• 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 14th was 1011.0-feet, which is 7-inches higher than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to rise 2-inches through Friday, May 16th. The inflow is 1,895 cfs.
    Other than some locations having color caused by wind and wave action, the lake is clear.
    Surface temperature readings show 68-72 degrees over most of the reservoir. Cove Creek’s channel was 75 degrees on a sunny afternoon. Shallow, protected coves and creeks were as high as 77 degrees.
    Moon phase: Full moon. The new moon will be May 28th.

    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
    Shellcracker catches improved with their spawning season, hitting in the shallows near brush. Crappie are also spawning in similar locations. Smallmouth are in the middle of their spawn, with some post spawn fish being caught. Some largemouth have spawned already, but spawning largemouth are still being seen in the clear water at less than 8-feet deep. Spotted bass are also spawning. Many have been caught in very shallow water along rocky shorelines. Some bluegill spawned during the past week, in advance of the full moon. Smallmouth catches were down, as is common during the spawn.
    Extremely clear water makes the spawning fish wary and harder to catch. Light, low-visibility line and long casts are doing best.
    ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ******************************************
    SPECIES DETAILS

    BLUEGILL/REDEAR
    Bluegill: Moderate. Shellcracker: Good.
    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 for those fishing on the bottom with crickets. Look for them in shallows adjacent to creek channels or in coves near brush or stumps. The bluegill which have spawned are dropping into deeper water. 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 for largemouth; good for spotted bass.
    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. Small spinners, Flukes, and Bass Assassins were catching spotted bass in shallow water on rocky shorelines.

    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
    Fair.

    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. But catches were much harder to get than in previous weeks when smallmouth were not yet spawning. Spawning smallmouth have been caught in water 5 to 12-feet deep, on the points and especially on points with wood structure. Soft swim baits, small plastic Slider worms, plastic lizards, Brush Hogs, or rubber skirted jigs have taken fish from the points. Any shade of watermelon has produced well.
    Better areas are Loyston Sea, Mill Creek, Lost Creek, and the Powell from Point 9 to Point 11. A slow, steady retrieve worked well on the sunny days, with the lure 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 scattered. Some catches have been made between 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. Cove Creek, near Point 3 and above, has produced some striped bass over the past week in early morning.

    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.

    Lost Creek is still producing, as are large coves near 33 Bridge and the channel at Straight Creek. The fish which had been caught between Points 5 and 9 have moved; catches in that section were slow.
    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
    Good.

    Surface to 15-20 feet, near the shoreline where there is broken rock or red clay.
    Lower end catches were good at night along the red clay/gravel shorelines. Night catches have come on topwater plugs, Flukes, Shad Raps, and snagged alewife casted toward the shoreline. Some alewife have been spawning 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 was slow.
  • Search Fishin.com

  • Recent Articles