Normandy Lake

Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis –  midsouthbassguide.com – Follow on Facebook

5-11-23

TVA has the water level sitting at 875.76 today and they are going to drop it back to 875.61 over the weekend by releasing 480CFS downstream.  Normandy continued producing some nice fish.  Crankbaits, Texas Rigs or Tightline Jigs have been our go to as the shad spawn starts.  We found several really nice bass using Crankbaits at the end of points in 3 to 8 feet of water.

Walleye can be caught trolling crankbaits or drifting minnows/crawler harnesses on flats and in the river.  I’m being told the Crappie are doing good, you can catch them around brush in the river and standing timber. Keep an eye on the habitat that TWRA and TN Bass Nation put out the last couple years Water temperatures range from 70 to 72 degrees.  Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water.  Give me a call to book your trip, Springtime fishing is the best on Normandy…  Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net

Norris Lake

Forecast Contributor – Paul Shaw, Norris Creel Clerk.

2 May 2023

Water Temp: Cloudy, cool, windy days have had an effect. It’s 63 to 67 degrees on most days. The upper rivers (at Hwy 25E) were still clear, but running in at 59 degrees, cooler than last week.

Water Clarity: 4 to 6 feet, good color. The upper end rivers are running in clear.

Water Elevation: 1,014.4 feet (midnight) The elevation has remained steady over the past week. Check the free TVA Lake Info app for daily elevations, predictions, and flow rates.

Fishing Overview: Catches for most species were greatly diminished since last week’s report because of high winds and nighttime temperatures in the low 40’s.

Largemouth Bass: Fair in coves where some are searching for spawning locations. Willow leaf spinners, jerk baits, medium runner crankbaits in the coves and near cover. Less than 10 feet early.

Smallmouth Bass: Fair.  Same pattern: soft swim baits on lead-heads, medium runner crankbaits, small hair jigs tipped with tuffy minnows, plastic grubs, and swimbaits retrieved slowly across spawning areas. Target white gravel points and shorelines where many are spawning at 8-12 feet, bottom depth.

Walleye: Fair upriver in the Clinch River shoals near Hwy 25E and Indian Creek. On the Powell, above Slate Creek, Earl’s Hollow and farther upstream has had some good catches on the right days. 3/8 oz jigs tipped with plastic grubs or on trolled crankbaits, both worked along the bottom at 15 feet and shallower. Main body catches are slow. The main body fish are not yet spawning. Night fishing with Mann O’Lures or spoons jigged under lights, or Shad Raps, or snagged shad/alewife cast to the shoreline are picking up some, but it’s hit ‘n miss at best.

Bluegill: Slow. To 20 feet on steep, broken rock banks on crickets or on Beetle Spins or Rooster Tail spinners.

Shellcrackers: Slow in most locations, but very good in isolated areas in the back of larger creeks next to fish attractor brush or downed timber. Mill Creek, Lost Creek, Poor Land Creek, some in Sycamore Creek. Red worms, night crawlers, wax worms, small minnows, small spinners. Less than 10 feet, on the bottom near brush.

Crappie: Improving. Good at night in Sycamore Creek, the back of Lost Creek, the upper reaches of Cove Creek, and upper Davis Creek in the coves near the cemetery boat ramp. Shiners or tuffy minnows tightlined to 10-15 feet near brush. Popeye jigs or Bobby Garlands are getting some at dawn in Sycamore Creek and Little Sycamore Creek.

Catfish: No catches have been seen.

Striped Bass: Moderate to good upriver in shoal areas. Above Indian Creek on the Clinch River arm has seen improving catches in the pools between shoals.  Shad or alewife, umbrella rigs, or large swimbaits. In the main lake body, smaller stripers have been caught in the Loyston/Lost Creek area, Gourd and Rabbit Islands. Upper Cove Creek catches were fair. Look for stripers to be moving toward the headwaters of the larger creek embayments and upward to the headwaters of the Powell and Clinch rivers. These fish are moving upstream with the season.

Percy Priest

Forecast Contributor Brian Carper – briancarper.com – Follow on Facebook

5-11-23

The last few days on Percy Priest Lake the water has risen almost 2′! With more rain in the forecast the lake should continue to rise slowly. The Army Corp of Engineers are lowering the lake, but probably not at the pace it’s entering. In addition to the water rising, the warm temperatures have helped put both bass and crappie into aggressive modes. The bass have been shallow in 1 to 5′ of water throughout the lake and being caught on swimbaits, spinnerbaits, jerk baits and topwater lures.

Shallow boulder rocks and gravel have been productive, but now that the water has come up near the bank around flooded vegetation and trees has been turned on! The water temperature is at 71°. With the warmer temperatures the crappie spawn is wrapping up and large concentrations of crappie are moving out into 10-20′ of water. Brush piles on the upper and middle areas of the lake are holding many crappie. Tight lining minnows 2 to 4′ off the bottom has been successful in addition to casting 1/8oz jigs from 25′ away. Black and chartreuse has been the most productive Crappie Magnet color for us the last 3 days. As the warm weather continues, we’ll see more crappie moving out deeper.

For more information or Book your trip today at www.briancarper.com

Pickwick

Forecast Contributor Tyler Finley – Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.finley.750

5-2-23

Shad spawn!!! The bass are shallow right now as they are still moving off of bed. They are being caught out of shallow grass where Shad are spawning. These fish can be caught on a white Chatterbait or any other bait fish imitating bait. Aside from Shad spawn fish can still be caught around shallow structure on a wacky rig and Texas rig. The fish are moving everyday so there’s no better time to be on the water then now. Look for Shad popping to top of the water or just go shallow and fish structure. Good luck!!

Tims Ford

Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook

5-11-23

Lake temperatures are between 69 and 71.5 degrees and the lake level climbed to 886.72 just under two foot below summer pool and projected to hit 887.26 over the weekend.  Our primary focus this week, was just outside the spawning flats and pea gravel banks with some wood.  Shad spawn was good this week which provided for some great top water action early. Sped Craw, Crankbait, spinnerbaits, and Jigs are a good place to start. We continued to catch a few fish spread out on secondary points and around brush piles.

Best lures have been Ned Rig, Tightline Mussel Crawler jigs tipped with Twin Tail grubs bite. Texas Rigged creature baits, produced as well.  Crappie slowed with most angler telling me they have moved to deep water docks, brush piles and treetops.  Stripe and rock fish are still can be found off points, on river channel bends with bucktail jigs, swimbaits, and live bait.  Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water and watch for floating logs as the water rises… Give me a call to book your trip, Spring and early summertime fishing is the best on Tim’s…  Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net

Watts Bar Reservoir

April 28th – May 2nd, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear most of the weekend, but high winds would arrive each day around noon. Temperatures were around lower 40’s at night and reaching around mid 60’s during the day. Lake visibility was improving until Tuesday. Water temperatures decreased the past few days due to the cold spell we are currently in.  Water level is almost to summer pool with still about 1 foot left to fill.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

–        Creeks: 65.5 degrees Fahrenheit

–        Tennessee River: 63.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 2 feet on May 2nd

Water Level: 740.4 feet

Water Flow:

–        Watts Bar Dam: ~4900 cfs

–        Melton Hill Dam: ~600 cfs

–        Fort Loudon Dam: ~4300 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice currently but fishing a little deeper than previous weeks. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash.

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Trolling/ Spider rigging with minnows seemed to be the most successful technique. Some anglers are still finding success fishing deeper water with these same methods as well.

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success. Some anglers were landing catfish fishing for crappie.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

5-5-23

That windy cold front really put a hurting on the fishing for a couple days.  Took a lot of those shallow bass and crappie and raked them right out into the deeper water where a lot of them didn’t want to feed. Fortunately, the warm sunny weather yesterday, today and over the next several days will make the fish MUCH more predictable and easier to pattern.

I boated 7 good sized bass in the first hour yesterday on flukes and small trick worms. They weren’t on beds but were in pretty shallow water clinging close to docks and other shallow structure in the shade. A few of those fish inhaled the lure as soon as it hit the water.

A great majority of the crappie have bunched up in small schools and scattered literally all over the place.  Every drop off, creek bed, hump and cove inlet just have stacks of crappie on the move right now. Most of these fish are in about 25 – 40 feet of water hanging about 14 – 16 feet under the surface.  I would advise pushing or trolling baits until they cling back to the structure.

Catfish and striper have been sticking close to deep structure when we have good water flow and going into shallow structure or cruising sandbars when the water isn’t moving much. Dragging big deep diving crank baits works great for flatheads, blues and striper this time of year. Find a sand bar in about 20 – 25 feet of water and drag them just fast enough to make a little contact with the bottom.

Wilbur Tailwater

Forecast Contributor – Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician

5-9-23

Tailwater Conditions– Tailwaters elevation 1583.14. Avg discharge is 240 cfm. Water temperature is 40-46 degrees. Water clarity is clear top to bottom. The fishing conditions change throughout the length of the tailwaters with flow rates.

Trout– Fishing is good. The most productive areas are Wilbur Dam downstream to Hunter area, not a lot of big fish but if you are looking for numbers the upper end is the place to be. Trout are being caught using Rapalas, Night crawler, Rooster tails, Small Flies.

Woods Reservoir

Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook

5-11-23

Not much change here, Bass and Crappie all can be found along old grass edges and along the rip rap banks.  We found our better fish in 4 to 9 foot of water using Texas Rigged D-Bombs from Missile Baits and Tightline Mussel Crawler jigs tipped with Twin Tail grubs, Tightline Swim Jigs with Driftwood Swimbaits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits and A-Rigs.  A few have move to their summer haunts. Best numbers came on a shaky head rigged finesse worm.

Drifting/trolling with spider rigs for Crappie is picking up some nice slabs but you have to weed through the short fish. Water temperatures range from 68 to 69 degrees.   Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water… Give me a call to book your trip, Spring and Summer time fishing is the best on Woods…  Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net