First light on Tennessee's oldest reservoir for striped bass.
Norris is the lake that built East Tennessee's striper reputation. The oldest reservoir in the state, 130 miles long, with over 800 miles of wooded shoreline and water deep enough to hold stripers all summer. It does not give up its fish to anyone who sleeps in.
Reading the Points
In early summer the stripers push baitfish up onto the long points at first light. A live shad on a flatline or a big swimbait trolled along the point in 25 feet of water is the classic Norris presentation. Watch for the birds — where the gulls are diving, the stripers are pushing bait to the surface.
“On Norris, the sun hasn't really come up until a striper has pulled drag off your reel.”
By mid-morning the fish slide deep and the lake goes quiet. Pull into a cove, swim off the boat, and wait for the evening bite to turn back on. Norris is the kind of lake that rewards the angler who stays all day — and the reason Tennessee striper fishing is quietly some of the best in the Southeast.
