Fish in Tennessee

Attention Anglers, Do NOT Move Bass!

The movement and illegal stocking of Alabama Bass outside their native range has caused serious issues for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass fisheries across the southeast. It has been well documented that Alabama Bass prey on, hybridize with, and out compete other bass species for habitat and food resources. High hybridization rates between species will eventually result in a population without any genetically pure Smallmouth Bass. Once this occurs it can never be reversed and results in the loss of those species and the decline in the quality of that fishery.

Alabama Bass and their hybrids have been found in numerous Tennessee reservoirs. TWRA has documented the displacement of Largemouth Bass in Parksville Reservoir, one of the first sites Alabama Bass were documented outside their range in Tennessee, and hybridization with Smallmouth Bass has been documented in Watts Bar, Ft. Loudoun, and Tellico reservoirs. By all accounts, if Alabama Bass are introduced into Tennessee’s best bass fisheries, we stand to lose bass fishing as we know it. Do Not Move Alabama Bass!

In order to be successful at stopping the spread of Alabama Bass, the responsibility lies among those who transport live fish away from the water where they are caught. In most instances, those fish are used as food, but in some cases might be released into other water bodies. Always remember that it is illegal to intentionally release live fish into any public water in Tennessee away from which they were harvested.

Alabama Bass are very difficult to distinguish from Spotted Bass; observations of illegal stocking should be reported to your local TWRA Regional Office (listed below).

West Tennessee (Region 1)

200 Lowell Thomas Dr.
Jackson, TN 38301
(731) 423-5725

Middle Tennessee (Region 2)

Ellington Agricultural Center
5107 Edmondson Pike
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 781-6622

Cumberland Plateau (Region 3)

464 Industrial Blvd.
Crossville, TN 38555
(931) 484-9571

East Tennessee (Region 4)

3030 Wildlife Way
Morristown, TN 37814
(423) 587-7037

Largemouth in Chickamauga


Striped Bass Identification Key

Chart comparing Striped, Cherokee and White Bass physical identification markers

Spawning Temperatures Table

The following table lists the spawning temperatures of various fish species in Tennessee. Temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit (F)

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