Fishing Report
CHICKAMAUGA ? Water temperature is near 70 degrees. Shellcracker fishing continues to be good. The action is slowing, but several fish are still being caught in the river cuts and in the shallow isolated pockets. Spinners, small jigs, wax worms, and red worms are a few baits that can be used. Bluegill fishing is really good in the shallows as well as along the rocky creek and river banks. Wax worms and crickets are the most popular baits. Crappie anglers are not catching a lot of fish overall. The numbers are down with 6-to-8 being about the average catch. Those that are catching the most fish are concentratingprimarily on river locations. A few heavy catches have come from the post spawn areas in the sloughs. Minnows and jigs, and in some cases a combination of both, are the baits most fishermen are choosing. Rockfish are being caught in the tailwaters on shad and a variety of artificial lures. Heavy concentrations of rockfish are absent in the tailwaters. It seems that they may be in transition. Some rockfish migrate to the headwaters of major creeks this time of year and that period should be closing. Bass anglers are racing to their favorite fishing holes. Bass are scattered, but can be caught in the post spawn areas in the creeks and sloughs as well as the river. The only schooling of bass that I know about so far has occurred near humps and drops in the main channel of the Tennessee River. Catfish are being caught by drifters in the main channel. Some anglers are catching catfish in the sloughs. The numbers of catfish being caught are not great because the catfish seem to be in transition.
DALE HOLLOW ? Fishing is slow. The water temperature is 80 degrees; lake is stable. Day fishing for bass is slow with a few fish being caught on spooks, while fish are chasing minnows. Main lake points have been the best location. Night fishing is good while casting jigs and spinnerbaits on points in 5-to-10 feet of water. Walleye fishing is fair while trolling grassbeds with crawler rigs in 18-to-20 feet of water. A few good browns and rainbows are being caught near the dam while trolling with downriggers in 40 feet of water.
Normandy ? Black Bass are mostly off bed. There may be a few on but for the most part they are done. The bass bite has been slow since they started coming off bed and they aren’t really making a pattern right now. A few are hitting top water in the early mornings and at sunset. Catfish are still doing well. Almost all anglers are reporting having ?accidentally? caught at least one no matter what species they were fishing for. Jugs and Limb lines have been productive and also pole fishing with night crawlers.
The spring crappie bite is over on Normandy. The spawn is over and they are no longer on bed. They can still be caught and are still in the tree tops, but they are not aggressive at all. Sizes are still up. Sunfish are on all the banks and in the treetops. Crickets have been the most productive bait. Carp are rolling on all the banks.
Woods Reservoir ? Black Bass are being caught in good numbers right now on Woods. They are scattered. Most bass fishermen are catching fish, but there hasn’t been a pattern as to where they are catching them or a specific type of lure that is working best. Catfish are being caught everywhere and on all types of lures.
Crappie are having good days and bad days. The water temperature has fluctuated so much with the recent weather patterns, that the crappie just can’t gather in the same place at the same time. The few that are bunched up are changing depths and patterns daily. Minnows seem the be the ticket right now. Sunfish are on all the banks and in the treetops.
(Information from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Website, www.tnwildlife.org Compiled by Dale Stubblefield)