Trailers are lined up, and fish are bitin’


Parking areas full of trucks and trailers, like this one at Bridges Creek on Lake Norfork (known locally as Stump Hole), are a sign that spring-season fishing is good on area lakes. The popular Lake Norfork access on Highway 160 at Tecumseh is closed to motor traffic again this year, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to work toward repairing the heavy damage the area sustained during the historic flood in 2017. The Corps says construction is set to begin in November or December, with repairs to be completed by April 2020. Fishermen can park on the shoulders of Highway 160 and walk down to the access to take advantage of bank fishing.

5-pound bass Pontiac residents Finn Wade, 6, and his dad, Matt Wade, caught this large-mouth bass during the weekend while fishing near Pontiac Cove on Bull Shoals Lake. The fish wasn’t weighed, but Matt estimated its weight at around 5 pounds.

45-pound striper Mark Sanders caught this 45-pound striper March 16 while fishing with an Alabama rig in a tournament in the Oakland, Arkansas, area of Bull Shoals Lake.

Trot-line catches Brad Tilley and his daughter Liberty caught these catfish last week on trot lines in Lake Norfork. Liberty loves to run the boat motor and check the trot line, and her dad loves watching her wrestle the big “cats” into the boat.

The Times asked Facebook followers to suggest a caption for this photo of a roadrunner perched regally on the hood of a boat-trailer-pulling pickup parked at Stump Hole on Monday. One of our favorites was suggested by Katherine Loftis: “My dream of becoming a hood ornament has finally come true!”

Gainesville resident Randy Rose caught this 23-pound striper Monday while fishing on Bull Shoals Lake out of Pontiac while using a stick bait. Rose said he planned to “make steaks” out of his catch.

Pontiac resident Hudson Blackburn, 4, shows the two large-mouth he and his dad, Gabe Blackburn, caught Sunday while fishing in Bull Shoals Lake.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423