fishing reports: april 26, 2007

Douglas Lake:  4/26/07

The water level is still on the rise with the surface temperature at 58 degrees.

Bass fishing is good.  Fish the flats, points, and backs of coves.  Fish 2 to 15 feet deep with blue top rat-l-traps, jerk baits, or Carolina rigged lizards.

Crappie can be found in creeks and on points.  Early morning and cloudy days seem to be best.  Fish with live minnows or green, pink, or white flies 4 to 12 feet deep.

Sauger and walleye can be found in the areas of Point 18 on up to the forks of the river.  Fish 3 to 15 feet deep with minnows, twister tail jigs, or Rooster tail flies.`

Bluegill are on old road beds, sandy gravel humps or points, and around bridge piers.  Fish with crickets or night crawlers.

White bass are still active mainly on the upper locations from Leadvale on up in the rivers.  Fish with jigs and minnows.

Catfishing is fair.

BOONE RESERVOIR: 4/26/07

Water surface temperatures around noon at the dam each day have been in the 62-65 degree range.  The lake level at the dam as of 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon was 1,380.70 feet above sea level. 

Bass fishing continues to just get better with the warmer weather.  Most of the bass are being found fairly shallow on long shallow points, around fallen trees, or off rocky bluffs.  It seems like long shallow points have been holding the best numbers of fish.  There has also been some good bass caught in the fallen trees and brush.  Fish the brush and treetops with a spinnerbait or a dark colored plastic worm or lizard with its tail tipped in chartreuse.  White and green or chartreuse spinnerbaits with willow blades seem to be the hot spinnerbaits this week.  Most of the bass now seem to be on or close to being in the pre-spawn pattern.  Look for crankbaits and jerkbaits to be most effective during this period.  This is what most fishermen have been using on the shallow points and flats and being successful.  A Rattlin Rogue, Long "A" Bomber, or a Husky Jerk jerkbait would be the best to try, while a small Shad Rap or Bandit crankbait in chartreuse or red color would be the crankbaits of choice.  The pig-n-jig and flukes should also pick up some good numbers of fish when the water clarity clears up some.  The jerkbait seems to be most effective fairly shallow around rip rap or brushy cover early in the mornings when there is a slight chop on the water.

Striper and hybrid action continues to get better.  The South Holston side continues to be the where the best action is at.  Most of the anglers are trolling shad in about 15-20 feet of water.  Around the Airport Boat Ramp and Muddy Creek produced quality fish the last couple of weeks.  White hair jigs and Zara Spooks have also proved to be effective.   

Crappie fishing has slowed some but good fish can still be found.  Most of the crappie that anglers report catching are hitting small jig heads with chartreuse grubs or flies tipped with a minnow fished in about 6-8 feet of water.  They are fishing these jig heads around submerged treetops or stumps.  The best areas to fish continue to be on the Holston side, but treetops at Boones Creek and Reedy Creek on the Watauga end should also be holding some good crappie.  With the water levels back up into the treetops, look for the crappie fishing to just get better.

SOUTH HOLSTON RESERVOIR: 4/26/07

Surface temperatures had risen into the 62-64 degree range at noon on Wednesday at the 421 Boat Ramp.  The lake level at the dam as of 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon was 1,721.28 feet above sea level. 

Bass fishing has really seen a significant improvement from the past couple of weeks.  Small crankbaits and jerkbaits have been taking the majority of the bass lately.  Spoons, a fluke, and spinnerbaits have also had some success.  The fluke has been especially good early in the mornings, or throughout the day on cloudy days.  Fishing the fluke in about 3-8 feet of water off shallow dirt points has been working the best.  Jerkbaits have been effective off points in the mornings, especially if there is cloud cover or a good breeze blowing.  Try throwing the Rattlin Rouge or a Bomber Long A if you want to use a jerkbait.  The float and fly action has about slowed down for the year.  The lower end of the lake seems to be the best recently, from Point 3 down into Riddle Creek.  Look for crankbaits to become more effective as the water rises and the water temperatures increase.  Spinnerbaits and small plastic tubes and lizards fished around fallen treetops have also seen some success lately. 

Crappie fishing has been slow.  The best fish can be found in the creek channels and coves where brush or treetops are located.  Most of these fish are being caught on live minnows in about 6-10 feet of water.  Blue or Chartreuse jigs and flies have been somewhat successful.  The hot spots lately have been in the back of Painter Creek and Big Jacobs Creek.

Walleye fishing has had its good days and bad days.  The best days are coming when there is an overcast day with little bright sunlight and a slight breeze blowing.  Try fishing the banks that the wind is blowing towards on these types of days.  Nightcrawler rigs with Colorado blades and chrome and purple stickbaits have both been producing good walleye in the lower portion of the lake in the early morning hours or at night. 

Trout fishing continues to be fair.  The trout that have been taken have been mostly rainbows in the lower portion of the lake off of Rooster Tails or Berkley Power Bait.  A few Brown Trout have been caught closer to the 421 Boat Ramp.

NORRIS FISHING REPORT 4/26/07 

WATER CONDITIONS

The water elevation is 1,017.6-feet, a rise of 1.9-feet since last week's report. The lake is predicted to rise 9.6-inches over the next two days.

The surface water temperature continues to fluctuate widely. Last week's temperature in the mid-50's has, once again, given way to long, sunny days. Surface temperatures on Wednesday were in the low 60's in mid-channel, with temperatures approaching 70 found in the shallowest of coves. Heavy rain is predicted for the 26th; water conditions could change rapidly with runoff inflow.  Upper end river arms have started to clear, as have creek hollows. If the rainfall is as heavy as predicted, those areas are likely to become muddy. The upper end of the river arms are littered with floating logs, limbs and assorted debris. Even as far down as Loyston Sea, boaters are likely to encounter floating limbs and an occasional tree.

SUMMARY

The lake stabilized a bit since last week, helping fishing. High barometric pressure hurt fishing at the start of the week, but when it dropped on Tuesday, smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass hit readily.

SMALLMOUTH, LARGEMOUTH and SPOTTED BASS are hitting larger pig'n jigs, tube jigs and topwater lures.  CRAPPIE have just resumed hitting in creeks and the channels where the mud cleared, but deeper than in previous weeks. WALLEYE are still slow during the daylight hours, but are beginning to hit at night on plugs or shad/alewife under lanterns. STRIPED BASS are still slow, but hit in the channels above 33 Bridge.

WALLEYE

Slow, but improving.

10-15 feet deep.

Cast ShadRaps, Rogues or topwater plugs to flooded sycamores and other wood structure at night, or fish under lantern light with shad or alewife. Daytime fishing with trolled spinner/worm rigs or trolled plugs  is hit-or-miss.  Broken, chunk-rock banks where wood structure is found, and adjacent to points, especially in areas near spawning sites.  If you can find any sycamore trees which are standing in water, fish close to them.

CRAPPIE

Slow

5 to 10 feet deep on average, but as deep as 15 feet on some days, in main channel stickups or brush.  Upper end fishing in mud stained water on popeye flies, 1-inch tube jigs or tuffy minnows is the best bet.  On the lower end, better just before daylight or at dusk because of the clear water conditions. Target the head of creeks where there is more water color.  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. Lost Creek was fair, as was Davis Creek. Sycamore Creek was slow, but produced some fish.

STRIPED BASS

Slow, but improving on the lower half of the lake.

Fish the head of the large creek embayments such as Cove Creek, Big Creek, Davis Creek, and Lost Creek.   33 Bridge to Island F and the Hickory Star vicinity saw some caught in early morning hours.  Live shad driftlined or shallower on planer boards in the headwaters.  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 driftlined or tightlined at depth in mid-day.

LARGEMOUTH & SPOTTED BASS

Good

Surface to 10 feet

Near wood structure, shallow, whether on rocky main channels or in the hollows.  Spotted bass hit on rocky shorelines, to as deep as 10-feet.  3/8-ounce pig 'n jigs with medium chunk trailers, and 2-inch Slider worms or 2-inch tube jigs worked well in cover.  Also good, but running second, were smaller pig'n jigs in brown/black/orange, or dark green1/4 ounce pig'n jigs (with small trailers or pork chunks or tipped with live minnows), Bass Assassins or similar lures fished very close to cover, or along the bottom with an extremely slow retrieve on the clear days. Spinners took some, but were outdone by the slower lures.

SMALLMOUTH BASS

Moderate

3 to 15 feet on main channel rocky points and banks, especially windy banks.

Some of those caught were post spawn fish on steeper, main channel banks. Look for points adjacent to lighter colored gravel points where smallmouth will be spawning in coming weeks.  Carolina rigged plastic or doll flies cast to shallower flats, or doll flies tipped with live tuffy minnows. Dark green, brown, yellow, black colors. 3/8 ounce brown on brown pig'n jigs were catching fish on the main channels, near cover and not far from the bank.  If you're using a hair jig with trailer, use a slow retrieve along the bottom on dropoffs off rocky points which extend into the main channel. Target the lighter colored gravel banks in coming days.

Spinners, slow-rolled off moderately sloped, main channel banks, are taking some at night.

TELLICO RESERVOIR 4/26/07

WATER CONDITIONS

The water level at the dam is 812.38 ft. The lake is clear with a slight green tint. Surface temperatures have risen and are averaging in the low 60's. The lake has been rising and should be back to full pool soon. Watch for some debris as the water level rises and causes floating sticks and logs to leave the banks.     

SUMMARY

The bass seem to have started moving up toward the shallower water. There are still some holding in the deeper water off the points. And probably still some holding in the creek and river channels. The crappie have really been hitting well over most of the lake. Island creek is still producing some nice stringers of fish from the channel. Hick's creek is doing pretty well also. Crappies are still hitting very well if you know where to look for them. Some really nice ones have been caught while trolling. Try trolling in the channels with grubs tipped with minnows.

CRAPPIE

Good

5 to 25 feet

Some nice stringers of crappie are still being caught mostly from Island Creek and back toward the Ballplay area and around Notchy Creek and up into Hick's Creek. The warmer water temperatures should cause the crappie to start thinking about spawning, which causes them to school up and move into shallow water. Small jigs tipped with minnows seem to be the number one crappie bait. Trolling the creek channels is still a good way to get a nice stringer of crappie. Trolling grubs tipped with minnows is really hot right now.

LARGEMOUTH AND SPOTTED BASS

Improving

3 to 12 feet

Bass have become a little more active with the water temperature beginning to climb again. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are starting to take a few along with small jigs in watermelon or crawdad imitating colors, fished around the rocks and rocky banks. Live shiners are another good bait for some bigger bass around deep rocky points. Some good fish are being taken on the shaky head worm in watermelon color. The rattle trap in blue and chrome is always a good bet for those bass holding close to the rocks. The wacky worm setup is good producer this time of year. The wacky worm is where you take a common six inch do nothing worm and hook it through the middle so there is an equal amount of worm on either side of the hook. You then work your rod tip in short pulls so the ends of the worm go toward each other with each pull of the rod tip. Try to work in 4-6 inch pulls for maximum effect. No weight required. 

SMALLMOUTH BASS

Moderating

5 to 12 feet

Smallmouth 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. 3/8 to1/2 oz. jigs in watermelon color are a good choice right now. Shad raps painted in crawdad colors seem to be taking quite a few nice sized smallmouth.  

WALLEYE AND SAUGER

Improving

12 to 20 feet

The walleye have started to bite up toward Chilhowee Dam. Try about a half mile downstream from the old bridge trestle, go below the island and fish the river channel. Try bouncing a 7/8 to 1 oz. jig with a pink or red head, put a chartreuse 3 inch grub on and tip it with a minnow.

STRIPED BASS

Slow

7 to 15 feet

The striped bass have slowed way down. No reports of any being caught right now.

MELTON HILL RESERVOIR 4/26/07

WATER CONDITIONS

The water level at the dam is 740.56 ft. There are lots of sticks and some fairly big logs floating throughout most of the lake. So, keep an eye out for all that stuff. The surface temperatures are back in the mid 50's to low 60's in the main lake. The steam plant is still holding around 70 degrees. The lake remains mostly clear. 

SUMMARY

The biggest news this week is still the crappies. The crappies are hitting just about everywhere on the lake. Some really nice ones have been caught this past week. Most are schooling in the treetops. But, they are also schooling in just about any brushpile you can find, and also any submerged timber. Live minnows are the bait of choice, anywhere from 2 feet down to 15 feet. Clark Park has given up some really nice fish from the bank across from the boat ramp. Also, on the other side of the road in the pond. Bull Run Creek is also doing pretty well. Just about any creek you can find is holding crappies in the brush and the fallen trees. 

LARGEMOUTH AND SPOTTED BASS

Improving

5 to 20 feet

The bass are starting to hit a lot better, and some nice sized ones are being caught off the rocky banks and points next to deeper water. Crankbaits are doing fairly well, along with spinnerbaits in brighter colors like white and chartreuse. Crankbaits in shad imitating colors and even crawdad colors such as brown and orange are doing fairly well right now. The wacky worm is doing pretty good along with lizards in watermelon color.   

SMALLMOUTH BASS

Moderating

5 to 25 feet

You might try the float and fly around the rocky banks. 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

Improving

3 to 10 feet

Some nice crappie have been caught just about anywhere on the lake you want to try. If you find the smaller crappie just have patience, because the bigger ones are usually close by. You may want to try a little deeper for the bigger ones so just adjust your depth on the floater, and maybe add another splitshot. There are still some nice crappie hanging around at the steam plant, up next to the boil, but beware of snags. Minnows are the bait to use. But, grubs in white or yellow are a good bait to try, on 1/8 or 1/4 oz. jigheads.

MUSKY

Good

5 to 15 feet

Some nice musky are still being spotted at the steam plant, but it seems like the catching is slowing down just a little. There are still some nice fish hanging out at the steam plant, and also in the downed timber across from the steam plant. Big plugs and sucker imitators are still causing these fish to bite or at least chase the baits back to the boat or the bank. Try the sucker colored bull dawg in the 8 or 10 inch size.

STRIPED BASS

Moderating

10 to 30 feet

There are still quite a few striped bass being caught, but most are upstream, and being caught in the middle of the river on big white grubs. They are averaging in the 2-5 lb. range.