• 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 July 25th was 1,020.1-feet, which is 3-inches lower than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to remain steady through Friday, July 26th. The inflow is 3,435 cfs. Afternoon channel temperature readings are 84 degrees over most of the reservoir. Some coves are three or four degrees warmer in the stained shallows, on sunny afternoons.
    Moon phase: waning gibbous. The new moon is August 8th. The next full moon will be August 29th and 30th.

    The Norris Reservoir biologist has provided the latest water quality report giving temperatures and dissolved oxygen readings. It can be found at
    http://tnfish.org/WaterQualitySampli...TWRA_Negus.pdf
    The latest stocking information for Tennessee lakes can be found at http://www.state.tn.us/twra/fish/Res.../stockings.pdf
    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
    The lake elevation has stabilized and should help fishing if it remains so. 15 to 20-feet is the best depth range for largemouth, crappie, and bluegill on sunny days. 25 to 30-feet has been the best depth range for smallmouth and striped bass. Early morning and night hours have seen good catches in the shallows, and on the surface. The full moon was a hindrance to those trying to fish under lantern light.
    Fish are in a summer pattern in which there is little to no change from week to week.
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    SPECIES DETAILS

    BLUEGILL/REDEAR
    Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Slow.
    Surface to 25-feet deep for bluegill, in coves or suspended along broken rock, steep banks on the channels. Early morning bluegill are hitting popping bugs well on rocky banks. By 10 a.m., larger bluegill have gone into deeper water. Crickets or mealworms have been 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. Small bluegill are being caught in shallow brush in the coves. This week’s full moon should see some larger bluegill move to the shallows to spawn. As the moon wanes, these spawners will move out to deeper water.
    Shellcracker catches are slow; most have dropped into deeper water. Try moderately sloped banks, near rock outcroppings and deep wood structure at 15 to 20-feet deep. A small number have been caught in the shallow, flooded brush, but most remain deep.

    CRAPPIE
    Slow, in the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves. Fair 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 Union County 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
    Fair.
    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 the middle of flooded vegetation, and shallow, at dusk and dawn. Some have hit Carolina rigged plastic worms or lizards on the bottom near shallow, flooded brush or on the gently sloping points down to 25 feet.
    Clear water is keeping these fish at 10 to 15-feet unless there is ample cover. Good lures have been: Carolina or Texas-rigged Finesse/Slider worms or 7-inch Zoom swimtail worms, or plastic lizards in any shade of watermelon or pumpkin. The Zoom worms, Brush Hogs, or Baby Brush Hogs in red shad or varieties of watermelon and pumpkin colors are still 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 when placed close to cover.
    Pig’n jigs and Finesse worms are picking up some largemouths shallow and to depths of 15-feet.

    SMALLMOUTH BASS
    Slow. Best at night, or on days with the worst weather when sunlight penetration is less.
    Fish the bottom, 20 to 25-feet deep on the points. Shallower at night, dusk, and dawn. Smaller smallmouth are numerous in shallow shoreline cover.
    The water remains clear, with up to 10-feet 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. Good sized 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 16th. It now allows five smallmouth with a minimum length limit of 18-inches. This regulation remains in effect until June 1st.


    STRIPED BASS
    Fair. Dawn is best.
    25 to 40-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments, but on the the Powell from Point 10 to Point 11 catches have come from 30-feet. These fish are scattered and the water is clear.
    Check the water quality report (link given above) to make sure you’re staying in depths with good dissolved oxygen and temperature in your fishing location.
    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 in the channel between Point 19 and Cunningham Cove. Island F up to Straight Creek has produced some but is slower than previous weeks. On the Powell side, from the mouth of Cedar Creek to Point 12. Some catches were reported coming from the lower mile of Davis Creek. Cove Creek catches are slow near Point 2 and above Mountain Lake Marina. Catches in the Point 1 to Point 5 section have been very 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: April 1 – October 31, 2 per day, 15-inch minimum length limit.

    WALLEYE
    Fair. Night fishing was slow. Daytime catches slowed.
    25 to 30-feet has been a good average depth for most locations, whether bottom fishing on the humps, or if trolling plugs for walleye suspended in schools of baitfish. Check the water quality report (link given, above) to ensure you are fishing in water of 68 to 75 degrees and if there is dissolved oxygen at those depths.
    Best in the early morning hours or late afternoon. The full moon’s competition with lantern light made attracting baitfish difficult during the full moon of the past few nights. 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 as deep as 30-feet at mid-day. The quality of the fish caught has been very good, but numbers are low.
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