Norfork Lake fishing report: Nov. 1, 2017


Tom Reynolds

Right now Norfork Lake’s hot spot for stripers is Robinson Point. Look for stripers starting at 30 feet and keep moving out until you find them feeding on the bottom. The schools will keep moving, so you will be on the move most of the morning. The striper, walleye, bass and crappie bite is moving to the main lake, creeks and flats. Look for them just above the 101 bridge on the large flat, the flat just north of Blue Lady and on both Panther and Float creeks. 

With colder weather and water, the stripers will start feeding at various times during the day, so there is no bad time to be on the water. Live bait and artificial baits are working well. Stripers and walleye are hitting small- to medium-size shad. Crappie are biting on minnows, small spoons and jigs. Bass are being caught on top-water using spinners, jigs, worms and spoons. Find the shad, and the fish will be nearby.

The colder water up toward Udall has moved the smaller stripers down toward Calamity Beach and south. The colder water forces the smaller shad to seek warmer water, so the stripers follow them. 

The upper end of Norfork Lake is still full of big fish, but you must use large baits and a lot of patience to catch one. The best bite has begun around 10 a.m. and lasts into the afternoon. Start looking for shad and stripers at Calamity Beach and work your way up past Lick Creek. Find the bait, and the stripers and walleye will be there. 

The best bait is a mid-size gizzard shad about 4 inches long. Both the walleye and stripers are taking them. Big Creek will also be holding fish from Reynolds Island to 1C and past.  Lots of limits of crappie are being caught in all the major creeks using small jigs, minnows and spoons. As the water cools, the crappie will move up the creeks into the 10 to 15 feet, feeding heavily for the winter. The hot spots for crappie are the Fout area, deep into Brushy Creek and near 1C in Big Creek.

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