18 Sep 2013

WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on September 18th was 1,016.5-feet, which 1.5-feet lower than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to drop 10-inches by Friday, September 20th. The inflow is 825 cfs. Afternoon channel surface temperature readings are 81 degrees. Morning temperatures have been as low as 79 degrees. The reservoir is clear in most locations, including the heads of the creeks.
Moon phase: The full moon is tomorrow, 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
With a thermocline holding at about the 30-foot depth, anglers are able to locate cool water loving species such as striped bass, smallmouth, and walleye at that depth. 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. Striped bass have provided the most action this week.
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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Slow.
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 but are scattered.

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).
5 to 20-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.
Late afternoon catches improved on shady, steep banks with rock and wood structure. Fish very tight to cover with spinners, plastic worms, or lizards fished with a slow drop. 20 to 25-foot deep structure in secondary coves has produced fish. 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, but good for those fishing deep.
The best catches have come from fishing the bottom along humps and ledges with deep plugs, jigs, pig’n jigs, or Gitzits or Brush Hogs 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 1 and 2, and between Points 1 and 5, has been excellent for striped bass in from early to mid-morning. Most of those fish have been 6 to 10-pounders, but some much larger fish have been caught. Surface feeding fish have been seen widely scattered across the reservoir in early mornings and late afternoons.
Striped bass activity has also been noted on the Powell near Heatherly Point and near Deerfield.
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.

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.
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. Trolling plugs has produced best.
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