STR Outfitters

Feb. 2011

2012-02-02T07:57:00.002-06:00

The bass, crappie, & walleye are biting, striper fishing is slow. The warm weather has allowed the stripers to stay roaming looking for bait, the deep water pattern that is normal during the winter has not appeared. Unless we get some really cold weather the next couple of weeks there will not be a shad kill, this will help all fish in the lake. The bass & crappie are in the brush, minnows & and small spoons are working the best. Walleye have begun their spawning run in the river above Red Bank.

Jan. 2012

2012-01-23T11:18:00.003-06:00

The warm weather has continued to keep the shad shallow 50' or less, the stripers have never gone into their full winter patterns. There are reports of major top water periods mid-day around the 6a area. Look for the bait and you will see stripers, they are feeding on very small shad so keep your baits on the small side. One good thing about the warm weather and water, we should not have a major shad kill this year. Once the weather begins to warm up I expect a great spring season, the stripers are in good shape and will be feeding heavy getting ready for their spring run.

Tom Reynolds
www.stroutfitters.com

Dec. 2011

2011-12-20T09:00:00.003-06:00

Just completed an Cast & Blast of two days fishing and one hunting. The striper fishing was spotty, there are big schools of bait & stripers from Float up to Crystal Cove, they were holding on the sunken bridges and channel swings. The stripers have been holding around 35', make sure you keep your bait above the shad, shiners, shad, and spoons all have been working. As the water cools the fish will continue to bunch up around the sunken bridges and channel swings, we should expect good fishing the rest of this month and all of Jan.

The Pheasant hunting was great fun, they had an opportunity to shoot at 16 birds, they shot 55 times to kill 5 Pheasants and 6 Quail.

Dec. 2, 2011

2011-12-06T09:49:00.002-06:00

The stripers have moved to their winter pattern, look for them in the main part of the lake channels and creeks. Early morning look very shallow, 30 to 35' and be ready. We had fish on as soon as I put the poles in the water. They will move deeper as the morning progresses. Follow the creek channels staying the 70' range, look for schools of shad and you will see stripers, keep your bait above the bait. Shiners and small shad are working the best.

The week of Nov. 20th

2011-11-20T06:30:00.002-06:00

The stripers have moved to their winter pattern, look for them in the main part of the lake channels and creeks. They are roaming in big schools and very hard to stay with them, most of the fish are in the 35' to 40' range in 50' to 80' of water. Shiners and small shad are working the best.

Sept., Oct., Nov. 2011

2011-11-07T06:50:00.001-06:00

The stripers are beginning their winter pattern, I found fish in 100' of water around shad that were staging in 60' feet, the fish were in the mid lake area. There are fish near or above the MO. state line. This is where I'm catching most of my fish, they are in 20 to 30' of water following the
bait. Stripers will bite good one day and then the next day, nothing. It's been very difficult getting a consistent bite, but as the weather and water
cool the bite will get better.

Oct. 2011

2011-10-20T09:36:00.003-05:00

It has been a slow three months for striper fishing, the combination of high water, high temps, low oxygen caused the stripers to stop biting. I fished hard and often with little results, I started fishing in the second half of Sept. in Mo. and near the Mo. line, I caught some nice fish but that stopped. Now the lake has begun its turnover the fish have started to bite, but its very slow. Once the lake completes it turnover cycle we should see good fishing in Nov. and and thru the winter months.

Aug. 2011

2011-08-24T09:52:00.001-05:00

The corp has been lowing the lake a foot every four days and the fishing has suffered, on average we are catching 1 to 3 stripers a trip where we normally catch a limits. Some big fish have been caught but very few compared to previous years. Things should change by late Sept. when the lake gets back to normal.

July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T11:20:00.001-05:00

Fishing is very strong, there are large schools of stripers roaming over deep water, follow the shad and you will find the stripers, they are hitting shad & spoons. There are also stripers feeding on crawdads in the 50 to 60' of water off the points near the dam, drop a spoon or live bait right above them and hold on.

July 4th weekend

2011-07-04T12:20:00.004-05:00

The week before last the lake flipped and the fish quit feeding, I went 5 times without a bite, they left all the places we were fishing. The weather has been stable and last week they started to bite again and now they are in the full summer feeding frenzy. We caught 28 stripers between the two on July 3rd, the fish we caught was over 100' of water but only down 26', other places they were caught in 45' of water on the bottom, all the fish were caught of points within a mile of the dam.

June 2011 fishing

2011-06-17T06:57:00.001-05:00

Fishing is great again, for some reasons the big males have been on the bite, it was the same in 2008. Fish close to the old shore line early then move out into deeper water, they have been three types of ways to catch these fish. Using redi rigs with the line approx. 45' behind the rig, planner board with the same 45' behind the board and down lines just off the bottom. In the last 12 days my clients have boated 94 stripers with six over 20 and many in the high teens. I have fish both up the creek and main lake points within a mile of the dam.

The weekend of June 5th

2011-06-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

The stripers are still being caught early over deep water but on free lines with a split shot. As the sun comes up the fish move deeper and can be caught then on downlines down to 40 feet. The fish are along the sides and points around the dam area all the way up to the creeks.

The weekend of May 28th

2011-05-29T07:28:00.002-05:00

The stripers are scattered on the lake, I have been catching stripers up near 1C for a week and yesterday I caught 10 stripers off pt. 1. It's simple fishing right now, the rig is a split shot with just a small shad attached, I put the lines out 70' behind the boat and slow troll. The bite was early then slowed about 8 am, later around 10 am the fishing picked up, we were at Woods Point caught 2 stripers in 5 minutes, so make sure you hit a spot and watch your graph, you can mark the fish in 30' to 100' of water, the fish have been active most up to 11 am.

The weekend of May 22nd

2011-05-24T06:59:00.000-05:00

The shad and stripers are spawning up the creeks, look for shad along the shoreline, the stripers & hybrids will be close by, throw flukes and small topwater plugs over the brush. Shiners & shad are working well for live bait. The fish are in the bayou, brush, & big creek areas. The catfish has also moved up and can be caught on limb lines and trout lines.

May 18, 2011

2011-05-18T18:57:00.002-05:00

The stripers & shad are spawning in the creeks, I have stripers way up the creek while catching bait. Look for shad spawning in the creek brush, the stripers are around chasing the bait, topwater lures like flukes are working best. Today we caught 18 fish and kept 12.

The weekend of May 1st.

2011-05-01T16:43:00.005-05:00

The rising water has created the same conditions we had in 2008. The stripers have moved to the channels and points. They are also relating to the old shore line at about 30'.
My clients have caught 40 stripes in last 5 days. I switched from balloons and planner boards to plain free lines with a split shot and have one line out 80' and the other 60', I then set out 4 down lines varying the depth from 25 to 40'. The 26 lb striper was caught at 10:15am on a down line.

The weekend of April 24

2011-04-24T17:32:00.004-05:00

The bite is on, with the rise of high water the fish have a great topwater bite. Look for them on the points and bays from Thumb point to the dam. They are also hitting shad both morning and evening. The night bite is also hot.

The week ending April 19

2011-04-10T19:34:00.001-05:00

Stripers are in their spring run, the water temp is 61 degrees, look for them in small bays and creek turns up the creeks. We caught fish in the Fout area in water depth between 3 and 50 feet. I used both threadfin & gizzard shad, they would take the smaller baits first. We caught them on long lines, balloons, & planner boards. The night bite is also beginning, wait for a couple of warm evening and hit the points with stickbaits. The crappie have moved up and will be spawning this week.

The weekend of April 3rd

2011-04-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

Fished near Fout marina and caught fish all week and weekend long. The fish are in near the shore, I used planner boards and stayed in 20 to 25' of water and kept the boards about 15' from shore. I also had two free lines out about 75' back from the boat. The bait used was gizzard shad from 3 to 12". There is both a morning and later afternoon bite, the water temp has risen about 8 degrees so the fish will begin to move up the creek if we kept getting warm south wind.

Weekend March 20th

2011-03-20T17:24:00.001-05:00

The stripers have not moved up the creek yet, we caught 5 this morning in clear water off points. The female's eggs are hard and so is the male's sperm. We used small and medium gizzard shad. The night bite has started, fish the winding points using stick baits.

Fishing the weekend of March 5, 2011

2011-03-07T07:31:00.002-06:00

Stripers are staging for their spring run, the water temp is in the high 40's, look for them in small bays and creek turns halfway up the creeks. We caught fish in Diamond, Panter, and Fout area in water depth between 20 and 50 feet. I used both threadfin & gizzard shad, they would take the smaller baits first. We caught them on long lines, balloons, & planner boards. The night bite is also beginning, wait for a couple of warm evening and hit the points with stickbaits. Some guys are trolling stickbaits and catching stripers.

Norfork nite bite

2011-02-07T14:57:00.000-06:00

The night bite has started, before you go you need a couple of warm days, this coming weekend should do it. A friend went a week ago Thursday night and caught 10 stripers between 10 -12 lbs. He was throwing in the back of Float Creek, he said you had to hit the rocks to catch the fish, the next night he did the same thing, but it turned cold and nobody has been out since. So the next warm spell go try it, I will be at the Indianapolis sport show so my fishing will not start until March.

Jan. 19, 2011

2011-01-20T07:42:00.000-06:00

Fished from 7:15 to 5:30 pm, had one striper bite early then nothing, there was very little shad around henderson. We looked at Blue Lady, 101, Float, Panter, Pt. 4 and duckblind, no shad to be found. Kept fishing around henderson most of the day. I decided to look around my marina Tracy Ferry since I had caught shad their the night before, nothing in the marina but found a pocket of bait east of Pt. 3. Fished there the last two hours and caught 2 12 lb stripers and lost a couple, wished we found them earlier but that's fishing.

The weekend Jan. 15 &16, 2011

2011-01-17T09:28:00.004-06:00

Fished both Sat. & Sun. using both shiners and small shad. The bait was hard to find on Sat. fished Float, Bidwell, Robinson Bluff and Pt. 4 no luck on the stripers, a couple of bites. Sunday we fished Pt. 4 with no luck, looked at Float & Fall but nothing was their, lots of bait from the mouth of Henderson Marina to Bidwell, caught one 12 lb striper, lost another, and had 5 other bites all on small shad. The fish were deep, holding above the shad at 60'.

Winter Fishing 2011

2011-01-04T06:59:00.002-06:00

The stripers have moved to their winter pattern, look for balls of shad in 50 to 80' of water near or in the channels. There are fish being caught in Float, Panter, Tracy, Bidwell, and Henderson. Shiners, shad, and spoons have been catching fish, the bite may occur anytime during the day, the mid-afternoon bite has been the best.

STR Outfitters Specials for Lake Norfork Arkansas

2010-12-20T09:27:00.001-06:00

STR Specials for Lake Norfork Arkansas

Cast & Blast

Nov. thru Feb.

· 5 day 4 night 2 full day (8 hours)
· 2 full day guided striper trips on Lake Norfork, (all tackle & bait included)
· Pheasant hunt includes; 8 birds per person, license, bird processing, & guide.
$550 per person (min 2 people) + tax, excludes meals, Ark. fishing lic.

Striper Fishing on Lake Norfork

Sept. thru March

· 5 day 4 night stay,
3 full day (8 hours) guided fishing trips, all bait and tackle included
$550 per person (min 2 people) + lic & tax

Aug. 15th thru May

· 4 day 3 night stay,
2 half day (4 hours) guided fishing trips, all bait and tackle included
$350 per person (min 2 people) + lic & tax

Aug. 15th thru May

· 3 day 2 night stay,
1 half day (4 hours) guided fishing trips, all bait and tackle included
$200 per person (min 2 people) + lic & tax

Week ending Nov. 26th

2010-11-27T06:04:00.004-06:00

The bad weather finally got to shallow stripers, fished Wed. and had 10 good bites and caught 8, Friday we only had three bites and caught 2, the biggest being 15 lbs. The fish are still around Pt. 9 in 25 to 35' of water but would not hit. If we can get some stable weather they should start feeding again. The females are carrying their eggs getting ready for their spring run.

Week ending Nov. 19th

2010-11-19T17:14:00.001-06:00

Just finished 5 days of hard fishing, first two days with people from Northland Tackle and Frabill, the last three with clients. We fished Pt. 9 at the intersection of the channel and creek in 23 to 34' of water. We boated 39 stripers, 4 hybrids, broke off 8 and missed many more. The bite lasted for 5 to 6 hours each day, we used big and little gizzard shad on free lines and down lines set at 20'.

Oct. 31, 2010

2010-10-31T07:56:00.004-05:00

Fishing has been slow the past month, the fish left the south end near the dam early in the month and quit feeding. You could find fish but they would not bite, the warm month delayed the turnover and with the high oxygen at 50' and above the fish were moving. There was good striper fishing close to the Mo. line with lots of bait. Find the bait and the stripers will around. They have moved into their winter pattern, look for them in the channels at the mouth of the creeks arms. I fished the main channel across from Duck Blind point and caught stripers and hybrids with some top water very early in the morning. There were some large schools of stripers at 45', just keep moving from one side of the channel to the other side and look for fish, the fish are always on the move. Set your baits from 35' to 50' using both shad and shiners. I also fished the mouth of 101 marina and caught stripers into the early afternoon, again the same depth was used. Good luck and have a great fall.

The week ending Sept. 26, 2010

2010-09-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

The stripers are on the move, I caught one on a free line near 6A and saw lots of bait and fish. In the evening I caught stripers near the dam in water from 28' to 45' on both down lines and free lines. You need to look at shallow water instead of the deep water pattern we would normally see this time of year.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-09T11:29:00.002-05:00

Fishing has stayed the same, the fish are shallow before light 38' then moves out to the 45 to 50' of water off the points near the dam. Spoons and shad are your best baits.

The week ending Aug. 29

2010-08-31T14:38:00.001-05:00

The morning and evening fishing is good if you can find the fish, they are 40' early in the morning and again later in the evening. You can catch stripers in Diamond, George's, Shoal, Big Creek and all around the dam area. The fish move to deeper water and are feeding heavy on shad. Position your shad or spoon, above the fish and hold on.

The week ending Aug. 23, 2010

2010-08-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

Evening fishing is very good right now, if you want to catch a big fish this is the week to be fishing. The moon phase has the stripers getting very active starting about 7 pm, they are moving into 40' of water to feed. The fishing will last until full dark. You can catch stripers in Diamond, George's, Shoal, and all around the dam area. In the morning you will fine them in 40 to 50' of water, as the sun comes up the fish move to deeper water and are feeding heavy on shad. Position your shad or spoon, above the fish and hold on.

The week ending Aug. 15th

2010-08-16T08:16:00.004-05:00

The past week the striper fishing has been good in the morning & evening. Stripers are being caught in Diamond, George's, Shoal, and all around the dam area. Early morning and late evening you will fine them in 40 to 50' of water, as the sun comes up the fish move to deeper water, we have caught them in 130' and are feeding heavy on shad. Position your shad or spoon, above the fish and hold on.

The week ending Aug. 8th

2010-08-08T10:39:00.003-05:00

The past week the fishing has slowed down, the lake is being drawn down and the fish are moving around. They can be at one place one morning and gone the next. You can find schools of fish from 80 to 130 feet feeding on shad, when you hit them they will bite anything that is presented. Look for fish on the channel swings and deep pockets by the points.
They are still hitting the spoons and shad, you can also catch some trolling, set your depth at 35 feet.

The week of July 31st

2010-08-04T06:47:00.000-05:00

The past week the striper fishing has been outstanding both morning & evening, the full moon phase really turned the stripers on, the fish are from Robinson Point to the dam, they are off the points and channel swings and are located in 45 to 130 feet of water, in the 45' range they are feeding on crawdads and can be caught using shad or spoons right on the bottom. The deeper fish are suspended and feeding on shad, again they can be caught using shad or spoons, place your bait right above the fish and hold on. This week its a very early bite, then early afternoon the fish are active again, the fish will turn on again when the new moon begins.

Facebook | STR Outfitters's Photos - 2010

2010-07-31T17:30:00.000-05:00

Facebook | STR Outfitters's Photos - 2010: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Striper fishing July 25th

2010-07-26T08:51:00.000-05:00

Look for stripers from Robinson Point to the dam, they are off the points and channel swings and are located in 45 to 130 feet of water, in the 45' range they are feeding on crawdads and can be caught using shad or spoons right on the bottom. The deeper fish are suspended and feeding on shad, again they can be caught using shad or spoons, place your bait right above the fish and hold on. Their is both a morning and really good afternoon bite.

July fishing 2010

2010-07-22T08:02:00.003-05:00

The summer pattern for stripers is in full swing, the fish are feeding on crawdads & shad and have moved towards the dam area. You can find them in 40 to 80' of water, the shallow fish is feeding on crawdads and the deep water fish is chasing schools of shad. The fish will hit both live bait (shad) and spoons. Check out the flats and deep water creeks near the dam area. They is both a morning & evening bite.

June 23rd

2010-06-24T07:31:00.003-05:00

The stripers are schooling up and are holding in 40 to 60' of water feeding on small shad. They can be found in at Fout, Panter, Fall, and Robinson areas. They will hit shad or spoons, if your using a spoon keep it small the shad their chasing is about 1". The trollers are catching stripers using reef runners.

June 19 - 21st

2010-06-21T13:05:00.002-05:00

The weekend provided outstanding striper fishing. The stripers are in their summer pattern, they are schooling and feeding both morning and late afternoon. The fish are in Fall, Panther, & the Robinson area. You can catch them from 40' down to 80', look for the shad school and the stripers are all over them. Drop live shad or a spoon and hold on. Last night I went up to catch bait and that takes a 20 minute ride, it took 45 minutes to catch the bait, and only 30 minutes to catch two limits.

Sat. June 12

2010-06-13T08:33:00.003-05:00

The stripers on the south end of the lake are in their summer patterns, we had three on with our lines set at 43'. The fish were feeding on crawdads and shad, now is the time to start using your depth finder to locate the fish, they are close to the bottom feeding. Look along the point sides and humps. If you do not want to fish south look in Float and Panter, they should start showing up on Robinson soon.

The week of June 6th

2010-06-11T07:31:00.003-05:00

Fishing is picking up, the north end of the lake
the stripers are still shallow, you can catch them pitching shad on the deep wall bluffs in Float, Crystal Cove, and the Fout area. The lower end of
the lake the stripers are deep, the average deep the fish are holding at is 40 feet, stay in 50 to 90' of water, the fish coming up from the bottom to take the bait. You can spoon fish at pt 1, and the big creek area. Walleyes are biting on nightcrawlers in the Bidwell area and on the inside of pt. 1. They are in the 30' range. Picture here is 11 year old Destinywith her 19 lb striper
and Chuck with his 22 lb striper.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T08:50:00.002-05:00

Fishing is very good for stripers right now, you can catch them trolling, spooning, and live bait. The stripers have moved deep and are in the 40' range. There is fish in Float, Diamond, Big Creek, & Brushy. The water temp is pushing 80 degrees.

Wed. May 26, 2010

2010-05-27T07:07:00.001-05:00

I fished the morning and had one pull down and one other bite, we looked from Big Creek to the dam and Diamond and could not find any stripers. I took my clients out at 4 pm to catch bait in the bayou and then fish, we caught bait and fished the 6a area, we had our limit by 6:30 pm and caught 3 more after that. The fish were 35 to 45 feet and some were on the bottom at 55 feet and would come up and look at the bait, with the moon coming up late in the evening its now the time to fish the afternoon/evening. The fish were singles but would hit the bait really hard. We had one fish hit a bait that had slid up the line and took that bait right off the line, never saw that before. The fish were very active.

May 22 - 23, 2010

2010-05-24T03:47:00.004-05:00

Fishing was great over the weekend, we caught lots of stripers in Big Creek and the Blue Lady areas, the biggest was 22 lbs. On Sunday, 40 stripers were caught between our three boats. The fish have gone deep, 90 percent of the fish we caught was on down lines at 35 to 42 feet, they are hitting both threadfin and gizzard shad. Look for pods of bait and the stripes will be close by. The shad were using is between 3 to 5 inches, so stay small on your spoons. The water temp last night was 77 degrees in the Blue Lady area.

May 19, 2010

2010-05-20T10:05:00.003-05:00

The big fish are on the feed, we hooked several in the teens and higher that we could not get to the boat. The water temp is 66 degrees and the lake is coming up from the rain. I'm still fishing the big creek area, the fish are feeding both early morning and late afternoon. The moon is coming up the afternoon and the stripers are feeding later in the day and evening. We hooked nine stripers yesterday and boated 5, the fish are feeding on crawdads and shad, I'm using both threadfin and grizzard shad.

May 16, 2010

2010-05-17T03:43:00.002-05:00

The stripers have spawned and are on the move. I fished Diamond and caught a few fish, I then tired Crystal Cove and had a couple of bites but no fish. I fished both Panter and Float with no luck. Yesterday I went back down the lake and caught 2 in Big Creek and should have had two more. The thermocline is at 22', stripers are on a crawdad bite, look for them close to the bottom and try a spoon, I caught one striper on a down line at 45' . There is still a top water bite in the early morning and late evening on the points.

May 8, 2010 Stripers

2010-05-09T07:55:00.005-05:00

Took a friend fishing and he caught his limit of stripers, the stripers have spawned and are moving up the creeks. I fished Diamond and plan on fishing Fout's area tomorrow. Usually after the spawn the best places are mid lake creeks and the Fout's area for a couple of weeks. The thermocline is at 22', with this cold weather the water will drop a few degrees and fishing should pickup for live bait. There is still a top water bite in the early morning and late evening on the points. Reports are that the stripers are on a crawdad bite, look for them close to the bottom and try a spoon.

April 30, 2010

2010-04-30T13:47:00.002-05:00

The fish are feeding early and late in the evening, fish the windy points with rouge's and have a top water bait ready. The dam area, Koso, Hudson, Thumb all are holding fish.

Night Bite

2010-04-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

The night bite is in full swing, a 41 lb striper was caught Wed. night on a rouge. With the full moon next week the fishing should be the best for this year. Fish the main lake points from Diamond to the dam area.

April 20th

2010-04-21T19:22:00.001-05:00

The topwater bite is on, its an very early bite or late evening after sunset. Fish is being caught at 6b, frog pond, diamond bay and points up and down the late. Throw spooks & flukes, both stripers & hybrids are busting the surface.

April 12 - 17 2010

2010-04-18T04:39:00.002-05:00

Fishing has been good all week, the bite was early and good until the sun came up then it slowed until the wind blew. Now the wind has changed to NE & East and the fishing has slowed down. There is a little top water but not worth chasing for now. The fish are still shallow holding on points. There are fish in Diamond, Big Creek and Brushy Creek plus the main lake points around the dam.

April 7, 2010

2010-04-07T08:11:00.003-05:00

The fishing is still hot for both live bait and stick baits, we have been catching stripers early along the shore, then when the wind picks up we fish the windy banks out about 4o'. I have been using gizzard shad, but you can catch them throwing flukes and stick baits when the wind is blowing during the day. The dam area, big creek and brushy is holding good fish. We also caught a 9 lb walleye while striper fishing.

April 4, 2010

2010-04-04T20:40:00.004-05:00

Fishing is picking up for both top water and live bait. The fish are on all the points on the lower part of the lake, they are also very shallow very early and late into the evening. Live bait and stick baits are working, plus flukes throw to the buck brush. Also the white bass are way up the creeks spawning, that is very early morning and evening, try road runners and kast masters.

April 2, 2010

2010-04-03T04:35:00.003-05:00

Fishing continues to improve, we caught this 24 lb striper at 3:40 pm before the storm drove us in. The fish hit a gizzard shad in 10' of water. We were fishing the windy banks, the fish are up early both stripers & hybrids, they will hit most any top water bait. Fish the windy points and long banks in the lower end of the lake.

March 3/31/10 fishing

2010-04-01T08:38:00.003-05:00

Fishing
Fishing is picking up for both day and night time, fish the inside points on the main lake using stickbaits and flukes. The lower part of the lake is holding a lot of fish from Pt. 1 to Big Creek & Brush, make sure you fish real shallow and only fish the windy banks.

March striper fishing up to 3/22/10

2010-03-22T07:15:00.001-05:00

Fishing has started for real, there are fish in the Bayou, Cranfield, Big Creek and on some of the points. You can now catch them using live bait and stickbaits at night. The crappie and white bass are also starting to hit.

Elmwood Sport Show

2010-03-04T06:53:00.001-06:00

I will be at the Elmwood High School Sport Show this weekend, March 6 - 7, stop bye and say hi!

Indy Sport Show

2010-02-16T07:58:00.000-06:00

I will be at the Indianapolis Sport Show Feb. 19 - 28, please stop and say hi!

Topeka Sport Show

2010-02-10T08:58:00.001-06:00

I will be at the Topeka Sport Show Feb. 12 - 15, please stop and say hi!

Bloomington Sport Show

2010-01-27T10:34:00.002-06:00

I will be at the Fish & Feather Bloomington Sport Show this weekend, Jan. 29 -31 please stop bye and say hi!

Striper fishing Jan. 22, 2010

2010-01-23T07:57:00.002-06:00

Went looking for fish south from Tracy Marina, started checking Diamond Bay and continued south. Looked at George's, Shoal, Quarry, Dam, Koso, Pt. 1, Hudson, Hand Cove, & Jordan, no bait anywhere, some fish holding in 60' but very few. Came back north and looked in Panther but found nothing. Went to Henderson Marina and found bait at 60' and some stripers, hooked one striper at 58' on shad, it was 10 lbs, and had 3 more bites in 2 1/2 hours. Bait moved and so did the stripers, the water temp was 47 degree's and the wind from the south.

Striper fishing Jan. 15, 2010

2010-01-16T09:51:00.003-06:00

Fishing most of the day, did not catch any fish before 10 am, most of the bites were between 11:30 am & 3 pm. The fish were holding right above the shad in 100' of water, the bait was 60' deep. We were using shad & shiners. We fished Henderson Point and the main channel in front of Henderson marina.

Cast & Blast Wrap-up 12/31/09

2009-12-31T11:01:00.003-06:00

We just finished our cast & blast, we fished the Bidwell beach area & Lakehouse the first day, the fish are holding in the shad or right above them. Set your baits at 35 to 40' and just follow the shad and channel. The fish are feeding and you may go a long ways then hit an active school. The second trip we fishing the Henderson point and Bidwell beach area doing the same thing. We hooked 12 stripers overall and landed 7. We harvested 14 pheasants and 3 quail on our hunt.

Pheasant hunt

2009-12-27T07:43:00.003-06:00

Had a lot of fun hunting pheasants with my son and his friend at Ozark Wings in Mo, we killed 14 plus 2 quail. The wind was 30 mph and 29 degrees.

Dec. 18 - 19th striper fishing

2009-12-22T08:11:00.003-06:00

The winter striper continues, we caught fish at Bidwell, Henderson Marina, and Crystal Cove. The fish are staying around the shad, set your baits at 30 to 40', shiners are working well. The fish are being caught on down lines, long lines, and planner boards.

Cast & Blast Wrap-up

2009-12-13T17:31:00.004-06:00

We completed our first cast and blast, we fished for stripers 1 1/2 days and hunted pheasants one day. We hooked 10 stripers and boated 5, and harvested 15 birds. The stripers are from Bidwell Pt. to 6a. they are between 30 and 40' deep over shad, the water range is from 80 down to 130', set your downlines at 30 to 40' and your balloons at 35 to 40'. We used shiners because we could not catch any shad under the lights.

Winter Sport Shows

2009-12-06T08:12:00.001-06:00

My current list of sport shows I'm attending is:

Let's Go Fishing, Collinsville,IL Jan. 8 -10
Ill Fin & Feather, Bloomington IL Jan. 29 -31
Indy Sports Show, Indinanapolis, In, Feb. 19 - 28
Elmwood High School, Elmwood, IL, March 6 - 7

Stop bye and talk stripers.

Thanksgivign

2009-11-26T07:36:00.001-06:00

The fishing continues to be good and should stay that way thru the winter months. I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and wonderful holiday season.

Nov. 24 Stripers

2009-11-24T07:26:00.002-06:00

The stripers have moved into their winter pattern, they are along the Bidwell bluff from the south east wall to the north point across from Blue Lady, start early in 60' of water and move out into deep water has the day goes on. They are also up in the Fout's area, Float, & Panter. The best bait is Threadfin Shad but large shiners are working well. The fish can be caught all day long.

Nov. 13 - 15th

2009-11-16T07:31:00.002-06:00

Started looking for fish Friday at Fout Marina, Blue Lady, Bidwell, and finally started fishing in the channel away from Robinson Bluff, caught a limit by 10:30 am, fished again Sat. afternoon and found the fish late afternoon at the Robinson campground bluff in 80 to 95' for water, we caught 3 and lost one. Sunday morning started at Robinson Bluff with no bites, then fished Panter with no bites, all the fish were in 40 to 60' of water but not active, finished up in the channel heading towards Duck Blind and had two bites, no fish.

Nov. 11

2009-11-12T06:28:00.002-06:00

Fished for ten hours, started up from Bidwell and fished down to Henderson, caught four little stripers, two on free line and two down line. Then fished Float with nothing caught, not much bait, tried Buzzard roost area, a little bait but again nothing. Went to Panter with no luck. Finished up in the open area south of Robinson Point in 130 to 150' of water, caught 2 keepers and lost 5, the fish are roaming in that deep water staying around 40'.

Nov. 8th

2009-11-09T05:53:00.002-06:00

Fished the Blue Lady area and caught 2 and lost 2, I tried a balloon and caught one at 30'. I later found out the fish are now in Float and Panter creek plus Robinson Point. They are still deep but holding around 40'.

Nov. 1

2009-11-02T07:39:00.002-06:00

I fished George's Cove and caught one striper, Pt. 2 caught one striper, and Diamond Creek and caught one, but in there we should have caught 4, the fish were a little more active. There was no bait in Diamond Bay then anywhere else. The fish are moving up the river, start looking around Robinson area and Bidwell.

Oct. 28, 2009

2009-10-29T08:17:00.002-05:00

I fished from Devils Backbone to Float Creek and only found catchable fish on the backbone and Pt 2, they are still holding at 60' and coming up to the back at 45'. The lake continues to rise and may hit 20' over bank, its now 12' over.

Oct. 24 & 25

2009-10-26T10:25:00.002-05:00

Sat. was a good day, we should have caught our limit of stripers but missed a few, however we did catch four. The fish were at the same places around George's Cove and Pt. 2. Sunday the fish were deep but were not active, they just held at 60' but would not bite, some fish are now being reported in the Robinson area and Float Creek.

Oct. 20th

2009-10-21T06:05:00.002-05:00

The fish are school and have moved from the dam, they are moving to their winter holding spots in the deep parts of the lake and creek arms. The fish are holding in 40 to 60' of water off points and deep water. They can be found from George's cove up the main lake to Robinson Point.

Oct. 14, 2009

2009-10-15T07:05:00.004-05:00

We fished all day catching the biggest fish in the morning and the most in the afternoon. We fished the dam, Hand Cove, Woods Point and Pt.2 the fish were caught at the dam and Pt. 2 in 150' of water with the baits set at 40'.

Oct. 7th striper fishing

2009-10-08T09:59:00.004-05:00

The fish are still holding by the dam, but they have moved off the banks and are roaming in the deep water feeding on shad. Look for them in water 100' to 150'.

Oct. 3rd striper fishing

2009-10-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

Strong storms and heavy wind changed the fishing the pass week, the fish were moving from the dam but 40 mile an hour winds changed everything. We caught 11 stripers on Sat. at the dam. The fish are holding at 40' over deep water, we use shad but spoons will work.

Sept. 30, 2009

2009-09-30T05:46:00.001-05:00

The stripers are starting to move, the new water 4' has changed the conditions of the lake and the stripers are moving up the lake. Look for fish in open water about 115' deep. The schools are feeding on shad and will hit a spoon or live bait.

New Striper Video

2009-09-20T06:32:00.000-05:00

Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVK9-QT5Y7s to watch our latest striper video using 10' Crappie poles

Sept. Fishing

2009-09-19T10:59:00.001-05:00

The fishing is still great in the dam area, I have not fished because my boat has some mechanical issues, its now fixed and I will be at it tomorrow, 9/20/09

Cast & Blast for 2009/2010

2009-09-16T14:27:00.003-05:00

Deer season over? Fishing over? Think again, come to Lake Norfork for a Cast & Blast fishing and hunting package. We are offering a Cast & Blast package from Nov. 15th to Feb. 15th for two people. The package; includes a three day stay at a resort on Lake Norfork, full day & half day guided striper trips on Lake Norfork, (all tackle & bait included), and a half day pheasant hunt. The pheasant hunt includes 8 birds per person, license, bird processing, & guide. The price is $450 per person,excludes meals, Ark. fishing lic, and tax. Please call 877-246-4896

Sept. 9, 2009

2009-09-09T10:47:00.004-05:00

The evening bit is going strong at the dam in 60 to 80' of water. Use shad or spoons.

Sept. 3, 2009

2009-09-05T05:58:00.003-05:00

The evening bite is going strong, the fish are in 45 to 70' of water near the dam.

Sept. 2009

2009-09-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

The fishing is hot, look in 45 to 65' of water within 1 mile of the dam, the fish are off the points and along the dam wall.

Aug. 29, 2009

2009-08-30T20:09:00.003-05:00

The fish are still at the dam, look at 45 to 60' of water off the points and side of points. The best baits are shad and spoons.

The week of Aug. 17th

2009-08-24T14:53:00.006-05:00

Lots of big fish were caught this week near the dam in depths of 45 to 80'. The fish are in large schools that are moving fast so when you see them make sure your bait in the proper depth.

Aug. 12, striper fishing

2009-08-13T07:13:00.002-05:00

Caught my personal best for 6 lb test, 24 lbs, the stripers are biting late evening in deep water off main lake points near the dam.

Aug. 10, striper fishing

2009-08-10T15:29:00.004-05:00

The evening and morning striper bite is in full swing, the points from Georges cove to the dam are holding fish in 45 to 60 of water. Early afternoon is best right now.

Aug. 8 fishing

2009-08-08T17:41:00.002-05:00

The stripers have moved south towards the dam and are feeding on crawdads in 40 to 50 feet of water. If your looking for a big fish checkout the deep water channels, the stripers are feeding deep but will come up for baits at 45'.

Aug. 3, 2009 striper fishing

2009-08-04T08:36:00.003-05:00

The night bite is in full swing, check the points starting from Hank's buff south. The fish are getting active about 8:30 pm in 40' of water.

July 31, 2009

2009-08-01T14:42:00.004-05:00

The morning and evening bite is going strong. The fish are moving south and in the morning check out Diamond Bay and in the evening the points around the dam area.

Fishing July 15 - 21

2009-07-20T15:36:00.003-05:00

Fishing has stated to really pick-up, the fish are 45' deep off Robinson island, Diamond Bay and some of the points in the south part of the lake. There is both a morning and evening bite, if you cannot use shad try spooning.

2009-07-20T14:38:00.000-05:00

Fishing July 15th

2009-07-16T07:11:00.000-05:00

We fished morning and evening and had our best time in the evening, we caught a limit of fish 3 being between 12 & 15 lbs off Robinson Pt in 45' of water. The good bite started 30 minutes before dark, we were using live shad.

June 24 Striper Trip

2009-06-26T16:28:00.001-05:00

Striper fishing is picking up, we caught our limit by 6:30 am, the fish are still shallow, catching them in 100' of water with our lines set 20' to 30'. Look for stripers in the themocline, then as the sun rises the stripers will go deeper. Fish the channel swings and points.

June 11 striper Fishing

2009-06-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

Striper fishing is starting to get better, there is still a topwater bite if the wind is not blowing. The fish are in deep but within the first 30' of water early then they go deep as the sun appears. If its overcast look for shallow fish during the overcast hours, the fish are on the points and channel swings.