Norris Lake: The water elevation is 1,008.0-feet, which is 1.2-feet lower than it was last
week. The water level is expected to fall 3.6-inches over the next two days.
Surface temperature readings have been 63-65 degrees in the early morning hours
on the lower half of the lake. Afternoon readings are only as high as 68
degrees. The water feeding both river arms is much cooler; the drawdown will
pull this cooler water into the main body of the lake as the days and weeks
progress. At Point 33 on the Clinch River arm, the afternoon water temperature
was only 50 degrees. The lake water is clear in almost all locations, the
exception being the extreme upper reaches of the river arms.
SUMMARY
CRAPPIE and BLUEGILL are still hitting well at the 20 foot depth. In stained
sections upriver, they can be caught at half that depth, in main channel brush.
LARGEMOUTH and SPOTTED BASS continue to hit at 15 to 20-feet, especially for
those using minnows. SMALLMOUTH BASS catches are improving. They hit well on the
submerged humps and points, near the bottom at 20 to 25-feet deep. Most caught
have been below the 18-inch minimum size limit. STRIPED BASS: The Norris Dam to
Point 5 vicinity continues to produce fish, but some upstream movement has been
seen, with catches increasing near Stardust, Pilot Island and as far upstream as
33 Bridge. Night fishing was best, from the surface to 40-feet for suspended
fish. WALLEYE catches were slow. CATFISH were slow.
STRIPED BASS
Good. Surface early a.m. to 50 feet at mid-day. Live shad, alewife or
shiners. Six-inch rubber jerkbaits, 1-ounce doll flies with rubber trailers,
trolled or tightlined to as deep as 40-feet. Very shallow at dawn; some seen in
scattered surface breaks at dawn, on calm mornings. During the daylight, 35 to
50-feet in the channels except in surface concentrations of baitfish where
surface breaks are occasionally seen in the mid to late afternoon hours. Live
shad/alewife tight lined to 35 or 50-feet in schools of baitfish, or slowly
trolled with downriggers. In the early morning breaks, use small jerkbaits, swim
baits, or shiners. The vicinity of Points 1 and 2 were good last week,
especially at night. Some stripers have moved up the lake, with activity or
catches between Points 9 and 19, Pilot Island, Bear Hole Bend, and from the
upper end of Island F to 33 Bridge.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Moderate, improving. Shallow at the shoreline and to 20-feet. Spinner catches
are improving on rocky banks. Otherwise, smaller lures worked best, whether
crawfish-pattern crankbaits or soft plastic worms/lizards. Very shallow next to
the bank, and as deep as 20-feet, tight to brush in the hollows and near wood
structure on the main channel rocky banks and in the creek hollows on shallower
sloping rocks. ½-oz spinners, Colorado blades mainly, and small crawfish colored
crankbaits are working close to shoreline cover, along banks with large rocks.
6-inch plastic worms and lizards, Baby Brush Hogs, Otters, 3/8-ounce rubber
skirted jigs, and Tiny Beavers are doing best when fished with a slow
presentation. Green pumpkin, watermelon, red bug, and June bug colors continue
to work well. 6-inch green-pumpkin and redbug plastic worms are taking some nice
fish on Carolina rigs, or fished with small splitshot, from right on the bank
and down to 15 to 20 feet, or on Texas rigs on steeper, main channel banks.
Concentrate on the rear of the hollows near wood, and off rocky points.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Moderate, improving. The pattern holds: Mid-lake humps at 15 to 25-feet in
late afternoon. 10 to 15-feet on points when the water is being drawn and
theres a cloudy sky, otherwise as deep as 25-feet on the points. Target main
channel, clay-bank drop-offs near points at those depths, and where the current
can be felt when the lake is being drawn. Mid-lake humps at 20 to 25 feet where
baitfish can be seen, bottom-jigged with Pixie spoons or small Hopkins-type
spoons, as well as ¼ ounce black-on-black hair jigs are producing some
smallmouth. 3/8-1/2-ounce rubber skirted jigs with small rubber trailers, in
watermelon or pumpkin shades. June bug, Red bug, green pumpkin or equivalent
color slider worms (or equivalent in 4-inch size) on Shaky Head jigs, on the
long points as deep as 25 feet. For live bait fishermen: Large shiners fished
with a split shot, but no float, allowing the bait to drift deep along main
channel rocks. Some days have seen smallmouth actively feeding on the surface,
especially when its calm and tiny baitfish are schooling near the surface. Many
smallmouth from 15 to 1 inches were caught over the past week, at 15 to 25 feet,
near the bottom.
CRAPPIE
Moderate and improving in the main channel brush and submerged timber.
20-feet deep in brush, close to the bottom on clear days. Shallower in early
morning or in stained water Tightline or drift lures into deep, main channel
brush on the bottom and into shoreline brush on steep banks. On high barometer
days, slowly troll or drift tube jigs or hair jigs tipped with minnows along the
bottom, near brush. Drop popeye flies or small tube jigs into the submerged tree
tops or deep brush. Use medium tuffy minnows or 1-inch tube jigs or 1/32 oz or
1/64 oz popeye flies tightlined into the brush.
WALLEYE
Slow. 35 to 40-feet deep, on the bottom. Theyve been slow to hit, but the
quality has been excellent, with fish exceeding 20-inches being caught. Best
bet: Night fishing with shad or Mann OLures jigged on the bottom at 35 to
39-feet. Trolling with spinner/nightcrawler rigs or plugs such as Thundersticks
and 911 RedFins has produced some fish, but it has been slow. Trolling with
nightcrawlers and spinners in bright orange or copper, #6 Hildebrandt blades
with a line of orange beads are working in the clear water sections for those
trolling during the daytime. The Loyston Sea section has seen the most walleye
caught, but Poor Land, Rabbit Island and Cove Creek are about as good.
BLUEGILL
Good. 5 to 25-feet deep. But larger ones are hitting tightlined crickets as
deep as 30-feet on main channel banks. Crickets, waxworms, BeetleSpins, Rooster
Tail spinners, popping bugs, along steep, shady, rocky banks, or in deep brush,
near the bottom. Many good sized bluegills have been caught by those tightlining
crickets into deep brush and fishing a foot or two off the bottom, in or very
near the brush at 20-feet deep.