TWRA Fishing Forecast
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TWRA:
TWRA WEEKLY FISHING FORECAST (05-02-2025)
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.
See more community fishing reports across all of Tennessee in the Fishbrain app! Click here to download: https://join.fishbrain.com/
Other fishing related information can be found on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
Boone Reservoir – 4-24-25
Forecast Contributor – Colton Chambers – C and C Outfitters – C & C Outfitters Facebook
Bass fishing is decent, lots of fish starting to find beds. There is a pretty consistent soft plastic, spinnerbait bite and still some good catches coming on small swimbaits.
Some Hybrids showing up on chicken livers on the bottom in the mid lake area as well as some nice sized channel cats. Stripers seemed like they took an off week but should start to bite a little more consistent.
Crappie fishing is still pretty good, 5-7 ‘ on a float and live minnow combo. Shallow brush seems to be producing better than docks.
Stay safe on the water and good luck!
C and C Outfitters
Colton and Chip Chambers
423-707-8822
Center Hill Tailwater (Caney Fork River) – 4-11-25
Report Contributor – Justin Spaulding, Region III Fisheries Biologist
River Conditions-
https://www.tva.com/
Center Hill Dam has been generating 3 units 24/7 for the past few days after dealing with the recent floods. They will probably start to taper the generation back this weekend so keep an eye on the flows. Water temperatures have been holding at 51F.
Trout- Fishing is good. Some anglers have been having catching dozens of fish while others have struggled. If you are not getting bit, switch it up with baits or location. We stocked several thousand advanced-fingerling Brown Trout (~8 inches) last week and folks have been catching them. A typical Brown is going to need to survive 4-5 years in the Caney before it reaches legal-size at 24 inches, so safe catch-and-release is important. The Rainbows are going to be stocked three times a month in April to help keep up with the busier season. Live minnows, flukes, and clousers should be your starting point. In a few weeks when it warms up, we will start getting different hatches from in the water and terrestrial things falling into the water.
Other- Skipjack are at the dam in decent numbers and a few White Bass as well. Any kind of minnow presentation should keep you busy.
Center Hill – 4-24-25
Report Contributor – Chris Snow, Guide at www.briancarper.com
Bass are beginning to move shallower with the water level staying stable now. Floating worms and spinnerbaits have been good around points and backs of pockets. I have been fishing Percy Priest for the last couple of days and the bass along with the crappie are still spawning and some very good stringers being caught.
To learn more or get out on the water with us check out Brian Carper’s guide service at www.briancarper.com.
Center Hill – 4-30-25
Report Contributor – James Bond, 007’s Guide Service – 007’s Guide Service
Water temp – 72
Bass – we haven’t been actively targeting bass this week but have caught a few post spawners already chasing bait fish in creeks. Those were caught on a Driftwood Custom Baits shad imitation with a 3/8 oz jig head.
Crappie- no report
Walleye – the walleye are in the wood and bushes along the shore and can be very tricky to catch until they move back out to flats and humps. Your best bet right now is to find an area full of threadfin shad and fish that area hard. Early morning or late evening is best.
Catfish- the flatheads are piling into the shallow areas where the shad are congregating. We’ve caught 2 really nice ones in the last week while walleye fishing.
Good luck and I’ll see you on the water!!
For booking information call James at 601-720-6193 or visit us on Facebook at the following link https://www.facebook.com/
James Bond, 007’s Guide Service, Smithville, TN 601-720-6193
Chickamauga – 5-1-25
Report Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook and www.riprapfishing.net
Chickamauga is a foot to foot and a half low. Water in the low to mid 70s. However, you like to fish you can catch em they are doing everything from spawning to hitting the main points. The Minner is going to get dangerous as always! The grass is great, and the top water bite is phenomenal! Shad are spawning and the bluegill and shell crackers are bedding heavy! Have fun!
Dale Hollow – 4-30-25
Report Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk
Reservoir Conditions- Dale Hollow Dam is generating roughly 590 cfs of outflow on average per day. Reservoir elevation sits at 590’ and is stable. Water clarity is good reservoir wide and averages between 8-12’ of visibility. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 70’s reservoir wide. Bass- Fishing is excellent. Smallmouth are mostly in post spawn patterns right now, with fish being caught in the 10-15’ range on main lake gravel points, pockets, or banks. Anything that has grass or a ditch is producing fish either by covering water with crankbaits or small swimbaits or slowing down with a Carolina rig. I’ve heard of multiple 4-6lb brown fish being caught this week. Largemouth are still in all three phases, but mostly shallow. Fish are still guarding beds but aren’t as locked down as last week. You can catch them however you want including wacky rigs, topwater, flipping and even big glide baits. I’m told the nighttime bite is good as well. Crappie- Fishing is slow. The fish are still in a bit of a funk. There are still crappie with eggs in them but the fish are in a post spawn pattern of schooled up with bait in 20-30 FOW. There may be another wave of spawners coming in soon, but for the moment look deeper on the tree tops than usual this time of year. Sunfish- Fishing is good. Bluegill and Redear are up shallow in the flooded willow, and on gravel banks in the backs of pockets and creek arms. They aren’t on bed yet, but some will be starting soon. Catfish- Fishing is good. Lots of fish shallow in the backs of pockets and creek arms close to flooded structure. Limb lines appear to be successful and worms on the bottom of a pocket in 10-15’ should work. Walleye- Fishing is slow. I’m hearing some good reports of nighttime success on points, but the evening bite on main lake gravel points in 10-20’ of swimbaits and jerkbaits is inconsistent. The bite should continue to warm up into May.
Glenn Springs Lake 3-31-25
Report Contributor – Robert Arndt, Manager Glenn Springs Bait and Tackle – Facebook
At Glenn Spring in the last week, we have seen an increase in Black Crappie caught on minnows in shallow and mid depth up to 12ft, Largemouth Bass caught, unsure what they’re biting on caught in deeper water around 15-20ft deep. Also, Blue Catfish caught on Chicken Liver from the pier.
Great Falls – 4-30-25
Report Contributor – Will Schibig, Region III Creel Clerk
Reservoir Conditions-
Great Falls Dam is averaging daily 1,200-3,000 cfs of outflow this past week and is averaging 1,500-3,000 cfs of inflow this week. Reservoir elevation is currently sitting at 790’ and is stable for now. The warmest waters are found on the lower end and in the Rocky & Collins rivers, with surface water temperatures in the mid-to-high 60’s. The water clarity in these areas is poor, with 3-5’ visibility being the average. The upper end of the reservoir, near Plumlee Ford, has cooler water temperatures in the low 60’s and clarity as good as 10-12’. The Calfkiller and Cane Creek are also cooler than the other tributaries. Cane Creek has exceptional clarity while the Calfkiller is murky.
Bass- Fishing is good. Bass are still being caught on chunk rock transition banks with docks or brush with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or finesse presentations.
Crappie- Fishing is excellent. The final wave of crappie have moved up, reservoir-wide, to spawn. Fish are being caught shallow near the base of downed trees in 3-8 FOW. Lots of limits with 13-14” fish being mixed in.
Muskellunge– Fishing is good. Some good bite windows occurred this week with several fish being caught on the upper end of the reservoir. Twitch baits on shallow, muddy banks with timber.
Hiwassee River below Appalachia Powerhouse – 4-30-25
Report Contributor – Tic Smith/Southeastern Anglers Guide Service
Water Temperature – 65 to 69 degrees
Water Clarity – clear
Water Level – TVA is filling the reservoirs upstream so there is very little generatihon during the day. These are the best conditions for wade fishing.
Hatches- There are several different hatches occurring daily. Blue Wing Olives, sulphurs and caddis are the predominant ones. These can be imitated with parachutes, emerger patterns sand a standard elk hair caddis.
Nymphs – pheasant tails with or without beads #16 to #18. Hares Ear and prince nymphs in sizes 12 to14 are good choices. Small streamers produce in the faster water. It’s hard to beat wooly buggers #6 to #10 Fishing is very good right now early and late. The water temps are too high for this time of the year. Hopefully TVA will be able to release more water soon to cool things down.
Kentucky Lake 4-29-25
Report Contributor – Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
SPAWNING TIME FOR BLUEGILL/SHELLCRACKER…BASS/
Lake levels have stabilized around normal summer pool (359) range and watercolor is good. Surface temps are warming fast and have now crossed the threshold of the 70-degree range. Active spawning phases are underway on Kentucky Lake for both bluegill and shellcracker (red ear sunfish). If you’re waiting for a great time to go fishing, then wait no longer. These next few weeks will see aggressive activity from these powerful panfish as they establish spawning beds in shallow pockets and pea gravel shorelines. Shallow grass beds or visible buck bushes or shallow logs are a few of the popular spots to check out.
Right now, depths of 1 to 4 feet are holding them. Baits of choice for shellcracker are redworms, nightcrawlers, wax worms or maggot larva. Crickets work too but they are the choice of bluegill too. The window of opportunity is actually quite wide as spawning will continues throughout the month of May. The next full moon in May 12 and veteran bluegill and shellcracker fishermen have always found good fishing around the full moon phase.
Meanwhile, stop by your local bait and tackle shop to stock up on terminal tackle. Long shank #6 light wire hooks, split shots and plenty of bobbers will be needed. To the list add long nose pliers and a towel too. And don’t forget the cooler or fish basket. It’s labeled as fishing’s finest hour. Spawning time for gills and shellcracker brings the kid out in all of us. So, take those youngsters out now and introduce them to the great sport of fishing. That bobber disappearing never goes out of style! You just might return to your younger days too when the gills and crackers are biting!
Catfish have been hitting good too. They’re moving up on the shallow rock banks plus meandering around shallow pockets just off the main lake in search of spawning territory. They often hang around the bluegill beds too and feed off the eggs or small fry once they started hatching out. Nightcrawlers have worked best but there’s always a variety of baits used by cat fishermen in their pursuit.
Several bass have been taken in shallow buck bushes lately as the lake is resting around the summer pool level of 359 and that inundates plenty of shoreline cover. Weed beds and buck bushes are holding enough water for bass to hang around and it’s a great time for anglers to toss topwater jerk baits and buzz baits plus floating fluke style worms, frogs, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged craws or worms. At the same time anglers are flipping and pitching a jig/craw combo around shorelines and some river islands.
Some boats are already backing off the banks and fishing a post-spawn patter on secondary ledges. Tossing big crankbaits in the blue/chartreuse color has produced results. So have Carolina rigged craws and Texas rigged worms. As surface temps continue to rise more bass will be moving out to those secondary ledges not far from shorelines.
Crappie are also in post-spawn phases as most of the females being caught have already dropped their eggs. Several crappie are lingering around deeper brush piles and stake beds at the present time while some fish are suspended out over deeper water. Several boats trolling Roadrunner jigs and curly tail grubs have been scoring good stringers as have boats spider rigging using the multipole presentation of jigs and live minnows. Productive depths have been 7-to-12-foot depth ranges.
However, whenever crappie are in post-spawn anglers can still find a few lingering around shoreline buck bushes at times. Dunking a jig or minnow around the shallow stickups can still produce a few dark males hanging around shallow structure.
Nickajack Reservoir, April 26, 2024
Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk
The weather was warmer with lows around 60 and warmed up to highs throughout the day as warm as 79. Current throughout the reservoir was lower than previous weeks but still steady. Water visibility has improved slightly. The water levels are normal; the latest depth and discharge rate I have recorded is below. For any discharge or lake 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 end of Lake: 67.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Lower end of Lake: NA
Water Clarity:
Tennessee River (River Channel): 3 foot
Water Level: (as of April 26th)
Lake elevation: 634.24 feet
Headwater elevation: 635.68 feet
Water Flow: (as of April 26th)
Chickamauga Dam: ~ 19771 cfs
Nickajack Dam: ~ 31863 cfs
Observed Species Information
Upper section of Lake:
Bass: 3-4 inch swimbaits, ned rigs, and crankbaits along current breaks below dam as well as around rocky banks.
Lower Section of Lake:
No surveys in this area
Normandy Lake – 4-15-25
Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook
Lots of great fishing to be done on Normandy. While the best areas have been upriver, don’t overlook that lower end in the Carol Creek Area. Current water levels are at 874.73 and will drop very little over the weekend as TVA brings the lake down to the scheduled water level of 874.83. Crankbaits, Texas Rigs or Tightline Jigs have been our go to. I was told anglers are still catching a few nice Walleye can be caught on flats and in the Duck River. Crappie are doing good as well on standing timber and brush piles. Water temperatures range from 61 to 67 degrees. Please Wear those Life Vest. For more information call Jake Davis at 615.613.2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
Norris Lake 4-4-25
Forecast Contributor Brad Burkhart – Follow on Facebook
Good morning, hope all is well. I usually do a Douglas report but trips this week have taken me to Norris Lake so here’s a Norris Report. The first wave of smallmouth are in full spawn and are actually a little finicky, the males aren’t but the big females that you want to catch are. We have been catching most of the smallmouth on a 5” grub and 8lb Pline fluorocarbon.
Largemouth on the other hand are eating like crazy as the first wave of those are in full pre spawn. Any short pockets off the main channel with wood will get you a bite. The baits that have worked best Thai week are a chatter bait and Jerk bait.
If you would like to book a trip to see it firsthand message me.
Hope this helps.
Good fishing and God Bless!
Message me to book a trip.
Brad Burkhart
@bradburkhartprofishing
Norris Tailwater – 4-30-25
Report Contributor – Scott Dalton, Wildlife Tech 1
Trout fishing has been good at Norris Tailwater by boat, wading and bank anglers. Rainbow Trout were stocked on April 22nd along with Brown Trout stocked in March
Check TVA website for more information. Norris Lake operating-guide and Norris lake-levels
Parksville Reservoir, April 24-27, 2024
Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk
The weather was warmer throughout the weekend with lows in the upper 50’s and highs around 78. Water temps are rising slowly due to the warmer weather. Current throughout the reservoir has settled back to normal. Visibility has vastly improved throughout the reservoir. The water levels are at full pool; the latest depth recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.
Reservoir Conditions
Water Temp: 67.9 degrees Fahrenheit
Water Clarity: Upper: 5 ft
Lower: 6 ft
Water Level: (as of April 27th)
828.32 feet
Water Flow: (as of April 27th)
Ocoee#1 Dam: ~ 2000 cfs
Ocoee#2 Dam: ~ 414 cfs (spilling)
Observed Species Information
Bass: Fishing is fair. Throwing jerkbaits, crankbaits and swimbaits around logs in clearer water sloughs. Also ned rigs and other sift plastic rigs around points with structure. Topwater baits over suspended fish also has brought some anglers success.
To learn more or get out on the water with us check out Brian Carper’s guide service at www.briancarper.com.
Reelfoot Lake – 5-1-25
Report Contributor -Reelfoot Lake Tourism Council
Reelfoot Lake level looks great and almost back to normal. Waterlily pads are abundant and good fishing around the pads and along shoreline. Ultimate fishing the past few days and continues to be productive for crappie, bluegill, bass, and catfish. Weather forecast for this week is favorable with partly cloudy skies, slight chance of AM showers later in the week, and moderate wind.
Tims Ford – 4-15-25
Forecast Contributor Captain Jake Davis – Follow on Facebook
Tim’s Ford has turned the corner, we’ve been having lots of fun on recent trips and tournaments. Smallmouth and Largemouth have moved to the spawning flat as the water continued to warm this week. Some good fish can be caught on 3.5-inch swimbait, jerk baits and spinner baits. We caught fish around transition areas with shad using jerk baits, 1/4oz Shaky Head with a finesse Trick worm and Sped Craws, Ned Rigs and ½ ounce Tightline Green Tequila Jig this week work around brush piles in 2 to 8 feet of water. For the “Power Anglers” we have seen a improving topwater, spinnerbait and crankbait bite as well. Don’t pass up the opportunity to flip laydowns, especially around spawning flats with a Texas rigged soft plastics.
Crappie are doing better than bass; several guys have caught some really nice slabs using minnows and artificial grubs around laydowns and brush on the deeper docks. The current Lake level is 886.59 with a forecasted level slowly failing to 886.19 over the weekend. Water temps are between 62 and 67 degrees on most of the lake. The next person will really appreciate it. Always wear your life vest while on the water, reminder just because the air temperatures are warmer, the water is still cold enough to kill you in the matter of minutes…WEAR YOUR LIFE VEST. Capt. Jake 615-613-2382 or msbassguide@comcast.net
