tailwaters

Has anyone been catching anything from the bank below Watts Bar, Chickamauga or Nickajack dams, lately ? Are there any other areas where bank fishing can be productive at this time of year ? There is a huge eddy above and below the launch ramp on the left bank below Chickamauga dam, which ought to have a lot of fish but yesterday was very disappointing, considering the increase in flow from the rains. Any replies are appreciated. emoBang
 

porthos33

New member
Yeah they aren't always down there. Great thing is with winter pool you can pretty much fish from the bank anywhere you want
 

spuds704

New member
Got out around noon and fished a ledge on the main channel for crappie on Nickajack. Caught some good fish there before the two Arctic blasts came through, but we never got a nibble Friday. Talked to a couple of guys bass fishing there and they had the same result. We took out and put in below the dam to try the white bass, I fished off the bank for about two hours Thursday and caught eight on a Mister Champ spoon. The depth finder showed bait and fish all over the place but they were not too willing to bite. The wife caught a perch on a crappie minnow and I got one white bass on the spoon. I threw white and chartreuse jigs and never got a nibble. The white bass have just started to turn on there after the rain we had last week, they were holding just below the spill gates and in the dead lock for the last couple of weeks but they wouldn't hit anything. After the rain, the water temps went from 41 to 47 in the slack water near the boat ramp and the water flow is pushing more bait into the area. After the rain this weekend they should be wide open next week.
 
First of all, thanks for the replies, porthos33 and spuds704. RE: Nickajack TW - Is that big basin on the lock side to the right or left of the launch ramp productive for bank fishing ? It has not been for me so far, most recently, last month....not even a bite. I also tried around the old Hales bar dam. I am happy to catch bluegill and yellow bass as well as white bass and crappie, using small jigs with gulp worms or plastics. I've caught 12" crappie below W. Bar and chickamauga, but it's been inconsistent, and apparently not just for me. On the lake, the Blythe ferry east side coughed up a few, but only when there was no wind and the sun was on the water. I agree that the banks are accessible now, but where are the good banks with deep water nearby ?
 

spuds704

New member
Yes, I usually start to the right of the ramp under the power lines but if they're running good you can catch white bass anywhere in the area. I'm going tomorrow, Monday, and I'll post on this thread.
 
I will look forward to that. Did you manage to get out, and did you have any success ? I know the water is high, but hopefully, not too muddy, below the dam. These sudden changes might cause the fish some time to get used to them.
 

spuds704

New member
I didn't get to go until 5 this afternoon and fished about an hour and a half, when my fingers went numb from the cold water. I caught 6 white bass lost two and foul hooked one in the back. I think it'll just get better this week, with the extra flow and the temps coming up. Water was up about five feet and stained, lots of grass and weeds floating. They seemed to hit the spoon better than white or chartreuse grubs but that could change anytime.
 
That's great that you can catch 'em on metal and plastic at this time of year. R U under the power lines ? I try to avoid too much walking on boulders and rip-rap. Yesterday, I caught 13 bluegill and a crappie from the walkway at watts bar, casting a lightweight jig with a gulp worm, mostly sitting in a comfortable chair getting damp from the drizzle. With light winds and biting fish I didn't mind. The water had a slight stain; 44 degrees with at least 3 feet of visibility. there was no floating debris, but Very sluggish fish ! Fortunately, they were active enough to hit a slow retrieve in that cold water.
 
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