🎣 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 right now with that 84-degree water—perfect for swimming but we're headed toward the summer squeeze as the Corps keeps three to four generators spinning. Del Colvin's watching the thermocline develop once generation slows, which is key because that's when the lake stratifies and fish get predictable. Right now you've got solid conditions on the main lake points with spinners and spoons; the water level is sitting around 661 feet msl and dropping, so focus on structure that's holding steady.
The White River and Norfork tailwater are where the action is heating up this week. Norfork is gin-clear at 205 CFS—absolutely perfect for sight fishing small stuff like Mepps #0 spinners and 1/16 oz spoons near the dam and Otter Creek access. Spring River just came up to 380 CFS with clearing water, and Mark Crawford's clients are hammering rainbows on black leech patterns. Lake Taneycomo is producing quality trout even through afternoon generation, with the Branson Landing area surprising everyone as the hot spot.
Float fishing spinners and small spoons dominates right now across the region, especially in the tailwaters where clarity is high and fish are spooky. Don't overlook jigs with sculpin trailers on structure or live bait drifted on bottom—it's consistent medicine everywhere these waters are running.
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🏹 What's Working — Baits & Lures
- Mepps #0 spinner (Norfork River, gin-clear low-flow mornings near dam)
- 1/16 oz silver spoon (Norfork tailwater, sight-fishing upper reaches)
- Black leech pattern (Spring River, clearing water)
- 3/8 oz chartreuse spinnerbait (Bull Shoals Lake, main lake points during generation)
- Sculpin jig trailer (White River, heavy generation on structure). ---
🎮 How They're Fishing
- Sight-fishing small Mepps spinners (Norfork tailwater, early morning gin-clear conditions)
- Wade-drifting silver spoons (Norfork near Otter Creek access, low flow)
- Float-fishing leech patterns (Spring River, during clearing after rain)
- Jig-and-sculpin on main lake structure (Bull Shoals, mid-generation afternoons). ---
💡 Guide's Insider Tip
Del Colvin warns the "summer squeeze" is coming—once generation slows, Bull Shoals will thermocline, making fish predictable on deeper structure where the cool water holds. ---
🏆 Top Picks Right Now
When the Corps finally backs off generation in early mornings on Bull Shoals, that's your window to work shallow points and banks before the afternoon ramp-up; many locals hit it hard 5-8 a.m. before four units fire up and push everything deep. ---
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 Fishing Report – August 12, 2026 We're running gin-clear at 205 CFS this morning—excellent conditions for sight fishing. Water's cold and stable off the dam, so trout are active and feeding, but they're spooky in this clarity. Stick with small stuff: Mepps #0 spinners and 1/16 oz spoons will outproduce bigger lures. Wade the upper tailwater near the dam and around Otter Creek access—you'll see fish in the deeper runs. Fly anglers should throw small midges and scuds. Keep your presentation subtle and your distance long. The low flo…
Norfork Lake
No report available at this time. Check back after float season begins.
Lake Taneycomo
In the month of June, we saw mostly heavy generation because of a good amount of rain falling in our watershed. They were good rains — well needed rain! But heavy flows made fishing tough for most anglers, especially from the bank or dock. With the rains subsided, July looks like we’ll see more periods of no generation, especially in the mornings. We will see. Trout fishing has improved the last couple of weeks here on Lake Taneycomo. Even with heavy flows in the afternoons and evenings, drifting bait or flies on the bottom has produced good numbers of trout with quite a few trophies showing u…
🚴 Float Rivers
Live gauge readings — Buffalo, Crooked Creek, Spring & Kings
| Type | Period | Time (CDT) | Duration | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Moon Overhead | 1:13 PM | 2 hrs | Upcoming |
| Major | Moon Underfoot | 1:13 AM | 2 hrs | Past |
| Minor | Moonrise | 6:12 AM | 1 hr | Past |
| Minor | Moonset | 8:15 PM | 1 hr | Upcoming |
- Minor periods carry more weight: Crescent moons produce moderate solunar pull -- do not ignore the minor windows, they can surprise you.
- Conditions override: During weak lunar phases, water temperature, wind, and cloud cover drive bass behavior more than moon position.
- Cover and current: Target current seams, laydowns, and dock shade -- bass stack in ambush spots when solunar activity is light.