WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on January 29^th was 998.6-feet, which is 2.4-feet lower than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to fall 5-inches through Friday, January 31^st. The inflow is 2,240 cfs. Periods of sub-zero weather have cooled the river channels coming in to 38 degrees. Most of the reservoir is 39 to 41 degrees. The head of some of the larger creek embayments are mud-stained. Some coves and parts of the upper river channels have been covered with thin ice. There is some light stain on the Clinch arm above 33 Highway Bridge and the upper half of the Powell arm.

Moon phase: Waning crescent. The new moon will be January 31^st. The next full moon will be February 15^th.
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
Cold weather and bad road conditions have kept most anglers off the lake. Those few who have ventured out have managed to catch some smallmouth, striped bass, and crappie. Catches of the other species have been very slow in the cold conditions. Cold water temperatures are causing more forage fish (threadfin shad, alewife) to stress and die, providing an easy food source for game fish. Anglers fishing where feeding gulls are located are catching fish. A slow presentation with smaller lures is working. As snow melt enters the reservoir, the water will remain cold enough to continue the forage die-off.



SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Slow. Shellcracker: Slow.
Bluegill catches are very slow. Mid-day and morning catches are being made at 15 to 25-feet on tightlined crickets on steep, broken rock banks or with crickets dragged along the bottom. Crickets or mealworms are the 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 have been hard to get, most catches coming by accident by anglers fishing for something else. The head of Lost Creek has had some small shellcrackers caught from the brush piles. Mealworms or red wrigglers will work when dragged along the sunny, gravel banks during late, sunny afternoons when the shallower water has warmed.

CRAPPIE
Fair
In the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and in the coves, on brush or timber, and in mud-stained sections of the upper creeks.
5 to 15-feet deep on the lower end, tight to brush and wood structure. Shallow in mud-stained creek channels, in main channel brush and downed trees.
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 to try: 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
Slow.
Topwater to 20-feet. Spotted bass suspended in areas where the shad/alewife die-off is occurring.
Spinners, medium running Bandits or Norman crankbaits, and smoke colored grubs (Twisters) at less than 15-feet deep.
¼-ounce doll flies (lighter colors) tipped with minnows or two inches of nightcrawler are catching spotted bass on the gravel/rock shorelines, on the bottom at less than 15-feet deep.
Medium running crankbaits in crawfish or shad patterns, chrome lipless crankbaits, spinners, 3-inch plastic grubs (Twister type) or swimbaits (Yum, Yamamoto), are catching some largemouth and spotted bass close to shoreline rocks on the main channels.
The Powell side, Davis Creek, and Cove Creek continue to produce the most spotted bass.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Good.
Main channel clay points and surface to suspended at 20-feet in the channels where bird activity is present.
Smallmouth are feeding on tiny baitfish which can be seen schooling on the surface, or on fish locators at about 20-feet deep in the channels. Clay/mud points have produced at about 20-feet, bottom depth.
Drifted shad or shiners, trolled umbrella rigs (3-hook restriction for each rod), topwater plugs, doll flies, or small soft plastic jerkbaits (Assassins, for example) casted into the feeding areas have taken these fish, depending on the depth fished. Float ‘n fly rigs are taking some.
On the long points extending into the deeper channels, and on the edges of mid-lake humps at 20-feet.
¼-ounce doll flies (dark green or gray) tipped with minnows are working well along the bottom, at less than 15-feet deep on gently sloping gravel and large rock shorelines, often far from shore where the slope is more gradual.

*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 (in combination with largemouth), 18-inch minimum length limit.

STRIPED BASS
Good.
Surface, or 20 to 25-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments.
Trolled umbrella rigs are taking most of these fish. (There is a 3-hook restriction for each rod). 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.
Surface feeding fish have been seen widely scattered across the reservoir in early mornings and late afternoons, mainly in the channels on the upper half of the lake where baitfish schools are most numerous and struggling on the surface. Bird activity is good where baitfish are shallow.
Loyston catches and surface feeding improved with the arrival of colder water to that area. Regardless of the location on the reservoir, if there are flocks of feeding gulls, striped bass are likely in the area, feeding on the same forage.

There is a new, statewide hook regulation in effect. Read it here: http://www.eregulations.com/tennesse...s-regulations/

*REGULATION REMINDER FOR STRIPED BASS: November 1st through March 31^st, 1 per day, 36-inch minimum length limit.