8 May 2008

 

WATER CONDITIONS

The water elevation is 1016.3-feet, which is 8.4-inches higher than it was last week. The water level is expected to rise a little over an inch over the next two days. But, rainfall is predicted for tomorrow and the weekend.

Sunny, warm days have caused the water surface temperature to rise dramatically since last week. In the afternoon at Loyston Sea, the surface was 74 degrees; at the Dam, it was 72 degrees on the same day. The shallow water in the rear of the hollows are in the mid to high 70’s on sunny afternoons.

Because of the water’s rise setting every piece of wood which hit the shoreline over the winter afloat, hitting floating objects is possible almost anywhere on the lake at this time of year. This is especially true in the restricted channels on the upper half of the reservoir.

In protected areas, anglers may find a plankton bloom which is giving the water a dark streaked appearance.

 

SUMMARY

Fishing responded well to the water temperature rise and the relatively stable water level. Except for Sunday, which was a day immediately following the passage of a weather front, the past week has seen good fishing success on most species.

WALLEYE are hitting at dusk and after dark, close to the shoreline brush on ShadRaps, Thundersticks, Husky Jerks, Red Fins and similar plugs. Snagged shad or alewife are starting to bring in some under the lights in the Loyston area and from Point 9 to Point 5.

SMALLMOUTH BASS, LARGEMOUTH  and SPOTTED BASS were hitting Carolina and Texas-rigged plastic worms and lizards at the 15 foot depth.

CRAPPIE continue to hit small minnows or tiny jigs in large creek and main channel brush piles or sunken trees on steep banks. STRIPED BASS continue hitting from the Island F vicinity to Bear Hole Bend, and in Cove Creek in the early mornings. Powell arm anglers are catching some near Points 11 and 12. BLUEGILL and REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER) are hitting in the brush and shallows.

 

*****

 

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS

Good  (best at dawn and dusk, but good catches were made even in mid-day)

15 feet

Plastic worms/lizards in pumpkin or watermelon shades with green or red colored flakes, Carolina or Texas rigged on points, especially.

Shallow in the hollows near brush on spinners or jerk baits. Best early in the morning in the back of coves and creek hollows. Some as shallow as 3 feet in the back of the coves near wood.  Spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, small plastic jerk baits. Some on buzzbaits and topwater plugs in early morning in the coves.

Very close to the large broken-rock banks on brightly colored Bandits or large pig'n jigs. In the hollows, ½ ounce spinners have taken some nice fish. Tip hair or rubber skirted jigs/doll flies with small (101 size or close) pork chunk trailers and cast to the rocky banks and points. Super Flukes cast to the rocks and wood in early morning and on cloudy days when fish are shallow. Night fishing has seen some caught on plastic lizards or worms, Carolina or Texas rigged near broken rock banks.

 

SMALLMOUTH BASS                                                           

Good

15 feet on larger broken rock, but are also as shallow as 2 feet where large, broken rock is in the shallows. At dusk or dawn, also near the bottom on long, sloping gravel/sandy clay points at about 4 to 8 feet, but large broken rock is producing more fish. Night fishing is good on plastic worms or pig’n jigs.

On cloudy/rainy days or at dawn: 4-inch salty tube jigs, Super Flukes in shad or dark green. Pop’Rs and similar, smaller topwater plugs cast to broken rock banks. On clear days with high air pressure, smallmouth may suspend. On those days, smallmouth may hit topwater lures retrieved far from the bank. Bandit crankbaits in shad or crawfish patterns on windswept rocky banks.  Fish as close to the rock as possible at about 8 feet deep.

3/8 to 1/2 ounce brown or black pig'n jigs with hair or rubber skirts, or 1/4 ounce, dark green doll flies tipped with small shiners or tuffy minnows have worked very well. On high air-pressure days, try soft plastic jerk baits, 3-inch smoke or crawfish color pattern plastic grubs on leadhead jigs fished steadily on steep, clay banks where there are deeper shelves for structure.

Large shiners fished on the bottom on gravel/clay points at 5 to 10 feet deep are catching good smallmouths.

  

WALLEYE

Moderate at dusk and night

5 to 10 feet deep.

Lower end walleye are on the red clay/gravel points and main channel banks near brush and rock outcroppings. Shad Raps, Rogues, Husky Jerks, or Thunderstick -type plugs cast to the red clay/gravel banks near wood structure-button bushes and sycamore trees - at dusk and after dark. Night fishing under the lights with snagged shad or alewife is improving, but casting plugs to the bank after dark is the more productive way to go at this time.

 

STRIPED BASS

Moderate

Surface to 25 feet.

On the Powell river arm: Point 11 to Point 14 and some to Blue Springs Marina.

On the Clinch river arm: Island F to the islands near Hickory Star and to Lost Creek and the mouth of Big Ridge Hollow. Some reported caught from the mouth of Davis Creek (Point 12) to Point 11. ½ ounce leadhead jigs tipped with 3-inch Twister grubs in white/chartreuse, trolled on planer board rigs, shallow but far behind the boat in clear water areas. Umbrella rigs or trolled 1/2 ounce doll flies, 3 or 4 inch shad colored Bass Assassins or Flukes cast to the points, or live shad/alewife driftlined or trolled.

Trollers or driftline anglers may encounter a lot of floating debris on calm mornings.

 

 

CRAPPIE

Good

The pattern and location remain the same:

In brush, 10 to 15 feet deep, as deep as 20 feet on some days, in brush near the bottom. In the larger creek hollows (Sycamore, Vasper Hollow, Davis, Lost Creek) anglers may find spawning crappie near flooded timber and brush, shallow. Davis Creek has been the best place to find large crappie. Fish brush on the steep banks and on the bottom from the Well Springs access down the main creek channel a mile or more below Powell Valley Marina.

Troll small doll flies or leadhead jigs with twisters, on the bottom at 20-feet deep in Sycamore Creek, or in Davis Creek where some stringers averaged 1 lb per fish this week. The Powell River above Union County Dock is good, but you’ll have to search to find brush holding crappie in any numbers. Use medium tuffy minnows or 1-inch tube jigs or 1/32 oz or 1/64 oz popeye flies tightlined into the main channel brush/tree tops channel and hollows. Or tightline into deep brush with the same rigs or with tuffy minnows.

Stained water sections of the main channels, and the head of larger creeks where the water is stained are best.

 

BLUEGILL/REDEAR SUNFISH (SHELLCRACKER)

Moderate

5 to 15 feet deep

Some large shellcrackers have hit small minnows, red worms and wax worms fished under floats near brush in the hollows. Bluegill are hitting crickets and waxworms at 15 feet, for the larger ones. The 2008 Fishing Regulation booklet has an illustration of redear sunfish.