• Norris Lake Fishing Report

    Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
    (423) 587-7037 http://www.tnfish.org/index.html phshaw@comcast.net
  • Paul grew up in Auburn, Alabama and graduated from Auburn High School in 1969. Before leaving high school, he began working in Auburn University's fisheries department on an experimental channel catfish cage culture project. After a year at the University of Mississippi (1969-70), he transferred to Auburn University, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fisheries Management.

  • Norris Lake Fishing Report

    WATER CONDITIONS
    The water elevation on February 19th was 1001.8-feet, which is 6-inches lower than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to rise 3 to 4-inches through Friday, February 21st. The inflow is 6,723 cfs. Most of the channels are 40 to 42 degrees. But the heads of the larger, shallower creek embayments have seen surface temperatures as high as 46 to 48 degrees on sunny afternoons. The headwaters were clearing, but there was still a section of stained water moving through near 33 Highway bridge.

    Moon phase: Waning gibbous. The next new moon will be March 1st, and the next full moon will be March 16th.

    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
    Crappie catches improved significantly with the warmer weather in the larger creeks where the water was in the mid to high 40’s. Sycamore Creek and Davis Creek saw good catches of good-sized black crappie. Fishing in the cold channels was slow for all species. Largemouth and smallmouth catches that were made came on small plastic (Slider worms or Twisters on leadheads) fished very slowly as deep as 20-feet. Striped bass remain hard to locate with catches scattered at depths from 15 to 30-feet deep.

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    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.

    CRAPPIE
    Slow on main channels, good in warmer water of larger creeks.
    5 to 10-feet deep, tight to brush in Sycamore and Davis Creeks where the water has warmed into the high 40’s.

    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. No change in the channels. Better in the warmer, stained creek hollows.
    10 to 20-feet. Spotted bass are suspended and were being caught in areas where the shad/alewife die-off is occurring, on the main channels.
    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, fished in the channels where baitfish are seen, or on the gravel/small rock bottoms at less than 15-feet deep
    3-inch plastic grubs (Twister type) or swimbaits (Yum, Yamamoto), close to shoreline rocks on the main channels. Spinners took some largemouth on the rocks, but that catch was slow.

    SMALLMOUTH BASS
    Slow. No change in pattern or success rate.
    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 and shelves have produced at about 20-feet, bottom depth. Small hair or rubber jigs have worked in the Loyston area, deep on the humps or along the Big Ridge State Park and Girl Scout property shoreline.

    Trolled umbrella rigs (3-hook restriction for each rod), or small soft plastic jerkbaits (Assassins, for example) casted into the feeding areas have taken breaking 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 1st – October 15th, one per day, 20-inch minimum length limit. October 16th – May 31st, five per day (in combination with largemouth), 18-inch minimum length limit.

    STRIPED BASS
    Moderate.
    Surface, or 15 to 25-feet in mid-channel below Point 9.

    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 activity has been hard to locate. From Point 9 to Norris Dam. Some near Lindymood and Point 11. 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.
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