posted July 17, 2008
Click HERE to download a Solunar Table, if you wish
Click Above, You Deserve It!
BOONE RESERVOIR, as of July 10Bass
Fair
Fishing is picking up during the day. Most of the fish have been caught on Topwater using Pop R’s, Spooks, Buzzbaits about an hour before and a hour after sunrise and then most people are throwing crankbaits or plastic worms. Green Pumpkin, Cherry Seed, Watermelon is the color of choice’s. Nighttime has been doing good using pig n jig’s and worm’s and some fish are being caught on deep diving crankbaits.
Good
Early mornings and evenings have been good for some topwater action using Pop R’s, Thundersticks swimming them on the surface and Rattle Traps have been good when fish are near the surface and chicken livers still fishing. Upstream from Winged Deer Park to Watauga Flats has been good in early morning for Hybrids, Striped Bass. Holston Arm is producing some Striped Bass around Davis Dock using chicken livers still fishing and trolling alewives or small gizzard shad.
CENTER HILL, as of July 17 Fishing is good. Water temperature is 85 degrees. Lake is stable. Bass fishing at night is great, while fishing soft, plastics and spinnerbaits on drops and points in 10-to-20 feet of water. Walleye fishing is fair near Sligo, while trolling spinnerrigs in 20 feet of water. A few bluegill are being caught on the bluffs with crickets in 15 feet of water.
CHEROKEE LAKE, as of July 10
Largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found on flats, rocky points, and in coves. Fish early or late. The best baits are crankbaits, tube jigs, and plastic worms fished 2 to 15 feet deep. Striped bass are in the areas of Point 2 to 4 and Point 9 to 15. Trolling is best with umbrella jigs, red fins, or jigs tipped with twister tail grubs. For straight lining, use large shad.
Send your fishing report via E-MAIL to Richard Simms.
CHICKAMAUGA, as of July 17
Water surface temperature is 81 degrees on average. Wednesday, July 16, 2008, water temperatures were in a range of 70 to 85 degrees depending on the location. Bass are being caught shallow in sloughs where there may be some fresh water flowing in from storms and showers. Topwater lures used in the early and late hours in this type of shallow water is a good way to catch a few keepers. The large water humps and points are the most targeted areas by most anglers. Some bass are being caught as deep as 30 feet. Limits of bass that average 4 pounds a piece are common. Crankbaits, plastic worms, jigs, and swimbaits are the most used baits. A few crappie are being caught along the bluff walls in the river. Minnows and jigs are producing equal results. Some night crappie are being caught while using lights. A lot of catfish are being caught by drifters while using all the normal baits associated with catfishing. Bluegill are being caught while using minnows and jigs close to the river breaks. White bass are being caught at times in the tailwaters, but more often near the deep water humps in the mid to lower end of the lake. Rockfish are being caught in the tailwaters, but at a deduced rate than one would expect for this time of year.
DALE HOLLOW, as of July 17
Fishing is fair. Water temperature is 81 degrees. Lake is rising. Bass fishing is good at night on spinerbaits on points in 15-to-20 feet of water. Some good smallmouth are being caught after daylight on topwater baits, while feeding in shad. Walleye fishing is good at night while jigging spoons and trolling on flats in 20-to-30 feet of water. Trout fishing near the dam is fair, while trolling spoons in 45 feet of water.
DOUGLAS LAKE The creel clerk will be working on Cherokee during 2008. Reports for Douglas will resume in 2009.
FORT LOUDON, as of July 10
The catfish and the bluegills have really started to bite very well over the last week or two. Jug fishing is producing some good size cats over the entire lake. Bass are still biting fairly well, but they seem to have moved back out into deeper water, especially after the early morning topwater bite. Submerged humps and long submerged points are a good place to look for the better size fish. Both largemouth and smallmouth are biting fairly well and the early morning or the late evening is the best time for the topwater bite. The Pop-R and the Torpedo are good choices until the sun gets up too high, which is around 10 or 11 a.m. Deep diving crankbaits like the DD22 in shad color is a good choice for fishing submerged humps and islands. Swimbaits are catching a few good bass along with 3in. tubes in watermelon seed color on the humps. The crappies seem to have slowed down a bit, but there are still some nice ones being caught flipping the docks.
Click Above, You Deserve It!
MELTON HILLNo Report
Send your fishing report via E-MAIL to Richard Simms.
Melton Hill, as of July 10
The bass seem to be concentrated around the submerged humps and the stump fields, also around islands with deep water ledges close by. A good place to start is up in the creeks and on the points at the mouths of creeks, or any rocky banks or submerged timber especially with current flowing past close to deeper water. The crappies have slowed down a little over most of the lake. The catfish are in the steam plant discharge area up around the boil. Striped Bass are chasing River Herring in the cooler water. Trout are starting to hit a little better upstream toward the 61 bridge where the water stays cooler.
NORRIS, as of July 10
WALLEYE are still slow for most anglers, but some are bringing in limits by trolling chrome spinner/nightcrawler rigs along the bottom at 25 to 30 feet deep off the rocky, steeper banks. SPOTTED and LARGEMOUTH BASS slowed with the arrival of huge boating crowds over the holiday weekend. The SMALLMOUTH BASS early morning surface action slowed with the boat traffic, too, but some were caught on crankbaits, spinners and jigs after dark.
CRAPPIE are hitting for night anglers, under the lights. STRIPED BASS were slow on the Powell side, with a few hitting deep between Points 10 and 11, but hit better on the Clinch side at dawn. BLUEGILL and REDEAR SUNFISH (SHELLCRACKER) continue to hit in the brush and shallows (5 to 10 feet) in the coves from the Girl Scout Camp in Loyston Sea, along the Big Ridge State Park property to Poor Land Creek near Hickory Star Marina. A few redear have been caught as far up the Clinch as Point 28. BLUEGILL catches are good on crickets, wax worms or popping bugs on shady, rocky banks. The quality of the bluegill caught has been good, with many weighing between a half-pound and three-quarters of a pound, if you get the depth right.
SOUTH HOLSTON, Dec. 28
Bass fishing seems to be picking up with the cooler temperatures. The Smallmouth bass are really starting to become more active. Bass fishing was slow on the bluebird sky days, but good numbers of bass were caught on the days when an overcast sky was present, as usually is the case on South Holston. Largemouth bass can still be found in treetops or on flats with a crankbait or a white or chartreuse spinnerbait or fluke, but most catches is predominantly smallmouth. The largemouth numbers are better up toward the Virginia line. Smallmouth have been taken on three basic baits the past couple of weeks; float and fly, bone color “Long A”, and a white or chartreuse fluke. 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. A bone color "Long A" has really been effective the past few weeks off points in the mornings, especially if there is cloud cover or a good breeze blowing. The float and fly has been another good method for catching quality fish and good numbers in the middle of the day, especially a float and fly with a minnow about 15-20 feet deep off bluffs and walls. Blue or grey flies seem to be the colors of choice. As the water temperatures continue to drop, the fly will get even better. The lower end of the lake seems to be the hot spot lately, from Point 3 down into Riddle Creek. When it rains, fishermen have been reporting good numbers of smallmouth up in the river on the Virginia side. Spoons have also been producing quality smallmouth off points. Crappie fishing is still slow and cooler water temperatures are probably needed before the fishing really becomes active. The best numbers of 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 5-8 feet of water. Blue or Chartreuse jigs and flies have been somewhat successful. Jacob’s Creek, around the Observation Knob area, and Little Oak area seem to be holding the most crappie now. No reports on Walleye this week.
TELLICO
The creel clerk is currently off work due to a back injury. Reports will resume as soon as he recuperates.
WATAUGA, as of July 10
Bass
Fair
Smallmouth are still being caught on Crankbaits 5-10’, Tube bait’s and 4-6” worms, and an early morning bite on topwater has shown some nice fish using Pop R’s and Spooks, Buzzbaits. Largemouth, Spotted Bass are hitting spinnerbaits early in the morning around brush piles and trash pockets and going deeper during the day and are being caught on plastic worms or jig’s. Green pumpkin and Watermelon are colors being used.
Walleye
Fair
The walleye has slowed down this past week at night but a few are still being caught on the lower end of the lake around the dam area and in and around cove ridge on points using Long Bill Rebels, Long A’s, Thundersticks when the fish are active on top water. Brown and Chart. Black and Silver, Blue and Silver colors of choice and a Bone color on the Long A. Also trolling has been real slow but a few have been caught from pt.2 up to pt.3 and around the dam on the upper end of lake Little Milligan area has been somewhat productive using a spinner and night crawler in around 13-20ft.
Lake Trout
Good
Lake Trout have slowed down some this week but some have been caught from pt.1 up to pt.9 and around pt.5 trolling anywhere from 35-65 feet. Trolling spoons.
Rainbow Trout
Good
Rainbows are being caught trolling around 25-45’ with spoons. The fishing has slowed this week but still being caught around pt.2 up to pt.5 trolling spoons.
WATTS BAR, as of July 17
Water surface temperatures are on average 82 degrees as of 7/16/08. Bass anglers are fishing along the large water humps and near the primary points. Most anglers that are fishing the points are a good 2 or 3 casts from being able to reach the land. Most of these bass that are being caught are suspended fish that are staying close to the baitfish. Crankbaits and large spinnerbaits seem to be the more productive choices. White bass are being caught near the tailwaters and near the mid lake hump ledges. Spinner-type lures are being used most often. Catfish are being caught in the tailwaters and in the main channel on all the normal catfish baits. Crappie that are being caught are being caught underneath lights at night. Minnows and jigs are being used to catch a lot of the night fish. Rockfish are being caught in the tailwaters below Ft. Loudon and in the Clinch River. Shad is the best bait choice.
Go HERE for Georgia Fishing Reports & links to GA Lake Levels or check Water Release Schedules from TVA Dams
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |