Fish It From Your Front Door
Stay at Crooked Hook and the lake — and the trout rivers — are minutes away. Cabins with full kitchens to cook your catch and a private dock to fish from.
Real-time lake level and river flow, pulled straight from USGS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, plus today's dam generation. Bookmark this page before your trip.
The North Fork is a cold, clear trout tailwater — its flow rises and falls with power generation at Norfork Dam. Check today's schedule before you wade or float.
Trout fishing on the tailwaters is all about timing the dam releases. These official U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pages show current lake levels and the generation schedule for both dams.
The lake is sitting right around normal pool and the water's warming into early-summer mode. Striper and hybrids are following shad into the major creek arms — topwater at first light and live bait fished deeper as the sun gets up. Crappie are holding on brush piles in 15–25 feet, and black bass are working the rocky points and bluff ends early and late. Catfish are turning on after dark in the coves.
Generation has been heavy lately, so the White is running high and off-color in spots — great drift-fishing water. When they back the generators off, the wade fishing turns on fast. Rainbows are taking the usual tailwater offerings; the browns are deeper in the heavier flows. Always check the Bull Shoals schedule above before you head down.
The North Fork is fishing well on low and moderate generation — cold, clear, and full of rainbows with a shot at a big brown. Time your trip to the Norfork Dam release schedule and you'll have great water. Stop by the office and we'll point you to what's working.
Headed our way? Call the office for the very latest — Chuck & Sharon always know what's biting.
A quick reference to what you'll catch around Crooked Hook — and when and how to catch it.
Norfork's signature fish. Chase shad into the creek arms spring and fall — topwater at dawn, live bait deeper midday.
Work rocky points and bluff ends. Shallow in the spring spawn, sliding deeper through summer; early and late are best.
Stack on brush piles and around docks — including ours. Jigs and minnows, with spring and fall the prime windows.
A cool-water prize. Target gravel points and river channels in spring and fall, often after dark.
World-class cold tailwaters below the dams. Drift on high water, wade on low generation — and they bite all year.
Channel and flathead cruise the coves. Bottom-fish cut bait on warm summer nights for the best action.
Stay at Crooked Hook and the lake — and the trout rivers — are minutes away. Cabins with full kitchens to cook your catch and a private dock to fish from.