TWRA Weekly Fishing Forecast
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 - 5-22-24
Forecast Contributor – Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician
Reservoir Conditions- Reservoir elevation is 1381.80. The water temperature is 74* degrees. Water clarity 5-10’ visibility.
Bass- Fair- Largemouth, Spots and are being caught mostly on Jigs and soft plastic finesse baits (worms, creature baits) in deeper water on rocky banks and bluffs.
Crappie- No Report
Trout- No Report
Striped Bass/Hybrid Bass- Fishing is Good. Most of the fish are being caught Davis Dock upstream to Bluff City area on Holston side and Sonny’s Marina area up to Knob Creek area trolling spoons and Shad.
Center Hill – 5-22-24
Forecast Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk.
Reservoir Conditions-
Center hill water levels are finally back to normal with reservoir elevation currently sitting at 647’. Center Hill Dam has also finally started generating at normal outputs with the average being 11,000 cfs for the last few days. Surface water temperatures have warmed up from the mid 70s to the high 70s and low 80s. Water clarity is fairly clear with 8-10’ visibility being the average. Be cautious of floating debris and trash mats in the bends of the river channel on the upper end of the reservoir.
Bass- Fishing is slow. The day bite is slow with the best bite transitioning to night. In the early mornings, fish are active in the twilight period chasing bait around main lake structure. Fish top water, jerk baits, or swim baits around these active fish. The bass that were in the flooded structure are moving out but you could still catch some in the flooded trees by flipping a jig or top water.
Sunfish- Fishing is slow. The big move to bed was ruined by the high water, but over the next few weeks some sunfish will move back shallow to spawn. Look for gravel banks with overhanging willow, or the backs of creeks.
Chickamauga Reservoir May 16th – May 19th 2024
Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk
The weather was warm and sunny throughout the weekend with storms blowing in Saturday evening. The water temps throughout the lake are still climbing with water temperatures in the main river being much cooler than creeks/inlets due to amount of current. Visibility in creeks is also much lower than the main river channel. The water levels are now to normal full pool; the latest depth I recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.
Reservoir Conditions
Water Temp:
- Tennessee River (Lower Section): 75.0 degrees Fahrenheit
- Hiwassee River: 75.7 degrees Fahrenheit
Water Clarity:
- Tennessee River (River Channel): 3 feet
- Hiwassee River: 2 feet
- Creeks/Inlets: 2 feet
Water Level: 682.2 feet
Water Flow: (as of May 19th)
- Watts Bar Dam: ~ 25306 cfs
- Chickamauga Dam: ~ 26741 cfs
- Ocoee #1 Dam: ~2708 cfs
- Apalachia Dam: ~2845 cfs
Observed Species Information
Bass: Fishing is fair. Anglers seemed to get more bites fishing humps/ledges off of main river and creek channels. Shad colored baits seem to be the most utilized of anglers surveyed. Many anglers are also finding success on lay downs and flats throwing spinner baits, chatter baits and also finesse techniques (Wacky, Texas, and Drop shot).
Catfish: Fishing is fair. Using live/cut bait on river channel below dam in current. Anglers using jugs for fishing seem to be most successful.
White Bass: Fishing is good. Fishing same flats/ledges as Black bass species throwing small crank baits.
Walleye: Fishing is slow. In the upper portion of Hiwassee River, anglers are finding bites trolling crank baits in river channel.
Chickamauga - 5-30-24
Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net
Watts Bar is Full! The big worm bite is strong with the Jig right with it. Water temperature is in the high 70s. Offshore bite is great with the scope and a big plug also a football jig and 4 inch shad. As always on the Bar the wood is good! The grass bite seems to be getting better with a SwimJig and Swimming Worm.
Douglas Lake 5-2-24
Forecast Contributor Brad Burkhart – Follow on Facebook
The spawn is upon us. These are the days can be awesome or awful. I have a two-step approach that will hopefully get you more good than bad.
Pre-spawn. Now this is relative to the areas you’re in. Pre-spawn bass can be staging on steep rocky banks, or they can be 200yds offshore on a long bar….
You have to consider where you are and fish accordingly.
Steep banks? It’s hard to beat a spinner bait or Jerk bait….
Long offshore stuff? Nothing beats a Carolina rig Step two Spawn. It’s actually easy, run as many pockets or bays that are protected and facing north as you can with a wacky rigged Senko or trick worm.
Good luck everyone.
And God Bless!
Brad Burkhart
Killer Bass Pro Guide Service
@bradburkhartprofishing
Hiwassee River below Appalachia Powerhouse – 5-30-24
Forecast Contributor- Tic Smith/Southeastern Anglers Guide Service
River Conditions –Water clarity – clear. 24 HOUR GENERATORS
Water temps – 62 degrees
Fishing improved after the big rain event Once the water began to clear. SULPHURS ARE HATCHING. #14-#16
The fish are very aggressive and a large streamer can produce a trophy fish.
Kentucky Lake 5-30-24
By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
LAKERS STILL REELING FROM RISING WATER LEVELS
May’s saga with changing lake levels continues. Elevation across the reservoir jumped almost three feet recently---TVA had initially projected a crest of 362.9 at Kentucky Dam last Wednesday but on Thursday revised it and the reservoir was falling ---in the aftermath of severe storms that dumped heavy rains across an already wet TVA valley. Normal summer pool level is 359 so the lake is high but crested at midweek and is now falling fast. TVA was pulling more than 90,000 cubic feet per second through Kentucky Dam on Thursday.
Water color is muddy to dingy in many areas but not too bad to fish in most of the larger bays. It will begin to clear quickly as declining lake levels will pull most of the muddy and dingy water out of bays off the flats. Clearing is already underway but the main Tennessee River channel will likely remain dingy for a few more days.
Surface temperatures are in the 76 to 79 degree range and will rise in the days ahead.
Rising lake levels stimulated the catfish bite as they moved up to shallow areas following the water that inundates new feeding opportunities. Backwater bays and pockets saw a lot of fish taken around shallow shoreline structure and rocky bank areas. Some boats were scoring good stringers while jug fishing the backwater bays.
Since the decent has already started watch for a lot of current in the main Tennessee River channel for the next several days, which should stimulate the catfish bite out there on the channel banks. When TVA begins pushing a lot of water through Kentucky Dam in an effort to pull the reservoir back down to normal summer pool the catfish bite will really turn on.
Bottom bumping presentations along the main river bank should produce excellent catfishing opportunities. From night crawlers to big minnows and all sorts of commercial concoctions, look for the catfish to be in high gear as long as the current keeps flowing. Some catfish were taken back in bays and pockets and along rocky banks in relatively shallow water too where feeder creeks brought runoff info the main lake.
A few bluegill are still biting and several boats continue to target them by casting crickets, wax worms and red wigglers. Many were relating to bushes and grassbeds this week.
A few mayfly hatches are beginning to show up along Kentucky Lake shorelines. Watch for some massive hatches these next few weeks along river islands and main lake shorelines.
Post spawn crappie will regain their footing now that high waters are receding. Depths of 11 to 15 feet had been producing with some fish even deeper on main lake ledges at times. June can be a good month for crappie and the bite will likely resume by next week.
Bass fishermen were beginning to back off the banks and fish the ledge bite before high water entered the picture but watch for that pattern to resume next week once the lake falls back to summer pool levels. However, there are a lot of schools of small shad fry showing up along river islands and back in bays where the pin minnows gang up around structure such as buck bushes, logs, treelaps and grassbeds.
It’s a great time to toss a spinnerbait, buzzbait, shallow running crankbaits and a Texas rigged worm around shallow structure once schools of baitfish are located. There’s always a few bass chasing shallow bait fish. At the same time the main lake ledge bite will improve for those tossing big crankbaits, Texas rigged worms, jig and pig, Carolina rigs and swimbaits.
It has been a strange late spring fishing pattern as anglers tried to outguess the fish during drastically changing lake levels. Anglers have to be asking themselves if stability will every return to the fishing scene? It will indeed if the storms and floods ever stop interfering.
Nickajack Lake - 4-17-24
Forecast Contributor Ethan Castle – Whitwell High School Bass Team
Water temps have been reaching in the 70 and 72 degrees range these past few days. The majority of the bass are pulling up on beds and some post spawners but there are still a few pre-spawners. If you are going to sight fish any white craw Texas rigged has worked for me or a pink trick worm. I have still been catching a bunch on grass lines in the 7 foot or less range leading into spawning flats. Mainly throwing a Chatter bait in a shad color and on the days that the water gets dirty I will switch to a chartreuse and white with a gold blade. On the tougher days I have been throwing a Texas rigged craw with a 1/4 oz weight in a blue craw color and fishing really slow.
Norris Lake - 4-30-24
Forecast Contributor Paul Shaw – TWRA Creel Clerk
Water conditions are clear throughout the reservoir with the exception of creeks stained by locally heavy rainfall events.
Water temperature: 65 degrees, surface, in the channels with some protected creeks approaching 70 on sunny days.
Water elevation: 1,014.4 feet above sea level. Steady with minor fluctuations.
Smallmouth bass are in the middle of a spawn, with some already having spawned out. They’re being caught on the moderately sloped banks where whiter-colored gravel is seen; 5 to 15 feet deep (bottom depth). Post spawn fish are moving to deeper water on the bluffs and broken rock banks. Those anglers fishing for walleye with plugs or shad/alewife cast to the banks at night are getting more smallmouth than walleye.
Largemouth bass are pre-spawn with a few exceptions (fish don’t read our “rules”). Early mornings are seeing some good top water action on buzz baits, jerk baits, and top water plugs. Crank baits and assorted jerk baits are taking the bulk of these. Catches have not been as numerous as smallmouth. Expect to see these fish roaming the shallows as the month progresses and the water warms toward the spawning season.
Walleye are hitting well at night, in the dark of the moon, along shorelines on the lower end. Alewife or shad, snagged under lights and cast to the banks, as well as Redfins, Shad Raps, and similar lures are catching some the same way. Some of these fish are approaching and exceeding the 20-inch size. The headwater spawn is over, with a few stragglers being caught upriver.
Shellcrackers (redear sunfish) are hitting in the shallows where there are button bush or willow shrubs. They’re also being caught where there are the abundant, yellow flowers along the shoreline by those fishing with red worms (better than nightcrawlers for these fish), small minnows, and wax worms. Small spinners worked along the bottom can be effective.
Striped bass have been hitting well, especially at night, in the Loyston to Hickory Star section and in the channel near Point 19. The upper end of the larger creek embayments have had some catches: Cove Creek, Big Creek, and Davis Creek.
Normandy Lake - 4-18-24
Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook
Normandy is producing some good fish and is about to get a lot better as TVA pulls the water down. Current water levels are at 875.13 and headed up to 875.75 by Sunday morning. This will pit lots of floating trash and logs in the water, please use caution. Crank baits, Texas Rigs or Tightline Jigs have been our go to. We found several really nice bass using Crank baits at the end of points in 4 to 10 feet of water.
Walleye can be caught trolling crank baits or drifting minnows/crawler harnesses on flats and in the river. I’m being told the springtime 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 63 to 68 degrees. Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Percy Priest – 5-30-24
Forecast Contributor Brian Carper - briancarper.com - Follow on Facebook
The bass are finally biting consistently on Percy Priest Lake! With the water temperature between 73-78 and the water level almost back down to summer pool...bass are starting to concentrate in 6-12ft on points, humps and ledges. The upper end of the lake appears to be the toughest while mid and lower have been the most productive. Plastic worms, chatter baits and crank baits have been producing the best for us!
For more information or Book your trip today at www.briancarper.com
Pickwick - 4-16-24
Forecast Contributor Tyler Finley – Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.finley.750
The fish are finally spawning! Fish are being caught right now in creeks around structure in 2-5ft of water. Yellow creek and Waterloo have been putting out some quality fish. These will be caught on a shakey head and jig. When going into a creek look for shallow structure and flip as close as possible to it. This bite will last for a few weeks.
South Holston River - 3-26-24
Forecast Contributor Jimmy Cheers – https://www.mtnsportsltd.com/fly-fishing.htm
Tailwater Condition
Water temperature is holding around 48 degrees throughout the day. Water is gin clear. Not much generation this week, TVA is forecasting three to four hours of generation throughout the day. The upper section, from Emmit Bridge to Big Springs Boat Ramp, is producing the best fishing.
Trout Fishing
Numbers can be caught on fly tackle with smaller flies. Smaller flies that are working are midges, Blue Wing Olive, and scud patterns in the size 18 to 20 range.
Tims Ford - 4-17-24
Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook
There is no better time than now to go fishing in Tennessee! The weather is great fish are biting! Our best fish came on Ned Rigs and ½ ounce Tightline Green Tequila Jig this week work around brush piles in 2 to 12 feet of water. Overall numbers are great at 20-40 fish per day and quality improved this past week as well. Presentations were Ned Rig, 4-inch Grub, Texas Rigged and Carolina rigged soft plastics, Tightline Mussel Crawler jigs tipped with Twin Tail grub. Stripe and rock fish are on river channel bends with bucktail jigs, swimbaits and live bait. I’ve been told by reliable sources that walleye and stripe are being caught below Woods Dam from the bank.
Please use caution as the lake levels are rising and falling with the rains as the TVA tries to hold the lake at or near the guide curve, there is lots of floating objects. Current lake level is 884.11 with a forecasted level remain close to 885.65 over the weekend. Water temps between 63 and 68 degrees on most of the lake. Best ramps are Tims Ford Marina, Bass Club at Winchester City Park, State Park, Lost Creek, Turkey Creek and Devils Step at Fairview. Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water and watch for floating logs. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Watts Bar - 5-30-24
Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net
Watts Bar is Full! The big worm bite is strong with the Jig right with it. Water temperature is in the high 70s. Offshore bite is great with the scope and a big plug also a football jig and 4 inch shad. As always on the Bar the wood is good! The grass bite seems to be getting better with a Swim Jig and Swimming Worm.
Watts Bar 5-23-24
Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook
Multiple species are going on and off the beds right now. We've had no water flow and the water still hasn't reached full pool yet. Until the water gets higher and stays consistent the crappie, bass, bluegill, shellcracker and numerous species of catfish will be going on and off the beds. The constant changes in depth isn't natural and it really confuses the fish. It also forces them to spawn fast and all at once so they might lay or hatch eggs, but have to leave their beds over night or during a hot day or just when the weather changes from cloudy to sunny.
At the same time the swarms of small bait fish are moving in so they just gorge on them early morning, late in the afternoon or just whatever time TVA decides to pump some water for a little bit. If you put your time in you will find and catch just about whatever species you are targeting, but don't expect to just go slaughter fish.
The crappie bite has been really good on the good days and really bad on the bad days even if the weather and water conditions don't change. You just have to put your time in and find them. Usually the most productive spots are the ones that no one else is fishing. Most of my bigger crappie lately have been on large live baits 3 - 4" or jigs tipped with minnows. Don't expect to just sit in one spot all day and catch a lot of fish. You have to cover some water.
Catfish, striper and white bass are gorging on shad, but they will be sporadic. They will be a lot more predictable once the water starts flowing.
Wilbur Tailwater - 5-22-24
Forecast Contributor – Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician
Tailwater Conditions- Tailwaters elevation 1585.75. Avg discharge is 240 cfs. The water temperature is 40-45* on the upper end of the tailwater. Water clarity is clear top to bottom. The fishing conditions change throughout the length of the tailwaters with flow rates and temperature.
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, Streamers.
Woods Reservoir 4-17-24
Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook
Not much change on Woods Reservoir, Old Grass lines and Brush have been the name of the game, Bass and Crappie all can be found along grass edges and on deeper cover. Best numbers are still coming on a shaky head rigged finesse bait. We found our better fish in 1 to 5 foot of water using Texas Rigged D-Bombs from Missile Baits and Tightline Mussel Crawler jigs tipped with Twin Tail grubs, soft plastics, and A-Rigs. Some fish are starting to cruse the shallows feeding for the spring. Drifting or 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 63 and 66 degrees. Please wear your life vest all the time while on the water… Give me a call to book your trip, Late Spring and Summer fishing can be lots of fun on Woods. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Latest Catches
