WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on September 11th was 1,018.0-feet, which 1.4-feet lower than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to drop 8.6-inches by Friday, September 13th. The inflow is 1,010 cfs. Afternoon channel surface temperature readings are 83 degrees. Morning temperatures have been as low as 79 degrees. The reservoir is clear in most locations, including the heads of the creeks. Sycamore Creek has a good, green color with reduced visibility and 82 degree water. Davis Creek was 83 degrees and 4-feet of visibility all the way to its headwaters.
Moon phase: First quarter moon. The next full moon will be Thursday, September 19^th.
The Norris Reservoir biologist has provided the latest water quality report giving temperatures and dissolved oxygen readings. The September 3^rd readings can be found at
http://tnfish.org/WaterQualitySampli...TWRA_Negus.pdf
The latest stocking information for Tennessee lakes can be found at http://www.state.tn.us/twra/fish/Res.../stockings.pdf
To view photos and Google maps of all access areas on the reservoir, go to http://www.tnfish.org/ReservoirLakeM...eMaps_TWRA.htm or http://tinyurl.com/chm2ts9.
For the Norris lake elevation, inflow rates, and generation times, go to http://www.tva.gov/lakes/noh_r.htm.

SUMMARY
Striped bass action is improving on the lower end, as are smallmouth and walleye catches for those fishing the humps and ledges at 25 feet. 25 to 30-feet continues to be the most productive depth for lower end smallmouth, striped bass, and crappie. Lake locations above Point 9, and depths at, or below, 35-feet may be too low in dissolved oxygen for good fishing. Refer to the graphs and readings found on the link provided, above, to avoid fishing in water which is not presently productive.
Pods of surfacing baitfish are showing up in increasing numbers on calm mornings and afternoons on the upper end channels. Topwater action will increase in those baitfish concentrations as the month progresses. Fish are in a summer pattern in which there is little to no change from week to week except during periods when the lake level is subject to a significant drawdown.
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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Fair.
Surface (a.m.) to 25-feet deep (mid-day) for bluegill, on the bottom in coves or suspended along broken rock, steep banks on the channels. Early morning bluegill are hitting popping bugs well on rocky banks. By 10 a.m., larger bluegill have gone into deeper water. In heavy cover, or near docks, some large bluegill have been taken on crickets fished shallow, or on popping bugs. Mid-day catches have come as deep as 25-feet on tightlined crickets on steep, broken rock banks. Crickets or mealworms have been best for bluegill, the bait tightlined or cast to steeper, broken rock banks where there is shade. For the larger ones, avoid using a float, but cast or tightline with sinkers to get the bait quickly to depth.
Shellcracker catches are slow; most have dropped into water down to 25-feet deep, close to the bottom. These fish are hitting redworms or nightcrawlers.

CRAPPIE
Moderate at night, otherwise slow. In the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves.
Best at night under lights on the upper river channels (above Pt. 31 and Pt.15), but early morning catches are coming in from those locations, too, from main channel shoreline brush and downed trees.
5 to 15-feet, tight to brush and wood structure. Daytime catches have come as deep as 25-feet on the lower end of the lake.
Good lures: Tuffy minnows, small doll flies, mini tube jigs (red/white, blue/white) and 1/32 ounce hair or feather jigs tipped with minnows, Trout Magnets, or Slider grubs in a variety of colors. Historically good locations: Powell River arm channel from Point 15 vicinity to Earl’s Hollow. Davis Creek from its headwaters to a half-mile below Powell Valley Marina. Doaks Creek. Big Creek from Indian River Marina to Campbell County Park. Cove Creek above Twin Cove Marina. Mill Creek, Big Ridge Hollow, Lost Creek above its junction with White Creek. Poor Land Creek. Bear Creek. Flint Creek. Sycamore Creek. The Clinch channel above Point 31.

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Fair at dusk and dawn, better at night.
Shallow water fishermen are doing well only when fishing very tight to cover with plastic worms or lizards fished with a slow drop. 20 to 25-feet deep structure has produced fish better than the shallow brush. Spinners slow-rolled and dropped to as deep as 25-feet along moderately sloped banks are picking up some largemouth at night.
Top three producers: Pig’n Jigs, plastic worms or lizards, or Brush Hogs. Some have hit Carolina rigged plastic worms or lizards on the bottom near shallow, flooded brush or on the gently sloping points down to 25 feet. The water is clear, so fish very tight to cover.
Good lures have been: Carolina or Texas-rigged Finesse/Slider worms or 7-inch Zoom swimtail worms, or plastic lizards in any shade of watermelon or pumpkin. The Zoom worms, Brush Hogs, or Baby Brush Hogs in red shad or varieties of watermelon and pumpkin colors are still working well. Willow leaf spinners, soft jerk baits, buzz baits, and small topwater plugs cast tight to the flooded brush are catching some nice largemouth and spotted bass when placed close to cover.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Moderate, improving for those fishing deep. Best at night, or on days with the worst weather when sunlight penetration is less.
Fish the bottom with deep plugs, jigs, pig’n jigs, or Gitzits or Brush Hogs on points or the sides of mid-lake humps and ledges down to 25 to 30-feet deep.
Slow-rolled spinners with brass-colored blades have taken some on moderately sloped banks at night, on the main channel.
The water remains clear, with up to 10-feet of visibility. Light, low-vis line, and keeping the boat as far from the intended fishing area as possible, is required if you’re going to fish shallow. Soft jerk baits and small plastic lures (Gitzits, Brush Hogs, Centipedes, Slider worms, etc.) Carolina or Texas-rigged 6-inch plastic Slider/Finesse worms, Zoom swimtail type worms, or lizards have taken fish on the ledges and humps, and far out on the points at 20 to 25-feet. Good colors have been any shade of watermelon, pumpkin, or red (or red flake).
Shiners fished at 20 to 25-feet on the bottom, on sides of humps and points have caught good smallmouth.

*REGULATION FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS: June 1^st – October 15^th, one per day, 20-inch minimum length limit. October 16^th – May 31^st, five per day, 18-inch minimum length limit.


STRIPED BASS
Good on lower end, moderate to slow elsewhere. Dawn is best.
20 to 30-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments. The lower end, in the stretch between Points 3 and 5, has some striped bass which are feeding on the surface and down to 30-feet. Most of those fish appear to be smaller specimens, but some larger fish are being caught at the break of day. However, these fish are scattered. Surface feeding fish have been seen widely scattered across the reservoir in early mornings and late afternoons.
Check the water quality report (link given above) to make sure you’re staying in depths with good dissolved oxygen and temperature in your fishing location.
Troll ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, umbrella rigs with trailers in pearl or chartreuse, or live bait (gizzard shad, shiners, or alewife) tightlined, or trolled with downriggers, to the depth of the forage fish schools in mid-channel especially across the points and humps.
On the lower half of the reservoir, try Point 19 to Bear Hole Bend and in the channel between Point 19 and Cunningham Cove. On the Powell side, from the mouth of Cedar Creek to Lindymood Hollow. No catches have been observed on the Clinch above Island F.
There is a new, statewide hook regulation in effect. Read it here: http://www.eregulations.com/tennesse...s-regulations/

*REGULATION REMINDER FOR STRIPED BASS: April 1 – October 31, 2 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit.

WALLEYE
Moderate.
25 to 30-feet is the best average depth for most locations on the lower third of the reservoir, whether bottom fishing on the humps, or if trolling plugs for walleye suspended in schools of baitfish. Check the water quality report (link given, above) to ensure you are fishing in water of 68 to 75 degrees and if there is dissolved oxygen at those depths.
Night jigging with spoons or Mann O’Lures is slow. Daytime trolling catches improved for those using spinner/worm rigs, but better results have come from Redfins, Model-A’s, Thundersticks, long billed Rebels, or equivalent plugs trolled through schools of alewife and along humps and ledges on the bottom as deep as 30-feet at mid-day. The quality of the fish caught has been very good, but numbers are low.

phs