are catching them in less than 5' of water using small minnows and a split shot sinker. Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth and Spotted Bass fishing has been slow. Cat fishing has been good using shiners and night crawlers on rod and reel and limb lines. With everything considered, the weather and above average water level, fishing Norfork Lake has been good. Every thing appears to be about one month behind as far as fishing patterns are concerned  and with more area for the fish to move around in, half the challenge is finding them. Thats why we call it fishing and not catching. Some things to consider, try fishing in your normal spots even though it may seem too deep, some of the fish are still holding there. If you don't get any results move into the new areas. Change your method. Chartruse and white have been the hot colors lately and slow your retrieve down. Fluke, trick worms, lizards and crawdad plastics are some other choices. And of course there is LIVE BAIT it works. Its all about having FUN and if you are not having FUN  your doing it wrong. HAVE FUN GO FISHN.     

04/21/08 Norfork Lake water level is around 579' and looking good. Walleye fishing has been good this week on the points and in the coves with running creeks. Most walleye have been caught using live bait. White Bass are still doing good. Striper fishing is good using live bait and some are doing well using rogues fished in less than 30' of water. Crappie fishing is picking up using minnow and jigs fished around 20' - 30' deep, as the water begins to warm up, the crappie fishing will only get better. The water temp. has been in the high 50's to mid 60's. With the sunny days and stained color water, the lake water temperature will increase quickly and the crappie spawn will be here. Cat Fishing has been good using limb lines and rod and reel with..... you guessed it LIVE BAIT. We had a nice 45lb Blue Cat come in again and you can see it on our photos page. Bass fishing has been fair, try using trick worms, lizards and flukes in the grassy areas and around the trees and brush. Okay, now for your info Norfork Lake access areas ARE ACCESSIBLE the ramps are under water, but every ramp has a road going to it and They are USABLE.

The walleye tournament for April 26th has been cancelled. 

 Have fun and go fishing

04/13/08 WE ARE NOT FLOODED OUT. Fishing is Good with the high water. Norfork Lake level is around 579 and it is beautiful out there. This will be some of the best fishing there has been in a long time and it will only get better. The water is beginning to clear up in the upper end and some of the coves. There is some debris here and there but for the most part it is starting to look good. Crappie fishing is fair using  a small minnow on 1/16oz jig fished around 20 ft deep. Crappie will begin their staging for the spawn soon and start moving into the tree lines and the grass and brush that is above the normal shore line. Water temps are still in the low 60s and with the water color and some good sunshine the water temps will be in the mid 60s before you know it and that is what the crappie are waiting on. They will have plenty of structure for a very good spawn this year as will all the fish. Large mouth Bass are doing good using spinner baits,crank baits and worms, fishing in the grass and trees. White Bass are doing good in the creek arms. Striper fishing is good at all depths of water  and they are all over the lake. Try using live bait, stick baits or what ever fits your style. Walleye fishing is fair. The boat ramps are open and so are the marinas. The walleye tournament for April 26 is still on and take off has been moved to Panther Bay Marina see our Home Page for more information. Have FUN Go Fishn.

04/07/08 Fishing is GOOD. They are every where. We fished Thur. started about 5pm in the rain and caught a nice 12lb striper in the muddy water. Saturday we did it again, nice 5lb and 8lb stripers. Both days we lost some nice ones, they were some real rod benders. We used 1 1/2 oz weights with a 4' leader and a shiner was on the menu for the day. So, hows the fishing?  It Is GOOD. The water level is nice, there is structure every where. The water is stained from the rains we have had and there is of course some debris in the water.  Most of the debris that we saw was small stuff. There is the occasional large branch that may get in your way, that's when you turn. Our friends at Hand Cove Resort said the water on their end is clearing up and fishing is also good on their end for stripers and cat fishing. Hand Cove Resort had several guests that caught their limit of stripers and one was over 25 lbs. you can see the pic. on our photos page. Okay now for my report. Norfork Lake level is at 579.69 and the water temp. is around 60 degrees and stained, we can see down 1-2 ft. Striper fishing is good using live bait. Bass fishing is good using floating worms or spinner baits. Try fishing close to the shore line, most are shallow. Crappie fishing has been fair from 10 - 25 ft deep using a minnow on a small leadhead jig. Catfish has been good, live bait has been the choise of most. Sunfish has been slow. White Bass fishing has been good using inline spinner baits and small jig with grub. Walleye fishing has been fair. Let me on my wagon again, this is spawning season, get your picture and release those big sows. Keep some to eat of course, but don't forget about Tomorrow. Thank you. Be careful and take your time. The marina owners have been working hard to keep everything open for us to get out there to fish and play, whatever your choice. Parking space is a little limited.     April 26 is the Mid-South Walleyes Tournament see our home page for more info.    

                Have Fun, Go Fishin.    
 

04/01/08 White Bass are doing fair in the creeks on inline spinners  and  casting spoons. Walleye are doing fair up in the river. Stripers are doing good using live bait. Crappie fishing has been slow. Large mouth bass fishing has been slow. Cat fishing has been fair using live bait. Congratulations to the winners and everyone that fished the Bass Cat tournament it was a tough week to the end. Thank you to everyone that stopped in the store it is always nice seeing all of you, and the new faces that come for this tournament every year. Have Fun Go Fishing.   

03/25/08 March has been one for the books, wow. Rain, snow, rain, more snow and rain and more rain. The lake level is around 571 and rising. This will be GREAT for the spawn, the little fishies will have alot of places to hide from the big fishies. The water is muddy, there is clear water in the creek arms and some coves. Debris is every where. Be careful out there and wear your PFD.  We fished the Cystic Fibrosis tournament this past week end, and it was a nice boat ride, we got to fish in some of the places we sit during hunting season, okay we were skunked wow it was tough. There was over 200 boats and  I think it was 22 boats weighed fish. There was a 5 lb small mouth weighed in. Congratulations to everyone. This week the 27th and 28th is the Bass Cat Tournament good luck to everyone and please be careful and wear your PFD.  Water temps range from the mid 40's to upper 50's we saw 59.4 in some of the places we fished Saturday. Fishing over all has been slow, again, wow its on then its off  on off on off. There were some nice stripers caught this past weekend using live bait. Stripers ranging from 5lbs to 20 lbs. Bass fishing has been slow, Crappie and sunfish fishing slow, catfishing slow walleye slow, white bass slow.  Tomorrow it may be better fishing again. June 7th for you Catfishermen, 101 Grocery and Bait will be hosting the Arkansas Catfishing Association Tournament here on Norfork Lake.It is catch and release using rod and reel. You can sign up here. We have applications for membership here at the store. Have fun and go fish.

03/17/08 Fishing is looking good. Stripers are hitting on live bait and rogues in less than 30' of water. Crappie fishing has been fair in less than 15' of water back off the brush piles. Bream  is fair using small minnows fished around 10-15 ft in 20ft of water. White Bass are fair. Try jigging in 40' of water or casting inline spinner baits also in the mouth of the coves and the creeks are some good places to start. Bass fishing is fair using jigs and deep diving crank baits just do it slow, around 20' deep in some areas. Walleye fishing has been very slow in the lake. We have heard of a few walleye being caught up in the creeks and rivers flowing into the lake. The weather this past week has helped warm the water temp. into the low 50's in some places and some spots are still in the low mid 40's. Have Fun Go Fishn.

03/09/08 Norfork Lake water level is a little over 556 and dropping. There could be a great spawn this year if the water level stays up in the brush and all. Water temp varies all over the lake from the upper 40's to the low 40's still. There is still some debris in the coves and upper part of the lake. The water is beginning to clear up. First We would like to say congradulations to everyone that fished the FLW tournament it was tough and so was the weather and thank you to everyone that stopped in our store Thank You All. As for fishing Striper fishing has been slow, Crappie fishing as been slow, Walleye fishing slow, Bass fishing slow, White Bass fishing slow as well as Catfishing but as the water begins to clear up and temps. begin to rise fishing will get better. The Stripers and Walleye will be moving into the creeks and top water stick baits and crank bait will be good as well as Live Bait. Have Fun and go Fish. EVERY DAY IS GOOD FISHING, JUST SOME ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS.  

03/03/08 Norfork Lake water level is normal at 552.52 water temp. varies from the mid 40's to upper 40's and stained, some debris is in the coves and thick in the back of some coves. Fishing has been a challenge the past week for alot and with the weather changing from the 70's to the low 30's it will become more of a challenge later in the week. Striper fishing has been fair using live bait as always find the bait fish and you will find the stripers. Walleye have been slow. Crappie fishing has been slow as well as catfishing and White Bass has been fair jigging. Bass fishing has been slow. This week is the FLW Stren tournament Wed.- Sat. and it is going to be interesting with the weather changes we have had. Just how deep will they go. Good Luck to you all. Have fun and go fish. 

02/25/08 Water level is at 551.98. Surface temp.is still in the low 40's - upper 30's. The weather has been cold and rainy and fishing has been on and off, there have been a few good days to get out there on the water and get your line wet. Walleye fishing has been fair jigging or stick baits and live bait in 10'- 20' of water. Crappie fishing has been slow, Stiper fishing has been fair using live bait. Find the bait fish  and you will find the stripers. Large Mouth Bass has been slow. Cat fish has been slow and the white bass have been fair using jigging spoons and fishing around 40' deep.

02/12/08 Norfork Lake Level is 548.75 and looking good. Water temp.varies from 40 - 38 degrees. Striper fishing is good using live bait or your favorite stick bait, depths have been from 20' - 80'. Walleye are staging in the creeks and live bait has been doing well, also you can use jigging spoons in less than 10' of water. Crappie are hitting good in deep water, you need to be fishing 50' deep and slow small minnows have been the best thing on a plain hook and a split shot up at least 2' from the hook. There have been some nice crappie come in this week sizes 15 inches to over 17 inches. Bass fishing has been fair using jigs and deep diving crank baits 20 - 45' deep. White bass have been fair using jigging spoons 30 - 40' deep. Cat fishing is good. Try using a jigging spoon in the deep coves were you see bait fish. We had a 43lb blue cat come in this week 43lbs nice fish.  Check out our photos page.   You can always give us a call for the latest info.  at  1-870-467-5223  or   Toll Free at   1-866-746-5596 we are her from 5am-10pm EVERYDAY

02/04/08 Well what a week. We went from warm to 40mph wind to cold and 5 inches of snow in 3 days. Ya got to LOVE IT. Water level is at 547.67 and the water temp. is in the low 40's I got to do a little striper fishing Mon. and got a nice one, 16 lbs. Live bait and planer boards worked good . It was an early bite over by 8 am. Seen a lot of fish on the graph but could not get  a hit after  8am. The fish we marked was in less than 50' of water. Walleye fishing has been slow but jigging spoons and ice fishing jigs are doing a good job for some. Just remember do it slow. Crappie fishing has been fair using small minnows and jigs. White bass has been fair using jigs. Large mouth and small mouth bass has been fair using deep diving crank baits and jigs. Now for the news as everyone should know by now you can not bring live bait from any other lake to Norfork Lake and definitely none from out of state. I have had a few calls and emails asking about using bait from Norfork Lake water shed (creeks and rivers) and I have emailed Arkansas Game and Fish with your questions and I am waiting now for their reply I will Let you know what I hear from them as soon as I get their reply. 

01/28/08  Norfork Lake water level is maintaing at 547.66, water temp. varied between 38.6 degrees and 41 degrees. Striper fishing is good early morning using live bait are a deep diving stick bait one that will get you down at least 15' in 20'-60' of water. Walleye are begining to stage in the deep water drop offs going into the creeks, jigging has been good and small live bait. Crappie fishing is fair. white Bass are doing good Lg mouth Bass have been doing good in the coves using spring color crank bait are your favorite jig with a rubber crawl. Have Fun,Go Fishing. 

01/22/08 Norfork Lake Level is around 547.66 water Temp in the low 40's and clear. Striper fishing has been good most being caught  on live shiners, rouges and jigging spoons in 10'-90' of water, what a range early and late in the day has been the best times. Sizes from 15-25 pounders.  A couple of line strippers were hooked,just didn't make it to the boat, shoot, hate when that happens keep an eye on your drag and good line is a must. Not heavy line, depending on your setup, 6lb-12lb is all you need and a good reel and rod. White Bass are doing fair as are crappie and lg mouth a few walleye have been caught on anything from small minnows and shiners to your favorite stick bait in 6'- 20' of water. Have Fun nGo Fish.

01/12/08 Norfork Lake level is about 547' water temp. is in the low 40's and quite clear. Striper fishing has been fair we had a nice 23lb come in Fri. was hooked at 40' in 50' of water. 8lb- 12lb were being caught on free lines. Just look for the bait fish on your fish finders and get ready. Speaking of fish finders, for you that sometimes wonder "I see fish, but I'm not hooking any"  Turn off your fish ID,  you want to see arches and lines, not little fishies. Crappie fishing its been so so, ya catch 1 or 2 here and there but if you slow down, use small minnows around the brush piles in 20-30' of water you should hook some. Walleye Has been slow I have not heard much on lately sould start picking up here in the next few weeks. Bass fishing has been slow  also, some times you will hood one around 40' some times 15-20'. Cloudy days have been the best times for all the fishing lately, If the sun is  bright go deep, find the shad. Have Fun GO Fish.  

12/20/07 Norfork Lake level is about 547' water temp. is in the mid to low 50's. Striper fishing has been good 10-12 pound and some nice 20 pounders coming in also. Most have been caught around 30' - 40' deep in the main channel with live bait (shiners) and jigging. Crappies are being hooked on minnows and jigs in the brush piles in 20' -30' of water. Walleye will start hitting here in the next week or two. Bass are being caught from 20- 40' near the bottom.           For you that dont know yet, it is now illegal to bring leeches, minnows, crawdads and any other live bait to Norfork Lake from out of state or any other body of water, this includes all Arkansas lakes and streams. Our bait is certified to be used on Norfork Lake. We will no longer be able to carry Leeches until further notice from AGFC. We will keep you informed.       101 Grocery and Bait now carries Gulp Alive! Leeches  they look good too. Here Fishy Fishy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year     

10/04/07 Wow here it is Oct. What ever happened to September?Well the water level on Norfork Lake is  547'  Water  temp. is  around 76-78 degrees.Bass fishing  is doing good around the deep points, Stripers  are hitting shiners and shad around  20- 40'  deep  artificial  baits  are working  too, Walleye are being hooked on nightcrawlers and jigging spoons about 6' off the bottom. Crappie fishing is picking up around the brush piles and in the back of the coves minnows are the key bait. Blue Gill are doing good on worms and crickets. We have had some folks tell us they have even hooked some crappie on crickets. I did get to do some Striper fishing last month, we hooked 12 all but 2 were keepers, over 20" we only kept 2 they were 8 and 10 pounders. Now for the news, for those of you that may not already know this they have found zebra mussels in Bull Shoals Lake, as far as anyone knows they are not on Norfork Lake, and if you don't mind my asking, Please wash your boats and trailers. There are a lot worse plants and critters out there than zebra mussels. We just need to do what we can to keep them at bay for as long as we can. We would like to say Thank you from all of us at 101 Grocery and Bait for helping to keep Norfork Lake clean.  

08/17/07 Hot has been the word for the past couple weeks now. The air temps have been in the 100's Norfork Lake water temp as of fri. was 98 degrees.Lake Norfork level is at 551'. Fishing has been a little on the slow side but there are still a few folks catching stripers,walleye,bass,blue gill,white bass and catfish and an occasional crappie.The better fishing times have been early in the morning and late in the evening. Through out the day you need to fish deep 30' and deeper, jigging has been doing well. Nightcrawlers, redworms, chicken liver, frozen shad and minnows have been working for most. We have not been out ourselves for a couple of months now and I am ready to get out there.

I would also like to say THANK YOU to everyone that stopped by the store and for everyone that has called  and e-mailed us with your questions,thoughts and comments THANK YOU. This is how we continue to improve our service to you.    

06/20/07 Tha water is great. Blue gill fishing is great they are being hooked on redworms, nightcrawlers and crickets are all good baits.Crappies have been a hit and miss but minnows down around 15'-35' have been doing the trick. Walleye are hitting leeches, nightcrawlers,shiners and some crank baits. Stripers are being caught on shiners, shad and some artificial baits, best times have been in the early morning and late evening for most guys.

05/04/07 Norfork water level is 553' and has been very clear. The rain has been steady on and off for the past 4 days and we are starting to see the water get a little dirty. Water temp is in the upper 60's and low to mid 70's in the main lake. Walleye are hitting on night crawlers and minnows. Bass are still all over the place hitting everything from minnows to plastic bait. crappies are starting to pick up on minnows and jigs. Blue gill are doing well on crickets and red worms. Stripers are being cought on top water baits and shiners off and on through out the day. We went out last Mon. and my son caught a nice 17" smallmouth in about 14'  of water on a jig and plastic bait. The wife and I fished Sun. she got some nice bluegills on a spinner bait and all I got was small, what is wrong with this picture? Hum. The Walleye tournyment was won with 8 lbs. and big fish was over 3 lbs. and I would also like to say thank you Mid-South Walleye and to everyone who came in the store, Thank You.  

04/19/07 The water is very clear,  lake level is normal water temp. is 61 - 64 degrees and it is great weather but man is the fishing tough. I just got off the water about 9:30 pm and all I hooked up with was large mouth, some nice ones, I could not buy a walleye and the guys that went out for stripers this morning said the same thing. There are a few crappie being cought and only a few. I went back in a few coves today and could see down 15 - 20 feet, nice bass every where you looked. Hooked up with a few, and missed a lot. The walleye tournyment is Sat. 21st and open to everyone. Have fun and good luck to everyone. As for the leeches, we are sorry, but they are still froze in up north we will not have them in time for the tournyment, but we will have them as soon as we can.     

04/08/07 Well, so much water so little time. It's been a little on the cool side for the last few days here, highs in the upper 40-low 50's and lows in the low 20's burrrrr. This has slowed down fishing a bit. So we went to the Buffalo River Mon. and hooked some nice smallies that was fun rented a river boat and had a blast, I would recomend that to anyone to try it, and if you would like to try it give us a call and we will hook you up with loads of info. Ok, we went out wed. and fished along the windy bluffs hooked some small stripers and some large mouth it was slow, everyone that came in the store had the same story on everything, we did here of some walleys being caught on night crawlers. And for all you walleye guys April 21 at Panther Bay is a tourneyment. Go to our links page and click on Mid-South Walleyes link for more info. and we also have reg. forms here at the store. We should have our leeches in soon. Friday we went up into Bennets river marked a lot of large fish on the graph could not get a hit. The whites started to boil so we hammered them, wow, for bout an hour, hooked some nice lg mouth again. The water temp. was 63 degrees and clear and I mean CLEAR.... This week the winds are supose to slow down and the air temp is going back up, so fishing will pick up. Have Fun

03/28/07 Here fishy fishy, Well we finally got some rain Tue. and most of today (wed.) It has been quite dry with temps in the 70s and 80s water temp has held around 61-62 degrees up this way. Crappie have been spotty, some are doing well some not so well. I have heard every thing from 5'-20' is were they are being cought and they are full of eggs. I was out last week and seen alot of fish holding off the brush piles at around 18-20' on my graph. I would say that is the crappie and they are just waiting for that majic temp of 65 degrees. On that note I hope that everyone that is hooking up with them egg holders/ sows/females are PUTTING them Back so they can do there job. So we can have more fish, be it crappies, whites, bass, walleye and all the rest, for the years to come. Just a Good Idea. Dont you think.Thank you. Ok back to our report, top water has been good for the stripers and some large mouth in the shallows 3'-6' in the early morning and late evening. I have heard of very few walleye being hooked, but they are there just wait, its going to happen before we know it. With the rain it may hold the water temp down for a bit but once the mud starts coming in from the creeks and rivers it will help the water temp to come up. Oh the mud line. Have fun get out and fish.   

03/08/07 Well,here we go, the fishing is good.We went out Fri. the 2nd did some trolling with shiners hooked up with some nice bass free lining no weight our best was a 20 1/2" lg mouth. We were after walleye and stripers but it was a bit windy.Water temp was 47 degrees.  Sunday was good, free lined shiners, dragged some night crawlers and cast a few rogues. The free lining hooked more bass as well as the rogues. Water temp in the coves was 48.9 and 48 degrees in the main lake. Fish all over up here, bait fish in all the coves. Everything we marked on the graph was above 20' in less then 35' of water. Heard today water temp. was 52 degrees. The white bass are on the top,crappie are hitting,stripers are on and walleye will start anytime. It is happening!  Just look for the gulls, thats where the bait is and voila, so are the big fish.    

03/01/07 The weather has been great,in the 50 - upper 60 degrees.The lake level has been staying around the 552' range, water temp. is around 42-45 degrees, I have also heard water temps in the high 40's. The water is still a little dirty in the upper end, that will help it to warm up a little faster. Crappie are hitting on minnows and a small jig head 1/32 -1/64 oz. in 20 - 30' of water around 10' - 15' deep, fish back off the brush piles and around big rocks (rip rap). If the weather stays nice it will not take it long to get the water temp. up to that magic 55 degrees and that will set them crappie off. Stripers are hitting on small shiners and shad trolled around bluffs and sharp points in the 40'-60' depths, just watch your graph and look for the bait fish with some thick lines going through the bait and start trolling, you could also cast out a spoon, you may even get a walleye. White bass are being caught on the Red Bank side.

02/05/07 Hello everyone, Well the lake level is looking good 552' msl. Water temp. is at 44  as of Saturday. We got about 3" of snow and it has been a little on the cool side not bad though air temps in the 20 - 30 degree range.I went out Saturday we trolled some rouges around 40 - 55 ft. It was a nice day, air temp. was 28 and sunny WOW sure does beat sitting on a bucket on ice jigging through a hole. 2 weeks ago we did well, hooked some white bass and a small striper about 12lbs on shiners, some are doing fair on crappies using minnows and jigs.

01/07/07  The word for today was windy not too bad, 10-15 mph. I went out wed. and I got skunked, wow was it tough, fish all over the graph but no bites, was using shiners trying to get some stripers but no luck for me. Well then I'll try it sat. ha,ha,ha what happens, no stripers. Did get a nice white bass on a white horse head jig and white tail about 40' down,but no striper. Water temp.is around 47 degrees it is cooling down, that will help the fishing. Had some clouds the last few days, fishing will pick up here before long. Did not get out today but there were a few hybrids,whites and some crappies come in,just my luck I don't go out and they start to bite.     

 01/01/07  Happy New Year to eveyone. The weather is great sunny and in the low 40's. Fishing today is like always "GOOD"some days are just better than others, stripers are being caught in the 10-20 lb range on shiner's trolled around 20-30 feet deep. White bass are also doing well jigging with spoons.We had some nice stripers come in over the weekend a couple from MO. did well. Today we also seen guys limit out with a 17.6 and 16.6 being the top weigh ins so far. Well don't forget to bring in your fish for pictures so we can get you in our photos page and in the Arkansas Fish and Game Finder mag.

12/30/06  This has been a good week for stripers and walleye. Stripers have been hitting shiners and shad at around 40' trolling  a 3 way and what we call a "free willy". Walleye are doing well trolling a 3way also at around 45'. Crappie are fair on live minnows and a jig head at 15'-20'