Nickajack Lake Fishing Report by TWRA, data is located at http://huntfishbuddy.com
Fishing Report
Nickajack: The upper end of the reservoir has been visited by several anglers in recent days with mixed results. The flow of water has been greater than idea at times creating conditions that make boat control difficult.
Some nice black bass have been caught even in these conditions. Live bait has been the most effective weapon.
White bass and crappie were the other species receiving the most attention. Several were located and caught while using jigs. The Marion County portion of the lake had crappie and bass anglers catching plenty of fish on ledges or grass patterns while using the rig, jigs, and minnows. 27 Feb 2012
The water temperature is in the low 50’s. The return to normal flow in the current is allowing more anglers to catch more fish in the area known as the Riverpark. Live bait, jigs, crankbaits, swimbaits, and spoons are being used to catch a smorgasbord of fish.
The tranquil waters are areas where crappie are generally targeted.
White bass, striped bass, and black bass are being caught along the banks, around humps and in the current diversion areas.
Catfish are being caught by those drifters in the channel. These anglers are using livebait most often but some are using the traditional baits with chicken parts and wieners being included in this category.
The fishing in the Marion County part of Nickajack is good. A lot of bass and crappie are being caught. Grass in bays, brush piles and rip-rap are areas that are being targeted. Jigs, minnows, lipless crankbaits, and jerkbaits would be a formidable arsenal capable of taming almost any species under any conditions. 21 Feb 2012
Nickajack: The spillways were open as of 2/05/12. This has stopped most of the angling efforts in the Riverpark area of the reservoir. The bay areas in the lake reached a surface water temperature of 56 degrees on 2/05/12.
Bass are being caught shallow while using spinnerbaits and lipless lures. Some jigs anglers are catching decent bags under the bridges. Crappie are being caught around docks and in grass beds in the large bay areas. “Panfish Assassins” are one bait a few anglers are reporting using with success. Catfish are being caught by those that are fishing in the main channel. The current is making this task challenging. 08 Feb. 2012
On 1/29/12 the spillways were open and commercial traffic was shut down due to the large volume of water flowing downstream. The Riverpark area of the reservoir was almost void of anglers. Those that were fishing were doing so from the bank. Fishing in the lake has been somewhat better with a few anglers catching a few bass and crappie. Grassy areas along hallow flats in the river and bays were areas frequently being targeted. Lipless lures were being used by many bass anglers and minnows were being used by those trying to locate crappie. 01 Feb. 2012
The tailwaters below Chickamauga Dam and some prefer the name “Riverpark” has been busy. As of 1/22/12 the Tennessee Valley Authority was spilling water and this makes the area difficult to fish and dangerous for those that prefer the extreme conditions. Before the spillage of water several species were being caught including but not exclusive to crappie, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, drum, catfish, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, yellow bass, striped bass, white bass, cherokee bass, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and skipjack.
Spoons, jigs, shad, crankbaits, shiners, and yes the secret “Tennessee Rig” are all being used for most species. Bluegill and redbreast sunfish tend to prefer worms. The lake area has been busy with numerous anglers catching crappie and bass. Shallow flats with grass located adjacent to the main channel seems to be the best area to target bass and crappie. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, jigs and the “Tennessee Rig” have been the baits used most often. Some heavy bass have been caught. 26 Jan 2012
