Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake is hot. Literally the lake temperature went from 72 plus last week to 85 degrees today. It might cool down a little with coming rains but don't expect much. From now thru September it is advised to not throw back any legal stripers. Studies have shown that 75% of stripers caught in water temperatures above 75 degrees will die within 7 days. Catch your limit, call it a day, and enjoy your striper dinner.
The full moon this past weekend had the stripers feeding before light. Then about an hour after light and once the sun came up the shallow water bite quits. For the early bite we are using threadfin shad on a freeline with a small split shot. The stripers and hybrids are about 20' down and feeding on schooling shad. If you're lucky you can catch your limit very quickly but all things have to go your way. Once the early bite is over I switch gears and move to bluffs with a channel swing and set out 2 freelines 100 to 150' behind the boat then 6 downlines set at 60 feet. Most of my fish are caught on the downlines. I target water around 80' deep. The stripers are feeding heavy on crawdads and will attack the shad swimming just above them. This technique will become the standard way you fish for stripers for the next 3 months. Stripers are being caught at Cranfield, Panther Bay, Crystal Cove, Diamond Bay, and the main lake points heading towards Big and Brushy Creeks.

Howell County News

110 W. Main St.,
Willow Springs, MO 65793
417-252-2123

Comment Here