🎣 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 rising fast with both Beaver and Table Rock dams opening floodgates—expect strong current and higher water through the week, which will push fish deeper into main lake structure and creek channels. Lake temps are holding at 78°F, and Del Colvin reports the fishery is active, though the rising water is compressing fish into defined zones. Norfork Lake mirrors this pattern with elevated releases, but the Norfork River tailwater below the dam is absolutely dialed in right now: gin-clear at 206 CFS, low 50s water temps, and trout are keyed on emerging midges in tight seams and behind rocks. The White River below Cotter is firing with consistent generation patterns—one unit mornings (3,000 CFS), heavy afternoon pushes (15,000+ CFS)—and rainbows are crushing Rooster Tails and spinnerbaits. Meanwhile, the Spring River just recovered from muddiness to normal flows at 380 CFS with black leeches and Woollies proving deadly on 'bows.
🏹 What's Working — Baits & Lures
- Zebra Midge #18–20 (Norfork River tailwater, low-generation mornings)
- Black Leech pattern (Spring River, post-rain conditions)
- Rooster Tail with silver blade and orange/brown skirt (White River below Cotter, all-day generation)
- Pheasant Tail Nymph #18–20 (Norfork tailwater, behind rocks and soft seams)
- 3/8 oz chartreuse spinnerbait (Bull Shoals Lake, main lake points during high-water transition).
🎮 How They're Fishing
- Tight-line indicator nymphing with 5X tippet in low-flow tailwater (Norfork River below dam, morning before midday spooky period)
- Sight-fishing small midge emergers to post-spawn browns and rainbows (Norfork tailwater, gin-clear water keying soft seams)
- Generation-pattern spin fishing with Rooster Tails (White River Cotter area, early morning before large afternoon flow pushes)
- Deep main-lake jigging on rising water structure (Bull Shoals Lake, creek channel mouths during afternoon pool rise).
💡 Guide's Insider Tip
Del Colvin reports Bull Shoals Lake continues rising as both dam floodgates open—fish are compressing into main lake and creek channels as water level pushes higher; plan deeper presentations and seek defined structure.
🏆 Top Picks Right Now
When Norfork tailwater drops to 206 CFS, fish get spooky fast—early morning before 7 a.m. with light tippet and minimal shadow is the ticket for sight-fishing to selective trout in gin-clear water below the dam.
Bull Shoals Lake
“Both Bulls Shoals and Norfork Lake levels are above the power pool, and we have seen increased water releases from both dams. We have seen kayakers make what is normally a 6-to-7-hour float into a 4-hour float. If you are on the river in a kayak or canoe, remember to never approach a dock from the upriver side, we’ve seen and heard of too many kayaks and kayakers getting pushed under a dock. With both Beaver Lake Dam and Table Rock Lake Dam opening their floodgates, Bull Shoals Lake will continue to rise. (updated 6-11-2026) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302), delcolv…
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 t…
White River
Cotter Area (updated 6-18-2026) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “The Arkansas Ozarks haven’t missed out on the heat wave that’s moving across the country, but we have the gem of the White River to cool us down. The trout love that cold water and the anglers love that cool mist, which lowers the air temperature by at least 10 degrees. The pattern from the dam continues with lower flows in the morning around one unit (3,000 cfs) and large flows (15,000 or more cfs) during the late afternoon. The lake level is 664.12 feet msl, 2.5 feet above seasonal pool. “Catching rainbows has seldom bee…
Norfork River
[USACE Norfork Dam — 206 CFS total release] # Norfork Tailwater Fishing Report — June 24, 2026 Conditions & Tactics: We're running a lean 206 CFS this morning—gin-clear and perfect for sight-fishing. Water temps are holding in the low 50s, so the trout are still sluggish but feeding. Get down to the upper tailwater below the dam with small stuff: size 18–20 Zebra Midges and Pheasant Tail nymphs under a tight line or small indicator. The low flow means fish are spooky, so go light tippet (5X minimum) and keep your shadow off the water. Wading is excellent—pick your spots carefully. What's Wor…
Norfork Lake
“Both Bulls Shoals and Norfork Lake levels are above the power pool, and we have seen increased water releases from both dams. We have seen kayakers make what is normally a 6-to-7-hour float into a 4-hour float. If you are on the river in a kayak or canoe, remember to never approach a dock from the upriver side, we’ve seen and heard of too many kayaks and kayakers getting pushed under a dock. With both Beaver Lake Dam and Table Rock Lake Dam opening their floodgates, Bull Shoals Lake will continue to rise.
Lake Taneycomo
No spring rains. That’s the headline for this Taneycomo fishing report. Not a whole lot of rain the last 10 months. I think the whole Midwest, and other parts of the country, are in the same boat. How’s that affect our trout fishing? Basically don’t look for a lot of generation this summer. Operators will generate but at strategic times based on power demand. No flood control releases. No shad runs. Trout fishing is going to be easier for most anglers, for the most part. And I think we will see some generation for part of each day, so that will give anglers choices on when to fish und…
🚴 Float Rivers
Live gauge readings — Buffalo, Crooked Creek, Spring & Kings
| Type | Period | Time (CDT) | Duration | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Moon Overhead | 9:05 PM | 2 hrs | Upcoming |
| Major | Moon Underfoot | 9:05 AM | 2 hrs | Past |
| Minor | Moonrise | 4:10 PM | 1 hr | Upcoming |
| Minor | Moonset | 2:00 AM | 1 hr | Past |
- Near-peak solunar activity: Gibbous moons produce strong solunar periods nearly as pronounced as a full moon -- fish the major windows hard.
- Stable conditions key: Bass behavior is most predictable when barometric pressure is steady. Watch for fronts.
- Pre/post-spawn movement: Waxing gibbous pushes fish toward beds; waning gibbous sees them pulling back to deeper staging areas.
- Proven baits: Swim jig, finesse swimbait, or Carolina-rigged lizard along transition edges.