28 Aug 2013

WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on August 28th was 1,019.5-feet, which 3-inches lower than what it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to remain fairly stable through Friday, August 30th. The inflow is 1,383 cfs. Afternoon channel surface temperature readings are 83 to 85 degrees. Morning temperatures have been as low as 79 degrees. Locally heavy rain showers may temporarily stain creeks or shorelines, but the reservoir is otherwise clear in most locations. Sycamore Creek has a good, green color with reduced visibility and 82 degree water. Davis Creek was 83 degrees and 4-feet of visibility all the way to its headwaters.
Moon phase: Waning crescent. The next new moon will be September 5th. The next full moon will be September 19th.
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
Daytime catches have been slow, but the lake has had few anglers out before dusk. Night fishing has produced crappie in the creeks and headwater river channels, and some good bass catches. 25 to 35-feet continues to be the most productive depth for smallmouth, walleye, and striped bass during the daylight hours. 15 to 20-feet remains the best depth range for crappie and bluegill on sunny days. Some of the creeks have produced topwater bass action during the late afternoons. Bass can occasionally be seen feeding on small pods of surfacing baitfish on calm mornings and afternoons on the upper end channels. Fish are in a summer pattern in which there is little to no change from week to week except during periods when the lake level is subject to a significant drawdown. There has been no significant change in the pattern in recent days.


SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Slow.
Surface (a.m.) to 25 or 30-feet (mid-day) 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. In heavy cover, or near docks, some large bluegill have been taken on crickets fished shallow, or popping bugs. Mid-day catches have come as deep as 30-feet on tightlined crickets on steep, broken rock banks. 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.
Shellcracker catches are slow; most have dropped into water 10 to 15-feet deep. A small number have been caught in the shallow, flooded brush, but most remain deep.

CRAPPIE
Moderate at night, otherwise slow. In the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves.
Best at night under lights on the upper river channels (above Pt. 31 and Pt.15), in the coves and creek hollows, on tuffy minnows tightlined to depth.
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.
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 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
Fair at dusk and dawn, better at night.
Top three producers: Pig’n Jigs, plastic worms or lizards, or Brush Hogs. 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.
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.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Fair. No pattern change. Best at night, or on days with the worst weather when sunlight penetration is less.
Fish the bottom on points or the sides of mid-lake humps, 25 to 30-feet deep. Smaller smallmouth are numerous in shallow shoreline cover. Some early morning surface action is occurring in the mouths of the creeks, but has been over by 9 a.m. on most days.
Slow-rolled spinners with brass-colored blades have taken some on moderately sloped banks at night, on the main channel.
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. Soft jerk baits and small plastic lures (Gitzits, Brush Hogs, Centipedes, Slider worms, etc.) 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
Slow. Dawn is best, but that action was slow over the past week.
25 to 40-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments, but on the Powell from Point 10 to Point 11 catches have come from 30-feet. These fish are scattered and the water is clear. Foggy mornings provided short periods of surface action at the mouths of some larger creeks and in the channel around Bear Hole Bend. Surface feeding fish have been widely scattered and of short duration in early mornings.
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. On the Powell side, from the mouth of Cedar Creek to Point 12. There were some early morning fish caught in the Point 1 to Point 2 section of Cove Creek. 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
Moderate.
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. Better night catches have come from shad or alewife cast to the banks. Night jigging with spoons or Mann O’Lures is slow. 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.

phs