CHEROKEE RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) - The creel clerk will be working on Douglas Lake during 2005. Fishing reports for Cherokee will resume in 2006.
DOUGLAS RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water level is holding steady with the surface temperature reaching 82 degrees up in the day.
SUMMARY:
Some big bass are being caught 20 to 30 feet deep with Carolina-rigged pumpkin seed lizards and deep running crank baits during a tournament last weekend. Smaller bass have been caught 2 to 15 feet deep using crank baits, Texas rigged worms, and spinner baits.
Crappie are on brush, humps, points, and tree lines. Fish 5 to 15 feet deep with live minnows under a float.
Catfish can be found in creeks or river channels, bluffs, and rocky banks. Fish 5 to 30 feet deep with night crawlers.
White bass are caught during surface breaks and 10 feet deep with jigs and live minnows. The best fishing is from Muddy Creek on up to Walter's Bridge.
Bluegill are on humps, points, bridge piers, and along rocky banks. Fish crickets 10 to 15 feet deep.
NORRIS RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
The lake elevation is 1,020.1-feet. It has remained stable since last week's report and is predicted to remain steady over the next two days. The water surface temperatures jumped up abruptly, responding to long, hot days of sunshine. Early morning temperatures are in the high 70's. Afternoon temperatures taken in mid-channel on the lower end are up to as high as 83-degrees, if taken on a sunny day. The lake is clear in most locations. The floating log problem on the upper end has improved, but there is still enough debris floating around to cause a problem. Above Point 14, on the Powell, and Point 29, on the Clinch, need to keep a sharp lookout. Go to www.tnfish.org for additional information on TWRA's Norris fishery, fish identification photos and fishing reports on other lakes in east Tennessee.
SUMMARY:
WALLEYE are hitting well at dusk and after dark for those fishing under lantern light, or casting plugs to the shoreline. SMALLMOUTH are on deeper structure, off rock outcroppings and dropoffs. LARGEMOUTH are hitting small crankbaits, jerkbaits or spinners at dusk. WHITE BASS and CRAPPIE have been caught at night, under lights, on the Clinch arm above 33 Bridge. STRIPED BASS are hitting fairly well in the early morning hours, both on the lower half of the Powell and in the Loyston area, and up to 33 Bridge on the Clinch arm. CATFISH are hitting well on the rocky banks. BLUEGILL are moving back to the rocky banks. Some larger ones have been caught on crickets or wax worms.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Fair.
10 to 35 feet. Some shallow at night and in early morning hours on small pig'n jigs or spinnerbaits. Deeper during daylight, off broken rock banks and dropoffs, mid-lake humps. Small plastic Slider worms, jerkbaits and Bandit crankbaits are catching some smallmouth on broken rock banks, near wood structure.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Good.
Surface to 15-feet. Very good in the back of protected creeks and in coves at dusk or dawn. Largemouth in the back of the hollows and on the main channel banks near any wood structure; spotted bass on the gravel or rocky points leading to deeper main channel water. Many good catches have come shallow, close to the bank. Plastic lizards or worms on Carolina rigs are taking bass in the shallows. Spinnerbaits and jerkbaits are taking largemouth bass in the hollows, and on main channel rocky banks as shallow as 3-feet.
STRIPED BASS
Moderate.
Surface to 35-feet deep Shad fished with driftlines or planer boards. On the lower end, shad fished on driftlines to 15 feet, or 1/2-oz. doll flies tipped with plastic twisters or Sassy Shads, or on topwater plugs. On clear days, striped bass have been caught, tightlined, as deep as 40-feet on the lower end.
WALLEYE
Good.
15 to 20-feet along rocky banks and red clay; as deep as 30-feet on some sunny days. Shallow, on the shoreline at dusk and after dark for those casting plugs to the bank. Troll Jet Lure/nightcrawler rigs, Thundersticks, RedFin 911 or Model A's in these areas. Some walleye have hit ShadRaps, Rogues or spinnerbaits at night. Cast close to the bank at dusk and after dark. The best results for night fishing has been under lights, on shad or alewife snagged and cast out.
CRAPPIE
Moderate at night; slow during daylight hours.
5 to 10 feet, in the brush along creek embayments. Best at night, under lights and near brush, with small minnows as bait. Shallower in early morning and at dusk. When the sun hits the brush, the action slows considerably; fish early or at night. Small tube jigs, popeye flies, or minnows in the brush.
BLUEGILL
Excellent.
5 to 10 feet in the coves; to 20-feet on the bluffs. Some large bluegill are being caught on tuffy minnows by crappie fishermen, near brush on steep, rocky banks. Tighline to the bottom with crickets or wax worms. Early morning flyrodders are catching some on popping bugs.
CATFISH
Good.
Less than 10 feet early in the day and at night. Minnows, nightcrawlers or cut bait fished on the slab rock banks where catfish are seeking out spawning sites.
BOONE RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
Water surface temperatures continue to rise, reaching into the low 70's in the mornings this week. The lake clarity seems much better compared to what it has been in the last month. The lake level at the dam as of 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night was 1,381.93 feet above sea level.
SUMMARY:
Bass fishing has been a little slow this week. The hot sunny days and the bluebird skies have been making it tough to pick up a good stringer of fish during the day. The best fishing days the last couple of weeks have come early in the mornings from sunrise to about 9:00 a.m. Night fishing is also starting to do well. The largemouth bass are what most anglers are catching early in the mornings while the smallmouth seem to be hitting better at night. These largemouth are being found up shallow on flats or around any woody cover. The Watauga Flats area up to the Austin Springs Bridge has been doing really well first thing in the mornings for largemouth. On these days, you can throw about anything you want at them and they seem to be hitting it. Small plastics like a four-inch worm or grub and spinnerbaits have been the most effective. Catching keeper fish has been the trouble though. To get the bigger smallmouth, fishing at night has been the most successful. The best night lures right now has been the black and blue pig-n-jig or a spinnerbait.
Striper and hybrid action has continues to be a little slow, especially for the bigger stripers . The most success finding the big stripes have come on the Holston end with a few being picked up early in the mornings in the Deer Lick area. Trolling shad continues to be the most successful way to pick up the big fish, especially on the Holston end from Davis Dock upstream to the 11E Bridge. Hybrids continue to be found in good numbers on certain days. Bass fishermen report catching several hybrids in the Watauga Flats area early in the mornings on cloudy days. Chicken livers seem to be the most effective way to catch good numbers of hybrids.
Crappie fishing continues to be slow. The Holston side at Beaverdam Creek and Boones Creek on the Watauga end seems to be the only real hot spots the last week or so. The ones caught on the Holston end this week were by small 1/16 jig heads with chartreuse or green grubs, and sometimes tipping the jig with a minnow fished in about 8-10 feet of water around fallen or submerged treetops. One can catch a good limit in the Boones Creek area and just down stream from Boones Creek, in the fallen treetops by the docks across the lake from Boones Creek, fishing minnows on a jighead in water from 6-10 feet deep.
WATAUGA RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
Water surface temperatures in the mornings this week continue to rise. The temperatures have reached into the low 70's at Fish Springs Marina. The lake has a good greenish color to it right now. The lake level at the dam as of 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night was 1,959.26 feet above sea level.
SUMMARY:
Bass fishing has been slow this week. The warmer temperatures and the bluebird skies have made it a little tougher. The smallmouth bass have been doing well in the lower end of the lake, especially at nights, while several good largemouth have been taken out of Roan and Cobb creeks. Mallard Cove has also been producing decent fish the last couple of weeks. Walleye fishermen at night report catching several smallmouth trolling Long-Bill Rebels. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and plastics are also working well this week. Any brownish or green color worm, lizard, or tube is still picking up decent numbers of largemouth. Black has also been a good color for the plastic tubes, especially early in the mornings. The most successful anglers this week have been throwing Shad Raps or Bandits on flats or off shallow points later in the day or early in the mornings when the sun first comes up.
Trout fishing continues to do well. Both the Lake and Rainbow trout are being caught. Trolling small spoons from the dam up to Cobb Creek has been producing rainbows. Power Bait has also been working well for the bank fishermen. Rooster tails, Salmon eggs, and corn would also be worth trying for rainbows. Lake trout fishing is still great right now. From around the Point 3 area downstream just past the islands to about the Watauga Point area has been the hot spot for the big Lakers. The most successful anglers report trolling in this area with spoons on downriggers in 40-60 feet of water about one to two hours before sunset.
Crappie fishing is starting to slow down from what it has been. Roan Creek and the Elk River should still produce a few though. Any fallen or submerged trees along the banks of Roan Creek, Cobb Creek, or Elk and Watauga Rivers should also be holding good numbers of crappie right now. Mallard Cove would also be worth trying. The crappie were right in the treetops a couple of weeks ago, but now seem to be suspended some or down below the treetops in a little deeper water. Some crappie can be found up in shallow brush, in about 6-8 feet of water, but the majority of the bigger crappie seem to be down about 10-15 feet deep either schooled up and suspended or in deeper submerged brush. The fallen trees across from Pioneer landing on the Watauga River and the submerged trees at the mud slide across from Sinking Mountain Ramp on Roan Creek have been the two hot spots the last month or two. Anglers are having the best success with small 1/16 or 1/32 oz. jig heads with white or chartreuse grubs or flies in Roan Creek, while tipping jigs with small minnows has also been successful in both the Elk and Watauga Rivers.
Walleye fishing has been good. Look for the next full moon to bring the action around again. Night fishing for the Walleye has been the best. Most of these fish are being caught trolling with Long-bill Rebels from the Highway 67 Bridge down to the dam, with a few also taken up in the rivers and Cobb Creek. White spinner baits have also been taking a few out of treetops on cloudy days.
FORT LOUDOUN RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
Surface temperature data collected from June 1, through June 9 has averaged 84.9 degrees F... Water clarity has been mostly clear throughout the week. Currently clear conditions exist with some heavy pieces of floating debris present. The lake elevation is 812.68 mean feet above sea level at the upper end on June 9, 2005. Two generators will be operating on June 6 with a third operating on June 10. Discharge is currently at zero cfs and scheduled to discharge at a rate of 18,500 cfs at 1:00 PM today through 06-10-05. Inflow is currently at 19,300 cfs
SUMMARY:
The lake is clear. Water temperatures have increased into the mid 80 degrees range. Bass are very active for the most part but have moved to deeper water. Both Largemouth and smallmouth are in deeper water during the day. Crappie success is still low but some good pockets exist for keeper fish in obscure coves with heavy brush. Many varieties of fish are being caught since spring. Red Ears and Perch are two species in particular. Lake depth this week has been consistent. Continued hot weather will maintain a warm water condition and a stable temperature which will contribute to the overall stability of the lake's fish habitat. Don't forget free fish day on Saturday the eleventh. Bring the kids. Concord Park. TWRA representatives will be there to assist the kids and help out.
BLUEGILL
Excellent.
Bluegill fishing is excellent throughout the lake. Piers, deadfalls, rocky banks and overhanging trees and foliage are hot spots. This fish is great fun to catch. The kids can get good reinforcement for their fishing efforts with bluegill.
CRAPPIE
Fair (Same as last Report).
Crappie are hitting well but anglers are reporting catching many undersized fish. Crappie are present and in good numbers but keepers remain illusive at best. Fish jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Areas along the bank with shade area a good bet. Try fishing 10 to 15 water depths also. Fish attractors will increase catch potential.
LARGEMOUTH BASS
Excellent.
Largemouth Bass are very active and catches are good when conditions are proper. The Largemouth has moved into deeper water and can be found at sharp drop offs and channels. Fish ten to fifteen foot depths and closer to the banks in shallow water after dark. Spinner baits fished around deadfalls and rocky shoreline can be deadly. Worms of various colors to suite water conditions are definitely "in". Lizards have been producing well. Spinner baits bumped along the bottom slowly where drop offs are present have had some great results. The motor oil worm fished slowly in clear water is proving deadly. Carolina rigs are the style of the day.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Good.
Smallmouth have moved to deeper water. Few are being caught on the banks. Most are taken with spinner baits and plastic worms at drop offs and submerged hilltops and where rocky bottoms occur. Fish fifteen foot depths or deeper during the day. Hilltops and closer to rocky shorelines in the evening and nighttime. Spinner baits are proving effective as are plastic worms. Dark jigs bounced off the bottom at drop offs are deadly.
STRIPED BASS
Fair.
Striped bass has picked up the past week. Nice fish have been caught. Deep diving Rapalas, crank baits and shad tight lined are popular baits. Fish mouths of coves and where currents obviously are running fast and deep. Well oxygenated water with a good food source will hold striped bass.
CATFISH
Excellent.
Catfish catches remain excellent. Several fine, huge specimens have been documented. Catfish are deep. Fish fifteen foot depths with chicken livers. The basic red night crawler has brought up some fine specimens of Flatheads. There are some monster Flatheads and blue catfish in the lake.
PERCH
Excellent.
Perch are showing up on the creel reports more and more. This pretty fish is wonderful to catch and vary in size from the average to more than ten inches. Fish around piers, fish attractors and rocky banks. Banks with deadfalls and irregularities will hold Perch.
MELTON HILL RESERVOIR: (6/9/05) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
Surface temperatures averaged 80 degrees for the week. Water clarity has been clear. The lake elevation as of June 9 is 794.27 feet above mean sea level at upstream and is maintaining consistency. Discharge currently at zero cfs and scheduled to increase to 1,400 cfs at noon today and continue through the tenth. Inflows are calculated at 1,400 cfs for the 9th. Water temps are normal but will rise quickly with the hot weather. Melton Hill is a recipient of a great deal of debris after rain so be cautious while boating as huge floating logs are constantly noted throughout the lake after rains. NOTE: Courtesy at the dock would require that your boat be ready to "put in" before pulling down the ramp. Tie downs, straps and transom savers should be removed in the parking lot to minimize time on the ramp.
SUMMARY: also see above
Water temperatures have stabilized in the lower to mid eighties. The lake is full and will remain so as long as release and inflow data remains as predicted. Largemouth and smallmouth are active in the lake. Crappie success is unpredictable. Many undersized fish are caught with minimal success on keeper fish of the ten-inch category. Safety tip: Carry a floatation cushion on board. Makes a nice seat and it's the law.
CRAPPIE
Fair.
Crappie catches remain down. Young fish are being caught readily but keepers are still illusive. This anomaly appears to be consistent throughout the lake. Good catches are spotty at best. Fish quiet coves and along brush piles, dead falls and fish attractors. Use jigs tipped with minnows. A dangling worm on a bobber equates to action anywhere on the lake.
LARGEMOUTH BASS
Good.
Bass success has been really good when conditions are stable. The fish are now more prevalent at depths on Melton Hill. Spinner baits and worms are great producers. Color depends on water clarity. Darker stained water dictates a dark color bait. Try purple, black and dark chartreuse. Clear water would indicate to use motor oil, white, red and yellow colored baits. A good bet would be to fish banks at early morning and evening hours and drop offs and hilltops during the afternoon periods. If you did not receive a TN Fishing Regulation book when you purchased your license; please ask the Creel Clerk on the lake. 14 inches combined species is the regulation for largemouth and smallmouth bass.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Good.
Smallmouth catches are good. Smallmouth have definitely moved off the banks and into deeper water. This no doubt to the warming of the water. Several outstanding fish have been documented in creel reports. Spinner baits with silver leaf (chartreuse) have been working against rocky shore lines late in the day. Tubes in motor oil and green color have been producing. Worms are now routinely effective. Fish them slowly. Very heavy fish have been noted documented in creel reports. Late afternoon to evening seem to produce the best fish. Rocky banks and banks with sharp drop offs are preferable.
MUSKY
Fair.
Musky are still being caught routinely. Remember the 2005 minimum legal length at Melton Hill is 44 inches. The efforts of anglers have switched to primarily bass and fewer folks are targeting the musky.
STRIPED BASS
Slow.
Best results after 4:00 PM. Stripers have been caught and returned to the lake. Use shad fished deep or top water plugs especially in the evenings. Fish deep channel mouths and mouths of coves where deepest water exists. Locate schools of baitfish to better the chance of encounter as striped bass will follow the food source. Tight line or drift line are good bets for success. Conversations with anglers indicate some heavy stripers have been caught but creel data does not confirm this. The upper reaches of the stream would be a good bet for success
BLUEGILL
Excellent.
Bluegill activity is excellent. This fish is a nice break from the task of thrashing the water for bass. They are very active in the lake and exciting to catch. This is a good fish to excite the kids as the success ratio is high.
CATFISH
Excellent.
Some super Flatheads have been taken at Melton Hill. Fish side of channels with chicken livers or worms. One particularly large fish was caught on a dark blue jig fished very slowly through the mud on the side of the main channel near the Route 62 bridge.
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