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Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Norfork Lake: a 22,000-acre Corps reservoir on the Arkansas–Missouri line, with striped bass, walleye and a trout tailwater below the dam.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
77 / 77 F
Wind
SE 3 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Norfork Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Rainbow troutExcellent

The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown troutExcellent

Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

Brook troutExcellent

Above 72°F, Vermont's brief-tolerance limit, leave them alone; when water is in the mid-60s, fish early in the day, move quietly and keep fights short.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

WalleyeGood

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 81 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Arkansas requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $10.50 for residents. What a Arkansas licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with AGFC before you keep anything. The season dates for Arkansas, read off the agency, are on the Arkansas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low77 / 46 F
WindSE 3-5 mph
Pressure1020.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:23 / 18:22
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Norfork Lake this week

The best day on Norfork Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM
Minor period
4:08 AM-5:08 AM
Sun
07:23 to 18:22
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 5 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Norfork Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. Above 72°F, Vermont's brief-tolerance limit, leave them alone; when water is in the mid-60s, fish early in the day, move quietly and keep fights short.

When to come: the Norfork Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Brook trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Norfork Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 4 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Arkansas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Arkansas waters (AGFC 2026–27 Guidebook): crappie 15, 10 in.; largemouth and smallmouth 13 in., 6 black bass combined; striped bass 20 in., 3 striped and hybrid combined; walleye 4, 18 in. Missouri waters (MDC): largemouth and smallmouth 15 in., spotted 12 in.; crappie 15, 10 in.; catfish 10 combined; walleye and sauger 18 in.; striped bass 20 in., 3 in the aggregate. Tailwater: AGFC emergency trout regulations apply.

Access

Corps parks with boat ramps include Cranfield (marina, ramp, swim beach), Gamaliel (ramp, marina), Bidwell Point (ramp), Panther Bay (ramp, marina services) and Robinson Point; Dam-Quarry Park sits just below the dam for tailwater access. AGFC lists a mobility-impaired fishing pier at Cranfield. Norfork Lake Project Office: (870) 425-2700.

About this water

Norfork Lake, a Corps of Engineers reservoir on the North Fork River in Baxter and Fulton counties, Arkansas, and Ozark County, Missouri: 22,000 acres, 380 miles of shoreline, completed in 1944.

Fishing Norfork Lake: the full guide

The lake and its parks

The Little Rock District of the Corps of Engineers gives Norfork Lake 22,000 surface acres, 380 miles of shoreline and a 220-foot dam on the North Fork River. The lake stretches 43 miles through Baxter and Fulton counties in Arkansas and into Ozark County, Missouri. The project was authorized in 1938 and completed in 1944, and 19 Corps parks ring the shore. The Corps lists largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass, crappie, bream, walleye and catfish, and notes that night fishing is increasingly popular.

Rules on the Arkansas side

AGFC's 2026–27 Fishing Guidebook (effective July 1, 2026) sets Norfork-specific limits: crappie 15 a day and 10 inches; largemouth and smallmouth bass 13 inches, with 6 largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass combined; striped bass 20 inches, with 3 striped and hybrid bass combined; and walleye 4 a day at 18 inches on the lake and its tributaries. AGFC's health advisory for Norfork concerns eating walleye 18 inches or longer. Game fish other than black bass may be taken with spear guns during the spearfishing season.

The Missouri side and the border license

Missouri's rules for its part of the lake are stricter for bass: the Missouri Department of Conservation sets a 15-inch minimum on largemouth and smallmouth and 12 inches on spotted bass, with 15 crappie at 10 inches, 10 catfish combined, walleye and sauger at 18 inches, and striped bass at 20 inches with no more than 3 in the aggregate. Anglers follow the rules of the state they are fishing in. AGFC's White River Border Lakes License lets Arkansas residents who hold a valid license fish the Missouri waters of Norfork without a Missouri nonresident license; it does not cover trout and is sold only to residents of Arkansas or Missouri.

Records and the tailwater

Norfork Lake holds Arkansas' state records for Ozark bass (1 lb 1 oz, 2014) and rock bass (1 lb 8 oz, 1982). Below the dam, AGFC manages trout in the North Fork River from Norfork Dam to the White River; the first 600 fingerling rainbow trout were stocked experimentally in 1948 and brown trout followed in 1949. The North Fork River holds the state records for brook trout (5 lb, 2002) and cutthroat trout (10 lb 2 oz, 2018). AGFC has emergency trout regulations in place for the tailwater, so check its trout news page before keeping fish.

Common questions

Did the Arkansas walleye record come from Norfork?

No. AGFC's state record walleye, 22 lb 11 oz, came from Greers Ferry Lake in 1982. Norfork holds the state records for Ozark bass and rock bass.

What is the walleye limit on Norfork?

On the Arkansas side, 4 a day at 18 inches or longer on the lake and its tributaries; Missouri also sets an 18-inch minimum for walleye and sauger.

Can I fish the Missouri part with an Arkansas license?

Only with AGFC's White River Border Lakes License, which Arkansas residents with a valid license can buy. It does not allow trout fishing, and you follow Missouri's rules in Missouri waters.

Is fishing good at Norfork Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

White River12 miBull Shoals Lake38 miBuffalo River38 miSpring River43 miLake Taneycomo54 miGreers Ferry Lake60 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.3996, -92.3031 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.