MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — A main dish of prespawn largemouth with a side of rising water and severe storms is on the menu today for the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Norfork Lake presented by SEVIIN.
All the perfect ingredients are in place on the northern Arkansas Ozarks lake for the largemouth population to continue migrating into the creeks and other spawning areas. Interviews with the anglers prior to takeoff suggested coverage baits running the list from swim jigs to bladed jigs were spoken of as primary lures.
Heavy rain early in the week continued into Day 1, resulting in a rise in the water level of one foot. For reference, the elevation increased from an elevation of 553 feet to 554 on Day 1. The water is expected to significantly rise higher and faster through the weekend, including Championship Saturday.
The forecast for the next three days says it all about the potential for the water to continue rising. A multi-day heavy rainfall event is expected to set up along a stalled frontal boundary extending from southwest to northeast across Arkansas. Note the word stalled, which means the possibility of multiple rounds of heavy thunderstorms. Those are expected to drop six to 10 inches of rain.
Norfork is a highland reservoir characterized by its location in the Ozark Mountains. With the topography oriented more vertically with bluffs and mountain valleys, compared to horizontal lowlands, the key will be how much rain falls in the northern section of the watershed in Missouri.
In the meantime, the anglers will play the prespawn game of intercepting bass movements into the shallow water areas where the largemouth spawn.
