Timing Right For Shallow Ozark Shootout

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

This week’s Elite Series tournament in the heart of the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas features a unique twist that incorporates two lakes into the competition.

And it appears the fishing should be rounding into form at both venues.

The tournament begins Thursday at Norfork Lake, a 22,000-acre impoundment on the North Fork River to the east of Mountain Home, Ark., where the week’s festivities are based. Days 2 and 3 will play out on Bull Shoals Lake, the White River reservoir that hosted Elite Series events in 2012 and 2013. Those who survive until Sunday will get a return trip to Norfork for the tournament’s conclusion.

It’s not known if B.A.S.S. plans to use this format more in the future – sources indicate this event may serve as a testing ground – but if all goes well it could become a regular feature on the schedule as there are various locations across the country where such an event could be executed.

This week also kicks off a back-to-back part of the schedule that will finish up at Wheeler Lake in northern Alabama next week. That means those who make the final day this week will then face a 6-plus hour drive before starting practice for the next tournament.

B.A.S.S. expanded practice this week to four days to allow competitors ample time to explore both venues. What they found were lakes full of fish in full-blown pre-spawn and spawn mode. Norfork’s water is a little warmer than Bull Shoals right now, but it appears the bass at Bull Shoals are further along in their springtime progression.

Add to that a full moon that’s coming Thursday and this week should produce some decent shallow-water action on both lakes.

“The dogwoods are blooming, there’s pollen on the water and these bass have spawning on the mind,” said Arkansas native Scott Rook, who finished 8th at Bull Shoals in 2012.

Norfork is known to be not as clear as Bull Shoals, so the weather system that brought thunderstorms and rain during practice and is expected to hang around until Thursday might bring about more favorable conditions for the start of the tournament. On the Ozark lakes, any sort of cloud cover or breeze tends to be beneficial to anglers.

“We’re at the time of year where stuff is changing every single day,” said Elite Series pro Casey Scanlon, who finished 3rd at Bull Shoals in 2013.

Friday through Sunday are supposed to be sun-drenched and mild with temperatures in the 80s.

Before getting into more about the bite, here's the lowdown on the lakes that are in play this week.

BassFan Lake Profiles

> Lake name: Norfork
> Type of water: Highland reservoir on the North Fork River
> Surface acres (full pool): 22,000
> Primary structure/cover: Chunk rock, bluff banks, brush piles, some boat docks
> Primary forage: Crawfish and threadfin shad, gizzard shad
> Average depth: 75 feet
> Species: Largemouths, spotted bass, smallmouths
> Minimum length: 15 inches for largemouths and smallmouths, 12 inches for spots
> Reputation: Known as a striper destination, but has some decent black-bass fishing
> Weather: Rain possible Thursday, but clearing up with sun and temps in the mid to upper 70s through the weekend
> Water temp: Upper 50s to low 60s
> Water visibility/color: Generally clear, but has more color to it than Bull Shoals
> Water level: Normal pool, rising slightly
> Fish in: 1 to 15 feet
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn
> Primary patterns: Sight-fishing, jigs, plastics, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, topwaters, dropshots, shaky-heads
> Winning weight: 67 pounds (4 days)
> Cut weight (Top 51 after 2 days): 23 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3
> Biggest factors: Good start. With so many cookie-cutter fish in these lakes, capitalizing on Thursday’s opportunities could pave the way to a big week
> Biggest decision: Go fishing or go looking right away.
> Wildcard: Smallmouth. There’s enough good ones to compete with and the big ones should be about ready to spawn.

Here’s an up-close look at how Norfork lays out, courtesy of Navionics:

> Lake name: Bull Shoals
> Type of water: Highland reservoir on the White River
> Surface acres: 45,500 at full pool
> Primary structure/cover: Chunk rock, bluff banks, brush piles, some boat docks
> Primary forage: Crawfish and threadfin shad
> Average depth: 75 feet
> Species: Largemouths, spotted bass, smallmouths
> Minimum length: 15 inches for largemouths and smallmouths, 12 inches for spots
> Reputation: A newly vibrant fishery with all three species well-represented, but the bigger fish are greatly affected by conditions
> Water temp: High 50s
> Water visibility/color: Exceptionally clear; some creeks have mild color
> Water level: Slightly below normal pool
> Fish in: 6 inches to 25 feet
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn/spawn
> Primary patterns: Sight-fishing, jigs, plastics, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, topwaters, dropshots, shakey-heads
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2.5 for Bull Shoals
> Biggest factors: The gin-clear water – it makes keeper bites much harder to come by
> Biggest decision: Deep or shallow (or a combination of both)?
> Wildcard: Spawners – the big females are coming.

Here’s an up-close look at how Bull Shoals lays out, courtesy of Navionics:

Same State, Different Lakes

Bull Shoals and Norfork may be situated next to each other on the map and are referred to as “rock lakes," but their similarities seem to end there.

Norfork is rarely on the rotation of any major tournament circuit – B.A.S.S. last visited in 2005 when Takahiro Omori won a Central Open in the fall with 27 1/2 pounds over 3 days – while this will be Bull Shoals’ third turn in the Elite Series spotlight in the last 4 years.

Bull Shoals, which is twice the size of Norfork, is known to have zebra mussels in it and those have contributed to the water’s exceptional clarity. Norfork, meanwhile, hasn’t been overrun by the invasive species and tends to harbor more colored water, with some of the better fishing being on the lower end.

The Other ‘Fork’

According to several local anglers and reports from the competitors, Norfork has healthy populations of largemouth, smallmouth, spots and even some meanmouth, a largemouth/smallmouth or a smallmouth/spotted bass hybrid.

According to Steve Olomon, who operates Steve's Guide Service on the lake, a warming trend combined with the full moon later this week will bring a wave of fish in to start spawning.

Olomon added there’s a shad spawn going on so that gives bass more incentive to be shallow.

“We’re catching a lot better fish than what we used to,” Olomon added. “We have had 4 years of high water and good spawns and that gave the fry a chance to get bigger. I think the bass fishing will just get better in the next few years here.”

Typically, the water's clearer than it is right now and the added color can be attributed to an algae bloom that’s in progress. Areas on the lower end, where it’s common to see bottom in 30 feet near the dam, visibility is roughly half that.

Clarity could be an issue as well depending on how much rain and runoff results from today’s thunderstorm. The North Fork River is known to fish fairly small and a little bit of rain can blow it out.

Those targeting smallmouth at Norfork could wind up with a decent haul. Bags in the 16- to 17-pound range are pretty common and brood stock from the lake are responsible for the now-greater smallmouth populations at Table Rock, Beaver and Greer's Ferry lakes.

Ty Bowman, the vice president of the Twin Lakes Bass Club who has 20 years of experience on Norfork, says the two lakes require totally different approaches.

“There’s no grass and nothing but rock and no timber,” he said. “Right now, there are a few fish that are post-spawn and most are spawning or pre-spawn.”

He said the fish in the northern reaches of Norfork tend to spawn earlier compared to those in the mid-lake or closer to the deeper water by the dam on the lower end.

“Most of these fish now are in 1 to 12 feet with the smallmouth spawning a little deeper in 10 to 15,” he added. “Those smallmouth will be a factor.

Plenty to Do

According to Roy Rigdon, a Mountain Home resident who spends a lot of time on Norfork, a series of mini-cold fronts in recent weeks has held back a good many fish from getting into their spawning rituals, but the current warming trend has bass now moving onto beds.

“With the full moon coming, there should be a lot of bed-fishing,” he said. “The water’s up to 63 or 64 degrees, so it’s going to be just right for the guys who like to bed-fish and fish shallow.”

It stands to reason, then, that a population of pre-spawners will be available to those looking to cast and wind reaction baits. Rigden said the lack of a hard winter has allowed anglers to stay with a trusted technique in the Ozarks all spring – cranking.

“Before they started to spawn, we haven’t had a crankbait year like this in 10 years,” he said. “It’s because we didn’t really have a lot of cold, cold weather and they never got on a winter pattern. When it warmed up, they were already there.

“There were more big fish being caught already this year than in the past, too. My wife’s uncle caught a 10 out of Norfork last month. We haven’t had one like that in a while. It’s just been one of those years. I really do think these guys will put Norfork on the map.”

Tougher Bull This Time

Ridgon competed in the BassCat Owners Tournament at Bull Shoals last weekend, which drew more than 375 boats and may be why practice reports from there have been a mixed bag.

Rigdon said the water has come down several inches in the past two weeks and drawn fish out of the shoreline bushes where he’d been catching them prior to the owner’s event. He fully anticipates a lot of spawning fish to be caught this week.

“What was weird is one day you’d catch 15 pounds and the next you’d get three keepers,” he said. “You had to change up patterns completely.”

The 2012 Elite Series event at Bull Shoals was dominated by cranking and the following year, it took more of a finesse approach in the clear water to score top-5 finishes.

Notes from the Field

Following are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week.

Hank Cherry
“These lakes might be close together, but they’re fishing way different. You can do a lot more fishing at Norfork and catch them in a variety of ways. Over at Bull Shoals, I don’t know if it’s the higher water, but it looks like it’ll be a sight-fishing deal all the way around. You can see a lot of fish, but not a lot are locked down, and it seems like they’re dropping the water.

“We haven’t seen the sun since we’ve been here, but I figure by Friday bed-fishing will be wide open. Norfork seems like it’s three weeks ahead of Bull Shoals. It’s really weird. The water temps aren’t far off, but the fish aren’t as far along on Bull Shoals.

“If we get sun at Bull Shoals and those fish that are swimming around lock down, the possibility of catching a good weight is there.”

Scott Rook
“Norfork is probably a little better than what I thought it would be. I went there first on Sunday and the fishing was pretty good, but it got beat up pretty bad. I went back Tuesday and it was hard to get a bite. It’s going to fish extremely small. It’s 22,000 acres and when you narrow it down to 25 percent of that and put 100 boats in that 25 percent, it’s going to make conditions tough.

“Bull Shoals is coming off that 400-boat BassCat tournament last weekend so it’s a little beat up. There will be a lot of sight-fishing at Bull Shoals. Norfork is behind, but the water’s warmer at Norfork. I haven’t seen as many on beds there as I did at Bull Shoals. Most of the fish are 10 feet or less and the smallies may have already spawned. Some guys I talked to found some schooling fish and that’s a chance to catch a big one.”

Stephen Browning
“Fishing is going to be good. I think it’ll be good on both lakes. I just wish the water was a little dingier. It seems like you can catch them so many different ways that whatever a guy feels comfortable doing he can get settled in and go with it.

“I spent two long days on Norfork – I hadn’t been there in 25 years. I feel like I can make adjustments on Bull Shoals being that we’ve been there several times. I think there are a lot of pre-spawn fish. I’m sure there’s been a wave that has spawned, but the big wave is truly waiting to come. Right now, I could see it being won by a guy looking at them. It’s definitely going to be a textbook Ozark lake spawning deal.”

Clifford Pirch
“If the tournament started now or a couple days ago, I’d say the Ozark guys would kick our teeth in, but as it warms up, we might have a chance. I think the weather is in our favor to catch them better than what we’ve seen.

“There’s a lot of clear water here, but rarely is a tournament won sight-fishing in the Ozarks. I’ll probably do some of that, but it’s hard to win here doing that. I’m hoping I can combine it with other patterns and see if I can make a game out of it. I have a unique strategy this week. There’s almost no fish management. It’s all about getting all you can the whole time.”

Dave Lefebre
“There’s a lot of the stuff that looks the same. If you’re on a rock pattern you don’t have to check the next cove to see if there’s rock because everything looks exactly the same.

“I spent the first two days at Bull Shoals and I’ve got where they’re coming from, where they’re at and where they’re going to. Norfork is completely different. I don’t see any similarities. I tried to duplicate what I caught them on at Bull Shoals and couldn’t get bit.

“It seems like Bull Shoals is ahead of Norfork. I could be completely wrong, but I caught fish today in 35 feet of water on Norfork and on Bull Shoals I never had a bite out that deep.”

Casey Scanlon
“I hadn’t been on Norfork much. I fished it one other time 10 years ago. I went there Monday and thought the fishing was good. I caught them every different way. At the end of the day, I looked at my rods and figured I caught them on 10 different baits. It’s a little easier to get bit over there. Bull Shoals is fishing tougher than both times we were here last.

“I practiced Bull Shoals on Sunday and had a good day with good weight. I caught 10 or 11 keepers, but there was no rhyme or reason. Every time I thought I had something figured out it didn’t work in other places. It’s going to be an interesting tournament. They are more in spawn mode. There were spawning fish the last two times we were here, but they’re in more of it now.”

Top 10 To Watch

With the above in mind and more, here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this event:

1. Aaron Martens – This week will require constant adjustments based on conditions and fewer are able to get in tune quicker than Martens, who’s had two so-so finishes (by his standards) to start the season.

2. Jason Christie – In 2013, he won at Beaver Lake (FLW Tour) and Bull Shoals (Elite Series) in back-to-back weeks so he’s up to speed on the rocky, Ozark impoundments. He’s looking for a bounce-back effort after a 93rd at Winyah Bay, his worst Elite Series finish.

3. Brent Chapman – The Kansas pro loves fishing the Ozark lakes and better yet, he understands how the fish behave under various conditions. Adjusting on the fly will be critical this week and that’s among the current AOY leader’s strengths.

4. Brian Snowden – Despite his Ozark roots, his finishes in this region are a little all over the map. His last top-12 in a full-field Elite Series came at Bull Shoals (8th) in 2013 and he’ll be poised to notch another one after a 70th at Winyah Bay.

5. Britt Myers – Fresh off his first win, he gets another shot at Bull Shoals, where he has two top-5s. He thrives when fishing a pattern and he should be able to ride that approach this week.

6. Mike McClelland – He created his latest hardbait design, the SPRO Rock Crawler, specifically for lakes like Bull Shoals and Norfork and he’s an Ozark veteran with a lot of confidence on highland reservoirs.

7. Chris Zaldain – He’s able to get tuned in to how fish are behaving pretty quickly and he’s versatile enough to mix up shallow and deep tactics effectively. Coming off a 10th at Winyah Bay, he also had a 10th at Bull Shoals 3 years ago.

8. Jacob Powroznik – Maybe the best sight-fisherman in the game today, he’s fresh off a top-10 in South Carolina and has a decent track record at other Ozark venues.

9. Mark Davis – The native of Arkansas needs a good finish this week to put an end to the mini slump he’s been in (one top-30 in his last nine full-field events). Finished in the money at Bull Shoals twice before.

10. Casey Scanlon – His Ozark experience might be neutralized by the spawn/sight-fishing factor, but he should be able to get something going on both lakes as he looks to post his first top-12 since Bull Shoals in ’13.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

> Anglers will launch at 6:15 a.m. CT all four days. On Thursday and Sunday (Lake Norfork), they will take off from Lake Norfork Marina (19 County Road 825, Henderson, Ark.) On Friday and Saturday, they will take off from Bull Shoals Boat Dock (719 Shorecrest Dr., Bull Shoals, Ark.). Weigh-ins all four days will begin at 4 p.m. CT at Arkansas State-Mountain Home (1600 South College St., Mountain Home, Ark.).

Notable

> Current AOY points leader Brent Chapman is anxious to get started at Norfork on Thursday, when he plans on using just about every rod in his boat. To read more about his practice went, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., April 21 – Chance of Rain - 74°/51°
- Wind: From the NW at 5 to 10 mph

> Fri., April 22 – Sunny - 76°/51°
- Wind: From the NW at 5 to 10 mph

> Sat., April 23 – Sunny - 81°/56°
- Wind: From the S at 5 to 10 mph

> Sun., April 24 – Sunny - 84°/57°
- Wind: From the S at 5 to 10 mph