WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on May 29th was 1,020.77-feet, which is 1.2-inches higher than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to remain almost steady through, Friday, May 31st. The inflow is 1,985 cfs. The water temperature on the channels is 73 degrees in the mornings, rising to 77 degrees on late afternoons. The larger hollows and creek embayments are 78 degrees. Areas off the channels where there is more color are slightly warmer. The rear of some shallow creeks are as warm as 80 degrees in the afternoons. The channel color is clear with visibilities as high as 10-feet or more.
Creek inflows are clear. Moon phase: waning gibbous. The new moon will occur June 8^th and 9^th. The next full moon will be June 23^rd.
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
While warm, stable water has put more bass and panfish into the shallows, clear water is making daytime catches difficult. Smallmouth and striped bass remain at 15 to 25-feet during the day. Largemouth are tight to cover in the coves during the daylight hours. Catfish are in the slab rocks along the shoreline at less than 10-feet deep at dawn. Dusk to dawn fishing has been best because of the clear water.

BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Bluegill good. Shellcracker fair. Bluegill are hitting crickets and mealworms at 10 to 15-feet close to the bottom in the coves. Shellcracker are 4 to 10-feet deep at dawn, close to flooded brush and small trees, holding close to the bottom. Shellcracker catches were slower during daytime as these fish moved deeper.

CRAPPIE: Fair during daytime, best at night under lights. 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. Slow during the day. Best at night. In the coves and rear of creeks, tight to wood structure.

SMALLMOUTH BASS: Moderate at dusk and at night. During daylight they’re 15 to 20-feet on shelves, the sides of humps, and points extending into the channels.
Some have spawned, but a few are still pre-spawn. On points, shallow after midnight through dawn, on the broken rock, moderately sloped banks in mid-mornings. Transition zones from boulders to white gravel or clay points, as well as shelves on clay/gravel banks have been good. Transition zones on points at dawn and after dark.

*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.

SPOTTED BASS: Good in the hollows and on the rocky main channel shorelines. 15-feet on main channels and humps, shallower on secondary points. Texas-rigged slider-type worms, small, crawfish pattern crankbaits and pig’n jigs along the shorelines where there are big boulders and plenty of gravel to boulder transition zones.

STRIPED BASS: Slow. (*See regulation change, below, effective Nov. 1^st.) 20 to 25-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.

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

WALLEYE Slow. Lower end walleye are on the broken rock, steeper sloped banks at less than 15-feet deep, near flooded timber, and on red clay/gravel shorelines. Night fishing for lower end walleye on those steeper, rocky banks is slow, overall. Night fishing along the flooded timber is fair in the Loyston to Lost Creek section after midnight to 20-feet deep.

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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Fair.
At dawn, shellcracker have been holding close to the bottom in water which is 5 to 10-feet deep, but they’re moving deeper at mid-morning and through the day to as deep as 15-feet. Keep searching the coves until you find a school and fish that area with red worms or nightcrawlers.
10 to 15-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.

CRAPPIE
Fair in the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves. Better at night under lights in the coves and creek hollows.
3 to 10-feet, tight to brush and wood structure. 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.
Best in the coves, tight into flooded vegetation, less than 15-feet deep. Spotted bass are better in the creek embayments than on the main channels, but channel catches have improved on rocky banks where flooded brush and small trees are found. Some largemouth are still spawning, but most appear to be post-spawn.
Shallower, sand and gravel shorelines in the coves, in the flooded brush and vegetation has produced some good largemouth and spotted bass, but they’re scattered. Clear water is keeping these fish at 10-feet or more after dawn unless there is ample cover. Texas-rigged Slider worms, spinners, soft jerk baits, buzz baits, and shallow running plugs have caught fish in these areas.
Medium running Bandit crankbaits and Norman Little N crankbaits fished parallel to the rocks in stained sections, and soft jerk baits close to the shoreline wood structure.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Moderate. Best on the days with the worst weather when sunlight penetration is less.
The water is very clear, with 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.
Points, ledges, and the sides of mid-lake humps are best – shallow after dark through dawn, and as deep as 15 to 20-feet during the day. Smaller, male smallmouth are on the gravel points and in the shoreline vegetation, as shallow as 3 to 10-feet on many days at dawn and dusk. 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. Texas-rigged 6-inch plastic Slider worms, Zoom worms, or lizards have taken fish on the ledges and humps.
Other lures which have produced: crawfish imitation colors, 3/8 oz hair jig with trailer; or popeye jigs (1/16^th to 1/8^th oz), tipped with a tuffy minnow. Dark green (cedar tree green) or gray colors are good with small hair jigs tipped with minnows.


*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
Slow.
To 25-feet in the channels river arms or large creek embayments. Look for feeding gulls which indicate the location of baitfish schools and troll or tightline alewife or shad in those locations. Gull activity has decreased. 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 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 the outer half of Lost Creek, Bear Hole Bend, Mill Creek near Waterside Marina, and from Crooked Creek (behind Island F) up to Straight Creek, and on the Powell side, from Lindymood Hollow to Point 11. Cove Creek catches are slow. Straight Creek to Black Fox should be holding fish right now.
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
Slow.
Best after midnight. Lower end walleye are holding close to broken rock shorelines of moderate slope, near flooded timber, less than 15 feet deep at night.
Fishing under lights with Hopkins or Mann O’Lure jigs, or snagged shad and alewife has produced some fish, but catches are hard to get. Daytime trolling catches have been very slow.

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