WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation on October 23rd was 1,005.7-feet, which is 2.8-feet lower than last Wednesday’s elevation. The water level is predicted to drop one foot by Friday, October 25th. The inflow is 655 cfs. Afternoon channel surface temperature readings are 69 degrees on the lower end; 66 degrees upriver. The reservoir is clear in most locations, including the heads of the creeks.
Moon phase: waning gibbous. The next full moon is November 24^th.
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 fall drawdown continues. Cooler, windy weather has helped cool the lake considerably since last week. Many smallmouth are moving into shallower water along the shorelines, but those caught shallow have been smaller fish. Larger smallmouth have been deeper, with a few exceptions. Crappie are slow except for a some catches on the upper river arm channels. Most of the striped bass are on the upper end of the reservoir, hitting well when one can locate them. Some striped bass catches have come from the lower half of the lake, and in larger creek embayments on the lower end.
A regulation change is now in effect for smallmouth bass: From October 16^th through May 31^st, the daily limit is 5 (in combination with largemouth) and the minimum length limit is 18-inches.

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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: fair.
Early morning bluegill are hitting popping bugs well on rocky banks and in the coves near wood. What may be the last spawn of the year has some of the larger bluegill on the sandy flats, adjacent to creek channel cuts and structure of some kind – stumps or brush, usually. Fish the bottom with crickets in water less than 10-feet deep and keep moving to locate these fish. Mid-day catches have come as deep as 20-feet on tightlined crickets on steep, broken rock banks. Crickets or mealworms are the 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 hit’n miss, in brush less than 10-feet deep in the Loyston area and in the back of Lost Creek. These fish are hitting redworms or nightcrawlers but are scattered.

CRAPPIE
Slow on the lower end; moderate on the upper arms of the Powell and Clinch embayments. In the rear of larger creeks where there is brush on the channels and coves.
20-feet deep on the lower end, tight to brush and wood structure. Cooler water will bring them into shallower brush. Lost Creek is fair above its confluence with Whites Creek, but those catches slowed over the past week. The Clinch channel above Sycamore Creek and from Greenwelch ramp to Point 30 has had fair catches on main channel brush and old, downed trees.
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. 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, improving.
Topwater to 15-feet.
Buzzbaits, grubs or swimbaits (Yum, Yamamoto), and small Bandit or Norman crankbaits are catching some largemouth and spotted bass close to shoreline cover in the early morning hours.
Plastic worms, or lizards fished with a slow drop have caught some largemouth. Top producers have been small, medium running crankbaits, surface jerkbaits, grubs or swimbaits. Small, shallow or medium running crankbaits are taking some fish in the larger creek channels, and in the rear of the creek embayments on rocky banks.
Varieties of watermelon, crawfish, or pumpkin colors are still working well. The Powell side, Davis Creek, and Cove Creek have produced the most spotted bass.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
(Reminder: the regulation change was Oct 15^th.)
Moderate, improving. Same pattern, but shallower from the surface (dawn and dusk), to 15-feet.
Catches of the larger smallmouth continue along humps and ledges with deep plugs, jigs, pig’n jigs, or Gitzits or Brush Hogs down to 25-feet deep, although shallower catches have been made, but on smaller fish. Cooler water is bringing smallmouth up to shallow water at dawn and dusk on steep, broken rock shorelines. Late evening has some scattered feeding on shallow baitfish on the surface.
Trolled plugs, small jigging spoons, or small swimbaits fished deep on 25-foot deep shelf drop-offs, humps, and long points are taking larger smallmouth on some days.
The water remains clear, with up to 10-feet of visibility. Good colors have been any shade of watermelon, pumpkin, or red (or red flake).

*REGULATION FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS: June 1^st – October 15^th, one per day, 20-inch minimum length limit. October 16^th – May 31^st, five per day (in combination with largemouth), 18-inch minimum length limit.


STRIPED BASS
Slow on the lower end, moderate farther upstream on the main channels, and on the upper half of larger creek embayments. Dawn is best.
Some of the lower end fish are moving upstream on the main channels or the larger creek embayments. Considerable searching may be required to keep them located from day to day.
20 to 30-feet in mid-channel on the river arms and large creek embayments. Surface feeding fish have been seen widely scattered across the reservoir in early mornings and late afternoons.
Loyston catches were scarce. Cove Creek catches improved this week. Breaking fish were seen in Big Ridge Hollow. Some catches were reported near Straight Creek and near the mouth of Williams Creek and to Point 30.
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.

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
30 to 35-feet for most locations on the lower third of the reservoir, whether bottom fishing on the humps, or if trolling plugs for walleye suspended in schools of baitfish. Trolling long, thin plugs which imitate the alewife shape has produced best. Troll at the 30 to 35-foot depth whether using downriggers or fast trolling to get to depth.
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 humps and ledges on the bottom as deep as 30-feet at mid-day. The quality of the fish caught has been very good, but numbers are low. Night jigging with spoons or Mann O’Lures is slow.

phs