WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on June 26th was 1,020.59-feet, which is 13.4-inches lower than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to fall 3.72-inches by Friday, June 28^th. The inflow is 2,538 cfs. The water temperature on the channels is 81 degrees in the mornings, rising to 84 degrees on late afternoons, lake wide. Coves are up to 87 degrees in the stained shallows, on sunny afternoons. The channel color is clear with visibilities as high as 6-feet or more. Channel color will be much less in areas affected by heavy rain.
Moon phase: waning gibbous. The next full moon will be Sunday, July 22^nd and 23^rd. The next new moon is July 8^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
Typical summer pattern: Dusk to dawn fishing has been best because of the clear water and warm water temperatures. Anglers using small diameter, low-visibility line are experiencing better results because of the clear water. Some species are being caught on mid-lake humps at 15 to 20-feet in the mornings and evenings, and as deep as 30-feet at mid-day. Some bass are shallow, tight to shoreline brush and the base of shoreline trees. Bass catches slowed on Tuesday after good catches over the weekend.

BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Bluegill good. Shellcracker slow. Bluegill are hitting crickets and mealworms at 10 to 20-feet close to the bottom in the coves, and on the surface at dawn. Many shellcrackers have moved into water 15 to 20-feet deep, although a few are still being caught near shallow, flooded, shoreline brush.

CRAPPIE: Fair but improving during daytime, best at night under lights in lower-end creek hollows and good far upstream in the river headwaters, tight to cover, 5 to 10-feet. Night fishing in the large creek hollows and coves has seen improved catches.

LARGEMOUTH BASS: Moderate at dawn and dusk. Slower during the day. Best at night. Plastic flip-tail style worms ( Zoom swim tail worms or equivalent), Finesse/slider type worms, plastic lizards, or topwater baits in the coves and rear of creeks, tight to wood structure in flooded areas. Watermelon or any shade of red has worked well.

SMALLMOUTH BASS: Fair at dusk and at night. During daylight they’re 20 to 25-feet on shelves, the sides of humps, and at that depth on points extending into the channels.
On points, shallow from dark through dawn on shallow sloping points near flooded shoreline vegetation. Transition zones on points at dawn and after dark. Most catches have come from Finesse worm rigs and pig’n jigs. Catches improved on Carolina and Texas rigged worms or lizards fished on the long points.

*REGULATION CHANGE FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS: The regulation changed on June 1st. It now allows one smallmouth with a minimum length of 20-inches, per day. This regulation remains in effect until October 16^th.

SPOTTED BASS: Moderate on the rocky main channel shorelines and in flooded timber in the backs of the creeks. Texas-rigged Finesse/slider-type worms, small, crawfish pattern crankbaits and pig’n jigs.

STRIPED BASS: Fair. (*See regulation change, below, effective Nov. 1^st.) 25 to 30-feet deep in the channels. They’re scattered on the channels. Tightline or troll where baitfish are located at depth. Surface baitfish schools are scattered and deep during the day, shallow on the surface at the break of day. Mid-day is very slow.

*REGULATION REMINDER FOR STRIPED BASS: April 1 – October 31, 2 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit.

WALLEYE: Fair. Cast tight into flooded shoreline vegetation from dusk ‘til dawn with jerkbaits, topwater plugs, shad, or alewife. Rocky banks with flooded timber and brush on the main channels. Trolling RedFins, Thundersticks, or long billed Rebels through schools of alewife for suspended walleye is the best bet for daytime fishing. If trolling, stick to the 20 to 25-foot depth, whether fishing the bottom on the humps or for suspended walleye.

CATFISH: Good at dawn. 3 to 10-feet off slab rocks where they’re about to spawn. Nightcrawlers, chicken livers. Some have been caught on trolled spinner and worms near spawning areas.

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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Slow.
Shellcracker catches have slowed. A few have been caught near shallow, flooded brush at about 10-feet, but these fish have moved much deeper, holding along moderately sloped banks, near rock outcroppings and wood structure at more than 15-feet deep. 10 to 20-feet deep for bluegill, on the bottom, in coves and along broken rock, steep banks. Early morning bluegill are hitting popping bugs well on rocky banks. Crickets or mealworms have been best for bluegill. Some larger bluegill may still be in the flats after the spawn. Fish for these fish by using no float, but by dragging crickets across the bottom in areas where spawning is suspected of occurring.

CRAPPIE
Fair, but showing signs of improvement in the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves. Moderate at night under lights in the coves and creek hollows.
5 to 15-feet, tight to brush and wood structure. Daytime catches have come as deep as 25-feet on the lower end of the lake. Shallow at dawn, getting deeper by 9 a.m. and difficult to catch when the sun hits the brush.
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. Good locations: Powell River arm channel from Blue Springs Marina 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.
Surface to 15-feet at night and through dawn. Daytime to 20-feet, or shallow in the shade of flooded vegetation.
Best in the coves, tight into flooded vegetation, and shallow, at dusk and dawn.
Flooded brush and vegetation has produced some good largemouth and spotted bass. Clear water is keeping these fish at 10-feet or more after dawn unless there is ample cover. Where there is cover, these fish have been in the shade of brush or timber, often shallow. Good lures have been: Carolina or Texas-rigged Finesse/Slider worms or 7-inch Zoom swimtail worms. The Zoom worms in red shad or varieties of watermelon and pumpkin colors are working well. Willow leaf spinners, soft jerk baits, buzz baits, and small topwater plugs cast tight to the flooded brush are catching some nice largemouth and spotted bass.
Pig’n jigs and Finesse worms are picking up some largemouths shallow and to depths of 15-feet.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Fair. Best at night, or on days with the worst weather when sunlight penetration is less.
20 to 25-feet deep. Shallower at night, dusk, and dawn.
The water is very clear, with 6 to 10-feet or more of visibility. Light, low-vis line, and keeping the boat as far from the intended fishing area as possible, is required if you’re going to fish shallow. Smallmouth have been caught suspended in schools of baitfish, in mid-channel, 20 to 30-feet deep. Shad and alewife are taking the suspended fish.
Points, ledges, and the sides of mid-lake humps are good – shallow after dark through dawn, and as deep as 20 to 25-feet during the day. Soft jerk baits and small plastic lures (Gitzits, Centipedes, Slider worms, etc.) have taken some tight to the banks in the flooded brush and floating wood. Carolina or Texas-rigged 6-inch plastic Slider/Finesse worms, Zoom swimtail type worms, or lizards have taken fish on the ledges and humps, and far out on the points at 20-feet. Good colors have been any shade of watermelon, pumpkin, or red (or red flake).
Shiners fished at 20 to 25-feet on the bottom, on sides of humps and points have caught good smallmouth.

*REGULATION CHANGE FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS: The regulation changed on October 16^th. It now allows five smallmouth with a minimum length limit of 18-inches. This regulation remains in effect until June 1^st.


STRIPED BASS
Fair.
30 to 35-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments, but a bit shallower on the upper half of the reservoir and on the Powell above Point 10 where catches have come from 25-feet. These fish are scattered and the water is clear. Dawn is best.
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.
On the lower half of the reservoir, try Point 19 to Bear Hole Bend, and from Island F up to Straight Creek. On the Powell side, from the mouth of Cedar Creek to Point 11. Cove Creek catches are slow, but improving near Point 2 and above Mountain Lake Marina. There is a new, statewide hook regulation in effect. Read it here: http://www.eregulations.com/tennesse...s-regulations/

*REGULATION REMINDER FOR STRIPED BASS: April 1 – October 31, 2 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit.

WALLEYE
Fair, improving.
Best after midnight and in the early morning hours. Lower end walleye are on shorelines with flooded timber, less than 10-feet deep at night. Cast hard jerkbaits, topwater plugs, shad, or alewife to the shorelines, very close to flooded vegetation as though you were bass fishing. Jigging under lights with Hopkins or Mann O’Lure jigs has been poor. Better night catches have come from shad or alewife cast to the banks. Daytime trolling catches improved for those using spinner/worm rigs, but better results have come from Redfins, Model-A’s, Thundersticks, long billed Rebels, or equivalent plugs trolled through schools of alewife and along the bottom at 15 to 20-feet at sunrise, and as deep as 30-feet at mid-day. Suspended walleye are holding at about 20 to 25-feet during the daytime hours. The quality of the fish caught has been very good, but numbers are low.

phs