Watts Bar by TWRA Fishing Forecast

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Fishing Forecast

Watts Bar Lake Fishing Report: 2 Reports

27 Nov 2024

Report Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is 737 and the Topwater is on fire! The Pop-R is unreal! The A-rig is awesome on the current breaks points and creek mouths! Get a cranker and a jerk bait and move around hit the grass points and the main river points. The Scoping Minner demands the find of the baitfish then scorch them! Have fun!

27 Nov 2024

Report Contributor – Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Now that the water has drawn down quite a bit numerous species of fish have lost access to habitat along the bank. This will get crappie and bass clustered up where they can be easier to target.

The bass I’ve been catching have all been shallow close to steep drop offs that were holding plenty of baitfish. The lure choice doesn’t seem to be as important as the time and the place. When those bass are schooled up busting shad in the shallows, they usually aren’t real picky eaters because they are in competition with each other. I use a fluke more than anything for shallow bass, but the fish will take a variety of shad pattern baits.

The crappie fishing has really been heating up with quite a few people catching limits. A lot of the fish are still spread out so they can be easier to catch by dragging or pushing baits. The black crappie are especially easy to catch this time of year in coves around docks and stump beds.

The catfishing is good just about all year here except for when we don’t have water flow or when the fish are spawning. The few times that I’ve targeted big catfish lately we’ve done really well. Yellow bass and cut shad have been my best 2 baits. The blue cats can show up just about anywhere the shad are which is pretty much everywhere. The flatheads usually stick to deep structure close to or in the channel this time of year and up until spring when the water warms up. They also like river bends where they can tuck themselves down in the mud. A lot of people think flatheads only eat live bait, but they love a fresh piece of cut baitfish especially in colder water.

20 Nov 2024

Report Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar water level is 737. Water temperature is 62-65. The Hydrilla mats are still around if you find them throw that frog and toad. The Jerk bait is on fire right now especially the Jonah 1:17 jerk bait from Copper Redbaits it has a killer fade to which makes it a must have for forward facing sonar! Keep a Topwater on now through December this could be your best time of year for that Shower Blow or Spook.

06 Nov 2024

Report Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is down a foot or so. The water temperature is in the mid-60s. The water is also clearing up some so get that Spook or Shower Blow out and have some fun. Points and grass points main channel about halfway back in the pockets. A-rigs and scoping around the bait is highly productive. Traps and shallow Crankbaits along with the Jerk bait can get it done as well. If you find the Hydrilla mats or pondweed mats a toad and frog can be a blast. Always keep you a flipping bait on pegged with a creature bait if they miss that frog flip em out of there.

31 Oct 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is full but supposedly it’s going to drop down soon! Right now, the frog bite is great as the Hydrilla mats remain intact! The deeper grass is a Chatterbait and Spinnerbait bite. The main channel is up in the air as water flow is critical for active bass. The water temperatures are high for this time of year and the coves are finally clearing as the fall Shad movement is in full swing.

03 Oct 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Despite the water conditions the fishing has been pretty good. There is some debris here, but not much worse than any time the water fluctuates really fast. There are some pretty big dead trees so be cautious especially navigating at night. There’s multiple species of baitfish piled up all over the place right now.

The coves are packed full of bait and there’s a lot of fish feeding on them, but it’s more of a mixed bag. Mostly bass, white bass and good numbers of striper in some areas. For bass I was doing pretty good just working plastic worms on the bottom in areas that used to be packed full of weeds before the water level came up, but the more the water muddied up the less luck I had.

Now that the water looks like chocolate milk you want to use baits that produce a lot of vibration and or smell. Contrasting colors and some flash also helps. Top water and sub surface baits are really easy for a fish to locate in dirty water.

The catfishing has been really good now that we have steady water flow. Some are gorging on baitfish in the shallows, especially at night, but a lot of these big cats are tucked in behind deep structure in the current breaks waiting on easy meals to pass by. I take a variety of bait with me every time including shad, various live sunfish and usually something bigger like white bass, skipjack or redhorse.

I’m not trying to run a trolling motor in this current for hours so I’m anchoring upstream from my target and throwing out rigs with just enough weight to allow my bait to slowly drift along the bottom until the bait hits the fish in the mouth. I usually target flatheads but get plenty of blues this way.

If you’re looking for striper, I’d fish the confluence or pull into a cove with a lot of baitfish and just shut the engine off and watch the surface of the water for a little bit. If they’re in there, you’ll see them, or you can blind cast and wait until they start busting. If you don’t see them working bait, go on to the next cove.

19 Sept 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is down a foot or so the water temperature is below 80 but will climb this week for sure. The Swimbait and Chatterbait lets you cover water through the grass but if you encounter some thick grass and hard edges the ole jig and puncher can hurt them! Downsize you chugging baits and get a smaller Buzz bait like the small Driftwood Custom Baits Head Banger that little dude can do some damage! Around the grass is bluegill crawfish and shad so arm yourself with these baits.

04 Sept 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is still hot 82 water level is down 1 foot. The grass is from 12 feet to 6 feet, and this is mostly Coontail grass 6 feet to 3 feet mostly milfoil mixed with Hydrilla, and pond weed. The eel grass is very sporadic. The 3–5-inch Swimbait with a 1/4 to 3/8 head can cover all of this quickly along with an Ultra vibe Speed Worm as well as a Chatterbait or Swim Jig natural colors seem to be the best. The dropshot with a pink worm robo worm or zoom with a 3/8 weight 12 to 25 feet around wood or rock on the main channel. The Minner with a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce just run the graphs and keep looking in 10-20 feet then scope em.

29 Aug 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is getting really good especially with some current flow. The Minner is the ticket for those smallies around wood and rock on the main channel. That Swimbait is hard to beat for those green fish around shell bed points and grass. Early you can catch them on a spook or Pop-R on the bluffs and grass edges. For anyone who likes white bass fishing the blade bait on the main channel will smoke them 22-32 feet.

14 Aug 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

I take it easy this time of year because of the heat, lack of water flow and mostly because of the boat traffic. When I do go, I look for a few things that can make a short trip really successful. If you just want to put fish in the boat, you need to target “willow flies / mayflies / fishflies” They pile up on trees that overhang the water and swarm docks and lights at night. Everything eats them from different species of sunfish to bass and catfish.

During the heat of the day, they will stay on shady banks, but early morning and sundown they could be anywhere. Just cruise the shoreline until you see them, the fish eating them or tons of exoskeletons on the surface. Just fallow the exoskeletons up wind or up current until you find them. I usually just fish them to load up on pan fish for bait, but I’ve had bass eat my bluegill and bigger bass attack the bass while reeling them in. They are a fish magnet.

You can use mayflies for bait, but it’s a lot easier to get a can of nightcrawlers and just cut them into pieces and stick them on a 1/32 jig head or a long shank #6 under a float. There’s still a lot of fish hanging on the drop offs into the channel and old creek beds.

With the heavy pleasure boat traffic, the shad are getting pushed deep during the day and come up into the flats and sandbars about 5 or 6pm. The migrations of baby shad are hanging back in shallow coves throughout the day which is great for bass and striper. White or shad pattern flukes, spooks, buzz baits and spinnerbaits can really produce some numbers just about all day long especially if there are any weed mats on the surface.

If you see the mats, pitch a fluke or frog through them and let them sink into the holes. Use braided line at least 20# so it will cut through the weeds. If you throw everything but the kitchen sink at them and don’t produce good fish, try deep ledges and rocky points that drop right off into 40′ or more. A variety of game fish will be hanging down about 25 feet under the surface working the schools of baitfish.

07 Aug 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is full and the main channel banks are full of bugs! The Pop-R and jig get bit in the bugs! If you can graph through the catfish and White Bass and be diligent in your methods, you will find some bass through all that mess! And when you do they bite! Electronics have come so far! The grass bite is fun it’s either a shad or bluegill imitation that gets bit! The transition banks can be good with an 8-12 ft crankbait in a bluegill or shad pattern. Find the trees scoping takes over with a glide or Minner!

01 Aug 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is high and moving all the rain has made some of the backwaters dirty so if you’re a flipper now is your time! The Topwater bite is crazy right now and many of the main channel fish are set up and scope ready. Just remember when the water current moves the bass set up to take advantage of this. When water is high in the creeks, they are super shallow.

2 Reports

24 July 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is actually cooler because of all this rain! The best news is the Topwater bite is getting better. The rivers are running a bit cooler so the old flipper jig will get you some if that doesn’t work flip a finesse craw with swimming pinchers! Bluegill are bedding so the Senko is nasty and a Pop-R! The grass is definitely a Swim Jig shad color and Bluegill color are money!

26 July 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With the lack of water flow, high temps and a ton of pleasure boaters on the water it’s my least favorite time of year to fish. There’s only a couple months out of the year where the fish’s feeding patterns aren’t dictated by water flow. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t go out and slaughter fish though. They actually become very predictable.

Multiple species of fish are still stacking up on the top of sand bars where the bait gathers. The time of day is a major factor in being successful right now. The fish will start gorging somewhere like a cove entrance or bottleneck and then usually slowly migrate out and upriver with the bait even with very little water flow. Entrances to coves where baitfish feed are a great place to start and then just follow the fish. They will usually head deeper as the sun, boats and birds push the baitfish into the channel and old creek beds. About 5 or 6 pm you’ll find them coming out of those deeper spots and gorging on shad along the sand bars and humps.

For bass I like to target banks or bluffs with a really steep drop off where they can feed on baitfish but stay in cooler water. I’m finding a lot of small fish around shady banks and docks, but my bigger bass are out away from the bank on single structures like 1 big rock, a point or deep submerged trees. If the bite is hot, I like a faster bait that mimics a shad, if it’s a slower bite I prefer a slow sinking soft plastic and they usually hit it on the free fall.

The catfishing is really easy right now. Just find the piles of them on the drop offs and sand bars and drop shad on them. Live or cut bait works. If you’re not catching a ton of them, I would move and find another spot because they are stacked up and hungry.

White bass are still schooled up pretty good but I’m seeing less of them busting the surface and lower numbers in the schools. There are more big striper mixed in with them now though.

03 July 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is full and HOT! The offshore bite is great, but they are getting pressured and scoped! The flutter spoon and drop shot are great but if you can get them to bite a crankbait it gets crazy when you fire them up! The grass is really getting good with a Swim Jig and Ultra Vibe Speed worm. If you can throw a 15-inch worm offshore or on the grass, do it! They love a big worm in the summer.

2 Reports

27 June 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is a bunch of fun when you find the schools on your electronics anywhere from 20-35 feet you need to figure out the difference between the catfish and bass! Cause the catfish will trash your equipment! The spoons are good as well as dropshot but if you can reach them with a plug, it’s on! The “Minner” is still awesome with the scope as well. The grass bite is getting better and better keep the swim worms on as well as a Senko! Water level is full water temperature is hot!

26 June 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The fishing on Watts Bar has been really good lately despite the heat and lack of water flow. The high-water temp has a lot of the baitfish such as shad and fry minnows piled up in the channel and on top of humps and sand bars. This attracts all sorts of game fish. Trolling lures or jigging with spoons or jigs can produce a lot of fish right now including white bass, striper, walleye, crappie and an occasional bass or catfish.

If you are targeting bass, it’s a great time to fish ledges and drop offs. They are taking a variety of baits such as swim jigs, crank baits, lipless crank baits and a variety of top water baits early in the morning and later in the day starting around 6pm.

The easiest way to catch crappie right now is to drag crank baits that dive to the depth the crappie are suspended at. Another good method is to use lights to draw in the baitfish at night.

Catching catfish can be pretty easy this time of year. I usually park on sand bars close to the channel and fish on top of the bar and up tight to the edge of the drop off. Fresh shad, bluegill, skipjack and white bass all work well for bait.

The fishing below the dam is a little slow because of the lack of water flow, but there’s still plenty of walleye, striper and tons of white bass in there feeding.

20 June 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is slammed full and every day is the weekend! Good thing is the afternoon and evening they are dumping the Dams! Bad thing is morning not much current. That’s not a problem for the Scoping Program and the Minner! Graph work and FFS is what it takes. With all the FFS baits and heads flooding the market the thing I have figured out stay as light as possible and your bait in the strike zone. The new baits will swim when they leave and you can catch em on the crank! These fish are 8 to 35 feet! The wood and shell beds are good! Big Worms and Football jigs for the slower fishermen and don’t forget The Minner! If you can jerk a spoon and sling a big plug by all means you see a school bust em! The grass bass are lightweight worms and swim jigs.

2 Reports

12 June 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is full! Water temperature is 78-81 and going to get hotter! The grass bite is getting better especially in the deeper grass the Ol Monster worm and swim jig are the ticket to find them. Look for the edges and the thick grass as the Senko or Mag Trick worm will help you if you have to slow down. The mayflies are here so any pop-r or compact jig will get the bites around the bug banks. The shell beds and wood are still kicking them out so if you have the additional FFS then use it. It can be very valuable to you right now. If you don’t have that then stay on that big worm around the wood 8-12 feet deep. Many changes happen this time of year so you can catch them shallow or deep.

13 June 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With the high temps during the day, pretty warm temps at night and very little wind, the water temp came up fast. Most of the bass and shellcracker left their beds and probably won’t go back on unless we get a good cold front. Bluegill and some crappie will go on and off their beds depending on the weather. Fishing around cold creeks that dump into the main river will prolong their spawning in some areas. Catfish will go in and out of spawn until about August.

The majority of the big bass I’ve been getting are hanging around very shallow structure close to deep drop offs. This allows them to stay cool while being shallow enough to ambush shad and hatching minnows without wasting a bunch of energy.

White bass are all over the place right now, but usually stack up around sand bars and river bends. They are hard to miss with sonar. If you go out early morning or about 7 pm you’ll see them busting the surface gorging on threadfin. They can be caught all day jigging or using spoons, but I just fish for them when they are busting the surface. There used to be a lot of big striper mixed in with them but jug lines and illegal commercial trot lines have wiped out a lot of them.

Cat fishing is good this time of year and they can show up just about anywhere. If the water isn’t flowing very much I fish the top of sandbars close to bait fish and white bass. Live bluegill, cut bluegill and white bass are great baits right now. Shad also works well this time of year, but you will have to sift through a lot of small cats to get the big ones. No matter what bait you use, fresh bait that hasn’t been frozen is always a lot better for consistently catching big catfish. If you ever wanted to try grabbing or “noodling”, this is the time of year for it. It’s not for the faint of heart. You will get cut up. You will get your fingers chomped and twisted and could easily break a wrist or even drown. I would only suggest doing it with someone who is very experienced at it.

30 May 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is Full! The big worm bite is strong with the Jig right with it. Water temperature is in the high 70s. Offshore bite is great with the scope and a big plug also a football jig and 4 inch shad. As always on the Bar the wood is good! The grass bite seems to be getting better with a Swim Jig and Swimming Worm.

22 May 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar elevation is 740. The water temperature is 75-80. Fire those electronics up 12-25 feet get the big plugs and deep Swimbaits out! When you find them put the FFS on them and have fun the offshore bite is on ! Look for these fish just off the main channel where large bays and deep creek channels meet the the main points.

Don’t forget the spinning rods with your favorite minnow bait have two rigged from 3/16 to 3/8 with a 3-4 minnow style bait. For those of you that like the big worm bite the deeper banks 10-20 feet will be the bite on the wood. For the shallow bite the wacky worm and walking baits including a frog will work great around the bream beds. For the flippers find those docks in 3-12 a white jig and a bluegill colored jig 3/8 to 1/2 ounce will get you bit.

23 May 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Multiple species are going on and off the beds right now. We’ve had no water flow and the water still hasn’t reached full pool yet. Until the water gets higher and stays consistent the crappie, bass, bluegill, shellcracker and numerous species of catfish will be going on and off the beds. The constant changes in depth isn’t natural and it really confuses the fish. It also forces them to spawn fast and all at once so they might lay or hatch eggs, but have to leave their beds over night or during a hot day or just when the weather changes from cloudy to sunny.

At the same time the swarms of small bait fish are moving in so they just gorge on them early morning, late in the afternoon or just whatever time TVA decides to pump some water for a little bit. If you put your time in you will find and catch just about whatever species you are targeting, but don’t expect to just go slaughter fish.

The crappie bite has been really good on the good days and really bad on the bad days even if the weather and water conditions don’t change. You just have to put your time in and find them. Usually the most productive spots are the ones that no one else is fishing. Most of my bigger crappie lately have been on large live baits 3 – 4″ or jigs tipped with minnows. Don’t expect to just sit in one spot all day and catch a lot of fish. You have to cover some water.

Catfish, striper and white bass are gorging on shad, but they will be sporadic. They will be a lot more predictable once the water starts flowing.

15 May 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar water elevation is 740. Water temperature is 69-72. The flood water has subsided and the current has eased. With these events taking place we have two things that are happening the gizzard shad are trying to spawn so the bigger swim bait is great 5-7 inch around trees and docks. The bluegill and Shellcrackers are trying to spawn so the shallow wacky rig Senko is great. The shad in the 12-20 ft range is great for scoping with a 3-4 inch minnow bait. The brush and trees in 8-15 feet of water is a jig and ole monster worm. Never count out the grass bite the Swim Jig and Swimming Worm on top of the grass and the Carolina Rig on the edges.

09 May 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar can be awesome if you find bass on the wood in shallow water! The water clarity is the key. With the hard current look for them around shallow points and channel bends with wood. The ole trusty Texas rig will catch them in the wood! The swimbait and chatter bait with jerk them off the points especially the ones in the grass.

24 April 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is steady at 739 and water temperatures are 69-72 and climbing. The swimbait bite is on fire. The wood is definitely good for pitching plastics or a jig. The grass is great for a fluke or a trick worm. Watch for shad activity and make sure to have some topwater ready!

2 Reports

16 April 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Water level is 739 and there coming in hot! The pitching plastic and wacky worm are awesome right now! Water temperature is shooting up in the high 60s to 70. Texas right creature baits are awesome as well as Buzz bait and Spinnerbait! The wood is good! But remember all do not go at the same time the Swimbait and A-rig still play a role on the shell beds and transition banks. It’s full spring right now for all the bass species go out and have some fun.

16 April 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

I fished for multiple species each day for the past week, and it was like a different lake every day. The big bass were gorging on shad around shallow rock piles, but then the gar started spawning hard and pushed everything off into deeper water. My regular big bass spots are still holding fish, but a lot of smaller ones so I know this heat wave has sent a lot of them into pre- spawn and spawning. They are holding on semi deep structure around 8 – 15 feet and will work the shad until they get pushed deeper and the bass tend to fallow them out to the edge of the channel. Luckily, they don’t seem to be ranging far from their normal feeding spots. I use side imaging and look for baitfish being busted apart or corralled up. You will see holes or half-moon shapes in the schools of baitfish and that will be your bass. These fish seem to be pretty hungry even in the heat of the day so don’t be afraid to fish lures fast and aggressively.

When I’m crappie fishing, I’ve been finding a lot of clusters of them still roaming around with seemingly no real pattern or depth preference. They have been changing their mind a lot though. I pulled about 40 crappie in one tree and then only a fish or two the next couple days in the same spot. You can hop spot to spot and pull a couple off each tree but what I look for is a bunch of dinner plate sized shadows with my side imaging and try not to run the structure over especially if it’s in less than 20 feet of water. If I can I try to stay at least a boat length away from my target and cast a 1/8 oz jig or use a minnow with a slip float. They usually bite very fast and once they shut down just go ahead and move on. I’ve also tried to find structure that doesn’t have really big fish around them. I’m not sure if it’s striper or catfish but once they move in the crappie shut down completely.

The catfish and striper can just about always be targeted here throughout the year but if you are planning a trip just for them, I would definitely wait until we get some more water flow. Once that water starts cranking, they will stack up on the edge of the channel in about 40+ feet of water and be much easier to catch.

If you aren’t picky and just want to catch fish, The white bass are schooling up and following the baitfish around. They are easy to spot with sonar. They look almost like a ball of crappie but will be packed tighter together and have less definition. Early morning and just before sundown you might find them busting bait on the surface. Look for birds diving and a lot of splashing on the surface. They will eat just about anything but love white jigs, small spoons and minnows. I wouldn’t suggest anchoring up or using multiple rods because sometimes the striper are mixed in with them and if you hook one on light tackle, you’re probably going to have to chase it down to prevent getting spooled.

Remember to take plenty of drinks with you in this heat even if you only plan on being out for a little bit. I towed an older gentleman in yesterday that was nearly on the brink of death because his engine broke down and his short morning trip turned into a 12-hour trip.

10 April 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is 738 water temperature is 61-65. The smallmouth/Spots are on the gravel points and main channel rocky banks. Topwater or wakes are starting to get bit as well as the Spinnerbait. Largemouth are in the grass, shallow wood or on the bed. Creature baits and Senkos are the deal as well as a buzz bait. All fish don’t go at the same time so you can still find fish scoping around bait or jerk baiting.

2 Reports

03 April 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar elevation is 737 water temperature is 61-65 the small Swimbait and dropshot are great on the main channel points as well as the A-rig and Jerk bait. The grass is great with a Chatterbait or Swimbait the Buzz bait this time of year is deadly on a BigN! So, keep it tied on. The water runs get the crankbait and A-rig out on the main channel points and get busy.

03 April 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The water level is being brought up so there isn’t a whole lot of water flow right now. This makes it difficult to target deep structure fish that would usually be hanging in the current breaks waiting on an easy meal.

Most of the bass I’ve been catching are close to rocky banks that have a lot of shad close to them. On the colder days they will usually be a little deeper. I’m also seeing bass and striper working shad in open water. They can be fairly easy to spot with side imaging. Look for holes or big half-moon shapes in the schools of baitfish, that will be feeding fish.

The crappie bite has been really good lately. I’m catching white crappie on structure from about 15 – 25 feet using a 1/16 – 1/8 oz jig. The black crappie have been going into the docks, fallen treetops and stumps now that the water is up. I use a 1/32 oz jig or minnow under a float for them.

The catfishing hasn’t been as good lately due to the lack of water flow, but I’ve been finding some big ones mixed with striper by looking for large patches of birds diving on the baitfish. They are under the birds in about 40 – 50 feet usually. Live or cut shad works great.

27 March 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and
www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar elevation is 737 water temperature is 57-62 depending on your location. The Rat-l-trap and Jerk bait seem to be getting bit on the gravel points and drains with the grass in them. The main channel points are Swimbaits and Crankbaits the 2.8-to-4-inch Swimbait is getting whacked. The OG SLIM and Dt6 are the cranks. If in dirty water the chartreuse and white Spinnerbait and Red Chatterbait along with the square bill can beat them out of the wood. The scoping Drifts had baits are still great, but you have to find the bait and use your electronics.

2 Reports below

20 March 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is 736 water temperature is 58-62. The Swimbait bite is on for sure the 5-inch boot tail with a 3/8-1/2-ounce head is getting it done from 3-12 feet of water on the points and channel swing banks. The shallow crankbait and A-rig are fire on the chunk rock in 5-10 feet. The shad in some areas are thick the Driftwood Drift Shad is awesome on a 1/8 to 3/8 head depending on the depth electronics are crucial when you find this.

20 March 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The fishing on Watts Bar can be very difficult when the weather is constantly changing. As soon as you find a pattern it can change in a day or 2. Regardless of what species you target I would definitely recommend following the baitfish.

When the weather is mild the fish have been up very shallow working shad along stump beds and old creek beds and rock piles. I’m seeing a lot of smallmouths, largemouth and striper working shad together. They are taking a variety of shad pattern baits such as swim baits, flukes and top water lures.

The majority of the crappie are stacked up in schools moving between shallow structure and the channel depending on weather. They will use the old creek beds a lot like a highway where they will often eat jigs or minnows but sometimes, they can be very tricky. Trolling or pushing baits this time of year is most productive unless you can find them stacked up in or around trees or docks.

The catfishing has been like shooting fish in a barrel most days. The key to them is getting them when they are gorging. Catfish (especially blues) will eat all they can until they regurgitate and then they eat some more. Once they are done it’s hard to get them to eat though. A lot of guys drag baits and planer boards for them, but it really isn’t necessary at all. I prefer to mark a big pile of catfish, under baitfish, behind a structure or bend and just anchor or spot lock up current from them and let my baits drift into them. This method works extremely well for bigger fish.

I’ve pulled quite a few sturgeon this way also including one over 5 feet long last week. They can hardly resist fresh cut shad.

14 March 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar is alive right now largemouth are definitely around any grass you can find, and they are slacklining a jig smoking a Spinnerbait and jacking a jackhammer. The lighter side of life is a spin pole and a Driftwood Custom Baits Drift Shad or Whip Tail on the scope. The 3 Swimbait gets bit as well throw these around main channel current breaks gravel and rock banks 8-20 ft. The jerk bait and the glide bait are definitely getting smacked right now in the same way. Water level is 737. Water temperature is 52-55 and rising.

2 Reports

07 March 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar elevation is 736 and water temperature is going up to 55. The water is still rolling good on the main lake so if you target the current breaks with a Jerk bait, square bill or A-rig you’ve got it covered. The creeks are wood gravel and grass. Casting a jig or throwing a DT6 is great along with the Swimbait. If you’re scoping, get you a 3-to-3.5-inch minnow and play with the weight sometimes slow is good and sometimes fast is better you have to tie different ones on and play with them.

28 Feb 2024

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With the constant change in temperatures, it has made patterning fish difficult. The crappie were stacking up on trees but the last cold front has got most of them suspended out in the main channel and where the old creek beds meet the channel. It should stabilize over the next week or so and get really good. Until then pushing or dragging baits will be more productive than fishing deep structure although some crappie are sticking to trees just not in great numbers.

In the morning multiple species of fish can be found feeding on shad in the shallows until they make their way into deeper water during the day. Then head back into shallow coves and structure just before sundown. Finding brush along creek mouths and bottlenecks during the time they are moving back and forth can be very productive. Humps and other current breaks in or on the edge of the main channel has been very productive due to the heavy current lately.

The baitfish have been very clustered up lately instead of scattered all over the place like they usually are. Finding those schools of shad and threadfin is the key right now. This year I’m not seeing hardly any small shad but tons of big shad. I’ve been getting big bass, striper and catfish on accident while netting bait as shallow as 2 foot deep. They are in there gorging on the days the water is calm and out deeper when it’s choppy.

22 Feb 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Water elevation is 737 water temperature is 47-53 depending on where you are on the lake. The water is falling, and the dams are spilling but keep in mind you still have some grass that is going to hold fish the water doesn’t drop that far to pull them away from that deeper grass. The spinnerbait and Chatterbait along with that Rat-l-trap are go to! Remember don’t leave out that 3–5-inch Swimbait. The shallow to mid depth cranking is going to be strong with this current flow right with the jerk bait and A-rig. I always have a jig or Texas Rig plastic on this time of year as the water warms any brush or trees you find fish it. With the water clearing in areas don’t forget the deeper shad and all of the scoping baits.

14 Feb 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

The water level on Watts Bar is 737 but remember when the dams are spilling you will experience higher water as you go up towards the dams and a much greater amount of current. The square bills in crawfish pattern are good along with a medium running crankbait such as a DT6 or Flat side crankbait. These are used around chunk rock banks and laydowns on or adjacent to the main channel. The water is stained but getting in the high 40s to low 50s. The jig in a crawfish pattern works if you can have the patience to fish it. Always have the FFS baits on the deck as you fish just in case the opportunity arises. As the water clears in the back of the bays and warms watch for the bass to move to gravel bars and drains. If grass is found the Chatterbait and Spinnerbait can be awesome.

07 Feb 2024

Forecast Contributor – Billy Wheat, Follow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riprapfishingadventures and www.riprapfishing.net

Watts Bar water level is 737 right now and the cranking bite is on fire! Look for the transitional rock to gravel and current breaks as the water flow on the lake is steady. The Fritts Side and OG are definitely the deal. The A-rig and Jerk bait bite are great as well on the main channel points. Back in the creeks the wood and grass are great for square bills and traps. Watch for the birds on the Bar for sure they can lead to a great A-rig bite. The Ned and Dropshot are getting bit in 12-16 feet, but you must have gravel and chunk rock. The water temperature is 44-48 depending on your location.

11 Dec 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair to start the weekend with rough storms with heavy rain and winds coming in Saturday evening and all throughout Sunday. Temperatures were around the mid to lower 30’s at night and reaching as high as 62. Water temperatures continue to drop throughout the lake but raised after the storms. Water level is now dropping toward winter pool levels; latest depth I recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 57.1 degrees Fahrenheit

Tennessee River (main lake): 51.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet

Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 3 feet

Water Level: 736.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of December 11^th)

Watts Bar Dam: ~ 20250cfs

Melton Hill Dam: ~6250 cfs

Fort Loudon Dam: ~22800 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is fair. Many are finding smallmouth bites around rocky banks and bluffs throwing swimbaits, jerk baits, or Ned rigs. The largemouth bites are coming from shallow flats with some grass throwing spinnerbaits or chatter baits.

Crappie: Fishing is good. Using live minnows and/or Bobby Garland jigs in creeks/inlets off of main channel over submerged structure or under docks. Most are finding success in 20-30 feet of water with fish suspending in 10-15 feet. Some anglers found success on flats with structure and creek channel drop-offs.

13 Nov 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair with partial cloud cover throughout the week and weekend. Temperatures were around the mid to lower 40’s at night and reaching as high as 70. Water temperatures continue to drop throughout the lake. Water level is now dropping toward winter pool levels; latest depth I recorded is below. For any discharge or lake elevation info, check out the TVA Lake Info App.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 62.0 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 63.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 3.5 feet

Water Level: 738.6 feet

Water Flow: (as of November 13^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~15700 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~500 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~18800 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is fair. Try fishing areas such as wind beaten banks and pockets with shad patterned lipless crankbaits, jerk baits, and chatter baits. Others are finding success throwing finesse worms and jigs on the edges of grass and rock points/ledges. Many anglers were also throwing some topwater baits such as spooks or buzz baits on shallow mud flats and rock points.

Striped Bass: Fishing is fair. Most are drifting with live bait (Shad, Bluegill, Skipjack Herring) below dams with some current. Some anglers also found success trolling downstream from dams with small crankbaits. The lack of flow from Melton Hill Dam until evenings has caused anglers to show up later or fish elsewhere. Others have resourced to trolling live bait near channel ledges and found success in absence of current. Fly fishing methods have gathered bites as well.

Catfish: Fishing is fair. Most anglers find success with catfishing while anchored in main river channel and sinking cut/live bait to the bottom. Others are also trolling cut/live bait and getting bites. Setting jugs is another method that is very efficient for targeting catfish.

Crappie: Fishing is good. Using live minnows and/or Bobby Garland jigs in creeks/inlets off of main channel over submerged structure/docks. Most are finding success in 10-15 feet of water.

Yellow Bass/White Bass: Caught while targeting crappie and bass. Using the techniques above should catch these.

30 Oct 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair with partial cloud cover throughout the week. Temperatures were around the mid to lower 40’s at night and reaching as high as 80. Monday a cold front came through bringing freezing temps for the coming week. Water temperatures continue to drop throughout the lake. Water level is still at summer pool but is drawdown scheduled to start November 1^st.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 66.0 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 67.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 4 feet

Water Level: 740.6 feet

Water Flow: (as of October 30^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~21250 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~6200 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~12700 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is fair. The smallmouth bite is picking up throughout the lower end of the lake. Try fishing areas such as wind beaten banks and pockets with shad patterned lipless crankbaits, jerk baits, and chatter baits. Others are finding success throwing finesse worms and jigs on the edges of grass and rock points/ledges.

Crappie: Fishing is fair. Using live minnows and/or Bobby Garland jigs in creeks/inlets off of main channel over deeper submerged structure.

23 Oct 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair with partial cloud cover throughout the week. Temperatures were around the mid to lower 40’s at night and reaching as high as 72. Lake visibility has declined throughout the lake. Water temperatures continue to drop throughout the lake. Water level is still at summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 66.7 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 68.1 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4.5 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 4 feet

Water Level: 740.6 feet

Water Flow: (as of October 23^rd)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~15700 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~6200 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~18700 cfs

Observed Species Information

Crappie: Fishing is fair. Using live minnows in creeks/inlets off of main channel over structure.

27 Sept 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair with partial cloud cover throughout the week. Temperatures were around the mid to upper 50’s at night and reaching as high as 82. Lake visibility was great below dams but poorer on the main lake. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas, but water temps are dropping throughout the lake. Water level is at normal summer pool. Fort Loudon Dam was spilling on Monday 9/25/23 causing temperatures and visibility changes.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 71.3 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 78.1 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4.5 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 2 feet

Water Level: 740.4 feet

Water Flow: (as of September 27^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~25300 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: 0 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~22300 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is slow. Topwater and walking baits around grass or rock shelf banks are good techniques for early morning. Once the sun gets up higher and gets warmer, fishing 6-8 inch straight-tail worms in 7-15 feet deep water off creek and inlet banks. Some also found success with Ned rigs and dropshots on main channel banks and structure.

Crappie: Fishing is fair. Using live minnows in creeks/inlets off of main channel over structure.

20 Sept 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was fair with partial cloud cover throughout the week. Temperatures were around the mid to upper 50’s at night and reaching as high as 81. Lake visibility was great below dams but poorer on the main lake. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas, but water temps are dropping throughout the lake. Water level is at normal summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 76.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 4 feet

Water Level: 740.7 feet

Water Flow: (as of September 20^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~47250 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~6100 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~22400 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is slow. Topwater and walking baits around grass or rock shelf banks are good techniques for early morning. Fishing jerk baits in the morning around rocky banks with long, tapering points and deep water nearby is a good alternative to topwater. Once the sun gets up higher and gets warmer, fishing 6-8 inch straight-tail worms in 7-15 feet deep water off creek and inlet banks. Some also found success with ned rigs on main channel banks and structure.

11 Sept 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was warm with partial cloud cover throughout the weekend. Temperatures were around the lower 60’s at night and reaching as high as 85. Lake visibility was great below dams but poorer on the main lake. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas. Water level was at normal summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Clinch River (below Melton Hill Dam): 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit

– Clinch & Emory Confluence: 83.1 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 77.1 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 85.8 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

– Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet

– Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 3.5 feet

– Clinch River (below Melton Hill Dam): 6 feet

– Clinch & Emory Confluence: 4 feet

Water Level: 740.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of September 11^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~47500 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~6000 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~22600 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is slow. Topwater and walking baits around grass or rock shelf banks are good techniques for early morning. Fishing jerk baits in the morning around rocky banks with long, tapering points and deep water nearby is a good alternative to topwater. Once the sun gets up higher and gets hotter, fishing 6-8 inch straight-tail worms on a Texas rig will get some bites on grass flats.

Crappie: Fishing is fair. Anglers are catching decent numbers but not big enough to keep in many cases. Most are using live minnows to get bites, but many have also used jigs, such as Bobby Garlands, and found success. Fishing submerged structure in creeks and inlets off the main river are where the most success was seen.

06 Sept 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy the past few days with slight chances of rain in the evenings. Temperatures were around mid to upper 60’s at night and reaching as high as 88. Lake visibility was better below compared to the main lake. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas. Water level was at normal summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 76.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Tennessee River (main lake): 87.0 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet
Tennessee River (below Fort Loudon Dam): 5 feet

Water Level: 740.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of September 6^th)

Watts Bar Dam: ~10200 cfs
Melton Hill Dam: ~0 cfs
Fort Loudon Dam: ~21800 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is slow. Topwater and walking baits around grass or rock shelf banks are good techniques for early morning. Fishing jerk baits in the morning around rocky banks with long, tapering points and deep water nearby is a good alternative to topwater. Once the sun gets up higher and gets hotter, fishing 6-8 inch straight-tail worms on a Texas rig will get some bites on grass flats. Some anglers got bites trolling banks with small crankbaits.

Crappie: Fishing is slow. Most anglers are finding success using live minnows or small jigs in inlets of the main channel. Some anglers have also found some success on fish attractor sites with these same methods.

White Bass: Fishing is good. White bass are chasing bait all throughout the lake where many can be seen busting the top of the water. Many anglers are finding success catching these with spoons, rooster tails, and other spinner type baits. Areas to try would be points and ledges just off the main channel.

Catfish: Fishing is good. Many anglers find the best success drifting live or cut bait on the main river channel. Another great method is the use of jugs or floats for jug fishing.

25 Aug 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was hot with excessive heat warnings most of the week and weekend. Temperatures were around mid to upper 60’s at night and reaching as high as 96. Lake visibility was great below dams but poorer on the main lake. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas. Water level was at normal summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

Clinch River (below Melton Hill Dam): 75.3 degrees Fahrenheit
Clinch & Emory Confluence: 86.7 degrees Fahrenheit
Tennessee River (main lake): 87.0 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity:

Tennessee River (main lake): 4 feet
Clinch River (below Melton Hill Dam): 8 feet
Clinch & Emory Confluence: 4 feet

Water Level: 740.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of August 25^th)

Watts Bar Dam: ~10200 cfs
Melton Hill Dam: ~0 cfs
Fort Loudon Dam: ~21800 cfs

Observed Species Information

Bass: Fishing is slow. Topwater and walking baits around grass or rock shelf banks are good techniques for early morning. Fishing jerk baits in the morning around rocky banks with long, tapering points and deep water nearby is a good alternative to topwater. Once the sun gets up higher and gets hotter, fishing 6-8 inch straight-tail worms on a Texas rig will get some bites on grass flats.

Striped Bass: Fishing is fair. Drifting with live bait (Shad, Skipjack Herring) below dams with some current. Some anglers also found success trolling downstream from dams with small crankbaits. The lack of flow from Melton Hill Dam until evenings has caused anglers to show up later or fish elsewhere. Others have resourced to trolling live bait near channel ledges and found success in absence of current.

14 Aug 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy with chances of storms most of the weekend. Temperatures were around mid to upper 60’s at night and reaching as high as 91. Lake visibility was still poor due to heavy rain events. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas. Water level was at normal summer pool level.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Ft. Loudoun Dam): 74.2 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 82.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 4 feet

Water Level: 740.2 feet

Water Flow: (as of August 14^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~5100 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~0 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~18200 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, Ned rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 10-15 feet. Others are also finding success with buzz baits and spinner baits on rock walls, near docks, and channel ledges. Top water bites are successful in early morning or late evening.

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Striped Bass: Drifting with live bait (Shad, Skipjack Herring) below dams with some current. Some anglers also found success trolling downstream from dams with small crankbaits.

White Bass: Small spoons, mister twisters, and jigs on river channel in current

09 Aug 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy with chances of storms most of the week and weekend. Temperatures were around mid to upper 60’s at night and reaching as high as 87. Lake visibility was still poor due to heavy rain events. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake and warmer in main lake areas. Water level was at normal summer pool level.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Ft. Loudoun Dam): 74.9 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (main lake): 86.0 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 3 feet

Water Level: 740.2 feet

Water Flow: (as of August 9^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~47500 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~9700 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~21900 cfs

Species Specific Information

Crappie: live minnows/jigs in inlets off of main channel

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Walleye/Sauger: Trolling main river channel with spoons or crankbaits. Slow trolling upstream in light current. Also saw success drifting nightcrawlers

Striped Bass: Drifting with live bait below dams with some current

White Bass: Small spoons, mister twisters, and jigs on river channel in current

31 July 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was hot throughout the weekend. Temperatures were around lower 70’s at night and reaching as high as 95 during the day. Lake visibility was still poor. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake. Water level returned to normal summer pool level.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Ft. Loudoun Dam): 75.3 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 3.5 feet

Water Level: 740.9 feet

Water Flow: (as of July 31st)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~10200 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~0 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~18700 cfs

Species Specific Information

Crappie: live minnows/jigs in inlets off of main channel

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Walleye/Sauger: Trolling main river channel with spoons or crankbaits. Slow trolling upstream in light current. Also saw success drifting nightcrawlers

Striped Bass: Drifting with live bait below dams with some current

White Bass: Small spoons, mister twisters, and jigs on river channel in current

23 July 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy with a chance of storms most of the weekend. Temperatures were around upper 60’s at night and reaching as high as 86 during the day. Lake visibility was poor due to rain events. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake. Water level was high throughout the weekend due to the heavy rain events in the area during the week. Water reached as high as 2 feet above summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Ft. Loudoun Dam): 78.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 3.5 feet

Water Level: 741.6 feet

Water Flow: (as of July 23^rd)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~33250 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~2000 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~17300 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, Ned rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 10-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls, near docks, and channel ledges.

Crappie: live minnows/jigs in inlets off of main channel

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Walleye/Sauger: Trolling main river channel with spoons or crankbaits. Slow trolling upstream in light current.

Striped Bass: Drifting current with live bait below dams with some current

White Bass: Small spoons on river channel banks. Also trolling in current.

17 July 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy with a chance of storms most of the weekend, clearing up to on Sunday and into Monday. Temperatures were around low 70’s at night and reaching as high as 92 during the day. Lake visibility was poor due to rain events. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River (below Ft. Loudoun Dam): 74.7 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River (middle of lake): 87.7 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 4.5 feet

Water Level: 740.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of July 17^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~19700 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~1700 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~15500 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, Ned rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 10-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls, near docks, and channel ledges.

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Walleye/Sauger: Trolling main river channel with spoons or crankbaits. Slow trolling upstream in light current.

Striped Bass: Drifting current with live bait below dams with some current

White Bass: Small spoons on river channel banks. Also trolling in current.

10 July 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear and sunny with a light breeze. Temperatures were around mid-60 at night and reaching as high as 85 during the day. Lake visibility was great directly below Melton Hill Dam but got worse the further downstream. Water temperatures were cool throughout the riverine sections of the lake. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Clinch & Emory Rivers: 75.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Clinch River channel 9 feet (below Melton Hill Dam)

Water Level: 740.8 feet

Water Flow: (as of July 10th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~15800 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~2100 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~10900 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, Ned rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 10-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls, near docks, and channel ledges.

Crappie: using live minnows and/or jigs in creek inlets off main river channel. Roughly fishing 15-20 feet deep

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success

Walleye/Sauger: trolling main river channel with spoons or crankbaits. Slow trolling upstream in light current.

Striped Bass: drifting current with live bait below dams with some current

28 June 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy and rainy throughout the weekend with a heavy thunderstorm hitting the area Sunday. Temperatures were around mid-60’s at night and reaching the mid to upper 80’s during the day. Lake visibility decreased throughout the lake due to the rain events. Water temperatures decreased to about 77 degrees Fahrenheit in the tailwaters of Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill dams. Water level is at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River: 79 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 4.5 on June 28^th

Water Level: 741.1 feet

Water Flow: (as of June 28^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~25000 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~2500 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~16000 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 15 feet. Top water fishing is starting to become a common technique with anglers finding success casting Chatterbaits and buzz baits.

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows on deeper structure such as trees or brush. Trolling/ Spider rigging with minnows seemed to be the most successful technique. Some anglers are still finding success fishing deeper water with these same methods as well. (Roughly 15-20 feet deep

Catfish: Fishing creek channels or main river channel with cut bait. Anglers below the dam are fishing up against the dam and finding success. Some anglers were landing catfish fishing for crappie.

22 June 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was cloudy and rainy throughout Wednesday. Temperatures were around mid-60’s at night and reaching the lower 80’s during the day. Lake visibility decreased throughout the lake due to the rain events. Water temperatures decreased to about 77 degrees Fahrenheit in the tailwaters of Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill dams. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River: 77 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 4 feet on June 21st

Water Level: 741.1 feet

Water Flow: (as of June 21st)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~9300 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~2100 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~9100 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Top water fishing is starting to become a common technique with anglers finding success casting chatter baits and buzz baits.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Redear sunfish (Shellcrackers): anglers caught them while bass fishing on crankbaits

05 June 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear and sunny throughout the weekend. Temperatures were around upper 50’s at night and reaching as high as 90. Lake visibility improved throughout the lake. Water temperatures increased over the past week to about 83 degrees Fahrenheit with the exception of the tailwaters of Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill dams. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River: 83 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 6.5 feet

Water Level: 740.6 feet

Water Flow: (as of June 5^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~10200 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~1300 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~9400 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 10-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls and near docks. Anglers seem to be finding more success on main river channel ledges and drop-offs.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Redear sunfish (Shellcrackers): no catch reported

Striped Bass: drifting current with live bait below dam

26 May 2023

May 24^th – May 26^th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear and sunny throughout the weekend with the exception of rain all day Saturday. Temperatures were around upper 50’s at night and reaching the lower 80’s during the day. Lake visibility improved throughout the lake. Water temperatures increased over the past week to about 79 degrees Fahrenheit with the exception of the tailwaters of Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill dams. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River: 79 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 5.5 feet on May 26^th

Water Level: 740.9 feet

Water Flow: (as of May 26^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~8000 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~800 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~7000 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls and near docks. Anglers are finding more success in areas with rocky banks and structure.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Redear sunfish (Shellcrackers): anglers caught them while bass fishing on crankbaits

21 May 2023

May 19^th – May 21^st, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear and sunny throughout the weekend with the exception of rain all day Saturday. Temperatures were around upper 50’s at night and reaching around mid to upper 70’s during the day. Lake visibility was poorer than the previous week with roughly 4 feet of visibility throughout most of the lake. Water temperatures are holding steady around 75 degrees Fahrenheit with the exception of the tailwaters of Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill dams. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Tennessee River: 77.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 4.5 feet on May 21^st

Water Level: 741.1 feet

Water Flow: (as of May 15^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~7700 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~500 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~4800 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits and spinner baits on rock walls and near docks. Anglers are finding more success in areas with rocky banks and structure

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Redear sunfish (Shellcrackers): anglers caught them while bass fishing on crankbaits

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

15 May 2023

May 12^th – May 15^th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was partly cloudy throughout the weekend with scattered thunderstorms impacting the lake in the afternoons. Temperatures were around lower 60’s at night and reaching around mid to lower 80’s during the day. Lake visibility was good until the heavier storms late in the weekend. Water temperatures have increased throughout the lake. Water level is now at full summer pool.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 72.1 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 77.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 6.5 feet on May 13^th

Water Level: 741.4 feet

Water Flow: (as of May 15^th)

– Watts Bar Dam: ~8900 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~500 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~4500 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Others are also finding success with crankbaits on rock walls and near docks. Anglers are finding more success in areas with rocky banks and structure

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

02 and 05 May 2023

April 28^th – May 2^nd, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear most of the weekend, but high winds would arrive each day around noon. Temperatures were around lower 40’s at night and reaching around mid 60’s during the day. Lake visibility was improving until Tuesday. Water temperatures decreased the past few days due to the cold spell we are currently in. Water level is almost to summer pool with still about 1 foot left to fill.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 65.5 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 63.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel 2 feet on May 2^nd

Water Level: 740.4 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~4900 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~600 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~4300 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing soft plastics still seems to be the angler’s choice currently but fishing a little deeper than previous weeks. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics in around 7-15 feet. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash.

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Trolling/ Spider rigging with minnows seemed to be the most successful technique. Some anglers are still finding success fishing deeper water with these same methods as well.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

5-5-23

That windy cold front really put a hurting on the fishing for a couple days. Took a lot of those shallow bass and crappie and raked them right out into the deeper water where a lot of them didn’t want to feed. Fortunately, the warm sunny weather yesterday, today and over the next several days will make the fish MUCH more predictable and easier to pattern.

I boated 7 good sized bass in the first hour yesterday on flukes and small trick worms. They weren’t on beds but were in pretty shallow water clinging close to docks and other shallow structure in the shade. A few of those fish inhaled the lure as soon as it hit the water.

A great majority of the crappie have bunched up in small schools and scattered literally all over the place. Every drop off, creek bed, hump and cove inlet just have stacks of crappie on the move right now. Most of these fish are in about 25 – 40 feet of water hanging about 14 – 16 feet under the surface. I would advise pushing or trolling baits until they cling back to the structure.

Catfish and striper have been sticking close to deep structure when we have good water flow and going into shallow structure or cruising sandbars when the water isn’t moving much. Dragging big deep diving crank baits works great for flatheads, blues and striper this time of year. Find a sand bar in about 20 – 25 feet of water and drag them just fast enough to make a little contact with the bottom.

19th-24th April 2023

April 19^th – April 24^th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was clear most of the weekend. Temperatures were around lower 50’s to mid to lower 60’s. Lake visibility was poor most of the weekend due to some storms throughout some nights. Water temperatures decreased the past few days due to the cold spell this weekend. Water level is almost to summer pool with about 1 foot left to fill.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 65.2 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 62.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 3 feet

Water Level: 740.1 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~6400 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~500 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~4650 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing shallower waters with soft plastics seem to still be the most successful techniques to get some bites. For example, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads with craws, lizards, and other soft plastics. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash. Jigs are starting to attract bites as well.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

4-19-23

Now that the water is up, I’m seeing a lot more bass on their beds. Flukes and Senko style lures are easy to skip under docks and into brush without getting tangled up and can put a lot of fish in the boat when the fish are aggressive. Smaller jigs and soft plastics work better if they are spooking easily.

The crappie bite has been really good lately. I’m finding a lot of white, black and black nose crappie mixed together around shallow structure and docks. I’m also finding some white crappie around deep structure 20 – 30 feet of water. 1/8 oz jig on windy days and a 1/32 – 1/6 on calmer days or in wind breaks.

A lot of catfish are shallow right now especially blues and channels. Fresh cut bait like shad or skipjack work well or live bluegill.

18 and 19 April 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

Watts Bar Reservoir

April 14th – April 18th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was partly cloudy most of the weekend with chances of storms each day. Temperatures were around upper 60’s to mid to lower 70’s. Lake visibility continues to improve throughout the lake with the exception of creeks post heavy rain events. Water temperatures continue to increase as well. Water level is still slowly rising coming up about another half foot over the weekend.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 68.4 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River below Ft. Loudon Dam: 61.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 6.5 feet

Water Level: 739.4 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~6500 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~1000 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~4800 cfs

Species Specific Information

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are starting to move to shallower areas than previous months. Trolling/ Spider rigging with minnows seemed to be the most successful technique. Some anglers are still finding success fishing deeper water with these same methods as well.

White bass: fishing jigs and live minnow. Mainly caught fishing for crappie using same techniques

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

4-19-23

The water level is rising fast which has a lot of fish going shallower and shallower. I’m seeing a lot of bass going up into feeder creeks in very shallow water to feed. It’s usually not very hard to find beds nearby.

There’s been quite a few pre and post spawn crappie hanging around deep structure and vegetation while the spawning fish are up in the shallows. The fish are doing different things in different areas. I’ve been catching a lot of male crappie around docks and in shallow structure lately using a 1/32 – 1/16 jig. Hair jigs and soft plastic jigs both work well but plastic jigs are easier to skip under docks. Crappie can spook easily in the shallows when the visibility is good so try to start further out away from them.

The catfish and striper fishing has been good but will be a lot better once we get some more water flow. Live bluegill or shellcracker are a great bait for striper, blues and flatheads this time of year. Suspending them above deep structure and bouncing them down sand bars works great.

6-10 and 12 April 2023

April 6^th – April 10^th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was rainy most of the weekend with temperatures reaching the mid 70’s. Heavy storms hit early Saturday morning with rain continuing throughout the day. Sunday was fair with clear skies leading into a beautiful Monday for fishing. Lake visibility improved compared to the previous week. Water temperatures are increasing with the clear, warm weather. Water level is slowly rising as well coming up a foot within over the weekend.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 64.1 – 65.4 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 60.8 – 64.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 5.5 feet

Water Level: 738.6 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~7450 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~950 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~8100 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Fishing shallower waters with soft plastics and other pre-spawn methods seem to be the most successful lately. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash. In general, creature bugs, craws, and shad-like soft plastics seem to be picking up bites. Jigs are starting to attract bites as well.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

4-12-23

The fishing is excellent right now for multiple species throughout a lot of the lake! The largemouth are hanging on shallow docks and structure with shade and they are getting pretty territorial. Bluegill and baby bass-colored baits work great right now and as more bass go on their beds, they will be pretty apt to take crawfish and salamander patterns over the next couple weeks.

The crappie are going super shallow. White, black and stripe (Blacknose) crappie are all feeding around shallow brush and vegetation. Some of the larger white crappie are still hanging on their usual hangouts in 20 – 30 feet of water close to steep drop-offs. Look for the transition between the mud from the bank erosion and hard bottom that looks like p-gravel. This is where they like to bed especially if there is a covered dock, weeds or downfall. Fishing beds and shallow brush can be a lot easier using a small float above your jig that will keep your bait in the strike zone longer and allow you to fish spooky fish from further away.

Striper (rock fish) are feeding on the surface and pushing shad tight to the bank. The confluence where the rivers come together in Kingston has been loaded with big striper and white bass busting shad lately. Flukes, swimbaits, shallow diving jerk baits and top water lures work great this time of year.

03 April 2023

March 31st – April 3rd, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was rainy to begin the weekend. Temperatures reached the mid 70’s most of the weekend. Heavy storms hit early Saturday morning with heavy winds carrying into that afternoon that forced most anglers off the lake. Sunday was fair with clear skies leading into a cloudy, rainy Monday. Lake visibility was poor once again due to the storms throughout the weekend. Water temperature stayed relatively the same compared to the previous week.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 59.8 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 58.9 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 5 feet

Water Level: 737.7 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~10000 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~3200 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~6300 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Starting to pick up with anglers having success fishing shallower waters with soft plastics. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash. In general, creature bugs, craws, and shad-like soft plastics seem to be picking up bites.

Catfish: Fishing live or cut bait on drop offs near channels

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

NEW

It’s finally that time of year a lot of anglers have been waiting for. Different species of fish have been very active nearly all day and all night instead of just at peak feeding times. With the water level and water temp rising I’m seeing a lot of crappie and bass moving out of the deep and into the shallow vegetation and downfall along the bank.

The pre-spawn crappie bight this year has been a little disappointing due to the amount of drum and shad blanketing the entire lake. I think a crappie can yawn and swallow a mouth full of baitfish right now… Although crappie love hiding inside structure, I try to find schools that are sitting on top of the trees and grass instead of down inside it. I call this their “feeding position”. In deep water 20′ deep or more I like to use a 1/16 – 1/8 oz jig head with more natural-colored jigs when the visibility is good and something more contrasting when the water is murky like a black and chartreuse. For live bait I prefer small live shad.

The catfish and striper have been feeding good but hitting in waves. You’ll go from no fish to 2 or 3 fish on at once and back to no fish. On days where the lake looks empty on the sonar you have to go shallow. Marinas, old sunken docks and manmade debris are holding some monster catfish right now. It’s a really great time to fish even if you don’t have a boat. Fresh cut shad and skipjack work great, but as the water warms up, they will be feeding more on bluegill and shellcracker. And just a little tip if you are new here…You don’t need trotlines or jugs. You don’t need planer boards stretched across the channel or 12 rods out at a time to catch catfish. If you’re not catching them on 4 – 6 rods, you’re not going to catch them on 12 either.

29 March 2023

March 22^nd – March 27^th, 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

The weather was rainy all day on the 22^nd but seemed to clear up throughout the weekend. Temperatures reached the mid 70’s most of the weekend and by Monday making for a beautiful day on the water. The lake visibility dropped again due to the storms over the weekend. Water temperature though, increased compared to the previous week.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp:

– Creeks: 61.4 degrees Fahrenheit

– Tennessee River: 57.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 5 feet

Water Level: 737.4 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~13590 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~1090 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~8505 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Still relatively slow but anglers are having success fishing shallower waters with soft plastics. Others are also finding success with spinner baits and other lures with lots of flash. In general, creature bugs, craws, and shad-like soft plastics seem to be picking up bites.

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are starting to move to shallower areas than previous months.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The fishing in a lot of areas has been difficult lately. There’s a lot of fish feeding, but there’s so much baitfish and so many drum that sifting the bass or crappie out of them can be difficult.

There’s a lot of crappie traveling the edge of the channel right now and stacking up on really steep drop offs and points going into 40 -50 feet of water. A lot of them will head shallow in the next few days after it warms up.

Below the dam is a good place to get walleye and striper right now from the bank or from a boat. You want your bait to drift while just barely bumping and making contact with the bottom. Hair jigs and swim jigs work great.

23 March 2023

NEW

The weather was clear and sunny most of the weekend, but temperature dropped quite a bit, reaching as low as 23 degrees in the mornings. TVA was still spilling water most of the weekend but stopped midday Sunday. The lake visibility improved compared the previous weeks. Water temperature decreased through the weekend due to the cold spell.

Reservoir Conditions

Water Temp: ~50.1 – 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit

Water Clarity: Tennessee River channel averaged 6 feet

Water Level: 737.2 feet

Water Flow:

– Watts Bar Dam: ~44000 cfs

– Melton Hill Dam: ~6780 cfs

– Fort Loudon Dam: ~33500 cfs

Species Specific Information

Bass: Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques. Anglers are Using Rattle Traps, A-rigs, swimbaits and live minnows on banks with brushy structure or rocks

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water (30-40 feet) when fishing channel banks.

Catfish: Fishing cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Sauger/Walleye: Sauger/walleye on the upper end of the reservoir slowed down but is still successful fishing live minnows, jigs with twisters, and small swimbaits throughout the weekend. Anglers are utilizing these baits drift fishing the main channel below Ft. Loudon Dam.

Striper: Using live bait on channel edge drop offs.

White Bass: Small crankbaits, small swimbaits, small jigs, and live minnows in current breaks on edges of main channel.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

16 March 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

NEW

Reservoir Conditions: The weather was clear and sunny most of the weekend. TVA is still spilling so water was turbulent below dams and current carried throughout the lake. The lake visibility is very low due to storms the previous week and high-water spilling. Water temperature is increasing throughout the lake causing fish to move to different areas than previous weeks. The water temperature is between 50.2 – 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Reservoir elevation is 737.1 feet. Discharge for Watts Bar Dam is around 60600 cfs. Discharge for Melton Hill Dam is around 15100 cfs. Fort Loudon Dam is around 40000cfs. The water visibility in the Tennessee river channel is 1.5 feet.

Bass: Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques. Anglers are Using Rattle Traps, A-rigs, swimbaits, and live minnows on banks with brushy structure or rocks

Crappie: Fishing jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water (30-40 feet) when fishing channel banks.

Catfish: Fishing cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Sauger/Walleye: Sauger/walleye on the upper end of the reservoir are still very successful fishing live minnows, jigs with twisters, and small swimbaits. The past few days the sauger fishing success plummeted though. Anglers are utilizing these baits drift fishing the main channel below Ft. Loudon Dam.

Striper: Use live bait on channel edge drop offs.

White Bass: Use small crankbaits, small swimbaits, and small jigs in current breaks on edges of main channel.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

I’m seeing schools of crappie moving up and down the edges of the channel and stacking up in the mouths of coves. Early morning and right before dusk has been good in shallow structure for black crappie. Mid to late day in deep water has been more productive for white crappie.

When the shad are balled up tight it can be a lot easier to locate and pattern feeding bass. When you see the shad scattered out all over the place it helps to target bottlenecks that funnel the baitfish into a tighter spot.

Blue and channel catfish have been feeding in the coves pretty much all day long if there’s a lot of baitfish around. Using a big float helps keep your line above the stumps if you are fishing from the bank or a dock. Hard to beat fresh cut bait like shad. Flatheads and big blue cats have been hanging out in the channel usually close to deep structure. Live bluegill or big fresh cut bait works great for those larger fish.

03 March 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

NEW

Reservoir Conditions: The weather was rainy and foggy on Friday but got clear and sunny with temperatures reaching as high as the mid 60’s the rest of the weekend. Wind seemed to be an issue among some anglers fishing open water. Dams were spilling so water below them was very turbulent and swift. The Emory, Clinch, Piney, and other tributaries feeding the main river were very muddy due to the storms that passed through earlier that week. The water temperature varies between 48.2 – 50.1 degrees. The reservoir elevation is 736.5 feet. Discharge at Watts Bar Dam is around 61,900 cfs. It is 9000 cfs and 33500 cfs at Melton Hill Dam and Fort Loudon Dam respectively. The water visibility in the Tennessee River channel is 3.5 feet and in tributary channels is 1 foot.

Bass: Using Rattle Traps, A-rigs, swimbaits and live minnows on banks with brushy structure or rocks are successful. Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques.

Crappie: Use jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water (30-40 feet) when fishing channel banks.

Catfish: Use cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Sauger/Walleye: Targeting sauger and walleye on the upper end of the reservoir is very successful. Use live minnows, jigs with twisters, and small swimbaits fishing current breaks. Also, drift fishing the main channel below Ft. Loudon Dam has shown success.

Striper: Fish using live bait on channel edge drop offs.

Muskie: Drift and cast toward banks with brush or downed trees below Melton Hill Dam on Clinch River.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Despite all the fluctuations in weather and the water level, the fishing has been VERY good for multiple species.

The white crappie aren’t packed into the deep trees yet but they are catchable. Deep trees closer to and in the current are holding a lot of bigger fish. 1/8 jig or live bait. The black crappie have actually gone from shallow to shallower as they’ve dropped the water level way down. As of yesterday, the black and black nose were in 1 – 4 feet of water and tight to the bank. Today’s cold front could change that. 1/32 jig or live shad. Fishing small structure close to big schools of shad.

Most of the larger bass I’m seeing are not following the shad into the shallow coves like they usually do. They are hanging ledges and banks with steep drop-offs. The shallow coves are absolutely slammed full of drum right now making it hard to target bass.

The catfish have been biting great with all this water flow. Shad, bluegill and yellow bass have all been working good close to big current breaks. There’s also a lot of big catfish in the shallow coves with the shad right now.

24 Feb 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

NEW

Reservoir conditions: The weather was rainy and foggy during the beginning of the week but got clear and sunny later in the week with temperatures reaching as high as the mid 60’s during the weekend. Wind seemed to be an issue among some anglers fishing open water. The water temperature varies from 30 to 65 degrees. The reservoir elevation is 736.5 feet. Discharge at Watts Bar Dam is around 45600 cfs. The water visibility is 3.5 feet in the Tennessee River channel and in creek channels.

Bass: Use Alabama rigs, ned rigs, swim baits, mister twisters, grubs, and hair jigs on steep rocky banks and bluff walls leading into pockets. Some fish are being caught over remaining hydrilla. Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques.

Crappie: Fish jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water (30-40 feet) when fishing channel banks. Anglers are primarily catching crappie more than other species in mouths of creeks and fishing deep structure.

Catfish: Fish cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Yellow bass: Yellow bass are being caught while fishing for crappie.

Sauger/Walleye: Use jigs with twisters and small swimbaits fishing current breaks. Also, drift fishing main channel. Few anglers are targeting sauger/walleye on the upper end of the reservoir.

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

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Despite all the fluctuations in weather and the water level, the fishing has been VERY good for multiple species.

17 Feb 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

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Catfish: Fish cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Yellow bass: Yellow bass are being caught while fishing for crappie.

Sauger/Walleye: Use jigs with twisters and small swimbaits fishing current breaks. Also, drift fishing main channel. Few anglers are targeting sauger/walleye on the upper end of the reservoir.

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With pretty mild weather and decent water flow the fishing has been pretty good lately for numerous species. The tailwaters below the dam have been productive for a variety of fish including striper, walleye, crappie and redear.

This current has big catfish stacking up under large schools of bait usually close to structure in 35 – 60′ of water. The sundown bite has been great along with a good night bite. Fresh cut shad on the bottom has been the ticket lately for big flatheads and blue cats.

10 Feb 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

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The water temperature is around 45 degrees. The lake elevation is 737.05 feet and the tailwater (Ft. Loudon Dam) elevation is 740.98. The discharge for Watts Bar Dam is at 45,800 cfs, and it decreases to 34,150 cfs near Fort Loudon Dam. Water visibility in the Tennessee River channel is about 3 feet, and the visibility in the creek channels is about 3.5 feet. The weather was cold and foggy during the beginning of the week but became rainy/muggy the later in the week.

Bass: Fish using ned rigs, swim baits, and grubs on steep rocky banks leading into pockets and bluff walls. Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques.

Crappie: Fish jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water when fishing channel banks. Anglers are catching crappie more than other species in mouths of creeks and fishing deep structure.

Catfish: Use cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

White bass: Many white bass are caught while fishing for walleye

Sauger/Walleye: Use jigs with twisters and small swimbaits fishing current breaks. Some anglers are also drift fishing the main channel. Few anglers are targeting sauger/walleye on the upper end of the reservoir.

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03 Feb 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

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Catfish: Use cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

White bass: Many white bass are caught while fishing for walleye

27 Jan 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

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Catfish: Use cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

White bass: Many white bass are caught while fishing for walleye

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20 Jan 2023

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk.

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Reservoir conditions: The water temperature ranges before 45 and 49 degrees. Reservoir elevation is 736.95 feet. Water visibility is 5 feet in the Tennessee River Channel, 3.5 feet in the creek channels, and 7.5 feet in Clinch River. The weather was warm and cloudy during the beginning of the week but got cold and rainy/muggy the later in the week. Anglers are primarily catching crappie more than other species in mouths of creeks and fishing deep structure. Few anglers are targeting muskie on the upper end of the reservoir.

Bass: Try using ned rigs, swim baits, and grubs on steep rocky banks leading into pockets and bluff walls. Overall, bass fishing has been relatively slow, but a few anglers are finding success fishing finesse techniques.

Crappie: Fish jigs/ Bobby Garlands and live minnows near channel banks, brush, creek inlets and under docks. Fish are typically in deeper water when fishing channel banks.

Catfish: Anglers have had success using cut bait on main river channel and creek channels.

Muskie: Anglers are catching muskie using live bait and trolling lures.

Freshwater drum: Most anglers are successful while targeting bass or crappie fishing.

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30 Dec 2022

Watts Bar

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Weather and water flow have been a huge factor lately for most anglers. The cold front brought a lot of bait out of the shallows and stacked them right along the drop offs. Quite a few different species take advantage of this just about every winter after a good cold snap. Now the warm weather and sun is pulling a lot of bait back into the coves and shallows with plenty of game fish with them. That will most likely be the pattern unless we get steady cold weather for a while.

A lot of bass have been hanging around the ledges and steep drop offs close to baitfish. I’m seeing some pretty big bass in really shallow water also on the sunny days while I’m netting bait.

The crappie were pretty deep but a couple nights ago I seen a lot moving further back into the coves and stacking up on small structures where they can get an easy meal.

The catfishing has been good when the water is flowing. When there isn’t good water flow, I go into shallow coves around stumps or docks and use smaller gear and cut bait. If there’s shad, there’s most likely going to be some catfish in there.

16 Dec 2022

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With all the rain we’ve been having the fishing has been excellent in the tail-waters below the dam. Quite a few people are catching walleye, striper, bass, and crappie from the banks and from boats.

For the walleye and sauger bright colored curly tail jigs 2-4″ long bounced off of the bottom or retrieved just above the bottom work. Shallow to medium diving jerk baits also work well.

For bass, spinnerbaits, flukes, and A-rigs work greet close to steep drop offs this time of year.

You will usually see action on the surface if the fish are feeding on baitfish.

The crappie are hanging in current breaks below the dam usually close to the bank. Jig and bobber or live minnow usually does the trick

09 Dec 2022

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Here on Watts Bar this is the time of year a lot of anglers have been waiting for. The water level and temp has dropped, and the fish are HUNGRY. Driving around looking for birds and fish busting can be a lot of fun for multiple species of fish.

Although a lot of bass fishermen start fishing deeper and slower this time of year, a lot of fish can also be found in the shallow coves and mud flats. Crankbaits, lipless crank baits and different versions of “A” rigs work well. Top water is also a blast on the calm days and early morning.

With the water level being so low if forces a lot of crappie to abandon their hang outs along the shoreline and seek deeper structure. A lot of black crappie will be around docks from 2 – 15 feet of water. The white crappie can show up anywhere this time of year but the majority of them are being caught in and close to submerged structure in about 20 – 25 feet.

The blue cats are all over the place right now. Shallow coves and flats full of shad will hold a lot of fish during the day and a lot of them will head into deeper water around sundown.

11 Nov 2022

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Bass fishing has been good in and around the patches of dying vegetation in the coves especially the ones fed by creeks. A lot of really big bass are also scattered in open water busting big shad on the surface.

A lot of black crappie are being caught in very shallows water around docks, brush, and the edge of weed lines. 1/32 jig or minnows under a float work great. The white crappie are showing up in big schools around structure in around 20′ deep. I use a 1/16 – 1/8 jig.

The catfishing is great this time of year when the water is flowing. The blue cats can be caught literally anywhere there is shad which is almost everywhere on Watts Bar. Most of the big flatheads will be in deep water from now until spring.

The striper and white bass are gorging on shad and are moving around a lot. White swimbaits, flukes and top water lures work great if thrown directly into where the fish are busting. There’s some big bass in with them too sometimes.

28 Oct 2022

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This cold front has dropped the water temp a lot here on Watts bar. It was 66 degrees yesterday mid-day in the channel. Usually this pushes the fish deeper, but they have been busting shad down the banks like crazy in schools and there are some really big bass in the mix. Rocky coves with large numbers of big shad and threadfin are great for big smallmouth this time of year.

The white crappie are showing up on the deep structure in good numbers but can be a little picky. The black crappie are a lot more aggressive right now and can be a lot easier to target. Docks or submerged structure in about 7 – 15 feet of water is perfect, but they can show up just about anywhere there is plenty bait fish to eat.

The striper and catfishing has been very good. They hit in waves a lot this time of year. Fresh cut shad works great for blues and flatheads but most of my biggest flatheads lately have been in about 40 feet of water behind big current breaks on live bluegill.

Large mixed schools of white bass and striper have been busting almost daily around Kingston.

07 Oct 2022

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With a pretty solid couple weeks of cold windy nights the water temp has dropped pretty fast this year. It’s holding around 70- 71 degrees which is about 5 or 6 degrees cooler than previous years. This has bass and other species feeding on baitfish in the shallows early morning and before sundown.

For bass using top water and sub surface lures around the dying weed beds has been very productive on overcast days and early in the morning. On watts bar I don’t really try punching through the thick mats of vegetation like I do in other bodies of water, but I will focus on deep holes in the weeds and along the edges of the weed beds. On the days the fish aren’t as active small jigs and scented plastic worms worked slowly down drop-offs or fished vertically around deep structure work well.

The black crappie have been biting pretty good and have been a main target of mine lately just because of the terrible shifting wind we’ve had. Black crappie like shallower water from 2 – 15′ so getting in a small cove with weeds and some structure can be a great way to catch fish without fighting the wind. Minnows under slip floats and 1/16 oz jigs work great.

I’m finding some big white crappie on deep structure but not really in large schools yet. They are usually tucked tight into the structure while the smaller white crappie are usually schooled up above the brush or off to the side of it. I’m fishing mostly 20 – 35′ for them with jigs or small live shad.

The catfish and striper bite has been great! It’s an excellent time of year for anyone to catch some fish even without a boat. They are pushing schools of baitfish right up into the shallows and along the banks. The tailwaters of the dams are a great place to fish right now for them. Cut skipjack or cut shad works very well. Bluegill and other sunfish also work well.

02 Sept 2022

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With the temps dropping much cooler at night the lake is changing a lot. I’m seeing a lot of bass moving into shallow coves pushing baitfish around the vegetation. A lot of the bigger bass are hanging in creek beds that cut a trough through the weeds. It supplies them with cooler water that has more oxygen in it. I think more bass will be moving into the thick matted weed beds once the water cools down.

I’m finding some black crappie around the edge of thick weed beds and also in small structures around 8 – 12 foot deep.

A lot of the white crappie I’m finding are on steep drop offs or hanging just off of deep structure from 25 – 40′ deep. Minnows and small jigs have both worked well.

The catfishing and striper fishing has been excellent when the water is flowing good. Most of my better fish are coming right before sundown and early in the night. Fresh cut shad and bluegill have worked best for me. Live bluegill has also been working good suspended just above the bottom.

12 Aug 2022

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With schools of baitfish all over the surface up and down the river, it’s pretty easy to find some feeding fish right now if you have a boat. Even without a boat it isn’t too hard to find bass, striper, or white bass this time of year just by looking across the surface of the water for fish busting, especially early morning and before sunset.

I’m still finding largemouth, and smallmouth schooled up in big groups busting bait. A lot of them are under 2 pounds but there are some bigger ones usually hanging under them or out in just a little deeper water. I haven’t seen a lot of bass in the shallow weeds lately. Most of them are close to deep drop offs or above deep structure in the channel. If you see baitfish on the surface above a good current break, there’s a good chance there’s some feeding fish in there.

Catfish and striper fishing has been pretty good lately depending on water flow and weather. I’m finding a lot of them stacked up around sharp river bends and behind big current breaks when the water is flowing good. I’m catching most of them on fresh cut shad, skipjack, or bluegill but live bluegill has also been working well. I usually fish 40 – 60′ of water with just enough weight to let my bait slowly tumble across the bottom.

29 July 2022

Watts Bar

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There were a lot of bass busting the surface yesterday starting a few hours before dark. Mostly smaller bass with some nice ones mixed in. Throughout the heat of the day cranking shelfs and rock piles in deeper water can be pretty productive. Jigging soft plastics off the bottom and swim jigs also work well on really hot days. I would recommend fishing early morning or starting a few hours before dark.

The striper fishing has been great below the dam. Live and cut shad or skipjack both work very well. White flukes and bucktails also work.

The catfishing has been excellent. It’s always better with good water flow but I have done very well lately even when the water wasn’t flowing. Sandbars and deep structure covered in baitfish are both great places to catch a lot of catfish. Fresh cut bluegill has been working very well. If you are fishing from land, spillways, creek mouths, bridges, points, and sharp turns in the river are good places to find catfish stacked up.

15 July 2022

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I’m still seeing a lot of bass schooled up together busting shad, but they are starting to spread out with the bait. There are still a lot of good fish hanging close to deep rocky drop offs and points where bait is plentiful but I’m getting most of my bigger fish in the shallows. Finding the right combination of depth and vegetation can be critical on the really hot sunny days. With some polarized glasses you can find dark holes in the weed beds and there are some pigs tucked down in them waiting to ambush whatever swims over top or drops down into it. Most of these fish hidden in the holes are not boat or line shy so I get up pretty close and pitch big bulky jigs and soft plastics into them. Heavy braided line helps cut through the vegetation a lot when you hook a fish.

A lot of black crappie are still in their normal habitat, just a little deeper this time of year. I catch most of them in about 10 – 15 feet of water around docks or structure with plenty of shade. A lot of the bigger white crappie have moved offshore to deeper water. You can find them close to structure in 25 – 40+ feet of water. Good water flow will bring them up in the water column to feed but with little or no water flow they will usually be close to the bottom. A lot of people troll crankbaits or push minnows this time of year with good results.

The striper and catfishing is on fire. Most of the catfish have already spawned and they are hungry. The most simple rigs for them tend to work the best for me. You don’t need stink bait, rattles, or bass lures on your line to catch plenty of big trophy fish. Fresh cut bait and live bait close to or on the bottom is all you need to catch catfish and striper all day. Fresh cut shad is my #1 choice this time of year but live and cut bluegill work great also. I usually fish close to sand bars covered in baitfish that drop into deep channels. The striper and cats will be traveling the bottom of the drop off and if they are really active, they will come up on top of the sand bar and gorge. Free lining live bluegill on top of the sandbars is a great way to catch striper right now.

01 July 2022

Watts Bar

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This is the time of year I back off of the crappie and migrate more towards the bass. They are gorging on baitfish right now and when they are competing against each other they have more of an “eat now think later” approach. Flukes and small swimbaits are working great. The smaller bass seem to be hugging the banks while the bigger bass are hanging around submerged points and structure. Finding large schools of bait can be critical this time of year.

This is a great time of year to catch striper. The striper can be caught below the dam on white bucktail jigs and flukes on heavy jig heads. Jigging spoons and trolling deep diving crankbaits also works great around sand bars and old creek beds this time of year. Live skipjack and shad also work very well.

Some catfish are still in their holes but a lot of them have already spawned and moved back out. Fresh cut shad, cut bluegill and live bluegill work great. White bass and skipjack also work well. I usually fish the bottom with a 10/0 kahle and a weight that just barely lets the bait drift down river in the current. Suspending baits just above the bottom also works well and you can get a lot of striper doing this also.

17 June 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

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Because of the spike in heat, it has made fishing difficult for some anglers. This time of year, I usually focus less on targeting one species in a day and leave my options open to whatever I have the best chance of catching. I spend a LOT more time watching and listening to the surface and less time watching the electronics. You can see the baitfish pretty easy on the surface and if you can’t the fish busting them are easy to spot and hear.

In my opinion this is the easiest time of year to catch bass here on Watts Bar. Don’t assume schools of fish busting are white bass, skipjack, or striper because the largemouth and smallmouth are schooled up tight and when they break the surface its usually quite a few of them busting at once. The bass are usually tight to a rocky bank with a steep drop off this time of year and will move into shallow flats loaded with vegetation late in the summer when the shad do. I wait until I see the fish come up and boil and then I chuck a fluke or small jig right in where they are boiling. They usually hit it immediately.

Out more towards the middle of the channel you will see other species busting bait which is usually a mix of white bass, yellow bass, skipjack, and big striper. Under these fish working bait you will find a lot of catfish and more big striper. Throwing white jigs, spoons and trolling crank baits are great ways to stay hooked up on fish.

When you find a good stretch of river or cove the fish are feeding heavily in, keep in mind. Those baitfish can move out any second and the game fish will leave with them. Sometimes they move all day up or down the river. Sometimes they stay in a spot for weeks. That’s the fun of fishing this time of year.

03 June 2022

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The fishing in general has been really good lately even despite all the boat traffic and heat. The fry and shad minnows are all over surface in the coves and current breaks which has the game fish feeding pretty good.

I’ve been getting a lot of bass on flukes close to cover and on the sunny days I pitch big bulky jigs and soft baits into the holes in the weed beds and pull out some pretty good fish. Small creek channels pouring into coves and back bays have been really productive.

The crappie fishing has been excellent lately with a lot of fish off the beds and moving back into deeper water. The black crappie have been biting from about 7 – 12′ deep around docks and light cover. Most of the white crappie I’m getting are in 25 – 30′ of water on submerged structure.

The catfish bite is hot right now like it is every year before the majority of them start to spawn. Live bluegill and green sunfish work great and so do fresh cut bait like shad or skipjack on the bottom.

27 May 2022

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The bass fishing has been pretty good now that a lot of bass have spawned and are moving back into their normal feeding locations. I have been throwing flukes and other soft plastics around fallen trees and stump beds producing some good fish. Cranking steep drop offs close to structure and baitfish has also been productive when they are feeding deeper.

The crappie fishing has been good lately. I’m seeing less fish stuck to the treetops but the ones I’m finding are hungry. 1/16 oz jig on calm days and 1/8 on windy days. I’ll use a 1/32 if I’m fishing shallow for black crappie. They have been taking large live baits also.

The fishing below the dam has been decent when the water is flowing for smallmouth, walleye, striper, and crappie. There are a lot of other species mixed in with them.

The bite in and along the main channel for big catfish and striper will be really hot with this water flow.

20 May 2022

Watts Bar

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The fishing has been excellent lately despite the lack of water flow. Multiple species are gorging on all the frye minnows hatching. The afternoon bite has been good, but the night bite has been even better.

I’ve found that a lot of the bass that bedded deeper have already spawned and moved off beds while there are still some bass in the shallows on beds. Most of these bass in the shallows are smaller largemouth and they are very aggressive.

The bluegill and shellcracker have been moving on and off beds in waves as they usually do. Catching them couldn’t be easier right now.

The crappie fishing has been pretty good during the day but on fire at night. I’m targeting lights along docks, bridges, and boat ramps. They draw in the frye minnows and multiple species are feeding on them. Suspending submersible lights over structure has also been very productive for big slab crappie the past couple weeks. On a good night we’re getting hit on almost every cast using small jigs. Another good method is using a 12-foot jig pole and just dipping the jig in the water.

I’m seeing and catching a lot of striper from sundown until about 11 pm. Topwater lures and big live skipjack have been working great.

06 May 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With such a vast diversity of depth and terrain here on Watts Bar there are multiple species of fish spawning right now at once. Bass, bluegill, red ear, and crappie to name a few. Catching these bedded fish can be very fun but I try to get them back into the water quickly unless you are eating them. Most fish bed in areas in shallow water with sand or pebble bottom close to structure and shade. Areas of the lake that have warmer water temps are ahead of the spawn cycle while colder parts are a little behind. Fish on beds are very aggressive and will attack just about anything that gets too close. For bedded bass I like soft plastics like salamanders, crawfish, or small jigs. For panfish a 1/32 jig tipped with a pieced of worm works great.

The fishing in general is a little slow right now due to a lack of water flow but it will pick up after we get some rain.

22 April 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The cold fronts and cold nights this spring have set our pre-spawn and spawn patters back a little bit. The water temp is in the low to mid 60’s in most places and higher in the shallows. There are plenty of white and black crappie in the shallow coves and creek mouths right now and quite a few white crappie still in the deep trees. Most of the crappie I am seeing are in schools moving around in about 15 – 25 feet of water.

A lot of people are catching bass right now on a variety of baits. Casting chatter baits, spinnerbaits, flukes, or top water lures parallel to a rocky bank can bead deadly if you see a lot of baitfish around. Early morning has been the best time for me lately because of the heavy winds. This time of year is great for big catfish and striper. Live baits like shad and skipjack are great. I catch most of mine on fresh cut bait. Good water flow is the key.

15 April 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With the water level and water temp both rising very fast the fish are finally getting into their spring patterns here on the bar. The fishing has been very sporadic this year and difficult to pattern multiple species because of constant changing weather and water conditions. Most of my fishing has been in pretty shallow water lately close to a lot of baitfish. The fish are moving around a lot right now so I try to target points, creek mouths and bottlenecks that feeding fish will stick to while they are migrating around.

The majority of white and black crappie are both being caught pretty shallow right now around structure and docks. I’m seeing a lot of schools of crappie out on the move while I’m scanning with my sonar, but they can be tricky to catch and hard to stay on.

The striper are stacked up below the dams and in a lot of coves. I’m seeing a lot of them busting the surface just about anywhere there’s a lot of baitfish.

The bass fishing has been pretty good but like most species the bite has been on and off because of the constant weather changes. With the water level getting high a lot of bass will be moving into fallen trees along steep drop offs and points soon.

The Walleye and Sauger fishing has slowed down a bit but they can still be caught below the dams from a boat or the bank.

08 April 2022

Watts Bar

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The bass are biting pretty good. Jigs, deep diving crank baits and lipless crankbaits have been working well close to rocky drop offs. Jigs and plastic worms have been working well for bass holding tight to deep cover.

A lot of white and black crappie are being caught in the shallows close to humps, fallen trees and docks. Some deep structure is also holding some good white crappie.

Striper and catfish have been biting good on fresh cut bait. Striper have also been biting good on a variety of lures especially white or white and silver.

01 April 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

I’m finding a lot of crappie moving into shallow structure around entrances to coves and creeks. Some of the big white crappie are still out deep in 20′ of water or more.

A great place to catch bass right now is around rocky points and along banks with a lot of rocks and stumps. I look for banks with a lot of baitfish on them.

I’m seeing a lot more striper showing up on the sonar and seeing a lot more of them busting the surface. White flukes and swim baits work great. Free lining live shad or skipjack is a great way to catch them. Live sunfish also works great.

With all the water flow we’ve had and the population of big shad this year the catfishing has been great. Fresh cut bait like shad, skipjack or bluegill works very well.

25 March 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Right now, the fishing conditions very a lot depending on what area of the lake you are at. The water temp is in the high 50’s in most places and into the 60’s in the shallows.

White and black crappie are stacked in creeks and creek mouths. Some are holding on deep structure close to drop-offs in the main body of the lake. I expect to see a lot more big crappie stacking up in the shallows over the next 2 weeks.

Walleye are biting below the dam and along sand bars and weed lines where there’s a lot of baitfish.

A lot of bass are migrating towards shallow coves as spawn approaches. Lipless crankbaits, flukes, chatter baits and spinnerbaits work well this time of year.

The catfish bite is great on fresh cut bait in deep water close to big structure.

Striper are busting the surface in the mornings and right before dark all over the river. They can be caught just about all day long below the dams on live bait, swimbaits, white flukes or bucktail jigs.

18 March 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Now that the weather is stabilizing the crappie are moving into their spring hide outs. A lot of black and white crappie have moved into shallow structure. Creeks and creek mouths have been most productive. Try minnows or a 1/32 to 1/16 oz jig.

There’s a lot of striper and bass mixed in together feeding on big shad in the mornings and right before sundown. I look for shad jumping on the surface or use sonar to mark schools of baitfish. Flukes, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits in white or white and silver are pretty deadly.

The catfish are biting great close to deep structure on fresh cut shad and skipjack. Live bluegill and green sunfish also work great.

11 March 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

With the weather going back and fourth from hot to cold the fishing has been a little unpredictable.

The black crappie are biting pretty good around shallow structure on minnows and small jigs. The white crappie are still holding pretty deep in most parts of the lake and taking large jigs and shad.

The bass are busting shad close to the bank and on points with a lot of structure. Catching them can be tricky with all the shad around.

The catfish and striper bite slowed down a little this past weekend but it is picking back up. With all the heavy water flow targeting big structure and current breaks has been the key.

04 March 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The water is clearing up quick. Lot of debris floating down the river, but the clarity is getting much better. The water levels are about full pool and will fluctuate up and down with the amount of rain we get. The fish are feeding great but packed full of shad. Finding spots with just the right amount of shad seems to be the key lately for multiple species.

The bass are holding close to structure on the drop offs where there is plenty of baitfish and they are also roaming the submerged stump fields and flats eating big shad and threadfin.

The crappie bite slowed down for a few days with the muddy water but were taking brighter colored jigs that stand out against the murky water. Now they are back to hitting natural colors. The black crappie are shallow and in or close to structure with a little water flow. The white crappie are deep and most being caught between 20 – 35 feet of water close to structure.

The striper are feeding good below the dams on live skipjack but catching them on artificial with light tackle is a real treat and much more enjoyable. Look for them busting the surface and throw white swimbaits or flukes at them.

The catfish bite is still extremely hot. Lot of double and triple hookups with fish over 30 lbs. on about every trip. Fresh cut shad and live shad are working great, but crappie carcasses have been the best bait by far.

25 Feb 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The recent rain has the water levels high and the fish biting good.

Crappie bite has been great the past few days from shallow creek mouths out to over 35 feet of water. With the muddy water bright jigs have been the way to go.

A lot of bass and striper are busting the surface and chasing baitfish in shallow water and right up next to the bank.

This heavy water flow has the catfish bite on fire right now.

18 Feb 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

The water temperature is rising fast, and the action is picking up for many species. Mixed schools of bass, striper and white bass can be seen busting gizzard shad and threadfin in the coves and along the flats.

The crappie bite is hot right now and should get even better over the next couple of weeks. The water is still low so most of the crappie are deep, but they should migrate more to the shallows as it rises. The white crappie are schooled up in trees about 15 – 25′ deep while the black crappie are staying around 10 – 15′ deep.

Walleye and sauger are still biting good below the dam on jigs and stick baits.

Bass have been pretty easy to find with side imaging sonar pushing through the big schools of shad around old creek beds and rock piles in about 10 -20 feet of water.

11 Feb 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Now that the weather is stabilizing the bite is picking up on Watts Bar and the fish are getting easier to pattern. Bait fish are schooled up thick in the coves and creek beds and hungry predators are right in there with them feeding. We didn’t have much of a shad kill this year, but it did get cold enough to stun them. Look for birds diving and hovering over the water. And that’s where you will find bigger fish feeding on shad. Use shad-colored lures or live shad to catch a variety of fish including bass, striper, white bass, catfish, drum, and crappie.

The black crappie are thick in the shallows on the overcast days and in about 8- 15 feet on sunny days. Minnows and small light jigs work great.

The white crappie are coming out of the deep channels and hanging around sunken treetops in 25 – 40 feet of water. Look for structure close to a steep drop off and use large jigs 2 – 3.5″ long.

Walleye are biting below the dam on jigs and stick baits. Along with them are sauger and a ton of white bass.

The giant catfish are still biting great. They are in the shallows with the shad during the day gorging on baitfish and moving into the deep channels at night.

28 Jan 2022

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Captain Wallace Sitzes – Follow on Facebook

Bass are holding close to stumps and other structures along the drop offs in or close to shallow coves and creek mouths full of shad. The shad are scattered around the lake so finding them has been the key to catching quality fish lately. Coves with the wind blowing heavily into them have been a good place to find them especially if there is any vegetation around. Marking groups of striper and drum can be a good indication that there’s some feeding bass close by. Jerk baits and Senko style baits work well. Smallmouth are holding close to rock piles and bluffs in or just outside of the channel under the baitfish in 15 – 35 feet of water or deeper. Crawdad pattern jigs and shad colored sluggo style baits have been producing good fish.

Black crappie are feeding very well in the creek mouths close to sunken brush. Minnows and jigs work well, and slow rolling small spinner baits is a good way to locate and catch them when they are scattered around. The white crappie are coming out of the deep channels and starting to stack up thick around sunken brush along steep drop offs. They seem to be preferring jigs more than live bait. A small jig on a 1/16th jig head has been great and a 1/8 jig head on the windy days. The night bite under lights has been good lately also.

The catfish bite has been extremely hot after sundown along steep drop offs close to flats full of shad. If you find thick schools of bait around 40 feet of water, there will be plenty of big catfish under them with a few big striper and occasional sturgeon mixed in with them. Cast adjacent to the boat with a small weight and let the current sweep your bait across the bottom.

Plenty of walleye, sauger and white bass have been getting caught below the dam. Some decent crappie are also being caught in the eddys close to the bank. White/blue, white/pink and chartreuse jigs and swimbaits work well on a 1/8th – 1/4 oz jig head. Use caution and wear a life vest while fishing from a boat below the dams tailwaters. The current has been very strong. Captain Wallace Sitzes.

26 Nov 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Water temps are in the mid to low 50s. The bite really hasn’t improved in months. What fall patterns there were have disappeared. There are still some fish in the grass and really great quality, but they seem to be impossible to catch as they are eating tiny bait. Fishing wood can be productive but finding any that will measure 15″ is a chore. I think we are in a big transition and there is a huge movement towards wintertime patters. Slowing down is definitely the key to getting a bigger bite.

Mid Nov 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Watts Bar seems to be fishing better but still one of the toughest lakes around. It has received more pressure this year than ever. Bait Can be found in creeks abs typical fall locations but fishing

Is just as tough around the bait as it is with no bait. Small spinnerbaits abs swimbaits seem to be catching the most numbers. A few better-quality fish can be caught early morning on topwater. Sitting down and enjoying fishing without running and searching seems to be just as productive as hitting quality areas

22 Oct 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

We’re starting to see some improvements but still extremely tough fishing. Some of the best anglers on the lake competed this previous week and numbers /quality were super low. With most anglers not catching a limit. Finesse baits on the main channel seem to be most productive. Water cools off as you go up the lake and seems to be the most consistent. Also, better watercolors up the lake. The lower end of the lake has some schooling action but it’s inconsistent. If you do happen to land on them it can be a fun few minutes. Smallmouth seem to be much more active and aggressive right now. Striped bass are starting to school on the main lake which can also be a fun time.

17 Sept 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Water temps are cooling off and hitting the 70s. Nights are longer and colder. Starting to see some fall fishing show up. Topwaters and Shad type baits seem to be key. Smaller seems to be the best as much of the Shad the fish are eating is still very small. Lots of grass is being sprayed still and seems to be hurting that bite. Look on rock banks with laydowns for the most productive fishing. Still a few lingering on deeper structure but don’t plan to catch many.

03 Sept 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

The dog days of summer continue, and the fishing is tough. Water temperatures are slowly coming down (78-80 in the mornings) and hopes of better fishing in the coming weeks. Downsizing is definitely the key to more bites. Shallow water close to the main channel seems to be the most productive areas. Still, lots of fish to be caught offshore but they are very scattered. If you do find them, they seem to be much healthier than the fish that are shallow. Look for brush piles 20-30 feet deep. Some fish are being caught on topwater, but you may go hours without a bite till finding a school of fish. Night fishing has slowed down some over the last week due to the moon phase I believe. Dark colored topwater worms and spinnerbaits seem to be the most productive.

27 Aug 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Not much new to report from last week. The dog days of summer are here, and the fishing is tough. Water temperatures are slowly coming down (78-80 in the mornings) and hopes of better fishing in the coming weeks. Downsizing is definitely the key to more bites. Shallow water close to the main channel seems to be the most productive areas. Still, lots of fish to be caught offshore but they are very scattered. If you do find them, they seem to be much healthier than the fish that are shallow. Look for brush piles 20-30 feet deep. Some fish are being caught on topwater, but you may go hours without a bite till finding a school of fish. Night fishing has slowed down some over the last week due to the moon phase I believe. Dark colored topwater worms and spinnerbaits seem to be the most productive.

20 Aug 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Watts Bar is still fishing very tough. One of the toughest lakes around right now. The offshore bite is pretty much obsolete, the surface bait has scattered the fish everywhere. Bluff walls seem to be holding some of the most consistent fish/bites. The grass is coming along on places that are not being sprayed weekly. Bites are just as slow in the grass. Schooling fish have slowed down but there are still a few to be found. Slow fishing with light tackle seems to be winning most of the tournaments. The rainfall this week has dirtied the water some but seems the quantity of bites has went down even more.

13 Aug 2021

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Watts Bar remains the same. Bites seem to be tougher whether on the back chasing schooling fish, or odd hire structure. The nighttime bite is where most of the anglers are finding success. Schooling is far and few between now and only specific spots. Offshore bites are slow, and the weights are diminishing.

06 Aug 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Watts Bar hasn’t changed must from last week. Bites seem to be tougher whether on the back chasing schooling fish, or odd hire structure. The nighttime bite is where most of the anglers are finding success. Schooling is far and few between now and only specific spots. Offshore bites are slow, and the weights are diminishing.

30 July 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Not a lot has changed on Watts Bar over the last week except for much tougher fishing conditions. There are Still a few fish schooling on topwater around current breaks but much less activity from the lack of rain cooling off the surface temperature/ very hot days. Most offshore/deep schools of bass are very finicky from lots of fishing pressure. A few new May fly hatches this week in the mid lake area and are holding some healthy bass. Whether fishing the bank or deep structure soft plastics fished slow seem to be the most productive. Grass is still growing but coverage is much less. Spraying / late winter? Grass bite seems to be just as slow as everything else. Nighttime fishing has been much more productive as always. The late summer lull has begun.

23 July 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor – Joe Tallent

Bass Fishing has been better than normal for the end of July. Largemouth can be caught just about as deep as you like to fish or as shallow as you like to fish. The best depth seems to be around 30 feet. Still a few big schools offshore but can be very hard to get them to bite. Especially without current. Lots of people fishing for them both artificial lures and live Shad. The offshore numbers from 3 weeks ago have decreased dramatically. One big cause being that the late summer surface bait is starting to appear. You have lots of Bass finding this on the surface and schooling on top water. Look for heavy current breaks in the late evening and you are sure to find some schooling fish. (Bass striped bass white bass) best lures for this are your typical topwater and small swimbaits. Aquatic vegetation is starting to grow well but bites are sporadic. Night fishing shallow has been great especially with the full moon.

28 May 2021

Watts Bar

Forecast Contributor Scott Bunch

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/scott.bunch.798

Reports that the bite was getting tough over the last week. Bass were mainly being caught on brush with about 15 to 20 keepers in his last trip.

07 May 2021

– Scott Bunch reports he had a good trip this week by fishing brush off the main channel in 13 to 25 feet of water. There were a mixture of spawning fishing and post spawn with water temperatures in the low to mid 60s in the areas he fished.

Watts Bar by TWRA Fishing Forecast

Forecast Contributor – Nathan Rogers, Region III Creel Clerk

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