The water elevation on May 22nd was 1,020.67-feet, which is 7.4-inches higher than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to rise 1.6-inches by midnight, Friday, May 24th. The inflow is 6,313 cfs. Warm days and a heavy dumping of warm rain has caused a significant increase in the water temperature. The river channels are now 76 degrees on late afternoons on the lower end of the reservoir. Loyston is 74 degrees. The larger hollows and creek embayments are 78 degrees. Sycamore Creek and Needham Hollow were 78 degrees, late this afternoon. The channel color is clear with visibilities as high as 10-feet.
Creek inflows are clear. Moon phase: waxing gibbous. The next full moon will be May 25^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
Warmer water and a stable water level have put more bass and panfish into the shallows. Smallmouth are deep except at night and at the break of day. Many largemouth are still on the nest, as are some shellcrackers. Bluegill are moving into the shallows to spawn, in advance of the full moon. Catfish are moving into the shelf rocks, searching for spawning areas.

BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Bluegill good. Shellcracker good when nesting areas are located. 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 close to flooded brush and small trees, holding close to the bottom. Shellcracker catches improved a bit since last week.

CRAPPIE: Good in lower end creek hollows and good far upstream in the river headwaters, tight to cover in spawning areas, 5 to 10-feet. Night fishing in the large creek hollows and coves has seen improved catches.

LARGEMOUTH BASS: Good.
In the coves and rear of creeks. Shallow and close to the shore near brush, especially in large coves. Some are nesting, and are in the coves on sloping, sand and gravel shorelines, near cover.

SMALLMOUTH BASS: Moderate.
Some have spawned, but others are still pre-spawn. On points, shallow after midnight through dawn, on the broken rock, moderately sloped banks in mid-mornings, moving to more gently sloped points by midday, but still on chunk rock and near gravel. Transition zones from boulders to white gravel points, as well as shelves on clay/gravel banks have been good. Transition zones on points at dawn and after dark. As deep as 20-feet.

*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; improving on the rocky main channel shorelines. 15 to 20-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: Moderate. (*See regulation change, below, effective Nov. 1^st.) Surface to 30-feet deep in the channels. They’re scattered on the channels and in some of the larger creeks. Where there are baitfish in the creeks, striped bass have been caught from the surface to less than 10-feet deep, on drifted shiners or small shad and alewife.
*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 improving in Cove Creek and the lower part of Big Creek, but is still slow, overall. Night fishing along the flooded timber is fair in the Loyston to Lost Creek section after midnight. Few baitfish have been seen flipping on the surface, along the shoreline at night.
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SPECIES DETAILS

BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Bluegill: Good. Shellcracker: Good.
Shellcracker have been schooling in the flooded brush and small timber, holding close to the bottom in water which is 5 to 10-feet deep. Catches improved since last week. Keep searching the coves, in the flooded trees, until you find a school and fish that area.
10 to 15-feet deep for bluegill, on the bottom, in coves and along broken rock, steep banks. Some of the larger bluegill are moving into the shallow, shelf areas, less than 10-feet deep. These spawning bluegills will be concentrated in creek hollows and smaller creek-fed coves close to the narrow channels on flats. Crickets or mealworms have been best for bluegill.
For bluegill and shellcracker, use redworms, meal worms, crickets, or small minnows fished with no float, but tightlined or cast to shady, rocky banks and dragged slowly across the bottom. Crickets are the best bait for bluegill. Most of the shellcracker catches have been on red worms or nightcrawlers.

CRAPPIE
Good in the rear of larger creeks on the lower end and above Point 17 on the Powell and above Point 30 on the Clinch. Good in Sycamore, Davis, Cove, and Doaks creeks. A few are showing up in daytime catches in the brushy coves of Big Ridge Hollow.
3 to 10-feet, tight to brush and wood structure. Spawning crappie are in the brushy areas in the larger creek hollows and are shallow. Night fishing under lights has improved in the creek hollows and in some of the shallow coves which lie off the main channels.
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.

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Good. Best in the coves, tight into flooded vegetation on shallow sloping shorelines at less than 15-feet deep. Spotted bass catches improved considerably on the Clinch side, and remain good on the Powell arm. They’re better in the creek embayments than on the main channels on the Powell side. Clinch catches of spotted bass have come from rocky banks where flooded brush and small trees are found. The spotted bass appear to be spawned out. Many largemouth still show signs of wear on the fins, indicating spawning, or recently spawned fish which are fanning the nests.
Shallower, sand and gravel shorelines in the coves, warmed by the afternoon sun, has attracted many largemouth and baitfish. Texas-rigged Slider worms, spinners, soft jerk baits, buzz baits, and shallow running plugs have caught fish in these areas. Where the water is clear, non-spawning, or post-spawn largemouth are waiting until dark to move into the shallower shoreline brush.
Flukes, Sliders, and other plastic lures which are able to be worked in flooded shoreline brush and timber are working. 200 and 300 series 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. Spawning largemouth are taking lures reluctantly, knocking plugs or moving soft plastic lures away from the nests, very often requiring repeated casts to the same area. Good hits are coming from post-spawn bass.

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.
The smallmouth spawn is dragging out; some are still pre-spawn, but most have spawned already. Actively spawning smallmouth have been reluctant to hit. Point and hump fishing is best – shallow after dark through dawn, and as deep as 15-20-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. Good catches are coming on post spawn fish on ledges and sides of humps at 15 to 20-feet.
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 have worked well for the 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
Moderate.
To 30-feet in the channels and across long points and over deep humps in the main channels of the 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.
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. Some have been reported caught near Point 3 on Cove Creek. Sycamore Creek, near the trestle and halfway up Sycamore Creek has had some catches this week. A few catches were reported, but not verified, in the channel between Point 19 and Stardust 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
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.
They’re hitting topwater (Spooks, Pop’R’s, jerk baits) or shallow running plugs (Shad Raps) at dusk and through the night where baitfish have moved into the shallows. That action is hit’n miss, at best, but those fish caught have been of good size.
Fishing under lights with snagged shad or alewife has produced some fish, but catches are hard to get.

phs