NICKAJACK DAM - Lock/Launching Ramp side

[jaygivens70]

Has anyone been catching anything off the bank on the launching ramp side of the dam ? I've not had much luck from the bank to the right of the ramp; was thinking about walking out to the area adjacent to the lock wall. Is it easy to get down to the water along there, or do you have to climb down a lot of riprap ?
Any replies and suggestions are appreciated. I'm not after big game - anything tugging on my line is fine, but I prefer brim, stripe, and crappie as opposed to drum and skipjack. Thanks

 

[WaterChap]

Downstream form the boat ramp has several spots you can fish from the bank. The brim fishing there’s pretty good. If the water’s running you can sometimes get striper in front of the pier. I’ve caught white bass with a spoon from the bank to the right of the ramp and catfish there with bait. Against the dam there’s a sidewalk that you can use to pitch bait or lures into a tunnel that usually has catfish. I fished several areas near the dam from my boat today. I think it’s been slow for everyone.

 

[Aries 181]

Never fished for hats before but plenty of Bream in my 67 years!

Bill

 

[jaygivens70]

Thanks to Waterchap and Aries 181 for the replies. I have fished for many years below dams on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, but Nickajack is different. I know that there is plenty of access to the right of the ramp. I've just never caught much there, let alone get into a concentration of fish. That is why I was curious about the area adjacent to the lock wall. I am taking my daughter and want to make sure we catch something. I am trying to visualize the sidewalk and "tunnel" (?) that you are talking about. I want to fish during the daylight hours and be able to get down to the water without a lot of scrambling over rocks. I don't expect to catch channel cats this time of year but I could be wrong. The low flows are not conducive to the best fishing in the tailwaters. Still, the bluegill, shellcracker and yellow bass have been biting some around sunset below watts bar and chickamauga.

 

[WaterChap]

There’s a long sidewalk that winds down from the parking lot towards the dam on the River side. It’s a little broken. It ends in a small platform right up against the dam with a railing. A series of tunnels go under and into the dam. At the landing you are right up against the nearest tunnel. I haven’t fished it for a few years so I can’t speak to current conditions of anything. I can tell you that fishing there can be dependent on water levels and crowds. For kids I always go down to the downstream edge of the park and fish off the bank past the little ramp. That area is my top location for multi-species fishing in the area. You can catch cats all year round. BTW, I caught an 8lb channel cat on a shakey head on my boat further down the river a few days ago.

 

[WaterChap]

Ok, I just realized that all of my suggestions here might be a total blunder based on my not noticing which dam you were talking about. I was giving info on Chickamauga Dam on 153. If you were asking about Nickajack Dam in Marion, and I think you were, everything I wrote is useless (and pretty stupid sounding of you tried to figure out what I was talking about). My apologies.

 

[TN444PSD]

Its been pretty slow down there, the stripe havent come in with all the warm temps we had the last few weeks plus they have had the water pulled down. I went down yesterday and the water was up but the fish just havent moved in yet. give it a few weeks, when they do come in, its a blast with catches on every to everyother cast... just hasnt happened yet this year. I live close and go down at least once a week to check on the fish or the lack of lately.

 

[jaygivens70]

R U talking about the lock side below Chickamauga ? I fish around the launching ramp in the riverpark. (Left bank/powerhouse side). I used to do well on jigs with plastics or gulp worms but have begun to rely on a half of a red wiggler cast and retrieved on a light jig head. Right around dusk there is usually some activity.
I don't go to Nickajack much because it is a long drive. I did manage to catch a few brim 12-27. Once again, right as it was getting dark and then they quit. The water was very low but with recent rains ought to be coming up some, which is good.