Region IV Fishing Report
March 11, 2010
BOONE RESERVOIR: 3/11/10
WATER CONDITIONS:
Elevation - 1,372.50 - The water has risen over 2 ft. this week leaving fish suspended.
Water Temp - 44.2 degrees. The water has warmed some this week.
Water Clarity - 2 ft. or less.
BASS
The fishing is still slow this week but is picking up slowly. As the water warms we can expect some good fishing this coming week. There have been a few Smallmouth caught in deep water suspended in about 20-25 ft. of water, the Jigging/Silver Buddy and FNF. Fishing has been very tough this past week! A few largemouth have been caught on a #6 Shad Rap and 1/2 oz. Rattle Trap along Bluff’s and off Points around Pickens Bridge up to Point 19.
MELTON HILL RESERVOIR: 3/11/10
WATER CONDITIONS:
The predicted water level above the dam is 793.50. Surface temperatures are creeping up toward the low-50’s. And, because the steam plant is up and running again, the temperatures in that area are staying up around the mid-60’s to almost 70 degree mark. Surface temperatures at the steam plant are about 20 degrees warmer than the main lake. The water in the reservoir is clear almost everywhere except for a couple of spots here and there up in the creeks.
SUMMARY:
The muskies are still by far the biggest thing happening on Melton Hill for the past month. And the hotspot is the Bull Run Steam Plant. They have really turned on over the past week and seem to be getting better every day. There have been numerous muskies caught over the past couple of weeks at the steam plant, ranging from 28 inches all the way up over the 50-inch mark. There have also been some nice sized striped bass caught in the same area. It seems like early morning and late evenings are the two best times. Also, the few who are night fishing are doing quite well. Some pretty good muskies have also been caught on big spinnerbaits pitching the lay downs in the main channel. Some nice sized yellow perch have been caught at about 12 to 15 feet on live minnows. They seem to be schooling in the area around reactor cove and reactor bend. Try any submerged humps or islands with deep water close by. Rock piles and submerged timber are good areas to try also. Crankbaits that imitate those 2-3 inch shad that the bass and other predator fish are chasing still seems to be the ticket for bass for now. This would a good opportunity to try the float and fly to see if the crappies are anywhere to be found yet.
LARGEMOUTH AND SPOTTED BASS
Slow.
3-10 feet.
Small minnow imitating crankbaits in silver and white is doing fairly well right now. Everything else is a little slow to produce at this time. Right now just get as close as you can to something that imitates those little shad minnows. The black bass have not started to bite very well as of yet. But, it should not be much longer before they begin.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Improving.
3-12 feet.
The smallmouths are starting to bite a little better in a few places, mostly around the Solway Bridge area and upstream towards Bull Run Creek. Crankbaits seem to be the bait they like the best right now. Just about any minnow imitator is doing fairly well for now. They should continue to improve over the next month or two.
STRIPED BASS
Improving.
Some nice-sized striped bass have been caught at the steam plant.
MUSKY
Very good.
The Bull Run Steam Plant is the hotspot for muskies. Over the past two weeks, there have been some very nice sized muskies caught at the steam plant, and even some that were over the 50-inch limit. There have been quite a few musky sightings and some decent sized ones being caught on the lay downs in the main channel and up in Bull Run Creek on big spinnerbaits, swimbaits and crankbaits. White and chartreuse are good choices in colors. As of March 1st, the minimum size limit for harvesting a Musky has been changed from 44 inches to 50 inches.
NORRIS RESERVOIR: 3/11/10
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water elevation is 999.8-feet, which is 6-inches higher than it was last week. The water level is expected to remain steady over the next two days. Main channel water surface temperatures over most of the reservoir are 40-42 degrees in the morning, rising to about 44 degrees in the late afternoon. The headwaters of some creeks and shallow areas in the coves have seen surface temperatures as high as 48 degrees. Temperatures taken at Earl’s Hollow on the Powell, and at the Highway 25E Bridge over the Clinch were 38 degrees in mid-day. The Clinch River arm below Point 33 is 44 degrees on the surface, with clear water. Most of the lake is clear, with some sections showing a little stain. The annual algae bloom, giving the water a brown stain, is starting to show where the water temperature reaches the mid to high-40’s. This is not a turnover condition.
SUMMARY:
Warm, sunny days brought anglers out in force. The water is still winter-season cold, but warming and bringing signs of the upcoming springtime fishing. CRAPPIE catches were better than usual, perhaps due more to the increased number of fishermen on the lake. Some were deep, hitting trolled flies and grubs on the bottom, as deep as 20-feet. SMALLMOUTH hit lipless crankbaits, pig’n jigs and smoke grubs as deep as 20-feet on the clay points and drop-offs. LARGEMOUTH BASS and SPOTTED BASS action improved, with some hitting crankbaits, jerk baits and some plastic, mostly in the shallows where the sun had warmed the water. STRIPED BASS catches were low. These fish are on the move, headed upstream. BLUEGILL are slow. WALLEYE action has begun in the upper river arms, hitting brightly colored hair jigs and plastic grubs vertically jigged on the bottom. The Point 32 to Point 33 section of the Clinch produced the best. TWRA Reservoir Data Collection sampling showed walleye in good numbers on the points in the Loyston Sea to Lost Creek section.
CRAPPIE
Fair.
5 to 20-feet deep in brush, or on the bottom on clear days.
Troll with small doll flies, tube jigs and jigs tipped with minnows on the bottom at about 15 to 20 feet. Brush on steep banks has produced nice crappie on the main channels between Points 29 and 32, and from Point 15 to 16. Lost Creek catches are good in the headwaters of that creek. Davis Creek improved between the marina and the Well Springs access area. Trout Magnets and 1-inch tube jigs fished on light spinning tackle are working well. 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, Trout Magnets, or hair jigs tipped with minnows along the bottom, near brush.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Fair, improving.
10 to 20-feet.
Lipless crankbaits (Rat’l Traps), 200 and 300 series Bandits, #5 Shad Raps, leadhead jigs tipped with 3 to 4-inch smoke grubs, pig’n jigs. Crawfish or blood red colors are working. Float-and-fly rig at depths of 10 to 15-feet off steeper, rocky banks. Slow, steady retrieves are working.
LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Fair, improving.
Shallow, very close to the shoreline and to 10-feet deep in the back of the creeks where the water is warmer than on the main channel. On sunny afternoons, cast jerk baits or Spooks into the shallows where there is cover and where baitfish are present. The crankbait pattern which was working before the snow melt cooled the lake, has returned. Smaller lures – Norman, Bandit or Rat’l Trap crankbaits or 6-inch plastic worms in blood red, shad or crawfish-pattern/colors. In cold, mud stained sections of the main channel, on the upper half of the lake, fish slowly and tight to the shoreline cover with plastic worms, slow-rolled spinners, or 1/2 to 1-ounce pig’n jigs. Small shad or crawfish-colored crankbaits with a slow retrieve, worked close to shoreline cover, along banks with large rocks.
STRIPED BASS
Slow.
Surface or 30 to 40-feet, depending upon the day, sunlight and barometric pressure. No change in the pattern: Some very shallow in the breaks, on Assassins, Flukes, mainly, with some hitting Zara Pups or Spooks if you can cast into breaking fish. Surface breaks are intermittent and widely scattered. For tightline fishing with shad or alewife, fish the middle to lower half of the lake, to 60-feet on high air pressure days, but more often 20 to 30 feet deep. Striped bass are moving from the mouths of the hollows into the channels. Live shad, alewife or shiners, umbrella rigs (read the regulations on these to stay legal), trolled or tightlined to as deep as 30-feet. Where there are baitfish struggling in the cold water, some striped bass have been feeding close to the surface. Gulls and terns were starting to arrive in the Loyston Sea area, and near Springs Dock on the Powell side, and are often good indicators of baitfish being pushed to the surface by actively feeding fish. There are many birds in the Loyston area now. Finding feeding birds has been difficult, despite the high number of birds present on the lake. They’ve been feeding, diving into schools of baitfish at dusk, but no striper activity has been seen with them in the Loyston area. Feeding stripers were seen in the vicinity of Point 30, on the Clinch. Some stripers have been located at 30 to 40 feet in some of the larger creeks, such as Lost Creek, Mill Creek and Davis Creek. Upriver striped bass have been located above Point 16, at Point 32 and at the mouth of Bridgeport Hollow.
WALLEYE
Fair, improving.
10 to 20-feet deep, on the bottom in mid-channel on the Clinch above Point 32; on the Powell above Point 17.
In these river sections, vertically jig, troll or cast and retrieve close to the bottom, jigs tipped with plastic grubs (yellow, pearl, chartreuse), Thundersticks, Rebels, RedFin plugs. 3/8 to 1/2-inch leadhead jigs with brightly colored feathers (orange, yellow, blue) are working well. The Clinch side is better than the Powell right now. Look for walleye on the Clinch side above Point 32 at these locations: the sandbar area a quarter-mile below Point 32; mid-channel in the straight run of the channel in front of Bunchtown Flats (a half mile to mile above Point 32) all the way up to a mile below Point 33; the small shoal 3/4 mile below Beech Grove access; mid-channel from Beech Grove Access to the mouth of Indian Creek. When the water reaches the mid-50’s to 60 degrees, fish the shoals from Point 34 to the highway bridge overpass. On the Powell side above Point 16: mid-channel at the junction of Leatherwood Creek; Bunch Hollow to Point 17; Russell Shoals to Slate Creek; mid-channel from a mile below Earl’s Hollow Access ramp to the island above the ramp. The shoals on both sides of the island, and on up to Gap Creek railroad bridge overpass are good during the spawn, after the water reaches the mid-50’s.
SOUTH HOLSTON RESERVOIR: 3/11/10
WATER CONDITIONS:
Elevation - 1,712.75.
Water Temp - 41 degrees at 421 Bridge.
Water Clarity - 5-9 ft.
BASS
The lake level is starting to raise some and fishing is still at a standstill this week. The water temp is coming up very slow so we may see some Bass start biting this week. The fishing has been very poor this past week due to extreme cold water conditions. The FNF and Jigging/Silver Buddy has been about the only thing being used and the bite has been few and far in between.
TELLICO RESERVOIR: 3/11/10
WATER CONDITIONS:
The predicted water level at the dam is about 808.80 ft.above sea level. The surface temperatures are slowly edging up toward the 50’s. The entire reservoir is showing clear water with a little stain here and there, especially where a little mud from the shoreline is getting washed into the water from boat traffic and also from the wind.
SUMMARY:
The bass are beginning to congregate on the points. They haven’t really come in heavy as of yet, but at least they seem to be in the process of moving up toward shallower water. Most of what is being caught are the males that always show up before the bigger females. As long as the water temperatures continue to climb, we should see more and more bass coming up to the shallower water and getting ready for spawning. The biggest news this week is still the crappie around the Ballplay area. Everybody seems to be doing fairly well in and around that area. Trolling is the best method right now, and will probably stay that way until the crappie begin to bunch up on the brushpiles and other submerged structure. Most of them are being caught trolling, but some are also being caught fishing the brush piles at about 10-12 ft. on minnow and float. The other news is the walleyes up toward Chilhowee Dam. The walleye anglers are doing fairly well and should continue to catch some nice ones for at least another month or two.
CRAPPIE
10-15 ft.
Improving.
The crappie are hitting fairly well around the Ballplay Bridge area and in Notchy Creek. Most are being caught trolling grubs around the 12-15 ft. mark. John Deere green is still the best color choice at this time, but they are hitting other colors as well. Black and clear flake along with chartreuse with red jig head. Two grubs seem to work the best with one about 12-18 inches above the other. Troll them just fast enough to keep them about 12-15 feet deep. A medium action rod with 6-8 lb. test line is a good choice. Island Creek and Clear Creek are also producing some good stringers and should continue to improve. Also, the islands in the Tellico Dam area are producing some nice crappie.
WALLEYE
12-18 ft.
Moderate.
There are some walleyes being caught below the old bridge trestle on the 129 side of the lake. Bottom bouncing a white or chartreuse jig is doing well right now. You can also tip the jig with a minnow to improve your odds of catching some of these toothy, good eating fish. Average size is about 2.5-3.5 lbs. Walleyes seem to really like the cold water, so now is the best time to catch some of the bigger ones.
BASS
1-10 ft.
Improving.
The bass are starting to become more active as the water temperatures climb. Most primary points and even some secondary points are beginning hold some decent size bass. Jerkbaits are catching a few along with swimbaits. Rattle Traps and Shad Raps along with white or chartreuse spinnerbaits are producing fairly well for now. Also, there are a few spots being caught along with the others. Shakyhead worms are starting to catch a few and also the float and fly
