Fish Catching Travel

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Shoedog and Nolan on Norfork

The Shoedog has been in North Arkansas spending the week with his grandson Nolan and dropped me this report.

Lake Norfork 3/2316

I am spending this week with my grandson Nolan on Lake Norfork in Arkansas. He is 9 and  is on spring break.  We had spent the first two days fishing off the dock where we are staying and checking out a couple areas of the lake. We have caught a couple small crappies and an Ozark bass of the dock, but not mush else. 

We tried to go up to an area that usually has crappies yesterday, but no luck, just a couple small bass. We had caught about 10 small bass in the Buzzards Roost area on the first day out, so today we went back there. Also, the wind has been a factor the last 2 days And I knew we could probably fish there and have easy and safe access to  the boat ramp. 

We got out about 10:30 and I caught a small bass on a Rogue. Our pal Clyde kept recommending using small swim baits, so I tied Nolan on a 4 inch white/pearl Berkeley Havoc Grass Pig. I use them trout fishing in Texas. It was fairly easy for him to fish with a steady retrieve. He caught a small bass right off. It was pretty tough casting in the strong wind, so I had him on the front deck with me and would cast and hand him the rod and he would reel. It worked pretty well.

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He caught a couple more and one almost made the 15 inch limit. We had 6 or 7 in the next couple hours. Then he ran the trolling motor for me! I caught 3 nice ones in the next while. A 15, 16 and 17 incher. 

Nolan catches a nice one.  And he named it Dinner!

We ended up with 13 bass in 6 hours- not bad for the conditions and a grandpa and a 9 year old! 

The water was between 50-53 degrees. The fish seemed to be on a little steeper banks and points close to the main creek channel – exactly where you expect them to be pre-spawn. I did catch one of the larger fish way in the back of one cove. A good sign for the coming week of fishing with the big boys! 2 more days with Nolan and then a week of hitting it hard. 

We are having fun now!

I have been coming here for over 40 years and have never been able to slow down and spend more than a few days on the run. This week has been very enjoyable with my grandson and we have spent time on the bank looking for rocks and shells, hiked a few trails and fished. Good times. I am a lucky fellow. 

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Looks like the boys are having a big time.  I am at my parents in Fayetteville (Go Hogs) and will be heading over to Mtn. Home today to meet up with them and my buddy Clyde.  A fairly large cold front has moved through here and the wind howled out of the north the last couple of days, including 20 – 30 right in my face the whole drive up here.  But there is good news, a nice warming trend for the week and it should put those fish in the spawning mood.  Channel turns leading into spawning coves, and secondary points in those coves should be the ticket.  Getting excited just thinking about it.

So today I head to Springdale to Cabela’s before I leave town, there must be something I need to buy, and tomorrow it begins.  I can’t wait to put some walleyes and stripers in the boat, big change from our South Texas fishing.  I spent many years on these lakes chasing anything that swims, and I am really looking forward to puttin’ the hurt on them.  Reports will come as often as I can, hopefully every day.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.