TWRA is now publishing fishing forecast for area lakes: 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
Fort Loudon Lake Fishing Report:Â Â Â 24 Oct 2024
Forecast Contributor Chris Keeble – Angler-Guide
The lake is finally showing signs of clearing up from all the mud, debris as well has started to clear out over the last few weeks. With the lake conditions starting to stabilize, bait seems to be more active by day and pushing back up shallow or toward the surface over deeper water. Some fish seem to be coming out to find the bait again, while others are still stuck to the bank and structure due to the water conditions. If you’re planning to fish Ft. Loudon right now bright colors are your friend, White, Chartreuse, and Red are usually better with the next to 0 visibility conditions that we are experiencing.
16 Oct 2024
Forecast Contributor Chris Keeble – Angler-Guide
The flooding in East Tennessee is having a huge effect right now. Ft. Loudoun is still a mudhole, fish are more elusive than bigfoot.
25 Sept 2024
Forecast Contributor Chris Keeble – Angler-Guide
The water temp is starting to drop, and the fish are getting more active by the day. A Lot of fish are roaming to find isolated bait balls over open water and staying near the surface, these active schools will have Bass, striped bass, and even some crappie mixed in them. There’s also a large number of fish pushing to shallower water but still those fish are keying in on small bait fish along riprap banks and points.
Crappie are starting to pull up on deeper docks and brush piles by the dozens, with the lake getting ready to turnover this can make some of those fish difficult to target in deeper water temporarily until conditions stabilize. As fish of all species go into their fall transition stage, fishing will get tougher here soon but with the rain coming in and cooler conditions, fall fishing is just right around the corner as the fish will begin feeding up for Winter!
15 Aug 2024
Forecast Contributor Chris Keeble – Angler-Guide
With the water temp still fluctuating around 80 degrees there continues to be a large population of fish offshore in depths up to 30ft. There are a lot more numbers to be caught offshore with quality bites occasionally mixed in. Being primarily largemouth the deep schools can be easily targeted with a dropshot, swimbait, football jig, or even deep diving crankbait. Don’t let this discourage you from looking shallow though as with the warm water temps many fish including bigger fish are sitting in those shallow water shade lines. Whether this be under overhangs, docks, or rock walls early in the morning the topwater bite is starting to turn on as well as the flipping bite later in the afternoon once the sun is up.
Striped and hybrid bass are also starting to show up targeting bait balls suspended over deep water in creek mouths and on points. In the evenings these schools of hybrids can be pelagic but if you’re in the right place at the right time it can make for a fun topwater bite when the fish push the bait to the surface and begin schooling higher up in the water column. This bite should only get better from now into the fall of the year as the water temp starts to cool hopefully in the coming weeks.