TWRA Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

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.

Boone Lake – 3/20/26

Report Contributor – Colton Chambers – C and C Outfitters

The good word is fish are biting!  Bass are good and about any way you want to catch them.  

Alabama rigs in 6-10 ' of water I would say are the best bite with some good quality as well. Jerk baits in the same water column are doing well. There is a decent spinner bait bite in the back half of pockets and fish are biting a pig & jig on shallow limestone ledges and days with lots of high pressure and little wind. As far as area, from the Dam up the Holston side seems the most consistent.

Good news on Crappie. They are quickly moving shallow and holding around brush in 5-8 ' of water. The area around Boonies Marina seems best. 

We had some really nice Striper and Hybrids with an occasional Brown Trout mixed in on live bait and planer boards in the 10-15 ' range. The fish migrating up the Holston side seems to be the easiest targets.

Chip and Colton Chambers 

C & C Outfitters -423-707-8821

Facebook -C & C Outfitters 

Cordell Hull – 4/8/26

Report Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk

Flow Rates-

·         Cordell Hull Dam- average outflow of 8,000 cfs per day

·         Wolf Creek Dam (Lake Cumberland)- average outflow of 6,000 cfs per day

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

Reservoir Conditions-

The reservoir elevation is currently sitting at 500’. The surface water temperature is sitting in the low-to-mid sixties in the creeks and sloughs off the river channel. Temperatures on the man river are 55-60 degrees. The water clarity has been relatively poor on the lower end, with visibility being 2-4’ 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 the 65% waning. Most fish species are currently spawning or wrapping up their spawn.

Bass- Fishing is good. 

Largemouth are on bed on the lower end of the reservoir and should be on the mid-reservoir as well. Follow the water temperatures and where you see 63–65-degree surface temperatures, you should find some largemouth bedding on gravel banks with rock or wood structure. There will be prespawn fish staging shallow as well. You can catch pre-spawn fish while power fishing square bills or vibrating jigs on staging areas like points or mouths to spawning pockets. You can also fish shallow wood or rock with Texas rigs, jigs, shaky heads, or wacky rigs.

Crappie- Fishing is good.

Fish are being caught around deep brush near creek channels on the lower end. Look for brush in 8-10’. Most crappie should be spawning or wrapping up their spawn on the lower end of the reservoir. Crappie spawn on hard cover like wood, docks, rocks, or sometimes grass. Make sure to target this cover, fish could be spawning as shallow as few feet on this cover or deeper based on the water clarity. 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 tnwildlife.org

Sauger/Walleye- Fishing is good.

Sauger are still being caught in the Gainesboro area by trolling plugs and bouncing jigs tipped with minnows in the channel and around creek mouths. The sauger are close to their spawn while the walleye should be finishing up. Finally hearing reports of post spawn walleye being caught between Celina and Gainesboro.

Striped Bass- Fishing is good. Anglers are catching 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.

White bass- Fishing is slow. With the unusually low water levels and flow rates, the usual white bass run has been a bit wacky this year. On the upper end of the reservoir, the usual creeks that produce white bass spawns are mostly empty. Some white bass are being caught near the bottom of the river channel in holes or near creek mouths. You can target big slack eddies on the river channel banks with swimbaits, spinners, or small crankbaits from Gainesboro to Celina.

Fort Loudoun Reservoir – 3/18/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Water Temperature – Mid 50s

Bass: Bass fishing has remained productive, which was reflected in the strong catches seen during the recent Bassmaster Classic held on Fort Loudoun this past weekend. Anglers are primarily targeting main-lake points, bluff walls, deeper dock structures, and submerged cover. Alabama rigs, jigs, and suspending jerk baits continue to produce the most consistent results.

Crappie: Crappie fishing has been steady and continues to improve as suspended fish become more active. Most fish are being found over 15 to 20 feet of water, though many are suspended much shallower in the water column. Dock pilings and brush remain productive structure, with live minnows producing the most reliable bite.

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 - 4/9/26

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

EXCELLENT WEAHTER FOR KY LAKE FISHING SCENE

Fishermen all around the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes fishing scene have enjoyed a week of excellent weather that has really put pep in the step of all anglers. Warmer days are in progress, and the weekend looks good for both turkey (season opens Saturday in TN) hunters and fishermen. The weatherman deserves a tip of the hat this week for ALL outdoorsmen. Pretty good life for outdoorsmen these days; they can choose to chase turkeys by morning and fish in the afternoons!

Current conditions on Kentucky Lake have water levels a bit ahead of schedule and somewhat above normal for this early in April. TVA has been releasing very little water (only 12,000 cubic feet per second cfs) through Kentucky Dam this week so very little current is present out there on the main Tennessee River channel.

Surface temperatures are in the 65-degree range. Watercolor is mostly clear. Lake elevation was at 357.9 as of this report. That’s about two feet or so ahead of schedule on TVA’s normal curve for spring lake levels but the fishermen are doing just fine.

Good stringers of crappie have been taken this week from the 7 to 10-foot depth range. Several other depths are giving up fish too as those drifting and trolling out on main lake sandbars around the 10-to-13-foot depth range have caught fish too. A wide variety of methods continue to produce fish. Bank fishermen are fooling a few into taking both jigs and live minnows as casting techniques are working. Slow retrieving the bait beneath slip bobbers has paid dividends lately as male crappie are up there on the gravel banks and around shallow submerged brush and stumps

Those out on the main lake areas are vertical fishing jigs and minnows too around submerged stake beds, brush piles and stump rows and accounting for coolers full at times. The fish are staging in midrange depths and slow trolling techniques are producing some nice stringers too. Long lining methods have yielded limits lately for a lot of anglers as their efforts to pull Roadrunner style jigs plus curly tail and tube skirted jigs have been quite productive. Chartreuse/blue, red/chartreuse, blue metal flake and pearl are just a few of the popular choices.

Spawning is underway as females are bloated with eggs and will likely spawn this week. Some may have already begun spawning phases due to the early spring warmup the area has enjoyed. The biological clock has been a bit ahead of normal due to the above average temperatures in early April this year.

Already showing up are a few scattered bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcracker) on shallow gravel shorelines. They're not bedding yet but just responding to the warm water. However, redear will spawn ahead of bluegill so that bite is already beginning to accelerate. Bedding bluegill will continue to show more interest each week as the surface temps rise. By the end of April odds are early bedding bluegill will be in the mood and spawning phases should begin. More shellcracker will continue to show up too on shallow gravel and mud banks as those pockets heat up.

Bass fishermen have been landing some nice smallmouth as the bite picked up this week. Some anglers reported catching five fish limits of bass anchored by all smallmouth. The bronze backs have been in the spawning mood. From suspending crankbaits to curly tail grubs and various finesse bait presentations, smallmouth have been aggressive. Dandy largemouth have been taken on rocky and pea gravel points as anglers toss crankbaits plus jig and craw combos plus Texas rigged craws and lizards.

Spring has sprung here on the big lake. Anglers have had spring fever for several weeks. This recent stretch of nice stable weather has really stimulated the interest level for all sorts of fishermen. Even a few catfish have been taken by bank fishermen casting nightcrawlers around shorelines. Soon the catfish will be moving up to rocky banks for spawning phases too.

It’s a great time to be out on Kentucky Lake holding a fishing pole and enjoying the sights and sounds of spring.   

Melton Hill Reservoir – 3/18/26

Report Contributor – Sydney Feistner, Region 4 Creel Clerk

Water Temperature – Mid to Upper 50s

Bass: Bass are primarily being located near the mouths of coves and along creek channel edges, particularly in areas where channels intersect with available structure. Recent cooler temperatures pushed some fish slightly deeper along those breaks, but the current warming trend has increased afternoon activity, with more fish beginning to move and feed during the warmest part of the day.

Crappie: Crappie are being observed farther back in coves, with fish concentrated near creek channels and scattered grassy habitat. Most fish are being caught over approximately 20 feet of water and are often relating to vertical structure along channel edges rather than holding tightly to brush.

Nickajack 3/26/26

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

What a week it’s been wild winds and cold weather, but we have caught the fire out of fish the Senko was the main player this week and it carried all the weight even though it was weightless most of the time! Later in the week the lizard bite picked up as well but with that being said the water temps are rising, we were seeing 66-69 depending on where you are at and the fish are moving shallow quick.

Give me a call at 931-314-1951 or contact me on Facebook and let’s get you out there and get some fish on your hands!

Normandy 4/6/26

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

Reservoir Conditions

Elevation Avg: 870 ft

*Summer pool: 875ft

*Winter pool: 864ft

Avg. Discharge Hourly: 50 cfs

Water Temp Avg: 60℉

Water Visibility Avg: Approx. 3ft / 1M

Moon Phases:

*New Moon: 05/17/2026

*Full Moon: 05/01/2026

Fishing Conditions:

BLACK BASS: (Largemouth, Spotted, Smallmouth)

Bass fishing has been good the past few weeks. The bass have been found in less than 5ft of water near the mouth of creeks and near gravel banks. 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 has been good for the past few weeks. The further you get down river, the better the bite is, and with those colder mornings, crappie have typically been found in 10-15ft deep in and around brush piles. There are anglers having luck in shallow water under 5ft as well. With 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 in the river and around creeks at this time. They are most often found in 10ft – 15ft of water usually on rocky banks and gravel points. Since they are in their spawning period, they tend to group closer together, this can make these fish easier to locate. During peak spawn period walleye feed less and you may not have as much luck catching them. Late April – May should be a better time to find these fish immediately after spawn. 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 – 4/7/26

Report Contributor – Scott Dalton, Wildlife Tech 1

Fishing has been really good along the tail waters. Lots of brown trout are being caught along with some very nice slot rainbow trout. The smaller presentation seems to be working better. Please check TVA for your flows.

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, 4/6/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

The almost weekly cold snaps have kept me, and I’m sure the fish especially frustrated. With that being said, a lot of folks are still catching good fish, especially up in the river. Water temps throughout the week hovered around the high-50°s.

Bass: Still dreaming about the fish folks were catching about three weeks ago, I haven’t seen a bass over three pounds caught this week. This time of year, a lot of fish are beginning to stage in shallow water, many further upstream above flippers. Most folks are catching their fish up shallow, ~3-4ft, though few are right up on the bank just yet. I’ve been seeing a lot of plastics, though not much else stood out otherwise. 

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

Crappie: The crappie remain pretty cryptic, though I’ve seen more this week than I think I have all year so far, and good size fish too. Pretty much all these big fish I saw were getting caught in deeper water, and several anglers noticed they looked to be pretty thin for this time of year, indicating that some fish might have jumped the gun on the spawn due to uncharacteristic warm weather through March. Most of these fish were in 13ish feet of water. 

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

White Bass: I got some good reports of folks fishing for white bass in Carthage and up in the Caney Fork. Everyone I talked to, that was or had been up in river fishing for them, were having great days with them. 

Striper: I was able to get some terrific early striper reports last week. Folks fishing for them up in the river between Carthage and the dam were able to pull in some terrific early spawn fish, with sizes ranging from the mid-20’s up to the high 30 pounders. Last year I saw folks from over a dozen states coming out to Carthage to striper fish, with many of them chasing 60 pounders. Things are looking promising for another great season this year.

Sauger/Walleye: Folks are still catching terrific messes of sauger and walleye all through the river up to the dam. Most folks I saw catching a lot of good fish last week were trolling downstream of Carthage. I’m seeing a lot of short fish being caught as well, in the 10-inch range, which is a great sign for the next couple of years

*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.

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

Percy Priest, 4/6/26

Report Contributor – Noah Cartwright, Region II Creel Clerk

The bite through the week stayed largely the same as the previous weeks: good but not quite up to expectations for this time of year. The water temps throughout the week are stuck in the high 50°s up to low 60°s on warmer days. With a 0% chance of rain for Middle Tennessee for the next week, the water levels on Priest will likely stagnate around 4-5ft below summer pool.

Bass: The bass bite has remained relatively consistent to the previous week. I didn’t see a ton of monsters getting caught but folks were consistently bringing in good quality fish. The weigh-in tournament I was able to make averaged around 10lbs, but I heard good reports from others. Folks are still catching them shallow; with most I saw getting caught in 5ft or less. The bite stayed on throughout the week but waned a bit by Monday after the cold front brought in by the weekend rain. Jerk baits and plastics stood out to me this week, and most folks that were doing well were fishing from Bryant Grove to the dam. 

Crappie: The crappie bite is still breaking more hearts than feeding fish fries. As opposed to previous weeks, I at least found that the majority of folks have been able to beat the skunk when they go out, but it’s been a close game for most, with a lot of folks catching five or less when they go out. Sizes have been terrific, with a lot of 12+ inchers, however. Folks are pulling them out of the shallow water stumps and brush, but I’ve got great reports from deep water trees as well, ~20ft deep. 

Hybrid/Striper: I got some good reports on the current hybrid bite this week. Folks are doing great trolling A-rigs and live bait, and I’ve even seen folks ripping 10+ pounders from the banks. 

*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 4/8/26

Report Contributor-Reelfoot Lake Tourism Council

It is now prime fishing conditions at Reelfoot Lake.  The water temperature is warming up. With several months of little rain, our lake is lower than normal spring conditions use caution and slow down or hire a guide service who will get you on the fish! Your lodging owners are always happy to provide tips for where to fish and what bait to use and guide service recommendations.

Watts Bar Reservoir – March 28 thru 30, 2026

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 71. Current throughout the reservoir is low due to lack of rain throughout the area. 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: 55.8 degrees Fahrenheit

-                      Clinch/Emory Rivers: 61.3 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

-                      Tennessee River (River Channel): 3 feet

-                      Clinch/Emory Rivers: 4 feet

Water Level: (as of March 30^th)

-                      Reservoir elevation: 737.24 feet

-                      Headwater (Ft. Loudoun) elevation: 737.44 feet

-                      Headwater (Melton Hill) elevation: 736.56 feet

Water Flow: (as of March 30^th)

-                      Ft. Loudoun Dam: ~ 7321 cfs

-                      Melton Hill Dam: ~ 0 cfs

-                      Watts Bar Dam: ~ 5077 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 and A-rigs in current breaks below dam and around schooling fish to get bites.

Clinch/Emory Rivers:

Crappie: The most successful method observed was spider rig/trolling small jigging minnows or live minnows in creeks/inlets in 10 feet or less.

Bass: Best bait observed was jerk baits in creeks/inlets less than 10 feet deep.

Watts Bar 3/19/26

Report Contributor - Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The pre spawn and spawn have been ahead of schedule this year. The water was dropped so low that a lot of fish pulled out of the shallow docks and structure. This past cold front set us back a little also. Now that the weather is stabilizing the water temps should be back in the low to mid 60's.

I primarily fish deep structure for white crappie but this time of year I go shallow for black crappie. Literally any dock or piece of structure in 1 - 4 feet of water could hold a school of slabs. You don’t need any sonar at all or a fancy boat to catch them. You could literally use a cane pole and just dip your jig around structure. I carefully pick apart every limb and dock piling until I find them. I start out just close enough to cast to them without spooking them. You can also use a 12 - 14' jigging rod and just dip the baits right into the structure. I prefer a 1/16 jig head with a curly tail grub. I throw a natural baitfish color or if the water is murky, I'll use a dark body with a bright tail. If you have trouble feeling the bites you can use a small float as a strike indicator.

The bass are ranging anywhere from bluffs and channel swings all the way into just a couple feet of water. Fallen trees along the banks in secondary coves and cuts have been holding a lot of bass. Stump beds are great also when the baitfish are balled up around them.

The catfishing is good here all year long but right now those big flatheads will get hungry and start to roam around. It's hard to beat fresh cut shad or yellow bass this time of year. If you just want to get the kids or grand kids out to catch fish this is a great time for it! The drum and yellow bass are packed into shallow coves gorging on baitfish and are very easy to catch. A small white jig is all you need to keep those rods bent.

Watauga Lake – 3/20/26

Report Contributor – Colton Chambers – C and C Outfitters

Bass fishing continues to be really good. We had lots of 4' plus fish caught last week.  Jerk baits like a Berkeley Stunner or Rapala Maverick will definitely get you some bites. The area known as the " Forks of the Rivers " seems to be best. Also, some nice ones being caught on a jig head and minnow twitching it in the 6-8' range and just cast towards steeper banks, no live scope needed.

Trout remains slow, a few Lakers being caught trolling in the Butler Bridge area, but very scattered.

Crappie are starting to move shallow, try targeting brush and trees with minnows in the 8-12' range. 

Snow water runoff is a death blow to Walleye fishing, but we hope for a better report next week.

Stay safe on the water!

Chip and Colton Chambers 

C & C Outfitters -423-707-8821

Facebook -C & C Outfitters 

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