Norfork

Area Specific Regulations

Crappie, black and white, combined daily limit is 15.
Crappie shorter than 10 inches must be released immediately.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass must be 13 inches or longer to keep.
Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass combined daily limit is 6 (up to 6 may be smallmouth bass).
Striped bass must be 20 inches or longer to keep.
Striped and hybrid bass combined daily limit is 3.
Walleye must be at least 18 inches long to keep.
Walleye daily limit is 4.
Legal to take game fish (except largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass) with spear guns during season – see Page 11.
The White River Border Lakes License entitles the holder to fish in the Missouri portion of Norfork Lake without buying a Missouri nonresident license - see Page 19.
Handicapped-accessible fishing pier is available at the Cranfield Recreation Area.

Corps Link: https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lakes/Norfork-Lake/

Description: Norfork Lake is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The 8,750.5 ha highland reservoir, located in Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri, was constructed in 1945. Ninety-five percent of the surface area of Norfork Lake is in Arkansas. It is a multipurpose reservoir with the primary purposes being flood control and hydroelectric production. The top of the conservation pool is 168.8 m-mean sea level (m-MSL) and the top of the flood pool is 176.8 m-MSL with an average annual elevation fluctuation of 5.8 m (1945–2018; range: 1.9– 12.1 m; SE = 0.3). The overall trophic state of the reservoir is meso-oligotrophic. However, there are some eutrophic areas of the reservoir.

Detailed Interactive Map