Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Ed Harp

Striper and hybrid striper fishing in eastern Tennessee continues to get better and better. And there's no better season to give it a try than late winter. The weather may be a little cold, but the fish are schooled up, active and looking for an easy meal.

Eastern Tennessee has some fine striper and hybrid striper waters. The first one that comes to mind is Norris Reservoir. Long considered one of the best trophy striper fisheries in the region, this massive reservoir has fallen on hard times. A severe fish kill in 2003 destroyed most of the truly big stripers, those over 30 pounds.

According to Doug Peterson, TWRA Fisheries Management biologist for Region IV, the kill was caused by Mother Nature. Unusually heavy rains pushed massive quantities of water into the reservoir. That, in turn, triggered oxygen depletion in the cooler waters. As the trophy stripers were forced up, toward more oxygen, the warmer temperatures killed them.

Despite what many anglers have heard on the docks, copepods or gill maggots as they are sometimes called, had nothing to do with the kill. Peterson admits that some fish are infested with them. He further admits they are unsightly, but remains firm in his opinion that they do not kill the stripers.

As strange as it may sound, that's good news. The oxygen problem was temporary and corrected itself quickly. It may have been hard on trophy stripers, but it's over. The little ones will soon grow into big ones. Copepod fatalities would have been a very different problem. One not so easily corrected by Mother Nature.

Despite the kill, Norris is doing just fine. There are plenty of smaller stripers and they are growing fast. Norris's 30,000-plus acres of water and more than 800 miles of shoreline still offer Tennessee anglers an excellent opportunity for some striper fishing.

Peterson reports that the number of fish weighing around 15 pounds is excellent. They will continue to grow and, due to regular stocking, there should be plenty of stripers coming along. More than 100,000 striped bass have been released in Norris each year since 1999. Release locations include Flat Hollow Ramp, Beech Island Ramp, Cove Creek Ramp, Anderson County Park and Black Fox Ramp.

One reason for their excellent growth rate is the substantial forage base in the reservoir. Norris supports a heavy shad population that provides food for the stripers year 'round. They do not want for something to eat. (Despite what some anglers may think, stripers do not feed on other game fish, most notably black bass. They eat shad just like the other predators in the water.)

Winter gill netting in 2004 supports Peterson's optimism for the future of striped bass fishing in Norris. The TWRA reports good numbers of stripers up to 27 inches. With another year to grow and put on weight, 2005 should see a marked increase in size.

Longtime Volunteer angler and professional striper guide Aaron Jenkins (865/828-5495) agrees. He reports that despite the 2003 loss of big fish in Norris the fishery remains one of the better venues for numbers.

"Sometimes, especially if the water is real cold, they can be a little tough to find, but they are there, no doubt about it," he said.

He recommends that rather than look for the stripers themselves, anglers should focus on locating baitfish. According to Jenkins, once the angler finds baitfish, he can safely assume the stripers are in the neighborhood.

He reports that, under most conditions, the stripers will be hanging below the schools of shad that inhabit the lake. The stripers are looking for an easy meal as the dying shad sink down into their watery grave.

"Once you find the shad, it's just a matter of getting the deeper stripers to bite . . . you know they are there," Jenkins said.

Jenkins suggests anglers begin searching for the baitfish around creek mouths and in the shallower coves that are common on this reservoir. He points out that the water in the creeks and the coves, especially along the north shore, will be a few degrees warmer than the main lake. "That's all it takes to attract them (baitfish)," he said.

Experience has taught Jenkins that the weather has a lot to do with where you will find the shad. On days with high, bluebird skies, the shad tend to hold deep. When the air is heavy and the sky overcast, however, look for them shallow.

Favored locations for winter stripers will be around inflowing creeks, areas with run-off and in shallow coves with deep, steep-sided, well-defined channels that lead out into the main lake. Combine these areas with shad and you will quickly be in business. Cove Creek and the area around Anderson County Park are especially popular with local anglers.

Jenkins encourages anglers to troll live bait, most times a locally caught 2-inch shad, below the forage schools with either planer boards or free lines. "I try to run a couple of lines a few inches below the school and a couple of lines 2 or 3 feet below that," he said.

Norris is located just south of La Follette and north of Knoxville. It is easily accessible from the north or south from I-75. Several major highways provide good access from the west or the east. Accommodations are available throughout the area at reasonable prices. Thirty-eight improved ramps offer quick and easy boating access to the lake.

It is a flood control reservoir. Water level fluctuations of 45 feet or more are common throughout the year. Norris is extremely treacherous when the water is low, usually in January, so boat with care.

While Jenkins finds Norris to be a fine fishery, his favorite waters are farther east.

"Cherokee Reservoir is a spectacular fishery . . . full of stripers and hybrids . . . there aren't any hybrids in Norris," the Tennessee guide said.

Jenkins points out that hybrid - Cherokee bass - fishing in East Tennessee is "exploding." He reports average hybrids running between 5 and 8 pounds with an occasional trophy in the 11- to 13-pound class.

He goes on to point out that Cherokees are beginning to swim in big schools in the reservoir. Catches of 150 fish a day are possible.

"You can catch them until your arms feel like they are going to fall off," he said.

Jenkins' enthusiasm is well placed; his description is not an exaggeration. Cherokee Reservoir's fertile waters hold some awesome fish. Its 30,000 surface acres and nearly 400 miles of shoreline offer some of the best striper and Cherokee bass fishing in the nation.

That's due in large measure to the efforts of the TWRA. In 2003 alone, over 50,000 hybrid stripers and over 100,000 true stripers were stocked. Over the last four years, 300,000 hybrids have been stocked and nearly half a million stripers. That is a lot of fish.