lgabric's blog

Fly tyers and fly fishers will return to Mountain Home tomorrow for the annual Sowbug Roundup. The Sowbug Roundup is a festival with seminars, demonstrations, vendors, fly tying classes, casting classes and more. It is ponsored by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers, a local fishing club, as a fund raisers for their scholarship fund. To round out the Roundup will be an auction, silent auction and raffle. The event runs from Thursday through Saturday from 9:00 to 4:00 each day. Admission is $5.00 for all 3 days. The Sowbug Roundup is held at the Redeemer Lutheran CHurch Family Life Building on North Street. For more details and a map visit the North Arkansas Flyfishers website at http://www.northarkansasflyfisher.org/

The transformation is almost complete. Cabins 1, 2 and 3 will soon be a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom cabin. More info later!

The sun has been shining and the air temperature has been in the 50's on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas, Ozarks. The fishing was really good today for bass. I couldn't keep myself off the lake so I worked on my remodel job till noon, then decided I earned time off, and took off for the water. I started fishing for striped bass with little success, I ended up catching one diaper striper (only 18 inches long). We definitely have a shad kill going on. I saw dead and distressed small shad everywhere that I went today. I fished the Henderson area, then Float Creek, then Panther Creek. I was marking a ton of bait fish, but very few large arcs. The bait is anywhere from the surface to 60 feet down. Maybe the stripers are totally full with all the easy pickens. The sea gulls were just having a feast.

After trying for striper I headed back to a few of my brush piles. I ended up catching 4 largemouth from 14 to 20 inches long. The 20 incher was a monster and very fat. I also caught 2 nice Kentucky bass both 15 inches and also 2 small but keeper size crappie. All fish got their freedom as the spawn is just around the corner. The bass were fat and aggressive once I hooked them. I was throwing a grub tipped with a crappie minnow and was also vertical jigging with a 1/8 ounce spoon. To get bite I was barely jigging the spoon. Over half the fish hit the spoon when it was just lying on the bottom. Both crappie hit the grub on the fall.

If you are a river fisherman, this is the time to head to the tail waters at both dams. The dead shad will wash though the generators into the river. This will create a feeding frenzy with the trout. I haven't tried it myself, yet, but I hear it is a blast.

The Norfork Lake level is dropping very slowly and is at 552.32, almost normal pool. The Corps is running generators sporadically during the day. The surface water temperature was around 43 degrees in the main lake and slightly warmer in creeks. The lake is slightly stained but appears to be clearing. This clearing will continue unless we get the rain they are forecasting.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Recently I have been dreaming of the up-coming warm weather and a great spring bite. Crappie, Walleye, Stripers look out.

The weather on Norfork Lake has really not been conducive to fishing lately. We had around 4 - 6 inches of snow the other day and the daytime temperature has been hovering in the low 30's. With all of the cold weather I have not been on the lake, but instead have been working hard on my current remodel job. I should have it complete in the next couple of weeks.

Linda and I are planning to attend another sport show at the Tinley Park High School this upcoming weekend, Feb 13 & 14th. Tinley Park is located south of Chicago and has been a really nice show to attend. We look forward to this show every year. Last year we had to miss the show due to the ice storm we had in Arkansas. So for all of those people in the Chicago land area please stop by and visit. We are looking forward to seeing many of our current guests in the area and will hopefully make many new friends.

Stop by and visit. Happy fishing. Hope to see you soon!

 

 

If you can brave the cooler air temperature the fish are really biting well this winter on Norfork Lake. This is the time of year the trophies are caught.

What a fantastic and exciting day these three Hummingbird Hideaway Resort guests had today on Norfork Lake. They ended up with 3 limits of striped bass and released 6 others. These fish were all about 11 - 12 pounds but fought like 40 pound fish. They were all caught in 60 feet depths suspended 25 - 40 feet down. Large live shiners were the bait of choice. The best part is that they only had to travel 5 - 10 minutes away from the resort.

The Kentucky bass are schooling on the bluff line points in 30 - 45 feet of water and biting well on shiners. Vertical jigging with a spoon is also working for the Kentucky bass. Find brush piles in the same areas and the bite will even be better. Walleye and crappie are in the same area. Yesterday afternoon I ended up with 4 nice Kentucky's and lost 2 others. Today another guest visiting from Wisconsin, caught a nice crappie, two under size walleye and several nice bass.

The Winter bite has started!!

The Norfork Lake level is 559.8 and fairly stable. The Corps is starting to generate again with one generator intermittantly throughout the day. The lake surface water temperature is 47 - 49 degrees. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are stained.

Happy fishing, dress warmly and I'll see you on the lake!

The weather in the Ozarks is gorgeous, the Norfork Lake water level is stable and the water is clear. We have had some fantastic fall weather and by the forecast there is more to come. The temperature has been in the 70's during the day and mid to upper 40's at night. This is our normal fall weather. Can't ask for a better time to fish. The bass fishing has been really good. I have been fishing in the mornings and have caught bass with a top water bait along deep bluff lines as well as down deep back in creeks. The bigger fish seem to be in approximately 40 feet of water on the points of creeks, as well as, back into the creek where the water starts to get shallower. Most of my deep fish have hit on live shiners, but a jig & pig, plastic worms or a swimming minnow should work as long as you get it down to the 35 - 45 feet depth. Yesterday morning I caught 4 largemouth bass in the 3-4 pound range and 4 undersized Kentucky bass on a Zara Spook. I released all fish immediately except for the one in the photo. It was caught in deep water and could not swim back down. I haven't learned how to vent fish, but need to. This bass will make a good meal. I fished the Diamond Bay area and kept looking out to the main lake to see if the stripers are coming up. I still haven't seen any striper top water action, but feel certain it will happen soon.

The stripers can be found from the mid lake area, Panther Creek, Float Creek, Robinson flats and in the channel past Bidwell point. They are still in deep water from 60 to 170 feet suspended in 40-60 feet of water. Live bait is still working the best. Live shiners or thread fin shad are the baits of choice.

Catfish are biting well on trot lines baited with live shiners. I caught a 10 pound blue cat this morning. I have been catching channel cats and blue cats on a consistent basis. I have my line set in about 10 - 15 feet of water.

I haven't had a chance to crappie fish lately and have heard no reports. They should be over brush in 40 - 50 feet of water and more than likely are suspended over the brush. Try a grub tipped with a crappie minnow and slowly float over the brush.

No report on walleye's being caught, but with the cooling water they should be in 15-25 feet of water. Drag a crawler harness across main lake points and deep bluff lines. If you have a down rigger or can use lead core line, use a small crank bait in the same areas.

The Norfork Lake level is holding steady at 570.58. They are forecasting that the lake level should start dropping slowly. The Corps is generating 1-2 generators for the biggest part of the day. The lake surface water temperature is 62-63 degrees and has held steady. We should start seeing another drop with the cooler nights being forecast. The main lake is clear and the creeks have a brownish tint, but are starting to clear.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

I enjoyed a beautiful morning on Norfork Lake. Not only was this 20 pound fish gorgeous and fun to reel in, but the sunrise with the fog lifting from the water was breathtaking. I fished with one of my guide friends, Robert Lee, of Lee's Lite Line and we had a good morning for big fish. I landed this 20 pounder, but we also broke off two others and missed 4 good hits. I think we must have been talking more than watching the poles to lose this many. That's how it goes sometime. We were fishing with 4 to 5 inch gizzard shad in 45 - 80 ft of water. The fish were on the bottom and occasionally suspended. I did notice a few fishermen spooning and saw them catch a few. I will post some additional photos later of guests to the area catching large striper on guided trips. The big fish seem to be keying in on the large gizzard shad over the smaller thread fin shad.

I haven't been out in a few days fishing on my own, so hopefully, if I get my work done today, I can get out this evening or tomorrow. I plan to walleye and bass fish using artificial baits. I will let you know how it goes.

The Norfork Lake level is at 552.73 and falling slowly. Two generators are being run for 6 - 9 hours per day. The Norfork Lake surface water temperature was at 82 degrees. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves still cloudy.

Until next time happy fishing and hope to see you on the lake.