NORRIS FISHING REPORT

22 July 2010

WATER CONDITIONS

The water elevation is 1,018.2-feet, which is 1.2-inches lower than it was last week. The water level is expected to fall 1.2-inches over the next two days. The main channel surface water temperature is 84 to 85 degrees. Shallow coves are as high as 86 degrees late on sunny afternoons. Most of the reservoir has clear water, the only exceptions being temporarily stained water at the head of creeks and along the clay shorelines following heavy thunderstorms.  The TWRA Reservoir Data Collection web site has the latest water profile, including dissolved oxygen (D.O.), temperature, conductivity, and pH, with readings taken every meter of depth from the surface to 30 meters deep. The profile includes the actual readings and graphs of temperature and D.O. readings. The information is printable. Here’s the link: http://www.tnfish.org/WaterQualitySampling_TWRA/files/NorrisLakeWaterQualityProfilesJuly2010_TWRA_Negus.pdf

The D.O. profile looks good in all areas sampled with the exception of water below 30 feet deep in the vicinity of Highway 33 Bridge. At that location, the D. O. drops to low concentrations below 30 feet deep.

SUMMARY

Many of the fish which have been caught have come from the 30-foot depth for those fishing the lower half of the lake. Upper reaches have produced fish at a shallower depth. This is typical of summertime fishing in the reservoir.

The typical, summertime pattern continues – nights and early mornings being the best times to fish. Three days with some cloud cover and rain perked up the catch, slightly. There is no detectable change in the pattern since last week. WALLEYE anglers should concentrate their trolling/jigging depth at the 23 to 30 foot depth range on the lower half of the reservoir. That is the depth of the comfort range of walleye: 68 to 75 degrees. STRIPED BASS are hitting at night and in the very early morning hours for those tightlining live shad or jigging into suspended fish. Topwater action has slowed considerably with the warmer water conditions. LARGEMOUTH BASS are hitting in the shallows at dawn on plastic worms, lizards and Flukes. Buzzbaits and topwater plugs are producing some topwater action. SMALLMOUTH BASS are deep during the day.  Night and early morning fishing with small spoons and doll flies jigged to the humps and off the longer points are taking some. Slow-rolled spinners are catching some at night. SPOTTED BASS have hit lipless crankbaits, doll flies and plastic grubs. SHELLCRACKER catches slowed. CRAPPIE hit early in the morning on deep water brush.

STRIPED BASS

Moderate

25 to 35-feet, depending upon the day, sunlight and barometric pressure.

Best at night and before 9 a.m.

Tightline live shad or alewife, or jig spoons (Hopkins, CastMaster, or Mann O’Lures) to 25 to 30-feet deep where suspended forage fish and striped bass are located. Zara Spooks, or soft jerkbaits on surface feeding fish, but the surface activity is limited to just before dark and at dawn, and is intermittent at best.

Some productive locations: Cove Creek, the mouth of Big Creek, Loyston Sea, Bear Hole Bend vicinity, the channel from Point 19 to Boy Scout Hollow, Point 9 vicinity. See the link at “Water Quality” (above) to get the temperature/oxygen/depth graph to help locate these fish. Most catches have come from about the 30 foot depth before 9 a.m.

CRAPPIE

Fair, better at night under lights.

Typical summer pattern:

3 to 5-feet deep in brush, or to 20-feet, on the bottom, at dawn and at night.

Early morning fishing in shoreline brush, to 10-feet.

Fish early in the morning; after the sun hits the brush, these fish are dropping deeper and are reluctant to bite.

Night fishermen are catching some under lights, on tuffy minnows tightlined to various depths until the school is found. 

Tightline vertically into the brush with small doll flies, 1-inch tube jigs (red/white, blue/white) and 1/32 ounce hair or feather jigs tipped with minnows. Tightlining or float fishing in the brush is producing all those caught in the daylight.

The better locations: Lost Creek, Whites Creek, Big Ridge Hollow, Davis Creek, Sycamore Creek, Big Ridge Hollow, the Clinch channel above Point 30 and up to Point 34, the Powell from Union County Dock vicinity to the headwaters.

SMALLMOUTH BASS                                                                                      

Fair.

20 to 30-feet on points and humps.

Same summer pattern:

Most smallmouth are being caught deep, having spawned and returned to the humps and moderately sloped main channel banks. Striped bass anglers, trolling or tightlining live shad or alewife, are having good luck on smallmouth which are suspended in concentrations of baitfish.

Use small plastic worms or lizards on long sloping points, at 25 feet, and on mid-lake humps at the same depth: Slider, 5-inch Senko, or 6 inch Finesse worms, Berkley Gulp minnows, retrieved slowly on the bottom.¼ ounce black or dark brown hair jigs, worked slowly 20 to 25-feet deep on the humps are taking a few. Slow-rolling spinners down main channel banks were credited with some catches on Cove Creek, at night.

Large shiners and a single split shot, cast to steeper, broken rock banks and allowed to sink to as deep as 20 feet have taken some smallmouth from Point 19 to Point 9. Use low-visibility line.

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS

Moderate

Surface to 20-feet. Best at night.

Same pattern: Night fishing along the main channel shelves, docks and gravel bars near wood structure.

At night, Lunker Lures or similar topwater buzz baits, ½ ounce rubber-skirted leadhead jigs, or small plastic worms (Senko-type) cast to main channel shoreline structure is working fairly well on most nights.

At dawn: Surface to 15-feet deep in the back of the creeks and small coves off the main channels where the water is warmer than on the main channel.

Try buzzbaits and topwater jerkbaits in the shallow water near flooded brush, especially early and late in the day if the section has clear water.

On sunny afternoons, cast jerk baits, Flukes, plastic worms/lizards, buzz baits, spinners, or Spooks into the shallows where there is cover and where baitfish are present.

WALLEYE

Fair

20-25 feet at night, to 30 feet during daylight.

Shallow shoreline catches have slowed. Troll along the bottom with Jet Lures tipped with nightcrawlers, Model 911 RedFins, Thundersticks, Long Billed Rebels, or similar lures. Also, #6 spinners tipped with night crawlers and decorated with a string of orange beads, fished with a 3-way swivel and drop sinker.

At night, under lights on shad or alewife cast beyond the lights. Mann O’Lures or Hopkins spoons vertically jigged on the bottom at night, 20 to 25 feet deep. During the daytime, fish as deep as 30 feet. Reference the temperature/dissolved oxygen/depth graph found at the link provided at Water Quality (above) to help locate these fish.

Good fishing from NorrisLakeInfo.com!!