EAST TENNESSEE FISHING REPORT

August 16, 2008 Gatlinburg Tn

CHEROKEE RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) - reports for Cherokee will resume in 2008 Gatlinburg Tn.

DOUGLAS RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) -
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water level has been holding fairly steady during the past week. The surface temperature has been reaching up to 90.2 during the late evening hours.

SUMMARY:
Bass are most active after sunset to sunrise. Most are being caught along drop offs and on flats. Fish with shad raps, pumpkin seed worms, jigs, crank baits, and jerk baits.
Crappie are found in the areas of Point 1 to Point 3 in the river channel. Fish with flies, minnows, small bandit lures, diamond shad, or Cordell spots. Trolling is best 20 to 25 feet deep in early morning hours.
Catfish are being caught at night with cutbait, night crawlers, and shad. Fish along rocky banks or bluffs.

NORRIS RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) - 
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water elevation is 1,001.3-feet, a drop of 2.8-feet since last week. The lake level is predicted to drop 1-foot over the next two days.

Since May 23, the lake level has dropped 18.4-feet. Extremely hot weather has warmed the main channel water surface to 87 degrees in the afternoons. In protected, shallow areas, water surface temperature readings have been close to 90 degrees. The lake is clear in all locations with the exception of mud-stained water along the shore on windy days, or when there is heavy boat traffic.

The August water quality readings, provided by TWRA's Reservoir Data Collection team, are available at www.tnfish.org. In the left-hand column, click on "water quality." In the next window, click "Norris."

Anglers can print out charts and tables which show water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, and pH from the surface to 98 feet. Readings were taken at four locations. A thermocline has formed; anglers fishing in the Anderson County Park vicinity may want to try the 33 foot depth, where the DO peaks at 9.1 ppm and the water temperature is 70.3 degrees. The latest readings show good water quality at all locations.

SUMMARY:
Hot summer weather continues with no change in the fishing action: humid days with temperatures at or near the 100 degree mark have discouraged anglers from venturing out during the daylight hours. Early morning hours have seen a few fishermen out, but by 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. the weather becomes so intolerable as to cause those individuals to seek more comfortable surroundings. Surfacing schools of tiny shad can be seen in most main channel areas at dusk, but the surface action which had been so common has become harder to find.
STRIPED BASS have hit at dawn from Point 5 to the Dam, and in the Cove Creek section. Most of the fish caught have been less than 15 pounds. Surface breaks have declined with the rising surface temperature. SMALLMOUTH BASS are slow; the best time is well after dark and at dawn. LARGEMOUTH BASS are slow during the day; dawn catches on plastic worms or lizards, and on topwater plugs are a bit better. SPOTTED BASS are slow. CRAPPIE fishing is slow during daylight, better at night, under lantern or floating light. WALLEYE are slow during the daytime; night fishing with shad or alewife is the best bet. The best daytime depth is where the water temperature is between 68 and 75 degrees; refer to the oxygen/temperature charts to determine that depth in your part of the lake. At night, the walleye will be shallower.

WALLEYE
Slow.
30 feet, whether suspended or on the bottom.
Daytime trollers should troll spinner/nightcrawler rigs (Hildebrant # 3.5 or 4 blade, brass color has worked well) or Jet Lure/nightcrawler rigs along the bottom and near the bank or on mid-lake humps if the depth is right. Night fishing is best with the daytime heat being hard to bear. Jig Mann O'Lures or Hopkins spoons on humps or secondary points. The best luck has come for those fishing under lantern light with shad or alewife, snagging shad or alewife and casting the bait beyond the lantern light, letting it drift down.

CRAPPIE
Slow. No change.
5 feet in early morning, dropping deeper and tighter to cover as the day progresses.
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.
Davis Creek and the Powell channel above Union County Dock produced some crappie since last week's report.

STRIPED BASS
Slow.
25 to 30 feet.
Surface to 5 feet in breaks, or as deep as 40 feet if tightlining bait.
High surface water temperatures have slowed the surface action, but some have been seen at dawn.
Live shad or alewife driftlined or shallower on planer boards. Or tightline bait to depth where schooling shad and stripers are located. Night trolling is working for some. 1/2-ounce to 1-ounce white hair jigs or Slug-gos or Bass Assassins cast or trolled into shad schools where fish are feeding, or shad/alewife driftlined or tightlined at depth in mid-day. Night and dawn are the best times.

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS
Slow during the day, better at night and at dawn.
Surface (at dawn) to 25 feet.
Near wood structure, shallow, whether on rocky main channels or in the hollows. If fishing deep, along rocky banks, live shad or shiners have been working.

DD-22's or similar deep running crank baits late in the day have taken some nice largemouth. 3/8 ounce pig'n jigs or Texas-rigged ripple tail plastic worms (in Zoom's Red Shad and Red Bug colors, 7 or 9 inches in length) along steeper, broken rock banks. The same worm on Carolina rigs where the bank is not so steep, and on mid lake humps. At dawn, cast topwater plugs or jerk baits such as Bass Assassins (and other similar lures) or Slider-type worms to brush, the base of flooded trees.
3/8-ounce pig 'n jigs with medium chunk trailers, and 2-inch Slider worms or 2-inch tube jigs worked well in cover on rockier, steeper banks.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Fair. Best at night in the channels along rocky banks.
No significant change in the slow summer pattern.

To 35 feet on main channel rocky points and banks where there is some wood structure - treetops or brush- on a fairly steep slope especially near transition zones of flat gravel banks breaking to steeper rocky banks.

The bottom on mid-lake humps and dropoffs along the humps, especially near the channel during drawdown hours are giving up some fish on small jigs or hair flies.

3/8 ounce brown-on-brown, or black/dark blue pig'n jigs or small brown or dark green Slider/Finesse worms on rocky banks. The smaller worms have worked as well as anything else for smallmouth. Some reported on dark green, 3-inch salty tube jigs rigged Carolina or Texas style.

BLUEGILL
Good.
Fly-rodders with popping bugs have done well on rocky, main channel banks at dawn or late in the day in the shady areas.

Fish crickets or wax worms as deep as 35 feet, on steep, broken rocky banks where there is shade. Some good fish were caught as shallow as 15 feet during the past week. Shallow brush brings small "bait stealers."

For larger fish, tightline crickets, or cast them without bobber to the shady, steep, rocky banks near downed timber.

Nightcrawlers as bait are a poor second choice.

SOUTH HOLSTON RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) -

WATER CONDITIONS:
Water temperatures have been in the low to mid 80’s around noon of each day. The lake seems to be fairly clear right now. The lake level at the dam as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning was 1,710.07 feet above sea level.

SUMMARY:
Bass fishing continues to be slow, especially during the day. The best time to catch any bass right now is at night or early in the mornings. Most of the bass seem to be moving up shallow late in the evenings to feed. A few smallmouths have been picked up right after the sun goes down when the bass move up to feed, or first thing in the mornings. Very few largemouth have been caught the last few weeks though. Small Bandit crankbaits and Shad Raps seem to be working well on certain days, with a few being taken on spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and jigs. Any brownish or green color worm or tube seems to be working the best right now around fallen trees.

Trout fishing continues to be slow. Power Bait and Salmon eggs have been working the best lately. Trolling small spoons around the dam and into Riddle Creek early in the mornings to midday has produced a few nice rainbows. Fishing with Rooster Tails or flies has also picked up a few good trout. Most of the trout are a little deeper now because of the hot weather.

Crappie fishing has been fair. The crappie seem to be suspended in a little deeper water around treetops. 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. In the back of Painter Creek and in either Big or Little Jacobs Creeks is where most of the crappie seem to be found. Around the Little Oak area would also be worth giving a try. Anglers are having the best success with small 1/16 or 1/32 oz. jig heads with white or chartreuse grubs or flies, and tipping the jigs with small minnows.

Walleye fishing has been fair at nights and early mornings on cloudy days. Long-bill Rebels have been working well at nights. The fish caught in the daytime seem to be early in the mornings off long shallow points or right against the bank with nightcrawler rigs.

BOONE RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) - 

WATER CONDITIONS:
The water surface temperatures were in the mid 80’s this week. The lake has a good green color to it right now. The lake level at the dam as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning was 1,381.44 feet above sea level. .
SUMMARY:
The bass fishing has picked up recently. The clear skies and sunny days continues to slow down fishing in the middle of the day but early in the mornings and later in the evenings have been doing fairly well this week. The smallmouth bass seem to be feeding good on certain days, but are being found in little deeper water. Crankbaits continue to catch the majority of the fish during the day with spinnerbaits working really well at night, especially on the Watauga side in brush or other woody cover. Some anglers are also still throwing plastic worms, lizards, and tubes, but not having the success as previous weeks. The Bandit or Shad Rap crankbaits seem to be what most people are throwing. Fish these around rocky structure and off rocky points or on places that would look like good feeding flats that would hold lots of shad.

Striper and hybrid action continues to be slow. The South Holston side continues to be doing fairly well for the bigger stripers while the Watauga side has really been putting out some good numbers of hybrids the last few weeks. Trolling shad continues to be the most successful way to pick up the big fish, especially on the Holston end. Using chicken livers for the hybrids continues to be successful.

Crappie fishing has slowed down some. Most of the anglers out are using a small 1/16 jig head with chartreuse or green grubs, and sometimes tipping the jig with a minnow helps. Fish these jigs in about 8-10 feet of water around fallen or submerged treetops. On the Watauga side, try fishing around Winged Deer Park or around Jays Boat Dock and On the Holston side try in Muddy Creek or Beaverdam Creek.

MELTON HILL RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) - 
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water level at the dam is about 740 ft. The lake is clear. The surface temperatures are already back up to the mid 70’s over most of the lake. When the dam is opened at Norris the cooler water flows down to about the Bull Run Steam Plant before it warms back up. But, on Tuesday the cooler water was all the way down to Clark Park, and it was down into the 60’s. TVA pulled a lot of water that day, which also helped get rid of most of the debris.

SUMMARY:
It looks like the heat has returned and this time it looks serious. The surface temperatures have already shot back up to the high 70’s and that means tough fishing. It also means miserable conditions for fishing during the daytime hours. Fishing and other outdoor activities can be dangerous in this heat. Dehydration is a very serious matter when the heat index which is what it feels like outside when you factor in the humidity, is over 100 degrees. This is probably a good time to put some new line on your reels and get your equipment organized. Also, a good time for night fishing.

BLUEGILL
Good.
3 to 10 feet.
The bluegills are hitting fairly well right now, and crickets are one of the best baits for them. Around just about any fallen timber or brush piles you can find some bluegills, also around boat houses, but you may have to fish a little deeper to find the bigger ones. The best setup for bluegills is the slip bobber, because you can quickly adjust to the right depth and stay there.

LARGEMOUTH AND SPOTTED BASS
Good.
5 to 20 feet.
The bass have slowed back down with the intense heat. The shaky head worm and the French fry worm in watermelon seed and baby bass colors are doing o.k. right now. The bandit crankbait seems to be the bait of choice right now. Baby bass is a good color choice right now. Tree tops are producing some fair size bass. Big numbers are hard to find right now. If you can find some shade to fish, that would probably be a good place to start looking.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Improving.
5 to 25 feet.
Smallmouth are hitting fairly well just about all the same type places you find the largemouth. Minnows are working pretty well at the steam plant in the churning water up next to the plant. Also, try the shallow flats with stumps and rocks. Don’t forget to try the shallow humps that are next to deep water. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are top choices along with small crawdad imitating jigs in crawdad colors, in the 3/8 to 1/2 oz. size.

CRAPPIE
Moderating.
3 to 10 feet.
The crappie seem to have slowed way down. There are still a few being caught up in Bull Run Creek and a few other creeks, but they are getting harder to catch. Try floats with minnows or little jigs tipped with minnows. Downed timber and brush still seem to be holding a few.

MUSKY
Moderating.
5 to 15 feet.
It looks like the muskys have gone on the search for cooler water. There have been hardly any sightings at the steam plant for a little while now.

CATFISH
Improving.
4 to 10 feet.
Some nice catfish are being caught all over the lake, and just about any kind of catfish bait you want to use is working well. Cutbait is a good choice, but other baits are catching too. Nightcrawlers, garlic flavored hot dog pieces, shrimp, and shad are good choices. Catalpa worms should be here soon, so keep an eye out for them. They work great.

TELLICO RESERVOIR: (8/16/07) - 
WATER CONDITIONS:
The water level at the dam is about 813.0 ft. The lake is clear with a slight green tint. Water surface temperatures have climbed back up into the 80’s and are expected to remain there for awhile. The intense heat we are experiencing right now, will keep the surface temperatures up into the 80’s for at least a few more days. }

SUMMARY:
The biggest news this week is still the heat wave! The water surface temperatures have reached the low 80’s and should remain there for awhile. This will slow the fishing down during the day for at least a few days. There are still some fish being caught, but that is mostly in the early morning or late in the evening or at night. Walleyes are hitting a little around the humps at Toqua. Catfish are still hitting pretty good around Notchy Creek and just about everywhere else they usually bite. The pier at Lotterdale Cove, across from the campground is another good place to try for cats. Bluegills like the warm water pretty well. All the other types of fish may be a little deeper until the heat wave is over.

CRAPPIE
Improving.
5 to 25 feet.
The crappie bite has slowed back down somewhat, but there have been some keepers caught around the Notchy Creek area. They seem to be back in the brush piles where some decent fish have been caught. But, there have also been some good fish caught while trolling. Two tone grubs in black with clear sparkle tail, and chartreuse with white tail are two good choices. Tipped with minnow or not, they seem to be the top producers.

LARGEMOUTH AND SPOTTED BASS
Improving.
3 to 12 feet.
Believe it or not the bass are still hitting somewhat. Crankbaits are still doing fairly well right now. Shade seems to be the big attractor right now. Shady, rocky banks seem to be holding some bass. The baby brush hog is a good choice to try in watermelon seed color. Night fishing is producing some better numbers right now. The big black thumper blade spinnerbait is a good bait to try at night, the bigger the blade the better. Rip rap and other rocky places are a good place to start looking for some bass.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
Moderating.
5 to 12 feet.
Smallmouths are starting to become more active around the rocky points and also on the rocky banks, and around the submerged timber. Crankbaits seem to be the bait of choice right now for some good smallmouth. Shad raps are always a good choice for smallmouth. Jig and pig in 3/8 to 1/2 oz. size in watermelon seed color is good choice.

WALLEYE AND SAUGER
Improving.
12 to 20 feet.
The walleye have started to bite a little, but mostly at night. Remember, only 1 walleye may be 24” or larger. The rest have to be less than 24” but over 15”. The submerged islands just out from the Toqua boat ramp toward Chilhowee Dam are a good place to start looking for some nice walleye or sauger.

BLUEGILL
Good.
3 to 20 feet.
The bluegill are hitting good right now, nightcrawlers and crickets are two good baits to try for some of these scrappy little pan fish. And, just about anywhere you find some downed timber or brush, you can find some bluegill. They also seem to be drawn to shady places where the water tends to be little cooler, like boathouses and bridges.

CATFISH
Good.
5 to 30 feet.
This is one of the best times of the year to catch some catfish. Just about any good catfish bait will work right now, including hot dogs, gobs of night crawlers, live bluegills, cutbait, or whatever your favorite cat bait is, now is a good time to try for some. Jug fishing is also catching some pretty good cats right now, along with limblines and trotlines.