• 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 March 26th was 1003.5-feet, which is 1.2-inches higher than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to rise 2.9-inches through Friday, March 28th ..The inflow is 2,135 cfs.

    Most of the reservoir has clear, or lightly stained water. The backs of the creeks and protected, shallower areas where the water exceeds 50 degrees, may show color from the algae bloom.

    Afternoon water surface temperature readings from the main channels showed the effect of unseasonably cold, sub-freezing temperatures, dropping to 45 degrees on the lower end of the reservoir to the low 50’s on the upper end. The back of the creeks have been as high as 54 degrees. The annual algal bloom is being seen in sections where the water temperature is near 50 degrees. Wind rows of the algae are appearing as brown oily slicks and streaks on the water surface, leading some to believe it is a turnover. The condition is harmless, and can be beneficial to fishermen. Fish may be shallower in areas where the algae restricts sunlight penetration into the water.

    Moon phase: Waning crescent. The new moon is March 30th. The next full moon will be April 15th.

    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 returned, dropping the water temperature a few degrees cooler than it was last week. Smallmouth bass are staging for the spawn, hanging out near the points. The clear days saw them suspended yards from the shoreline. Largemouth catches slowed a bit since last week, but were still in the warmer hollows and the backs of the creeks, hitting at shallow depths. Crappie catches benefited from stable water. Sycamore, Lost, and Davis creeks saw some caught. Some small shellcrackers were caught in Lost Creek. Striped bass catches are still hard to find, but showed signs of life in mid-Cove Creek, Lost Creek, and toward the headwaters of the river arms.
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    SPECIES DETAILS

    BLUEGILL/REDEAR
    Bluegill: Slow. Shellcracker: Fair.
    A few shellcrackers are showing up in crappie brush piles in the rear of Lost Creek, but the quality and numbers were low. The water temperature needs to warm for these fish to hit better.
    Bluegill catches are very slow. These fish are 15 to 20-feet deep, on the bottom or on the sides of shoreline dropoffs. Catch them with crickets tightlined to depth on steep, broken rock. 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
    Good in the larger, stained creek hollows. Shallower than before. Same pattern. They’ll be moving into the shallows, near brush, in coming weeks.
    3 to 5-feet deep, tight to brush, or to 15-feet on the bottom in mid-channel in the rear of the larger creek embayments. Troll small hair jigs, 1-inch tube jigs, or grubs tipped with minnows along the bottom, or fish trout magnets, popeye flies, and small tube jigs tight to brush early in the morning, or later if the water is heavily stained.

    Good standard 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
    Moderate.
    2 to 15-feet. In the warmer hollows and backs of the creeks. Very close to the shoreline next to wood structure on rocky shorelines in stained sections.
    Medium to shallow-running orange, chartreuse, or blood red Bandits or Norman crankbaits at less than 15-feet deep, fished parallel and very close to the rocky shorelines. 3-inch soft plastic swimbaits (bluegill, glimmer blue, or smoke colors have worked well), close to shoreline rocks on the main channels. The short armed models of Tennessee rigs have picked up some largemouths near wood structure.

    SMALLMOUTH BASS
    Moderate
    5 to 20-feet deep, staging near main channel clay and gravel points.
    Clay/mud points and shelves have produced at about 20-feet, bottom depth on small hair or rubber jigs, ¼ to 3/8 oz, in brown, orange, or chartreuse colors, and swim baits deep on the humps. Bluegill or smoke grubs on leadheads fished with a slow, steady retrieve a couple of feet off the bottom, are catching smallmouths on clay banks. Tennessee rigs (3-hook restriction for each rod), are working on gravel/clay areas and off the steeper, rocky shorelines on the lower end. The shorter armed T-Rigs were taking fish farther from the shoreline, off the ends of downed timber, than last week. Float ‘n fly rigs at 10-feet are taking some, but have been slow to produce on most days.
    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
    Fair.
    Surface, or 15 to 25-feet in mid-channel.
    These fish are scattered and are hard to locate, but are moving upstream on the river arms and in the larger 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 activity has been hard to locate. 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. Recent catches came from Cove Creek (middle section), and on the Powell above Point 15, and with some activity in Lost Creek.
    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 31st, 1 per day, 36-inch minimum length limit.

    WALLEYE
    Moderate in the headwater shoals of the Clinch near Point 34. Fair on the Powell side headwaters in the Earl’s Hollow vicinity.
    5 to 15 feet, on the bottom, and in the rocky shoals in the headwaters.
    Troll or cast doll flies tipped with plastic grubs or night crawlers, or Long Billed Rebels, Thundersticks, Model-A’s, or similar lures along the bottom in pre-spawn areas. The shoals at Indian Creek (Point 34 and above) have seen good catches in early morning and after dark.
    The Powell side is producing walleye and sauger above Slate Creek and to the shoals above Earl’s Hollow
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