TWRA Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

NOTE - 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.  

Center Hill – 4/29/26

Report Contributor – James Bond, 007's Guide Service - 007’s Guide Service

Lake Level - 633 and dropping

Surface temp - high 60's to low 70's depending on location

Bass - it has been a bonanza for bass fishing lately as we near the end of the spawn. Topwater baits have been phenomenal if you can find an area where shad are spawning. 

Crappie - we are still catching crappie deep and shallow and many still have eggs, while others have already spawned out. The biggest females seem to have already settled into their summer patterns and can be found roaming open water. My go to has been a medium diving crankbait trolled behind the boat at 1.5mph. 

Walleye - the walleye spawn has finished for the most part and the bulk of the walleye are returning to their summer areas on the lake. They are super hungry right now and can be caught on a wide assortment of lures at many different depths. Don't be afraid to try some new areas and you just might find a big school. 

Catfish - no report

Capt. James Bond

007's Guide Service

Center Hill Lake

For booking call James at 601-720-6193 or visit us on Facebook  

Cordell Hull – 5/20/26

Report Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk

Flow Rates-

·         Cordell Hull Dam- average outflow of 3,700 cfs per day

·         Wolf Creek Dam (Lake Cumberland)- average outflow of 5,000 cfs per day

·         Dale Hollow Dam- average outflow of 540 cfs per day.

·         Roaring River- average flow of 11.3 cfs

Reservoir Conditions-

The reservoir elevation is currently sitting at 503’. Surface water temperatures away from the main river channel are in the 70’s. The surface water temperatures on the main channel range from 55-65 degrees, the farther upstream you are the colder the temperatures. Water clarity is excellent on the upper end of the reservoir, with 7-15 visibility on the main channel and creek arms. The clarity on the lower end-main channel is good, 5-10’ and the creek arms poor, 3-5’. The current moon phase of this writing is 19% waxing, with the next full moon phase scheduled for May 31^st. Most of the spawns for different species have finished. There are a few bass and crappie still spawning in creek arms near Celina. The aquatic vegetation is really thickening up on the lower end of the reservoir. Look for the backs of sloughs or along the flats on the main channel in 1-8’ FOW. On the upper end of the reservoir is a mix of shoreline vegetation and different species of aquatic vegetation.

Bass- Fishing is slow.

The most consistent bite right now is on the main channel. Going down a channel transition bank with small jigs, crankbaits, wacky rigs or glide baits is producing a lot of smallmouth and largemouth but not much size. The quality bites come from fishing grass lines, isolated wood, and current breaks along the flats near the main channel. Various baits like topwater, vibrating jigs or fishing slow with Texas rigs will give you bigger bites if you’re persistent enough. The bite in the creek arms and pockets is still slow. Anglers are still having a hard time getting bites fishing the shoreline. When the water level rose, the existing line of milfoil is now sitting in 3-5’ and is perfect cover for bass to sit in. If you are having a hard time getting bit on the bank, back off and fish the grass line with Texas rigged worms, shaky heads, or topwater, swim jigs over the top of the milfoil.

Crappie- Fishing is slow.

The post spawn crappie can be caught around deep brush near creek channels or suspended with baitfish in creek channels and creek mouths. Better quality crappie can be caught one or two at a time on shallow isolated wood in shallow sloughs and the backs of creek arms. Lots of crappie have been reported to be caught on our TWRA deployed artificial structure in these creek arms. You can find fish attractors on the TWRA On The Go app under “Where To Fish” or search “Fish Attractors” to access the interactive map on tnwildlife.org

Sauger/Walleye- Fishing is slow. 

I am hearing of a few sauger being caught around Celina fishing on the bottom or trolling plugs around holes on the channel. The fish are spread out by now and anglers will have to work to get consistent action.

Striped Bass- Fishing is slow. I haven’t seen many anglers targeting striped bass with success in the last few weeks. Anglers are trolling live bait on planner boards around creek channels and flats near the channel in creek arms on the mid and lower end of the reservoir. I’d expect a lot of the bigger striper should be somewhere between Gainesboro and Celina this time of year.

Sunfish- Fishing is good. Anglers are finding bluegill and redear spawning together on beds. Look for small pockets in creek arms where floating logs have accumulated towards the back of the pockets. Out from the middle of the logs in 2-4’ you can find these sunfish beds.

Fall Creek Falls – 5/1/26

Report Contributor – Region 3 Fisheries Staff

Lake Conditions- Fishing for crappie and bass has remained stable through April, with an improvement in panfish fishing towards the end of the month. The 10 fish feeders around the lake have been operating since early April. They are throwing feed twice per day, once at 6 am and again at 7 pm. Please remember to pick up your trash when fishing the lake. Live minnows are available for purchase at the Fall Creek Falls Boat Dock. Back in March, we added 3 dozen new fish attractor structures to the lake with help from Tennessee Tech University students. Most of these structures were placed offshore in deep water (>10’), Check out the  TWRA online Boating and Fishing Site Access Site Map for up-to-date fish attractor GPS locations. Surface water temperature is around 65-70⁰F and water clarity is 8-10ft. Limited rainfall this spring has created exceptionally clear water conditions. Consider downsizing your line if you aren’t getting bites.

Largemouth Bass: Bass fishing has been good. Most bass are being caught offshore and are being caught using a variety of artificial lures (like spinner baits, jerk baits, ned rigs, and soft plastics on shaky head jigs). Anglers have noted success fishing for bass near schools or spawning aggregations of sunfish. Large bass have been seen bedding occasionally near the boat dock, and an 8lb female was caught a couple weeks ago. You may see the occasional bass on a bed, but the spawn has largely wrapped up, and fish are returning to normal patterns. Daily bass creel limit is 10 fish per day, and only 1 (one) over 16 inches may be harvested.

Bluegill and Redear Sunfish: Fishing is good. The majority of sunfish are caught using live bait, mainly worms, while fishing from the bank. Smaller rooster tails, trout/panfish magnets, and small poppers are good artificial options. Redear began bedding last week, increasing the number and size of fish caught and kept. Try fishing from the banks near feeders or walking a little farther from areas with easy access to fish. Daily Bluegill/Redear (in combination) creel limit is 10 per day, no length limit.

Catfish: Fishing effort for catfish has been relatively light during daylight hours, with most catfish anglers starting close to sunset. Most anglers either brought their own bait (hot dogs, nightcrawlers, or chicken livers) or caught Bluegill for bait. There was an increase in angling for catfish during the last weekend of April, and anglers noted that catfish had begun to hang out around the feeders. The Bluegill creel limit still applies when using Bluegill as bait. Daily catfish creel limit is 5 per day, 16-inch minimum length limit.

Crappie: Fishing is good. Crappie are being caught from the bank in front of the hotel, the boat dock, and offshore near natural structures, such as beaver lodges. Most successful anglers are using bait, including minnows and worms. There is no creel or length limit on crappie at Fall Creek Falls Lake.

Fort Loudoun Reservoir – 5/13/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Fishing on Ft. Loudoun has remained productive over the last couple of weeks as water temperatures in the mid to high 70s. The lake is settling into an early summer pattern, and anglers are seeing consistent action throughout the day. Bass fishing has been especially solid, with fish holding around main lake points, shallow docks, rock banks, and secondary ledges.

Early morning and evening topwater action has been productive, while soft plastics and crankbaits are working well once the sun gets higher. A few anglers are also finding success targeting deeper structure during the warmer parts of the afternoon. Catfish anglers are also reporting good success using cut bait and nightcrawlers along channel edges and deeper holes. Overall, fish activity has stayed steady, and conditions should continue to improve moving further into summer. With summer approaching and more recreational boaters on the lake stay safe out there! 

Kentucky Lake - 5/20/26

By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

SECOND FULL MOON SIGNALS SECOND SURGE FOR BLUEGILL SPAWN

May is having two full months this month, which is a bit unusual but okay with bluegill anglers who are reaping the benefits. After hitting the shallows early this spring and making an aggressive spawning run in late April and early May the bluegill are about to return to active spawning phases. Their second surge is underway as May 31 brings another full moon and that will trigger bluegill and some redear to return to beds.

Kentucky Lake’s elevation has fallen slowly this week after rising several inches above summer pool the last week to ten days. It was pretty much back to normal summer pool level of 359 earlier this week. However, several consecutive days of rain were in the forecast as this report was posted so lake levels could see a bit of a surge coming up. Watercolor remains clear across the reservoir, which can make shallow bluegill and especially red ear quite spooky. They can be sensitive in that crystal clear water. Surface temperatures have risen to the 75-degree range in the aftermath of some hot weather.

Some dandy stringers of bluegill have filled coolers lately and more good fishing should be on tap for next week. Females were beginning to bloat with eggs in preparation for another spawning spree. Most fishermen have been casting bobbers, but others are using light tackle and casting crickets or artificial grubs and larva imitations. That has worked well as have tipping tiny jigs with meal or wax works to entice strikes.

When lake levels rose recently it inundated buck bushes and weed beds and that quickly appealed to bass that moved up rapidly into the shoreline habitat. Tossing Texas rigged craws and lizards plus spinnerbaits and top water jerk baits paid dividends.

Since lake levels have fallen a few inches some bass fishermen have turned their back to the banks and targeted post spawn bass out on humps and ledges. Tossing finesse baits out there on the ledges has worked as have big deep diving crankbaits as the fish take on a summer pattern to some degree. It’s that time of year when a good shallow pattern can produce as the shad fry are hatching out and relating to grass and bushes while at the same time guys are finding the deeper bite working too. Watch for those schools of fry hiding around structure and it should lead you to a few bass.

Catfish continue to stay on the prowl. Decent numbers were taken this week on rocky banks as spawning phases were still underway. Some bluegill fishermen were tying into catfish that occupied the bluegill beds as the fry began to emerge in big schools. No doubt the catfish can smell the bluegill beds. It’s a nice surprise for bream fishermen to tie into a hefty catfish on that light tackle presentation now and then.

Crappie remain in post-spawn and continued to scatter in a variety of depths. Some fish were taken in 6-to-9-foot depths while a few were backing out to 11-to-14-foot areas. It’s not unusual to find a few up on shorelines around buck bushes at times but most appear to be scattered in midrange depths. In another ten days or so expect to find more crappie moving back out to midrange depths where stake beds and brush piles will be holding more fish. Live minnows have produced for crappie anglers lately as have jigs tipped with minnows at times.

While it may sound like a broken record anglers across Kentucky Lake continue to battle nasty winds at times. Normally the strong breezes have settled down by mid-May, but such has not been the case this year.

Melton Hill Reservoir – 5/13/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Fishing has continued to improve on Melton Hill over the past couple of weeks, with water temperatures now sitting in the mid-70s. The warmer water has fish settling into more consistent summer patterns, and anglers are reporting good success across several species. Bass fishing has picked up nicely, with fish relating to points, bluff ends, submerged timber, and offshore structure. Pan fishing remains excellent, especially for Redear Sunfish and bluegill around shallow gravel areas and shoreline cover. With stable conditions and active fish, Melton Hill should continue to provide quality fishing opportunities in the weeks ahead. With summer approaching and more recreational boaters on the lake stay safe out there! 

Nickajack - 5/21/26

Report Contributor: Tristan Owenby, https://www.facebook.com/tristan.owenby  

Went all out on the ledge bite this week we stayed on big schools all week long and caught a lot of fish and good quality as well. Crank bait was a key player along with the big finesse worm and shaking a minnow and a big swimbait. Water temp stayed pretty consistent this week around 77. We are getting lots of rain lately and in the future, so the ledge bite is going to get really good as the current comes on up.

Give me a call and let’s get out and hit some of these schools of fish pushing offshore and go have some fun! 931-314-1951

Normandy 5/20/26

Report Contributor: JC Stephens & Jesse Taylor, Region II Creel Clerks

Reservoir Conditions

Elevation Avg: 871 ft

*Summer pool: 875ft

*Winter pool: 864ft

Avg. Discharge: 80 cfs

Water Temp Avg: 73℉

Water Visibility Avg: Approx. 3ft / 1M

Moon Phases:

*New Moon: 06/14/2026

*Full Moon: 05/31/2026

Fishing Conditions:

BLACK BASS: (Largemouth, Spotted, Smallmouth)

Bass fishing has slowed down this week. Most bass have been found around 10ft of water near gravel banks and around trees. Anglers in the past few weeks have had more luck fishing the banks where the wind is blowing towards the bank. Many anglers use soft plastics on a Texas rig or a Carolina rig. Some have been using crankbaits or Alabama rigs. Be on the lookout for bait fish on the radars.

CRAPPIE: (Black Nose, Black, White)

Crappie fishing was slow this week compared to the past week. They have been found in around 20ft of water on or around brush piles. You can also fish near the bridge pylons. On warmer days, look for shaded areas under docks, or downed trees for a possible catch. Many people use jig heads with various colors of plastic minnow and live minnows to potentially trigger a bite.

WALLEYE:

Walleye should be closer to the dam. They are most often found in 10ft – 15ft of water usually on rocky banks and points. The best time to find them would be early morning and dusk. You could try using different crankbaits, ned rigs, jigging spoons, or even minnows to get them to bite. A lighter color has also been seen to work better in low light conditions. Many anglers troll the channel edges

CATFISH: (Channel, Blue, Flathead)

You may have some luck in creek mouths, brush piles, or near bluff walls around 10-15ft deep. The best times to fish in summer are cloudy days, from sunset through midnight, while most can be found deep, at night they may move up shallow. Most People fish with shrimp, chicken livers, live and cut bait, leaving the bait to sit on the bottom.

Norris Tailwater – 5/4/26

Report Contributor – Scott Dalton, Wildlife Tech 1

Fishing along the tailwater has been a little tough with the super clear water, however, fishing has been good. There has been a few Sulphur hatches starting which is getting the rainbow trout in a frenzy. Make sure to check out TVA app for the flows.

Make sure to check TVA's website for generation schedule, and flow rates on the river. 

Old Hickory - 4/20/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

[Water temps hovered in the high-60°s/low-70°s this week.]

Bass: If you like to catch 10–12-inch bass, you’re in luck. I’ve had no issue finding folks catching fish, but the odd 3+ pounders were few and far between. Most of the fish I saw being caught were in that 10–12-inch range. An odd thing I noticed with both bass and crappie anglers were fish barely grabbing the bait, making setting the hook tricky. I saw fish getting caught all over the lake and up in the river, not much stood out as far as golden ticket baits. 

Crappie: I did see some improvement, or at least some nice anomalies for folks. Generally, the crappie are still struggling to commit to a bite for most folks, leaving a lot of boxes and coolers pretty empty. An odd thing I noticed with both crappie and bass anglers were fish barely grabbing the bait, making setting the hook tricky.  I did find several good boxes of a dozen or more fish, however, caught in about 15-20 foot of water out of brush piles. 

Striper: Folks coming up a little early to Striper fish were struggling when I was out last week, compared to those I had seen the previous week. Fish in general were harder to come by for folks, but with temps rising as quickly as they did that can be expected. It’s still early, so there’s plenty of season left to catch some great fish.

*Due to a low frequency of pressure/interviews, the species report you just read is a re-run of the previous week* 

Sauger/Walleye: Late in the season, folks are still catching some decent sauger and walleye, though I didn’t see anything crazy. A lot of folks were catching a lot of short fish, but pretty much everybody was still able to catch at least a handful of good sized, good quality fish. I’m still seeing a few terrific-sized walleye getting caught, though fewer and fewer each time I go out. Most folks were still seeing their best success in the river downstream of Carthage, rather than all the way up by the dam. 

*Due to a low frequency of pressure/interviews, the species report you just read is a re-run of the previous week* 

*If a species is not reported on, I have not seen/talked to enough folks fishing or catching that species to give an accurate, good quality report.

Percy Priest - 4/20/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

[Water temps hovered in the high-60°s/low-70°s this week], with the water level still about four and a half feet below full summer pool. 

Bass: Much like in previous weeks, the bass bite this week is alive but punching down a class or two. I’m still seeing good quality fish being caught, with plenty of 4’s serving as most folks’ big fish, but little like the crazy bite we saw about a month ago. As the water is still low for mid-April, folks have not had the opportunity to fish a lot of their favorite spots for this time of year as many of those spots are literally high and dry at the moment. I saw fish getting caught all over the place: down-lake, up in the river, semi-shallow (4-7ft.), and in deeper water (8-12ft.). Rock ledges and points were safe bets throughout the week. Little stood out to me bait-wise - just about anything pulled in decent fish. 

Crappie: This winter and spring’s crappie bite has been a sore spot amongst many of the Priest faithful. Lots of hardcore anglers that I normally see having no trouble finding two dozen skipped the water altogether for much of this year so far. A combination of weather factors seems to have contributed significantly to the difficulty of the fish. As with previous weeks, it hasn’t been much to find folks with decent boxes of 5-12 fish, but anything over that was exceedingly rare. Lots of folks have had to skip out on fishing shallow for them entirely, with the majority of the fish I saw getting caught coming out of 8-15 feet of water, brush and trees. Jigs seemed to be the better fish-getter. 

Hybrid/Striper: Hybrid fishing success has remained pretty good throughout the week, though the jump to record high temps certainly impacted them. Folks that were catching them shallow struggled to catch much more than the previous week, but folks trolling for them were still able to catch some good fish. 

*Due to a low frequency of pressure/interviews, the species report you just read is a re-run of the previous week* 

*If a species is not reported on, I have not seen/talked to enough folks fishing or catching that species to give an accurate, good quality report.

Reelfoot Lake - 5/13/26

Report Contributor-Reelfoot Lake Tourism Council - www.reelfoottourism.com

Reelfoot Lake gage height is 11.31 and has maintained this height thanks to small amounts of rainfall.  The low level has not hampered fishing as crappie limits are being caught.  Bluegill are in pads and shoreline being caught with jig and wax worm combo.

Watts Bar Reservoir – 5/17/26

Report Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was warmer with lows in the upper 50’s with highs throughout the day warming up to 87. Current throughout the reservoir is still low due to lack of precipitation in the area but the forecast shows multiple rainy days in the coming week. Water temperatures are rising due to the hot weather in the area. The water levels are starting to rise but is still roughly 2 feet below summer pool; the latest depth and discharge rate I have recorded is below. For any discharge or elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App. Wear life jackets if planning to go out during high water and heavy current conditions.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

Middle section of reservoir: 76.6 degrees Fahrenheit

Upper section of reservoir: 70.0 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

Tennessee River (River Channel): 3 feet

Water Level: (as of May 17^th)

Reservoir elevation: 738.65 feet

Headwater (Ft. Loudoun) elevation: 739.13 feet

Headwater (Melton Hill) elevation: 738.97 feet

Water Flow: (as of May 17^th)

Ft. Loudoun Dam: ~ 6940 cfs

Melton Hill Dam: ~ 0 cfs

Watts Bar Dam: ~ 6178 cfs

Observed Species Information

Middle Section of Reservoir:

Bass: Many anglers are finding success on offshore flats and ledges fishing Texas or Carolina rigs, dropshots, and forward-facing minnows. Some anglers are still finding success on banks with soft plastic worms/creature bait, fish are mostly spawned out but many are finding refuge on shallow structures such as docks and laydowns still. Most anglers were fishing these areas along the main river channel instead of in creek arms.

Upper Section of Reservoir:

Striped Bass: Most anglers were finding success in current breaks and eddies below the dam. Best bait observed was live shad, but artificial swimbaits were also good for getting bites.

White Bass: Most anglers were catching White Bass while attempting to catch Striped Bass. Many were caught even in current below the dam using smaller minnows and other minnow style artificial lures.

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