Report by TWRA creel clerks and huntfishbuddy
NORRIS FISHING REPORT – Paul Shaw
23 February 2012
WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation at midnight, 22 February was 1001.12-feet, which is 2.6-inches lower than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to rise 3.6-inches by midnight, Friday, Feb. 24. Surface water temperature readings showed a slight warming of a degree or two. Most temperatures taken on the lower end were 50 degrees in the afternoons; 46 – 49 degrees on the upper end. In stained creek sections the temperature was a little warmer on sunny afternoons. Inflow readings at the headwaters showed over 9,000 cfs on Wednesday, and predicted to increase to over 12,000 cfs on Friday. More rain is predicted for tomorrow, Feb. 25.
There is a brown algae bloom in many areas; it is not caused by a lake turnover and is harmless. In clear water sections, many anglers choose to fish in it because of the reduced light penetration.
SUMMARY
BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Moderate. An improvement in the bluegill catch was seen in warmer waters, mainly in the coves. Surface to 20-feet, on steep, irocky banks and in the hollows near wood structure. Popping bugs, crickets, and nightcrawlers. Shellcracker are still slow.
CRAPPIE: Moderate. 3 to 5-feet deep in coves. Main channel catches slowed. Popeye hair jigs, tuffy minnows fished by themselves or with small hair flies or on leadheads. Some of the black crappie have exceeded 1 pound. Even on days which are slow for most anglers, a few have been able to find schools of large crappie and have done very well.
Large creek hollows and coves off the main channels on the upper half of the reservoir have been best. Best on cloudy days and in stained areas.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Good. The catch responded to a more stable water level. Surface to 10 feet, close to wood cover and chunk-rock shorelines. The water has cleared and the largemouth returned to hitting smaller jigs than in previous weeks. Orange or dark red Bandit-type crankbaits worked best in the stained sections, close to the rocks, but were slow to produce where the water was clear.
SMALLMOUTH BASS: Good. Slightly stained water from the rain and 50 degree water helped. But the best depth was still 20 to 30-feet , near the bottom on points and rocky, main channel shorelines. In clear water, the best catches are coming on 1/16th ounce to ¼ ounce small hair jigs, the smaller heads producing better. Brown and dark orange, or black. Live bait (shiners) is taking smallmouth on the humps. Float and fly success was fair.
REGULATION CHANGE REMINDER FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS, ONLY, beginning October 16:
From June 1-Oct. 15, there is a 20-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of one. The change replaces the 17-22 inch slot limit. The daily creel limit for largemouth/smallmouth in combination remains five per day on Norris Reservoir. There will be an 18-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of five in combination with largemouth, from Oct. 16-May 31.
SPOTTED BASS: Moderate. Very close to wood structure on rock and gravel shorelines on the Powell side and to Cove Creek. The Clinch side saw more spotted bass caught above Island F, some of good size. Small topwater plugs and popping bug, small jerk baits (Flukes, mainly) or small hair jigs.
STRIPED BASS: Good. 20 to 35-feet deep in the channels, over located baitfish schools. Umbrella rigs with chartreuse or white plastic. ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, shad or alewife. Trolled or tightlined to depth where baitfish are found near humps and points. Islands around Hickory Star to 33 Bridge, Cove Creek, Mill Creek.
The current striped bass regulation is 1 fish/day, with a minimum length limit of 36-inches. This regulation is in effect from November to March.
WALLEYE: Slow. The few walleye which are showing up have come through unintentional catches by bass anglers. They’re deep along the steeper, broken rock channel, near old, downed timber. Upriver fishing is bringing mixed results. River inflow is increasing with the rain and will bring color to the water. Most anglers are getting skunked; a small number of anglers have reported some caught above Beech Grove on the right days. Some walleye are staging near Bridgeport, Point 32 and Bunchtown Flats, but catches are hard to get.
Lower end: Troll or vertical jig hair flies tipped with minnows, or use bass-type spinners near old timber, 20-feet deep on the steeper, rocky banks from Point 9 to the Dam, upper Big Creek on old, downed timber along rocky banks. Almost anywhere there is old timber in the water extending to a 20-feet depth is capable of holding walleye right now.
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SPECIES DETAILS
BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Moderate.
Surface (on popping bugs) to 25-feet deep for bluegill, shallower for redear (shellcracker). Winter has slowed bluegill action. Some are being caught on nightcrawlers or crickets fished near bottom wood structure in the coves. Popping bugs are still catching some. Small Rooster Tail spinners have taken some, deep. Shellcracker fishing is slow. Fish for these on the bottom with nightcrawlers, along sand and gravel shorelines on sunny afternoons, 10 to 15-feet deep.
CRAPPIE
Moderate.
3 to 5-feet deep in stained water brush. Good lures: small doll flies, mini tube jigs (red/white, blue/white) and 1/32 ounce hair or feather jigs tipped with minnows.
Main channel catches slowed, but catches improved in the coves and creek hollow brush in early morning, or all day on cloudy days. The size of the crappie has been excellent, with some approaching 2 pounds.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Good.
Surface to 5-feet, and 18 to 20-feet. Very close to the shoreline and wood structure. Most of the lower end lake water is clear. Predicted rains will stain the creeks again, as well as the upper end river arms and creeks. Stained water sections will have largemouth hitting larger lures. Hair jigs under ¼ ounce took some good fish in the clear water at 10 to 15 feet deep. Hair or rubber skirted jigs are catching better than any other lure.
In clear water, larger fish are 15 to 20-feet deep. Hair or rubber skirted jigs, and soft jerk or swimbaits. Watermelon, brown, orange, or red colors have worked this week.
Dark red or orange Bandit crankbaits produced in the mud-stained areas when fished close to the shoreline rocks. Crankbaits otherwise did not produce well, overall.
Soft jerkbaits, with smoke or bluegill color 3-inch Twisters (grubs) on lead heads are producing well. Hair or rubber skirted jigs up to 3/8 oz, in brown or red, with craw or pork trailers are working well.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Good.
20 to 30-feet in clear water; shallower where the water is stained. Near the bottom on rocky shorelines and rock outcroppings on points and any area where there are current breaks. 3/16 to a maximum size of ¼ ounce hair jigs have taken the most smallmouth. Brown, black, orange patterns, with or without trailers. Live bait or hair jigs tipped with bait worked well along the rocky shorelines and on the humps. Rubber-skirted jigs took some nice smallmouth with ¼ or 3/8th oz heads, but the numbers caught didn’t match those caught with the smaller lures.
The water is cold. Use smaller lures, a slower retrieve and 4 to 6 pound-test, low-visibility line.
Night fishing continues on slow-rolled Colorado or willow leaf blade spinners (with trailers) and pig’n jigs worked along the bottom, down the moderately sloped banks. Expect this action to improve as the water cools.
STRIPED BASS
Good.
20 to 35-feet in the channels and across long points and over deep humps.
Look for baitfish schools and troll or tightline in those locations.
Troll umbrella rigs (6-inch pearl or chartreuse swimbaits as the lure components), ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, or live bait (shad or alewife) tightlined to the depth of the forage fish schools in mid-channel and across the points and humps. Island F vicinity to 33 Bridge and mid-Cove Creek have produced good striped bass catches. Before using umbrella rigs, read the Fishing Regulations and the hook size/number restrictions which are in effect.
WALLEYE
Slow.
20-feet deep, as shallow as 8-feet upriver in the shoals.
Lower end: Rocky, steep banks where there is old timber which extends to about 15 to 20-feet in depth.
The upper river sections will see increased inflow of possibly muddy water with rains which fell today and which are predicted for tomorrow evening. Male walleye should be showing up above Point 32 on the Clinch, and Points 16 to 17 on the Powell side. On the lower end of the lake, the few which have been caught have been coincidental catches by bass anglers using hair jigs or spinners on the lower half of the lake. The size of those caught has been good.
Suggested technique: troll RedFins, Thundersticks, or similar deep diving crankbaits very close to the downed timber, along steep banks with large broken rocks. Upriver: Rapalas, hair jigs tipped with rubber grubs or minnows. Cast into the shoals, vertical jig, or troll. If muddy water is in the headwaters, trolling plugs with a rattle, near the bottom, will often bring catches.
16 February 2012
WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation at midnight, 15 February was 1001.34-feet, which is 1.86-feet lower than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to fall 11-inches by midnight, Friday, Feb. 10. Surface water temperature readings show 47 to 48 degrees, lake-wide. There is a brown algae bloom in many areas; it is not caused by a lake turnover and is harmless. In clear water sections, many anglers choose to fish in it because of the reduced light penetration.
SUMMARY
BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Fair. Surface to 20-feet, on steep, rocky banks and in the hollows near wood structure. Popping bugs, crickets, and nightcrawlers.
CRAPPIE: Moderate. 3 to 5-feet deep. Popeye hair jigs, tuffy minnows fished by themselves or with small hair flies or on leadheads. Some of the black crappie have exceeded 1 pound. Even on days which are slow for most anglers, a few have been able to find schools of large crappie and have done very well.
Large creek hollows and main channel brush on the upper half of the reservoir have been best. Best on cloudy days and in stained areas.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Moderate. Slower than last week. Surface to 10 feet, close to wood cover and chunk-rock shorelines. The water has cleared and the largemouth returned to hitting smaller jigs than in previous weeks. Orange or dark red Bandit-type crankbaits worked best in the stained sections, close to the rocks, but were slow to produce where the water was clear.
SMALLMOUTH BASS: Moderate. Slower than last week. Clearing water sent these fish back to the 20 to 30-foot depths, near the bottom on points and rocky, main channel shorelines. In clear water, the best catches are coming on 1/16th ounce to ¼ ounce small hair jigs, the smaller heads producing better. Brown and dark orange, or black. Live bait (shiners) is taking smallmouth on the humps. Float and fly success was fair.
REGULATION CHANGE REMINDER FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS, ONLY, beginning October 16:
From June 1-Oct. 15, there is a 20-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of one. The change replaces the 17-22 inch slot limit. The daily creel limit for largemouth/smallmouth in combination remains five per day on Norris Reservoir. There will be an 18-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of five in combination with largemouth, from Oct. 16-May 31.
SPOTTED BASS: Fair. Very close to wood structure on rock and gravel shorelines on the Powell side and to Cove Creek. The Clinch side saw more spotted bass caught above Island F, some of good size. Small topwater plugs and popping bug, small jerk baits (Flukes, mainly) or small hair jigs.
STRIPED BASS: Good. 20 to 35-feet deep in the channels. Umbrella rigs with chartreuse or white plastic. ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, shad or alewife. Trolled or tightlined to depth where baitfish are found near humps and points. Islands around Hickory Star to 33 Bridge, Cove Creek, Mill Creek.
The current striped bass regulation is 1 fish/day, with a minimum length limit of 36-inches. This regulation is in effect from November to March.
WALLEYE: Slow. The few walleye which are showing up have come through unintentional catches by bass anglers. They’re deep along the steeper, broken rock channel, near old, downed timber. Upriver fishing is bringing mixed results. Most anglers are getting skunked; a small number of anglers have reported some caught above Beech Grove on the right days. Some walleye are staging near Bridgeport, Point 32 and Bunchtown Flats, but catches are hard to get.
Lower end: Troll or vertical jig hair flies tipped with minnows, or use bass-type spinners near old timber, 20-feet deep on the steeper, rocky banks from Point 9 to the Dam, upper Big Creek on old, downed timber along rocky banks. Almost anywhere there is old timber in the water extending to a 20-feet depth is capable of holding walleye right now.
——–
SPECIES DETAILS
BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Fair.
10 to 25-feet deep for bluegill, shallower for redear (shellcracker). Winter has slowed bluegill action. Some are being caught on nightcrawlers or crickets fished near bottom wood structure in the coves. Popping bugs are still catching some. Small Rooster Tail spinners have taken some, deep. Shellcracker fishing is slow. Fish for these on the bottom with nightcrawlers, along sand and gravel shorelines on sunny afternoons, 10 to 15-feet deep.
CRAPPIE
Moderate.
3 to 5-feet deep in stained water brush. Good lures: small doll flies, mini tube jigs (red/white, blue/white) and 1/32 ounce hair or feather jigs tipped with minnows.
Main channel and creek hollow brush in early morning, or all day on cloudy days. The size of the crappie has been excellent, with some approaching 2 pounds.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Moderate.
Surface to 5-feet, and 18 to 20-feet. Very close to the shoreline and wood structure. Most of the lake water is clearing, but rain is expected on the 16th. Stained water sections will have largemouth hitting larger lures. Hair jigs under ¼ ounce took some good fish in the clear water at 10 to 15 feet deep.
In clear water, larger fish are 15 to 20-feet deep. Hair or rubber skirted jigs, and soft jerk or swimbaits. Watermelon, brown, orange, or red colors have worked this week.
Dark red or orange Bandit crankbaits produced in the mud-stained areas when fished close to the shoreline rocks. Crankbaits otherwise did not produce well, overall.
Soft jerkbaits, with smoke or bluegill color 3-inch Twisters (grubs) on lead heads are producing well. Hair or rubber skirted jigs up to 3/8 oz, in brown or red, with craw or pork trailers are working well.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Moderate.
20 to 30-feet in clear water; shallower where the water is stained. Near the bottom on rocky shorelines and rock outcroppings on points and any area where there are current breaks. 3/16 to a maximum size of ¼ ounce hair jigs have taken the most smallmouth. Brown, black, orange patterns, with or without trailers. Live bait or hair jigs tipped with bait worked well along the rocky shorelines and on the humps. Rubber-skirted jigs took some nice smallmouth with ¼ or 3/8th oz heads, but the numbers caught didn’t match those caught with the smaller lures.
The water is cold. Use smaller lures, a slower retrieve and 4 to 6 pound-test, low-visibility line.
Night fishing continues on slow-rolled Colorado or willow leaf blade spinners (with trailers) and pig’n jigs worked along the bottom, down the moderately sloped banks. Expect this action to improve as the water cools.
STRIPED BASS
Good.
20 to 35-feet in the channels and across long points and over deep humps.
Look for baitfish concentrations. Surfacing baitfish were hard to locate on the sunny, post-front days, but some were seen near Wood Duck Island and Rabbit Island at dusk.
Troll umbrella rigs (6-inch pearl or chartreuse swimbaits as the lure components), ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, or live bait (shad or alewife) tightlined to the depth of the forage fish schools in mid-channel and across the points and humps. Island F vicinity to 33 Bridge and mid-Cove Creek have produced good striped bass catches. Before using umbrella rigs, read the Fishing Regulations and the hook size/number restrictions which are in effect.
WALLEYE
Slow.
20-feet deep, as shallow as 8-feet upriver in the shoals.
Lower end: Rocky, steep banks where there is old timber which extends to about 15 to 20-feet in depth.
The upper river sections have improved water conditions; male walleye should be showing up above Point 32 on the Clinch, and Points 16 to 17 on the Powell side. On the lower end of the lake, the few which have been caught have been coincidental catches by bass anglers using hair jigs or spinners on the lower half of the lake. The size of those caught has been good.
Suggested technique: troll RedFins, Thundersticks, or similar deep diving crankbaits very close to the downed timber, along steep banks with large broken rocks. Upriver: Rapalas, hair jigs tipped with rubber grubs or minnows. Cast into the shoals, vertical jig, or troll.
8 February 2012
WATER CONDITIONS
The water elevation at midnight, 8 February was 1003.2-feet, which is 1.7-inches lower than it was last Wednesday. The water level is predicted to fall 7.5-inches by midnight, Friday, Feb. 10. Surface water temperature readings show 48 – 50 degrees, lake-wide, the warmer temperature coming on sunny afternoons in stained sections. The Clinch inflow at Highway 25E was 48 degrees with about 2-feet of visibility on Wednesday. Sycamore Creek had clear, 48 degree water running into it. There was 4-feet of visibility and 50 degree water at the mouth of Davis Creek near Point 12. The Powell arm had a slight stain and 50 degree water as far down as Point 12. Below Point 11, the water was clear and 48 degrees. Cove Creek was stained on its upper half and 48 degrees.
To view all access areas on the reservoir, go tohttp://www.tnfish.org/ReservoirLakeMapsTennessee_TWRA/TennesseeReservoirBoatRampsMarinasLakeMaps_TWRA.htm.
SUMMARY
BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER): Fair. Surface to 20-feet, on steep, rocky banks and in the hollows near wood structure. Popping bugs, crickets, and nightcrawlers. CRAPPIE: Moderate. 3 to 5-feet deep. Popeye hair jigs, tuffy minnows fished by themselves or with small hair flies or on leadheads. Some of the black crappie have exceeded 1 pound.
Large creek hollows and main channel brush on the upper half of the reservoir have been best. Best on cloudy days and in stained areas.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Good. Surface to 10 feet, close to wood cover and chunk-rock shorelines. Hair jigs with or without small trailers, with larger jigs/trailers working best in stained water sections. Jerkbaits, swimbaits, fished close to the shoreline near cover and substrate or cover transition areas. Orange or dark red Bandit-type crankbaits worked best in the stained sections, close to the rocks, but were slow to produce where the water was clear.
SMALLMOUTH BASS: Good. In stained sections, some were shallow; clear water had them at 15 to 20-feet on cloudy or windy days, a few feet deeper on sunny ones, and usually near the bottom on points and rocky, main channel shorelines. In clear water, the best catches are coming on 1/16th ounce to ¼ ounce small hair jigs, the smaller heads producing better. Brown and dark orange, or black. Live bait (shiners) is taking smallmouth on the humps. Float and fly success was fair with a few exceptions.
REGULATION CHANGE REMINDER FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS, ONLY, beginning October 16:
From June 1-Oct. 15, there is a 20-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of one. The change replaces the 17-22 inch slot limit. The daily creel limit for largemouth/smallmouth in combination remains five per day on Norris Reservoir. There will be an 18-inch minimum length limit on smallmouth bass with a creel limit of five in combination with largemouth, from Oct. 16-May 31.
SPOTTED BASS: Good. Very close to wood structure on rock and gravel shorelines on the Powell side and to Cove Creek. The Clinch side was slower for spotted bass. Small topwater plugs and popping bug, small jerk baits (Flukes, mainly) or small hair jigs.
STRIPED BASS: Good. 20 to 35-feet deep in the channels. Umbrella rigs with chartreuse or white plastic. ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, shad or alewife. Trolled or tightlined to depth where baitfish are found near humps and points. Islands around Hickory Star to 33 Bridge, Cove Creek, Mill Creek.
The current striped bass regulation is 1 fish/day, with a minimum length limit of 36-inches. This regulation is in effect from November to March.
WALLEYE: Slow. The few walleye which are showing up have come through unintentional catches by bass anglers. They’re deep along the steeper, broken rock channel, near old, downed timber.
The few that have been caught have been large fish. Troll or vertical jig hair flies tipped with minnows, or use bass-type spinners near old timber, 20-feet deep on the steeper, rocky banks from Point 9 to the Dam, upper Big Creek on old, downed timber along rocky banks. Almost anywhere there is old timber in the water extending to a 20-feet depth is capable of holding walleye right now. Upriver fishing should be starting to produce male walleye above Points 31 and 17.
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SPECIES DETAILS
BLUEGILL/REDEAR
Fair.
10 to 25-feet deep for bluegill, shallower for redear (shellcracker). Winter has slowed bluegill action. Some are being caught on nightcrawlers or crickets fished near bottom wood structure in the coves. Popping bugs are still catching some. Small Rooster Tail spinners have taken some, deep. Shellcracker fishing is slow. Fish for these on the bottom with nightcrawlers, along sand and gravel shorelines on sunny afternoons, 10 to 15-feet deep.
CRAPPIE
Moderate.
3 to 5-feet deep in stained water brush. Good lures: small doll flies, mini tube jigs (red/white, blue/white) and 1/32 ounce hair or feather jigs tipped with minnows.
Main channel and creek hollow brush in early morning, or all day on cloudy days. The size of the crappie has been excellent, with some approaching 2 pounds.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Good.
Surface to 5-feet, and 18 to 20-feet. Very close to the shoreline and wood structure. Heavily stained areas will have these fish holding very close to the shoreline and shallower. Stained water sections will have largemouth hitting larger lures.
In clear water, larger fish are 15 to 20-feet deep. Hair or rubber skirted jigs, and soft jerk or swimbaits. Watermelon, brown, orange, or red colors have worked this week.
Dark red or orange Bandit crankbaits produced in the mud-stained areas when fished close to the shoreline rocks. Crankbaits otherwise did not produce well, overall.
Soft jerkbaits, with smoke or bluegill color 3-inch Twisters (grubs) on lead heads are producing well. Hair or rubber skirted jigs up to 3/8 oz, in brown or red, with craw or pork trailers are working well.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Good. Same pattern continues:
20 to 25-feet in clear water; shallower where the water is stained. Near the bottom on rocky shorelines and rock outcroppings on points and any area where there are current breaks. 3/16 to a maximum size of ¼ ounce hair jigs have taken the most smallmouth. Brown, black, orange patterns, with or without trailers. Live bait or hair jigs tipped with bait worked well along the rocky shorelines and on the humps. Rubber-skirted jigs took some nice smallmouth with ¼ or 3/8th oz heads, but the numbers caught didn’t match those caught with the smaller lures.
The water is cold. Use smaller lures, a slower retrieve and 4 to 6 pound-test, low-visibility line.
Night fishing continues on slow-rolled Colorado or willow leaf blade spinners (with trailers) and pig’n jigs worked along the bottom, down the moderately sloped banks. Expect this action to improve as the water cools.
STRIPED BASS
Good.
20 to 35-feet in the channels and across long points and over deep humps.
Look for baitfish concentrations. Surfacing baitfish were hard to locate on the sunny, post-front days, but some were seen near Wood Duck Island and Rabbit Island at dusk.
Troll umbrella rigs (6-inch pearl or chartreuse swimbaits as the lure components), ½ to 1 oz bucktail jigs, or live bait (shad or alewife) tightlined to the depth of the forage fish schools in mid-channel and across the points and humps. Island F vicinity to 33 Bridge and mid-Cove Creek have produced good striped bass catches. Before using umbrella rigs, read the Fishing Regulations and the hook size/number restrictions which are in effect.
WALLEYE
Slow.
20-feet deep
Rocky, steep banks where there is old timber which extends to about 15 to 20-feet in depth. The upper river sections have improved water conditions; male walleye should be showing up near Points 31 and 32 on the Clinch, and Points 16 to 17 on the Powell side. On the lower end of the lake, the few which have been caught have been coincidental catches by bass anglers using hair jigs or spinners on the lower half of the lake. The size of those caught has been good.
Suggested technique: troll RedFins, Thundersticks, or similar deep diving crankbaits very close to the downed timber, along steep banks with large broken rocks.
