• Norris Lake Fishing Report - TN

    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 - TN

    WATER CONDITIONS
    The water elevation on May 7th was 1010.4-feet, which is 9-inches higher than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to remain steady through Friday, May 9th. The inflow is 1,923 cfs.
    Other than some locations having color caused by wind and wave action, the lake is clear.

    Surface temperature readings show 70-71 degrees, lake wide. Shallow, protected coves and creeks were as high as 75 degrees.
    Moon phase: First quarter moon. The full moon will be May 14th.
    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
    Warmer water temperatures, a steady water elevation, and the spawning season have produced good catches on many species. Smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass are shallow, on the shorelines. Smallmouth catches have been very good. Shellcracker catches improved considerably. Crappie are in the shallows near brush. Bluegill catches are improving.
    Striped bass catches have come from Crooked Creek at Island F, to Black Fox Creek at Point 29. The Powell arm has seen striped bass similarly scattered across a long stretch of the channel from Point 10 to Point 12, and limited catches above Point 15. ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ******************************************
    SPECIES DETAILS

    BLUEGILL/REDEAR
    Bluegill: Fair. Shellcracker: Moderate, improving.
    Shellcracker catches have been good in locations where there is flooded timber, mainly in the rear of coves. They’re hitting wax worms, nightcrawlers, and small tuffy minnows at 5- to10-feet deep, just off the bottom. Bluegill catches improved. Some have begun to spawn. Most of the bluegill spawn will occur over the next week, in shallows adjacent to creek channels or in coves near brush or stumps. Catch them with crickets dragged across the spawning locations. Some large bluegill have been caught on small crankbaits. Popping bug action is improving.

    CRAPPIE
    Moderate, in brushy coves in the creeks and coves.
    5- to 10-feet deep. Near flooded brush in the back of larger creek hollows and in brushy pockets on the upper half of the reservoir.
    Crappie have been observed nesting in coves near brush at depths of 3- to 8-feet.
    Plastic grubs in blue ice, green, pearl, or yellow, as well as tuffy minnows, are taking crappie when fished in the middle of brush where spawning is occurring. Popeye 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. Sycamore Creek, Davis Creek, Lost Creek, Straight Creek are some of the locations producing crappie. Locations between the Dam and Point 9 typically produce no crappie.
    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, improving.
    Surface to 10-feet.
    These fish have been caught within inches of the shoreline where there is wood structure and on small points along rocky shorelines. Some are in the back of coves, in the middle of floating brush, limbs, and other woody structure.
    A wide variety of lures are taking these fish.
    Smaller hard slender jerkbaits (Storm BX Minnow type, Lucky Craft, and others); Brush Hogs in watermelon shades; medium to shallow-running orange, chartreuse, or blood red Bandits; Square A Bombers, or Norman-type crankbaits at less than 10-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), and shaky head rubber skirted jigs, and Flukes, close to shoreline rocks on the main channels. Watermelon Zoom worms and 4-inch slider or Whacky worms are working.

    SMALLMOUTH BASS
    Good.
    Some post spawn fish have been seen. Many smallmouth are spawning. Good action has come from water less than two feet deep, close to the shoreline on broken rock where there is wood structure, and on rocky points, and along the white pea gravel points.
    Better areas are Loyston Sea, Mill Creek, Lost Creek, and the Powell from Point 9 to Point 11. Big Creek and Cove Creek produced good catches this week, on broken rock banks near wood. Windy, cloudy days have seen good catches at 2 to 5-feet deep on rocky shorelines where the wave action has stained the water. Brush Hogs, slider worms on shaky head jigs, and rubber skirted jigs have caught fish. More have come on ¼ oz or smaller hair jigs in crawfish colors, mustard, brown/black. A slow, steady retrieve worked well on the sunny days, with the jig worked along the bottom. Very light, low-vis line (2 to 4 pound) has helped produce the majority of smallmouth.
    Medium to deep running crankbaits in blood red and crawfish patterns, close to the rocky, windy shorelines, but crankbaits are not producing as well as small jigs. Spinnerbait catches improved.

    *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 (* See regulation reminder for the April 1st change.)
    Moderate in early morning.
    Surface on driftlines, or 15 to 20-feet in mid-channel. These fish have dispersed and have been located from Island F/Crooked Creek to Black Fox at Point 29. Palmer Hollow and Straight Creek have seen some catches. The Powell side has had catches from Point 10 to Point 12, and from Point 15 to Point 16.
    Trolled umbrella rigs or shad are taking most of these fish. Shad and large shiners are working when driftline fished or on planer boards, 5 to 20-feet deep. 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.
    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 near Point 3 and above to Twin Cove dock), and on the Powell above Point 17. Lost Creek is still producing, but more are also coming from the mouth of large coves near 33 Bridge and the channel at Straight Creek. The section between Point 5 and Point 9 saw some good catches.
    There is a new, statewide hook regulation in effect. Read it here: http://www.eregulations.com/tennesse...s-regulations/

    *REGULATION REMINDER FOR STRIPED BASS: From April 1st to October 31st, the regulation allows 2 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit. On November 1st it will return to the 1 per day, 36-inch minimum length limit.

    WALLEYE
    Moderate.
    Surface to 15-20 feet, near the shoreline where there is broken rock or red clay.
    Lower end catches improved dramatically over the past week. Night catches have come on topwater plugs, Flukes, Shad Raps, and snagged alewife casted toward the shoreline. Some alewife have been spawing at night, providing good action where walleye have moved in to feed.
    Cast Long Billed Rebels, Rapalas, Thundersticks, Model-A’s, or similar lures, or shad/alewife to the rock and red clay shorelines, and where brush may be flooded.
    Daytime trolling has produced some fish at less than 20-feet on the above listed plugs.
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