TWRA Weekly Fishing Report
Locations
NOTE - The TWRA wants to build a comprehensive report each week of the state’s lakes. If you do not see a report for your favorite lake and you are someone who can provide a report, please contact us at Ask.TWRA@tn.gov and provide us with your contact information.
See more community fishing reports across all of Tennessee in the Fishbrain app! Click here to download: https://join.fishbrain.com/tennessee
Boone Reservoir 12/18/24
Report Contributor, Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician
Reservoir Conditions- Reservoir elevation is 1362.20 water clarity 5-10 visibility, water temp 50*.
Bass- Fishing is Slow- Largemouth, Spots, and Smallmouth are being caught on small shad-like baits, umbrella rigs, deep diving crankbaits in the middle of deeper coves, and vertical fishing with drop shot type baits.
Crappie- No Report
Trout- No report
Striped Bass/Hybrid Bass- Good. Fish are being caught around Davis Dock up to Rainbow Bridge and Old DeVault Bridge up to Pt. 7 area on Holston side and Pt.2 to the dam trolling shad or trout.
Center Hill 1/15/25
Report Contributor, Chris Snow, Guide at www.briancarper.com
Bass continue to be caught around schools of bait on jigging spoons and the Damiki rig in about 35 to 40ft of water. The surface temp is 51 degrees and has come up about 3ft.
To learn more or get out on the water with us check out Brian Carper’s guide service at www.briancarper.com.
Center Hill – 2-15-25
Report Contributor, James Bond, 007's Guide Service, Follow on Facebook
Current surface temp 46 degrees and rising daily. Water clarity is 1 to 2 ft in places and 3 to 5 in others. These last few days of warm weather has definitely improved the bite.
Bass- Some fish are still being caught deep (40 ft +), while others have moved into shallow water. As the shad move up and down the water column, so will the bass. A heavy jig head and minnow imitation has worked well, along with a jigging spoon in bright colors.
Crappie - the crappie are definitely making their way to the banks. On two trips in a row, we’ve caught crappie in less than 20ft of water close to the shoreline. Big females can still be caught on the main channel, but they are like finding a needle in a haystack. Pink and green jig heads have worked well for us tipped with a minnow or a small shad imitation. ALL of our bites seem to be when the lure is sitting perfectly still and not moving.
Walleye - the eater sized males have started piling into the river for their annual spawning run. They can be caught from Ragland Bottom all the way to Rock Island right now. Several 18" to 22 " fish have been caught close to the headwaters in the last few days. The big females are still staging in the main channel areas but can be caught at night or early morning on humps and gravel flats. Please do your part to preserve this precious resource by releasing those large 24" + females, especially this time of year. Also remember the single hook rule is in effect from the sandbar boat ramp all the way to Great Falls Dam.
Catfish - no report
Tight lines my friends and see you on the water!!
James Bond, 007's Guide Service, Smithville, TN 601-720-6193
Chickamauga Reservoir 2/4/25
Report Contributor, Nathan Rogers, Region III, Creel Clerk
The weather has been warmer throughout the weekend due to storms with lows in the upper 40's and highs throughout the day as warm as 60. The current throughout the reservoir and below dams has been steady. Visibility is lower due to heavy rain early Sunday Morning The water levels are roughly 6 feet below the full pool; the latest depth recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.
Reservoir Conditions
Water Temp:
- Tennessee River (Middle Section): 50.1 degrees Fahrenheit
- Tennessee River (Lower Section): 49.1 degrees Fahrenheit
- Hiwassee River: 50.1 degrees Fahrenheit
Water Clarity:
- Tennessee River (River Channel): 4 feet
- Hiwassee River: 3.5 feet
- Creeks/Inlets: 3.5 feet
Water Level: 676.60 feet
Water Flow: (as of December 29th)
- Watts Bar Dam: ~ 20370 cfs
- Chickamauga Dam: ~ 27760 cfs
- Ocoee#1 Dam: ~1340 cfs
- Apalachia Powerhouse: ~ 2870 cfs
Observed Species Information
Bass: Fishing is fair. Fishing transition areas such as pea gravel to larger rocky structures with A-rigs, jerk baits, and swimbaits all with a more natural color. Bluff walls impacted by current and other rocky structures are holding fish as well with anglers throwing shad-like minnows and swimbaits. Live shad in these areas is the most successful practice.
Crappie: Fishing is good. Live minnows and small jigs over submerged structures, docks, and bridge pylons that are mostly in creeks or sloughs off the main river in roughly 10-15 feet. Many on the upper portion of the lake are finding success in mouths of creeks and submerged woody structures along river channel banks. Also, try using smaller jig heads such as 1/32 compared to a 1/16 if fish are scarcely biting.
Chickamauga is 44-46 the A-rig is IT! The Jerk bait follows close but they’re Minner munching for sure! The main river shell beds next to the points of creek channels are fire if you hit the right one at the right time. If you like shallow, then find some grass not thick grass just bottom bedded grass they will be there on a Rat-l-trap.
Chickamauga 1/30/25
Report Contributor, Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook and www.riprapfishing.net
Chickamauga is cold with water temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. The A-rig is always a player here along with the blade baits. The water temperature is going to rise with the warmer days so keep that Rat-l-trap on the deck as the baitfish will begin to rise. Remember if you have current you can be more aggressive. Chunky rock banks and shallow shell bed points are definite player in these situations.
Dale Hollow - 2-5-25
Report Contributor, Will Schibig, Region III, Creel Clerk
Reservoir Conditions-
Dale Hollow Dam is generating 200 cfs an average outflow per day. The reservoir elevation sits at 638’. Surface water temperatures are frigid, averaging 37-41 degrees reservoir-wide. Visibility is lacking upstream on the main tributary arms, only 3-5’ of clarity. Water visibility on the main lake is good, 7-12’ of visibility. Watch for sheets of ice on the upper Wolf and Obey River Arms. Please wear your life jacket; submersion into these cold water conditions can induce hypothermia within minutes.
Bass- Fishing is slow. When the water is this cold, most fish don’t have as many feeding periods throughout the day. Some anglers are catching individual bass on the main lake, 40-50’ down. On sunny days, some bass may pull up shallow to boat ramps or black shale banks.
Crappie- Fishing is slow. Anglers are catching a handful of crappie. Most are catching them off deep brush on the upper end of the reservoir 25’ down. The crappie are schooled together but getting them to bite is a challenge.
Hiwassee River below Appalachia Powerhouse – 1-22-25
Report Contributor, Tic Smith, Southeastern Anglers Guide Service
Fishing Conditions – Obviously it has been too cold for many fishermen to be on the river. On top of that, TVA has been having to run more than 4,500 cfs to keep the lake levels down.
Water clarity – clear
Water temps – 42 to 45 degrees
Flows – check the TVA website for the flow schedule. (Lake Level – Appalachia) TVA has been running 2 generators around the clock this week. Predicted water flows look to be returning to normal by the weekend.
Hatches and flies to use – BWOs are the main hatch now. Small and large nymphs are producing fairly well. From tiny zebra midges to large stonefly patterns are producing. Streamers such as wooly buggers are good especially on cloudy days. BWO parachutes from #18 to #20 work fairly well on the rising fish. Streamers and larger nymphs are producing some larger fish in the fast water.
Kentucky Lake 2-6-25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net
Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene had some unusually warm weather recently that had anglers out and about. Several days with above average temperatures had anglers testing the water for crappie. A few days the daytime highs climbed to the lower 70’s and upper 60’s, stirring fishing pox among the ranks of winter anglers.
Some nice stringers of crappie were taken too. Most successful anglers credited their catch to depths of 9 to 14 feet, which has been the norm lately. There were some reports of fish coming from deeper depths of 16 to 20 feet as well around the Paris Landing sector.
Lake levels have remained relatively stable lately despite some heavy rains across the region at times. Currently the reservoir is resting around the 354.8 range, which is near the winter pool mark. Watercolor has been clear.
It appears things are about to change, however. A cold front is in the forecast for later this weekend and will influence the fishing scene well into next week. Daytime highs are expected to be cold with highs only making it to the upper 40’s in the long-range forecast. February is always a month full of surprises. Looks like cold days are returning for the Kentucky Lake fishing scene at least until late next week.
Nickajack Reservoir, 2-5-2025
Report Contributor, Nathan Rogers, Region III, Creel Clerk
The weather was warmer throughout the weekend with lows around the 40’s and highs throughout the day as warm as 55. Current throughout the reservoir and below dams has picked back up. The water levels near the full pool; the latest depth and discharge rate I have recorded it below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.
Reservoir Conditions
Water Temp:
- Upper end of Lake: 44.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Water Clarity:
- Tennessee River (River Channel): 4 feet
Water Level: 633.74 feet
Water Flow: (as of February 1st)
- Chickamauga Dam: ~ 24024 cfs (spilling)
- Nickajack Dam: ~ 31638 cfs
Observed Species Information
Bass: Fishing is good.
Upper Section of the lake:
Many anglers are targeting Smallmouth Bass in this section of the lake throwing A-rigs, jerk baits, and jigging minnows along rocky banks impacted by the current. Live bait such as shiners and shad are great in these areas as well. Finding deep holes throughout the river channel and fishing the drop-off ledges where fish are holding is bringing success to anglers as well.
Crappie: small jigging minnows on current breaks and in mouths of creeks
Sunfish/Bream: live worms in calm water around structures such as laid-down trees, submerged debris, or bridge pylons.
Normandy Lake 1/9/25
Report Contributor, Captain Jake Davis, Follow on Facebook and midsouthbassguide.com
We found some nice fish active in late morning and afternoon this week. The best areas have been upriver. Current water levels are at 865.56. Crankbaits, Texas Rigs or Tightline Jigs have been our go-to. We found some good bass using Forward Facing Sonar in open water. I was told anglers are still catching a few nice Walleye can be caught trolling crankbaits or drifting minnows/crawler harnesses on flats and in the river. Crappie are doing good as well on standing timber and brush piles. Water temperatures range from 47 to 51 degrees.
Lots of habitat work has been done on Normandy over the last four weeks by the Tennessee Bass Nation High School and Conservation programs, I highly recommend that angler get out before the water comes up and just look around. Keep in mind if you see habitat placed on the lake shore there is most likely habitat in the water just in front of these areas. They even fixed the ramp edge at Barton Springs. Photos of these areas can be found on the Tennessee Bass Nation Conservation Facebook page. Please Wear those Life Vest and drain your trailers before you pull up the ramps. For more information call Jake Davis at 615.613.2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Norris Lake 1-30-25
Report Contributor, Brad Burkhart, Follow on Facebook
Hey guys, hope everyone is doing well and enjoying these balmy 50* days. Thank goodness it got out of the teens, that’s too cold for anybody.
Fishing ……. Before the deep freeze was very good. I have been on Norris for the last month and the smallmouth bite was awesome with water temps in the low 50’s. With the VERY cold temps in the last week or so things have changed drastically. I had a trip on Norris Lake yesterday and we struggled to get bites.
The most consistent technique I have had success with is “tightlining”. This technique is geared toward smallmouth but largemouth and spotted bass alike are caught as well. It consists of 6lb Pline Tactical fluorocarbon, a 3/16th round ball head with a custom hook, and a Berkley 3” Gulp minnow. This technique is region specific with its origins right here in east Tn. A lot of folks say they “tightline” but most mistake it for “drop fishing” or scoping which neither could be farther from the truth. With tightlining you can cover a wide depth range such as 5’ to 30’. It’s a killer gig and while it may not win you the Bassmaster Classic it is sure to save the day and make for a fun interesting day not knowing what’s on the other end of the line.
Now’s the time it shines with it starting in the low 50* water temps and stays consistent through the winter.
If you would like to see and learn this technique firsthand shoot me an email and we’ll get you a day booked. I, along with Nathan Light and the crew from 3B Outdoors did a show using the tightline technique and from there it exploded on our area lakes. The episode can be found on YouTube. Don’t be in the outside looking in, email me to book a Tightline trip.
God Bless, See you on the water.
Brad Burkhart @bradburkhartprofishing
Old Hickory 1-14-25
Report Contributor, Tanner Hale, Guide at www.briancarper.com
Old man winter is in full swing here in middle Tennessee, I think we have all experienced it from the snow fall at the end of last week. With the weather still mirroring last week and some of the temps dipping down even a little lower the fishing has still remained about the same. Crappie and bass both have not been very active as they are in the middle of adjusting daily to our winter weather. I have made it out on the water one day since last week we scrapped up 10 keeper crappie with one of them being a 2.34 pounder. Bite was slow we really had to slow things down to get bites. The fish seem dug in waiting for a weather change. We were targeting these fish in 20-30 foot of water with jigs and minnows.
To learn more or get out on the water with us check out Brian Carper’s guide service at www.briancarper.com.
Parksville Reservoir 2/2/25
Report Contributor, Nathan Rogers, Region III, Creel Clerk
The weather was warmer this weekend with lows in the 30s and highs throughout the day up to 62 after the rain Sunday night. Water temp has stayed roughly the same on the main lake. The current throughout the reservoir has been steady. Visibility is good throughout the reservoir. The water levels are at the full pool; the latest depth recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.
Reservoir Conditions
Water Temp: 44.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Water Clarity: 7 feet
Water Level: 828.04 feet
Water Flow: (as of February 2nd)
- Ocoee#1 Dam: ~ 1996 cfs
- Ocoee#2 Dam: ~ 1120 cfs (spilling)
Observed Species Information
Bass: Fishing is fair. Throwing jerk baits, A-rigs, and swimbaits around schools of bait in open water and creek mouths. Float-n-fly fishing also attracts bites on steep rocky ledges and points in creek arms. Live minnows in creek channels also attract bites.
Yellow Perch: Fishing is good. Live minnows or worms, also small jigs/grubs, on shallow channel ledges/flats on the upper portion of the reservoir. Some anglers are finding perch in deeper water as well (25+ feet)
Percy Priest 2/5/25
Report Contributor, Arnie Shanklin, Guide at www.briancarper.com
I’ve been crappie fishing the upper end of the lake on Priest the last week. We’re catching them in brush piles in 25ft of water. They’re biting both jigs and minnows right now.
To learn more or get out on the water with us check out Brian Carper’s guide service at www.briancarper.com.
Tellico Lake 12/4/24
Report Contributor, Scott Dalton, WL Tech 1, Fisheries, Region 4
The water temperature has dropped into the 50’s. Large and smallmouth Bass are being caught as water temperatures cool.
Tims Ford 1/9/25
Report Contributor, Captain Jake Davis, Follow on Facebook
Despite the cold weather some fish can still be caught. Early morning start time is not necessarily this time of the year. Waiting till it warms a little on most days is best not just for fishing but anglers as well. Some good fish can be caught on 3.5-inch swimbait, jerk baits along steep bluffs banks and using Forward facing Sonar in open water areas like channel bends. We caught a few fish in creek mouths area with shad using jerk baits, 1/4oz Shakey Head with a finesse Trick worm and ½ ounce Tightline Green Tequila Jig this week work around brush piles in 8 to 15 feet of water. Over the past two weeks, it’s been tough to get quality keepers, but you can still have a lot of fun. Don’t pass up the opportunity to flip laydowns, especially around deep water with a Texas rig. Crappie are doing better than Bass; several guys have caught some really nice slabs using minnows and artificial grubs around laydowns and brush on the deeper docks.
The current Lake level is 874.68 with a forecasted level slowly rising to 875.13 over the weekend. Water temps are between 47 and 50 degrees on most of the lake. Lots of habitat work has been done on Tims Ford over the last four weeks by the Tennessee Bass Nation High School and Conservation programs, I highly recommend that angler get out before the water comes up and just look around. Keep in mind if you see habitat placed on the lake shore there is most likely habitat in the water just in front of these areas. Photos of these areas can be found on the Tennessee Bass Nation Conservation Facebook page. Please, drain those trailers before pulling up the ramps. The next person will really appreciate it. Always wear your life vest while on the water, with the colder water and colder air temperatures, you only have a few minutes to get out of the water if you fall in. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Watts Bar 2/5/25
Report Contributor, Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook and www.riprapfishing.net
Watts Bar is 45ish depending on where you are in the lake. They will hit a crankbait for sure a shad rap or Dt6-8. The A-rig and jerk bait are for sure the 6-12 zone. The chunky rock banks and long points with deep water near are the deal. Especially with the current present. Water level is up a foot or two and stained in places which makes the Rat-l-trap and Shallow Crankbaits great.
Watts Bar 2/6/24
Report Contributor, Captain Wallace Sitzes, Follow on Facebook
The shad kill has really slowed the fishing down on Watts Bar lately. It's a lot harder to get a fish to take a bait when there's dying shad swimming all over the place. Crappie fishing hasn't been too bad, but a lot of fish are scattered around and not stacking up real good on the trees like they were for a while.
The catfish bite has been really good. A shad kill always gets those big blue cats chomping. They're glutinous animals so they'll eat shad until they just about pop. I've been using fresh cut shad on the bottom in about 40' but there's also a lot of catfish back in the shallows. They're just cruising around like vacuum cleaners.
West Prong, Little Pigeon River 12/18/24
Report Contributor, Scott Dalton, WL Tech 1, Fisheries, Region 4
Rainbow Trout are being caught in Pigeon Forge. The City of Pigeon Forge supports trout stocking, once a month during the months of Nov., Dec., and Jan. These are large fish, and they are stocked between Patriot Park and The Island. The last stocking was on December Friday 13th.
Woods Reservoir 1/9/25
Report Contributor, Captain Jake Davis, Follow on Facebook
Grass lines and Brush have been the remain your best bet, Bass are slow, and Crappie are better, and guys say they are catching Crappie on Minnows some are being caught on soft plastic grubs. Bass are still coming on a shaky head rigged finesse bait and a Tightline Mussel Crawler Jig in Green Tequila. A few are being caught on crankbaits and jerk baits. We found our better fish in 8 to 15 feet of water using Tightline Mussel Crawler jigs tipped with Twin Tail grubs, soft plastics, and Carolina Rigs. Water temperatures range from 46 to 51 degrees. Duck Hunting season is in full swing, please be aware of hunting locations around the lake and that the lower end of the lake is closed to all traffic...boats or walking the bank. Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water. Give me a call to book your trip, fall fishing can be lots of fun on Woods. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net