TWRA Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

Boone Lake  3/11/26

Report Contributor – Colton Chambers – C and C Outfitters

Fish are biting is the best way to say it!  Bass are really turning on in the mid lake section for about anyway you like to fish. Steeper banks are producing on Bandit crank baits in crawdad color. The is a good rattle trap lure type bite on the back half of larger pockets and a very good jerk bait bite on flatter type banks. 

Crappie are starting to get shallower, best bets are Bobby Garland jigs in 10 -15 feet of water on Monkey Milk color.

Stripers and Hybrids are consistent 15 -20 ' on live shad or Shiners.

Water temps were 58 as of this morning.

Chip and Colton Chambers 
C & C Outfitters -423-707-8821
Facebook -C & C Outfitters 

Center Hill 2/26/26

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

Lake Level- 635

Water temp- 48 to 50

Bass- the smallies have shown up and showed out lately! Average size has been 18 to 20”. Most have been caught in 18 to 25 feet of water on a jig head with paddle tails.

Crappie- lots of 12 to 15" fish have been caught roaming open water. Bright colored jigs have been the ticket. 

Walleye- the numbers have been super low this February, but that should change soon as we approach the peak spawning season. Patience pays off as we deal with volatile weather and wind. 

Catfish- we have been seeing more channel cats this past week as they return from their deep wintering holes. Check main channel drop offs and flats. 

Captain James Bond
007's Guide Service
Center Hill Lake
601 720 6193 

Center Hill Tailwater (Caney Fork River)  1/15/26

Report Contributor – Justin Spaulding, Region 3 Fish Biologist

River Conditions- Be sure to check the generation schedule the day of your trip as forecasted flows often change: https://www.tva.com/environment/lake-levels/center-hill

With little water coming into the reservoir and elevations near the bottom of the guide curve, we can expect more of the same with the generation schedule. The rainy season was supposed to start several weeks ago, but according to the US Drought Monitor, the Caney Fork Watershed ranges from abnormally dry to moderate drought. We have been seeing mostly one-unit for a few hours in the morning and a few more hours in the afternoon on mild days. On particularly cold days, we will likely see extended two-unit generation to meet power demands. The USACE will pulse one-unit-hour at least every 8 hours, so be sure to monitor the schedule for the day if you are wading.

Water temperatures have finally dipped down into the high 40s, and we are seeing some shad pass through the dam. Water temperatures below 42F can be lethal to Threadfin Shad, but temperatures in the mid-40s will slow them down enough to be sucked through the dam. Looking at the 7-day forecast, we should have some great action if you can brave the elements.

Trout- Fishing has been good. We are getting reports of large browns, rainbows, and brooks. During generation, spoons and streamers have been the ticket. Anything that looks like a lethargic shad should be a good start; it will be up to the angler to figure out speed and depth. If they are not generating, try midge patterns or low-and-slow with small jigs. 

Other- Folks are catching walleye, sauger, drum, and crappie. 

Cordell Hull 3/11/26

Report Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk

Flow Rates-

·         Cordell Hull Dam- average outflow of 4,500 cfs per day

·         Wolf Creek Dam (Lake Cumberland)- average outflow of 3,700 cfs per day

·         Dale Hollow Dam- average outflow of 400 cfs per day.

Reservoir Conditions-

The reservoir elevation is at 499’. Surface water temperatures have taken a massive swing this week. This past weekend, temperatures up to 67 degrees were found in the backs of creeks. Now, creek temperatures are between 60-63 degrees. The main river surface temperature has been in the mid-to-upper fifties consistently. The water clarity has been relatively poor on the lower end, with visibility being 1-3’ in creek arms. The main channel clarity is a bit better, 3-5’, with the best visibility being found from Gainesboro to Celina. The current moon phase of this writing is half waning, with the next full moon being the beginning of April. Expect the next big wave of spawning to occur then.

Bass- Fishing is good. 

With the warming trend, big largemouth are being caught shallow. Anglers are catching quality bass in 3’ or less with crankbaits, vibrating jigs, or spinnerbaits in muddy water. Look for flats or points near a channel drop that has chunk rock, wood, or grass mixed in. The best bites have been in the creek arms. If there has been a warm rain recently, look to go back into a major creek arm. The baitfish and bass should be in the warmest water in the backs of these creeks feeding.

Crappie- Fishing is good.

Fish are being caught around deep brush near creek channels on the lower end. Look for brush in 10-15’. Lots of crappie are being 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 www.tn.gov. 

Sauger/Walleye- Fishing is good.

Big sauger are being caught in the Gainesboro area of the reservoir. Fishing jigs near the bottom or trolling plugs in the deep holes on the river channel near shallow bars or where creeks deposit gravel. With the full moon this past week, and other favorable conditions, I believe a wave of spawners are doing their thing with more at the end of the month.

Striped Bass- Fishing is decent. Anglers are starting to catch some quality stripers around the mid-lake area. Trolling live bait on planner boards around creek channels or flats near the river channel have produced some quality fish.

Fort Loudoun Reservoir 2/18/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Water Temperature - Mid 40s

Bass: Bass fishing has been slow overall since the cold weather moved through. Fish have been holding deeper and have been somewhat sluggish. Most anglers are focusing on main-lake points, bluff walls, deeper docks, and submerged structure. In the past few days, some improvement has been reported with the warming trend. A few fish are beginning to move shallower during the warmest part of the day. Alabama rigs, jigs, and suspending jerk baits have been producing the best results.

Crappie: Crappie fishing has been fairly steady for anglers targeting suspended fish. Many are being fished in about 20–30 feet of water but are holding much shallower often around 4 feet deep. Dock pilings and brush have been key structure. During colder conditions, they will slide deeper, but with this recent warming trend, they have moved up in the water column. Live minnows tend to be the most productive bait.

Hiwassee River below Appalachia Powerhouse 2/26/26

Report Contributor - Tic Smith/Southeastern Anglers Guide Service

Water Temperature – 45 to 50 degrees

Water Clarity – clear

Water Level – TVA has been running mostly 2 generators this week.

Fishing conditions – Fishing is continuing to improve with some larger fish being taken recently. There may be a few more shad come through this weekend as we had water temps drop down to 40 degrees with that last cold snap. Water temps will warm through the weekend which should get the hatches of blue wings and little black stoneflies going. There could also be some small caddis in #18 that come out. 

Nymphs – standard pheasant tails with or without beads #16 to #18. Zebra midges are producing as well. Larger nymphs like hares’ ears and pats will produce in the faster water.

Dries- midges, bwo and Adams parachutes #18, gray caddis #18, black caddis #16

Streamers – white zonkers #6, buggers in olive, white or black #6-#8

Kentucky Lake 2/26/26

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

Mild temperatures are returning to the Kentucky Lake fishing scene for this weekend and next week doesn’t look too bad either although some rain will enter the region by midweek according to the long-range forecast. Presently lake levels on Kentucky reservoir are falling slowly after a slight rise since last week. TVA is reporting the reservoir resting around an elevation of 355.1. Watercolor has been clear. Surface temp is around 45-degree range. TVA is discharging around 58,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) through Kentucky Dam so there is a little current in the main river channel area.

Crappie anglers are catching a few good stringers on both minnows and jigs as they stalk brush piles and stake beds in 9-11-foot zones. However, some fishermen are backing out to deeper water and finding a few fish in the 12-to-18-foot depth range on main lake drop-offs. This time of the year anglers have to watch the wind as it often dictates where they can go out on the main lake areas. Strong winds and white caps are not a friend of fishermen.

A few bass fishermen have been out stalking the gravel banks and rocky points. Most are tossing crankbaits in crawfish and shad-colored variations. Others are casting swim baits and Alabama rigs with pearl or sparkle grubs.

Meanwhile, the weather looks favorable for the approaching weekend with mild conditions in the long-range forecast next week although several rainy days could enter the picture. March is a month with a little bit of winter left and a little bit of spring entering the picture. Anglers best be prepared by taking the overalls and rain gear on any outing this time of year!

Melton Hill Reservoir  2/18/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Water Temperature - Mid/High 40s

Bass: Bass have been holding in the mouths of coves and along creek channels, especially where the channel swings close to structure. After the recent cold snap, fish have been somewhat lethargic and holding deeper along those channel edges. With the recent warming trend, more fish are starting to move and feed, particularly during the warmest part of the afternoon.

Crappie: Crappie are being found back in coves as well, particularly around creek channels and some grassy areas. Most fish are being located in about 25 feet of water. They are not heavily relating to brush at the moment but have also been on vertical structure along the creek channel. On colder days, they tend to position deeper in the water column. With the recent warm front, they have moved up and are holding much shallower despite the deeper water beneath them.

Nickajack 3/12/26

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

Great week this week. Had some cold weather roll in later in the week here but it didn’t slow the fishing down much we stayed on them and still got a lot of numbers on the jerk bait this week and the Chatterbait was the key player in getting them bigger bites. Started dragging some this week on them transitional areas catching some fish on a shaky head and Texas rig. The fishing is getting better if we can get through this last bout with the cold, they will make the move quick. Also spent day up in the river this week fish are grouped up in the current breaks using a spinnerbait blade bait jerk bait and Ned rig to target them river fish and having some fun catching up some big groups of spots!

Normandy 3/10/26

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

Reservoir Conditions

Elevation Avg: 867ft

*Summer pool: 875ft

*Winter pool: 864ft

Avg. Discharge Hourly: 55 cfs

Water Temp Avg: 55℉

Water Visibility Avg: Approx. 3ft / 1M

Moon Phases:

*New Moon: 03/18/2026

*Full Moon: 04/01/2026

Fishing Conditions:

BLACK BASS: (Largemouth, Spotted, Smallmouth)

Bass fishing has picked up this week the further you get down the river. In the previous week, people weren’t having much luck, but as the water temperature rises, anglers will be more likely to catch fish. Those who have had the most luck have been finding them in shallow water typically under 5 ft, but some anglers have said they have been finding them deeper in 10ft – 15ft. 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 is turning on this week, the further you get down river the better the bite is. The time of day will determine the depth. With those colder mornings, crappie have typically been found deeper waters at around 10-15ft deep in and around brush piles. Midday however, they have been seen as shallow as 5 ft of water around downed trees. Many people use jig heads with various colors of plastic minnow and live minnows to potentially trigger a bite.

WALLEYE: Walleye are currently moving closer to the river and creeks. They are most often found in 5ft – 10ft of water usually on rocky banks and gravel points. Since they are entering their spawning period, they tend to group closer together, this can make these fish easier to locate. 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.

CATFISH: (Channel, Blue, Flathead)

Catfish can still be found in deep channels during the springtime. You may have some luck in creek mouths, brush piles, or near ledges around 15ft – 30ft deep, and they should be moving up as temperature rises. On warmer days in the afternoons, they might move up shallow. They should be feeding more than in the winter months, but it is still early. Most People fish with shrimp, chicken livers, live and cut bait, leaving the bait to sit on the bottom.

Norris Tailwater 3/10/26

Report Contributor – Scott Dalton, Wildlife Tech 1

Fishing has been very good these past few weeks on the Tailwater with some great shots of catching big brown trout using a few different techniques, large streamers are working best!! There are lots of rainbow trout being caught along the tailwater. They have been a little more picky with what they are eating, think small.

Make sure to check TVA's website https://www.tva.com/environment/lake-levels/norris for generation schedule, and flow rates on the river. 

Old Hickory 3/9/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

Spring forward or whatever, I want my hour of sleep back! Last week’s pleasant weather brought a league of folks out of the woodwork to try their hand out on Old Hickory. Most unfortunately joined the club of anglers still struggling to crack the code on the fish. With that being said, a few were able to brute-force the combination and catch not only fish, but good fish, even in spite of the weekend weather. Temps on OH ranged from high 50°s to low-mid 60°s through the weekend. 

Bass: Folks looking to catch their big bass finally got treated to lunch by the lake this weekend. While the report should largely remain the same as previous weeks with most casual anglers still struggling, tournament fishing yielded some stellar results. While I was on Priest, Saturday’s tournament out of Bull Creek was won with a 23Ibs bag, the most I’ve seen since working in this position. Much like Priest, these big fish are being caught up shallow, and generally from the big power lines back upstream. Seeing a bag like that finally weigh in shows a lot of promise for folks going forward, so if you’re looking to try to replicate it, now and through spawn should be a great time to get out there. 

Crappie: Crappie bags are still looking quite dismal, all things considered. I’ve not been seeing much activity, period, but of those I’ve seen out trying for them, folks are having the most success down lake around the dam. As we get closer to the spawn, folks can expect to start finding more active fish and more fish up shallow, but you won’t know until you go! 

Sauger/Walleye: Though it’s been over a week since I’ve been where folks are fishing for them, I’m still getting good reports from anglers that they’ve been having a great year on sauger/walleye. Anywhere from Hartsville to Carthage is still producing great days for anglers, though I would trend much closer to Carthage right now if you’re looking to get some of those big spawning fish.

*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 3/9/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

It was a beautiful week on Priest, bookended by wind and thunderstorms. Luckily, at least, folks were still catching fish as the storms rolled in. While by-in-large most folks I talked to throughout the week were struggling to some degree, lots of folks I talked to were out on their first or second trip of year. For the regulars, however, things were looking pretty good. Water levels are down at full winter pool in lieu of the weekend rain, and water temps have hovered in the high 50°s, low 60°s.

Bass: Folks looking to catch some big bass this week were in for a treat. While everyone wants to catch big fish, and most didn’t, I saw enough 5-6 pounders to make note of it. Folks have been catching these fish up shallow, generally 3ft or less, so get on up to the banks and give it a go. Crank and jerk baits stood out amongst folks catching good-sized fish consistently. For tournaments right now, you’re going to want to bring in 20Ibs at least if you’re looking to compete, or at least a 6 pounder to have a shot at Big Fish. 

Crappie: Crappie fishing remained meddling through this week. Even some of the great anglers I talk to consistently were struggling to really make a day of it. 6-12 fish in the box wasn’t uncommon to see, but it was sure a struggle to catch for those that did. Many are looking for the crappie to start running soon, but they don’t seem to have just yet. Although several folks I saw have been able to cast at the bank and catch a few, it’s not quite time just yet. 

White bass: Folks looking to catch the white bass running went home a little disappointed this week. Much like the crappie, it isn’t quite time for them yet. Reports from Mona all the way up into West Fork have been minimal, but when those ramps and banks start to fill up soon, you can expect to find some fish. 

*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.

Watts Bar Reservoir 3/9/26

Report Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was warmer with lows in the 50’s with highs throughout the day warming up to 80. Current throughout the reservoir is slightly higher than in previous weeks with Ft. Loudon Dam spilling. Water temps are slowly increasing with the warmer weather. The water levels are at winter 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:

-                      Upper section of reservoir: 50.5 degrees Fahrenheit

-                      Middle Section of reservoir: 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

-                      Tennessee River (River Channel): 3 feet

Water Level: (as of March 9^th)

-                      Reservoir elevation: 736.26 feet

-                      Headwater (Ft. Loudoun) elevation: 737.41 feet

-                      Headwater (Melton Hill) elevation: 736.70 feet

Water Flow: (as of March 9^th)

-                      Ft. Loudoun Dam: ~ 13097 cfs (spilling)

-                      Melton Hill Dam: ~ 223 cfs

-                      Watts Bar Dam: ~ 25243 cfs

Observed Species Information

Upper Section of Reservoir:

Sauger/Walleye: Most anglers found success drifting current with heavier jig heads with live minnows on them.

White Bass: Anglers were using minnow style baits in current breaks below dam to get bites.

Middle Section of Reservoir:

Crappie: The most successful method observed was spider rig/trolling small jigging minnows or live minnows in creeks/inlets roughly 15 feet deep

Bass: Best bait observed was rattle traps in backs on creeks/inlets with some submerged structure. Umbrella rigs seem to be successful as well around rocky banks and tapering points impacted by current.

Catfish: Using live/cut bait in deeper holes and along channel ledges brought the most success.

Watauga Lake 3/11/26

Report Contributor – Colton Chambers – C and C Outfitters

Bass are really biting after the full moon!  Great jerk bait bite for Largemouth on the upper end of the lake, the Smallmouth are best mid lake, jerk baits, shad colored crank baits and of course Forward-Facing Sonar has been very strong this week with a jig head and minnow.  

Some Lake Trout showing up this week, depths are very scattered anywhere from 25-80' depending on bait balls. 

We had a 9-year-old young man on a trip with his father catch and release a 10 lb. 12 0z Brown Trout this week.

Stay safe on the water!
Chip and Colton Chambers 
C & C Outfitters -423-707-8821
Facebook -C & C Outfitters 

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