🎣 Fishing Reports
Bull Shoals • Table Rock • Norfork Lake • Taneycomo • White River • and more
Reports updated nightly — pulling the most current conditions from AGFC, MDC, and local guides so you wake up knowing what the fish are doing.
🎣 Fishing Summary
Bull Shoals Lake • Norfork • Table Rock • White River • and more
Bull Shoals Lake is running hot at 84°F with the Corps pushing serious generation—three units in the morning ramping to four by afternoon—which is reshaping how fish position themselves. Del Colvin's warning about the upcoming thermocline is real; once generation backs off, that lake will stratify and the bite will shift dramatically. Right now, you've got a transitional window where fish are still moving with current breaks and main lake structure, but the squeeze is coming. Meanwhile, Lake Taneycomo (53°F) is firing on consistent generation and managed oxygen levels—trout are cooperating with minimum flow mornings into afternoon pushes. The Norfork tailwater just dropped to gin-clear 205 CFS with water in the low 60s, which means downsized presentations and longer casts are absolute must. Spring River is clearing nicely after recent rain pushes black leeches to the top of the menu for 'bows. This is prime time for float fishing spinners and small spoons on Bull Shoals main lake points, and for switching to delicate dry-and-drop work on the Norfork when visibility gets this clean.
🏹 What's Working — Baits & Lures
- Mepps #1 silver spinner (Bull Shoals main lake points, float fishing)
- 1/16 oz Blue Fox spoon (Norfork tailwater, low-flow wading)
- Black leech pattern (Spring River, high-water recovery)
- 3/8 oz chartreuse spinnerbait (Table Rock Lake, bass structure)
- Size 18–20 midge (Norfork, fly fishing clear water).
🎮 How They're Fishing
- Float fishing Mepps #1 spinner on main lake current breaks (Bull Shoals, generation mornings)
- Downsized presentations on light spinning gear in channel edges (Norfork tailwater, low-flow gin-clear conditions)
- Drift-fishing silver inline spoons during generation changes (White River, flow transitions)
- Fly fishing tiny leech and midge patterns (Norfork, clear low-flow midmorning).
💡 Guide's Insider Tip
Del Colvin warns: once Bull Shoals generation slows, the lake will form a thermocline and fishing patterns shift dramatically—prepare now for that coming change.
🏆 Top Picks Right Now
Lake Taneycomo's consistent midday generation pushes (minimum flow until mid-afternoon, then 2.5-unit ramps) create a predictable bite window; morning minimum-flow periods before the afternoon push are prime time for trout on small spinners and dries if you time your float launch right.
Bull Shoals Lake
Bull Shoals Lake measured 662.01 feet msl Wednesday, fast approaching desired power pool elevation, with generation continuing with three units (9,000 cfs) in the morning, rising a little earlier than it has been, to almost 12,000 cfs (four generators) by midafternoon. (updated 7-9-2026) Local reports indicate the water temperature is around 84 degrees. “Feels great to jump in for a swim if you get hot. The Corps of Engineers have been running big water. Not looking forward to the summer squeeze. Once generation slows down, the lake typically will form a thermocline. The lake level is down to …
Table Rock Lake
Fishing for black bass should be excellent in 2026. Largemouth bass are plentiful throughout the lake as a result of the high lake levels in past years. Fall 2025 electrofishing surveys revealed good numbers of largemouth bass in the 15”-18” range. These surveys also revealed an abundance of spotted bass in the 11”-14” range, with just three percent of the spotted bass captured in the fall 2025 surveys exceeding 15”. Due to the high abundance and slow growth rates of spotted bass in Table Rock Lake, the minimum length limit is planned to be reduced to 12” in 2026. Anglers are encouraged to har…
White River
Cotter Area (updated 7-9-2026) Local reports indicate “Change is hard for some folks, so we hang on to the best of our world: Trout fishing on the White River here in the beautiful Arkansas Ozarks continues to produce great catches and tons of action. The beauty, peace and hospitality you’ll find in Cotter, Trout Capital USA, and the whole of north-central Arkansas will keep you coming back for more.” Calico Rock Area (updated 7-9-2026) Local reports indicate “Last week we saw the river crest in the morning around 10 feet, dropping throughout the day to about 8 feet. We continue to have succes…
Norfork River
[USACE Norfork Dam — 205 CFS total release] # Norfork Tailwater Report – September 12, 2026 We're running light this morning at just 205 CFS—gin-clear conditions and excellent wading throughout the upper tailwater and down toward Otter Creek. Water's in the low 60s, and trout are spooked by the visibility, so downsize everything. Throw small Mepps #0 spinners and 1/16 oz Blue Fox spoons on light spinning gear. Fly anglers should work size 18–20 midges and tiny scuds. Keep your presentation subtle and your distance long. Fish are holding deeper in current seams given the low flow. If you're dri…
Norfork Lake
No report available at this time. Check back after float season begins.
Lake Taneycomo
September 1, 2026 Fishing Report Post author: Phil Lilley Post published: September 1, 2026 Post category: Uncategorized We have had fairly consistent generation flows here on Lake Taneycomo for most of August, which makes trout fishing pretty good. They have been running minimum flow starting around 7 a.m. into the afternoon, then increasing it up to 135 megawatts (2.5 units) from mid-afternoon into the evening. Our water temperature has gone up to about 53 degrees, which is normal for this time of year. Dissolved oxygen levels have dropped, so dam operators are injecting liquid oxygen into t…
🚴 Float Rivers
Live gauge readings — Buffalo, Crooked Creek, Spring & Kings
| Type | Period | Time (CDT) | Duration | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Moon Overhead | 2:14 PM | 2 hrs | Past |
| Major | Moon Underfoot | 2:14 AM | 2 hrs | Past |
| Minor | Moonrise | 8:27 AM | 1 hr | Past |
| Minor | Moonset | 8:02 PM | 1 hr | Upcoming |
- Equally strong periods: New moon solunar periods are just as powerful as full moon -- do not overlook them. Fish the major windows.
- Daytime focus: Without nighttime brightness, bass compress feeding into daylight solunar periods -- be on the water at first light and dusk.
- Conditions first: New moon bass are less influenced by light, so water temperature and bait presence drive location more than structure alone.
- Darker water baits: Chartreuse or white spinnerbait in stained water; natural shad colors in clear water.