TWRA Weekly Fishing Forecast

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Boone Reservoir - 5-8-24

Forecast Contributor – Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician

Reservoir Conditions- Reservoir elevation is 1381.23. The water temperature is 71* degrees. Water clarity 5’ visibility.

Bass- Good- Largemouth, Spots and are being caught on crankbaits, jerk baits, Jigs and soft plastic finesse baits (worms, creature baits) up shallow on rocky banks and bluffs.

Crappie- Good – Crappie are in the creeks/coves, in and around docks pitching and vertical fishing small artificial baits in 15’-25’ deep.

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 Sonnys Marina area up to Knob Creek area trolling spoons and Shad.

Center Hill – 5-8-24

Forecast Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk.

Reservoir Conditions-

Surface water temperatures have cooled from the high 70s to the mid-to-low 70s reservoir wide. The reservoir elevation is rising from 644’ to 646’. Center Hill Dam is generating on low, with only 1,900 cfs per day on average. Water clarity is fairly clear, in the 6-8’ range reservoir wide. The upcoming storms will likely cool water temps down a bit, and runoff in the tributaries will cloud the water visibility. There is a small shad spawn on the main lake at first light.  Floating debris of all sizes are spread out throughout the reservoir due to rising water levels, so proceed with caution.

Bass- Fishing is slow. Most bass have pulled into deeper water for the summertime pattern. Some bass will remain shallow to guard fry, you can catch these fish close to the bank around structure. There is a decent morning topwater bite, but it falls off when the sun comes up. The best bass fishing is flipping shade lines up the river.

Crappie- Fishing is slow. The most crappie I’ve seen being caught is around Rock Island State Park. Most of these fish are schooled up offshore around baitfish or structure. Anglers are catching quantity but not quality up there.

Sunfish- Fishing is good. Anglers are catching bluegill and redear around beds on gravel banks near willows or any overhanging trees. Redear are bedding in 1-5 FOW. Crickets or worms will work fine.

Walleye- Fishing is slow. A few stragglers are being caught in the Blue Hole by anglers jigging. The majority of the fish from the run have moved back down the lake.

Chickamauga Reservoir 5-7-24

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was warm throughout the weekend with it being cloudy all-day Friday. The water temps throughout the lake are still climbing with water temperatures in the main river being roughly 3 degrees cooler than creeks/inlets. Visibility in creeks is also much lower than the main river channel. The water level is climbing closer to summer pool being 1.5 feet from full; 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:

-                  Hiwassee River (Lower River): 78.2 degrees Fahrenheit

-                  Hiwassee River (Upper River): 74.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

-                  Hiwassee River (River Channel): 3 feet

-                  Creeks/Inlets: 3 feet

Water Level: 681.3 feet

Water Flow: (as of May 3^rd)

-                  Watts Bar Dam: ~ 6415 cfs

-                  Chickamauga Dam: ~ 5650 cfs

-                  Ocoee #1 Dam: ~ 0cfs

-                  Apalachia Dam: ~ 2855 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is fair. Many anglers are finding fish in creeks and channels on rocky bluffs/banks throwing finesse techniques such as Dropshot, Texas, Shaky head. Wacky Rigs and Ned seemed to result in more bites. When fishing water with low visibility, throwing brighter colors and baits with flair garnered some bites.

Crappie: Fishing is slow. Crappie are being found in deeper creek channels around lay downs. Rocky banks with shallow submerged structure are also good areas to target. Try throwing Bobby Garland style jigs or live minnows. Trolling creeks is also still a good practice.

Catfish: Fishing is fair. Using live/cut bait on river channel below dam in current.

White Bass: Fishing is fair. Small swimbaits and jigs in current breaks below dam.

Chickamauga - 5-9-24

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

The river is rolling right now, and a muddy water invasion is here! Look for the clearest water you can find. Square bills and chatter baits are great in current breaks on the main channel. Top water lures and big worms are great in the grass as well as a swim jig. The frog and flipping jigs are great in the backwaters and creeks. If the area you find is clear and deep with some hard bottom and bait the dropshot and Damiki style baits on the scope can light them up!  

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. Prespawn 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 – 5-9-24

Forecast Contributor- Tic Smith/Southeastern Anglers Guide Service

River Conditions –Water clarity – Heavily stained

Water temps – 65 degrees

Fishing has been excellent leading up to this big rain event. TVA has been releasing more water during the mid-day hours which is holding the water temps down. Fishing will be tough until the water clears which should be by the weekend.

The best flies to use are standard #14 - #18 beadhead nymphs like pheasant tails and prince nymphs. Sulphurs and Pale evening duns along with light Cahills are beginning to hatch. Parachutes and emergers from size #14 to #18 will produce during these hatches. Yellow Sallies will be emerging very soon. We are seeing caddis intermittently but the huge “Mother’s Day

Caddis hatch hasn’t occurred yet. During hours of generation, larger streamers are worth trying. The fish are very aggressive, and a large streamer can produce a trophy fish.

Kentucky Lake 5-9-24

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

RISING LAKE LEVELS REQUIRE BOATERS TO USE CAUTION

Boaters are urged to use caution across Kentucky Lake right now as vast amounts of floating debris can interfere with pleasure craft and fast traveling bass boats. In the aftermath of heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept across the region Wednesday, dropping lots of rain that swelled streams, Kentucky Lake is now on a rapid rise. Lake levels are coming up quickly and TVA is projecting the reservoir will jump to the 361.6 elevation---which is 2 ½ feet above normal summer pool—by the weekend. It could go even higher. Logs and snags had washed offshore and were hiding in the open water areas. Sometimes they were barely visible above the surface. That’s a recipe for danger.

While nice weather with lower humidity has entered the picture now, changing lake levels will no doubt alter the fishing scene to some degree. Bass fishermen now have ample shoreline buck bushes and willow trees which have been inundated in the high water. They can pitch and flip a Texas rigged craw or lizard to their desires. Spinnerbaits will help cover a lot of water too in the angler’s quest to find roaming bass. There’s always a few boats checking out the secondary humps and sandbars, but rising water may not be a friend to that pattern right now. It could rebound quickly once TVA starts pulling water which will add current to the main lake bass fishing scene.

The bluegill bite, which has been quite good lately, will continue to hold up but no doubt the fish will move up into shallow shoreline habitat as they follow the new water. Bluegill and shellcracker thrive on freshly flooded grass beds and aquatic wonderlands now at their disposal. Bedding has been underway but sometimes the cooler weather coinciding with rising lake levels will alter the whereabouts of the bedding bluegill and shellcracker. Watch for bedding areas around visible bushes and trees to offer new areas to scout out.

Watercolor was stained in the back of many bays since the storms at midweek but that will clear rapidly as the rising water pushes the dingy color back. Surface temperatures are in the 72-to-74-degree range. Main lake areas had pockets of clear water as did a few large bays.

Catfish responded favorably to the rising lake levels and really made a blitz toward little pockets off the main lake area. The catfish are on the prowl and have already started moving up on shallow shorelines even more since the rising lake pulled them to shallow venues in search of food and spawning spots. Rocky banks will continue to attract spawning catfish. It should be good for the next week or two.

Already in post-spawn were crappie that had scattered somewhat in midrange depths of 8 to 13 feet. Anglers can add another 2 or 3 feet to those depths since the lake is coming up. A few crappie were holding in main lake flats and bays as anglers fished jigs and some live minnows around deeper structures. Odds are the crappie will scatter even more in the days ahead or at least until the reservoir reaches a crest.

The longer the lake stays high the more fish will roam and scatter about. Fresh water entering the reservoir and inundating shoreline habitat always brings fish to the shallows for new feeding areas but it’s sometimes tough for fishermen to establish a pattern.

In summary, anglers are waking up to a new lake each day when rapidly changing lake stages occur. The honeymoon with stability of fishing conditions, weather and lake levels was a short one! Watch for things to settle down soon but for now the lake is changing and anglers must learn to change with it!

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 Chatterbait 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 topwater action on buzz baits, jerk baits, and topwater plugs. Crankbaits 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.  Crankbaits, Texas Rigs or Tightline Jigs have been our go to.  We found several really nice bass using Crankbaits at the end of points in 4 to 10 feet of water.

Walleye can be caught trolling crankbaits 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 – 5-9-24

Forecast Contributor Brian Carper - briancarper.com - Follow on Facebook

Last week the crappie were biting well. We had a few tough days, but a couple days we had 30+ keepers. Interestingly enough...the crappie moved shallow on those days, and we caught them on jigs in 8 to 10ft of water. Although most of the crappie are moving out into deeper brush piles in 10 - 20ft of water, the rising water pushed these fish shallower. Pearl/chart and red/chart Crappie Magnets have been the most productive for us. Since then, the lake has come up 4ft. My guess is the lake well crest about 7ft above summer pool. This will create tough fishing conditions, but it should solidify the deep bite once the water comes back down. The water temperature has been in the mid-70s.

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 - 5-9-24

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar can be awesome if you find bass on the wood in shallow water! The water clarity is the key. With the hard current look for them around shallow points and channel bends with wood. The ole trusty Texas rig will catch them in the wood! The swimbait and chatter bait with jerk them off the points especially the ones in the grass.

Watts Bar 4-16-24

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

I fished for multiple species each day for the past week, and it was like a different lake every day.  The big bass were gorging on shad around shallow rock piles, but then the gar started spawning hard and pushed everything off into deeper water. My regular big bass spots are still holding fish, but a lot of smaller ones so I know this heat wave has sent a lot of them into pre- spawn and spawning.  They are holding on semi deep structure around 8 - 15 feet and will work the shad until they get pushed deeper and the bass tend to fallow them out to the edge of the channel.  Luckily, they don't seem to be ranging far from their normal feeding spots.  I use side imaging and look for baitfish being busted apart or corralled up.  You will see holes or half-moon shapes in the schools of baitfish and that will be your bass.  These fish seem to be pretty hungry even in the heat of the day so don't be afraid to fish lures fast and aggressively.  

When I'm crappie fishing, I've been finding a lot of clusters of them still roaming around with seemingly no real pattern or depth preference. They have been changing their mind a lot though.  I pulled about 40 crappie in one tree and then only a fish or two the next couple days in the same spot. You can hop spot to spot and pull a couple off each tree but what I look for is a bunch of dinner plate sized shadows with my side imaging and try not to run the structure over especially if it’s in less than 20 feet of water.  If I can I try to stay at least a boat length away from my target and cast a 1/8 oz jig or use a minnow with a slip float. They usually bite very fast and once they shut down just go ahead and move on.  I've also tried to find structure that doesn't have really big fish around them.  I'm not sure if it's striper or catfish but once they move in the crappie shut down completely. 

The catfish and striper can just about always be targeted here throughout the year but if you are planning a trip just for them, I would definitely wait until we get some more water flow.  Once that water starts cranking, they will stack up on the edge of the channel in about 40+ feet of water and be much easier to catch. 

If you aren't picky and just want to catch fish, The white bass are schooling up and following the baitfish around. They are easy to spot with sonar. They look almost like a ball of crappie but will be packed tighter together and have less definition.  Early morning and just before sundown you might find them busting bait on the surface.   Look for birds diving and a lot of splashing on the surface. They will eat just about anything but love white jigs, small spoons and minnows. I wouldn't suggest anchoring up or using multiple rods because sometimes the striper are mixed in with them and if you hook one on light tackle, you're probably going to have to chase it down to prevent getting spooled.

Remember to take plenty of drinks with you in this heat even if you only plan on being out for a little bit.  I towed an older gentleman in yesterday that was nearly on the brink of death because his engine broke down and his short morning trip turned into a 12-hour trip. 

Wilbur Tailwater - 5-8-24

Forecast Contributor – Richard Markland, Region 4 Fisheries Technician

Tailwater Conditions- Tailwaters elevation 1585.75. Avg discharge is 240 cfm. 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