Region III Fishing Report
November 3, 2009
Center Hill
Fishing is fair. The water temperature is 60 degrees; lake is falling. Several spots are being caught on small worms, around laydown trees on bluffs. Some good largemouths and smallmouths are being caught on topwater baits on points. Crappie fishing is fair on jigs and minnows around fallen trees.
Chickamauga
Lake conditions as of 11/02/09 were as follows: The surface temperature was 58 degrees on average and the surface elevation was 679.0 feet. This was 3 feet below normal summer level. The lake is scheduled to fall an additional 3 feet. Crappie are being caught in numbers in all areas of the lake. Bluff walls, blowdowns, and piers located in the sloughs and in the river are a scatter plot of locations that crappie were being caught. Minnows, tubes, and jigs were being used. One angler's favorite color may be yellow and white and another angler may think that the only color they will bite is blue. Confidence in you bait and the way it is presented is the key to successful angling. Bass were being caught most often in the sloughs and creeks near grass. Many bass were schooling. Spinnerbaits and topwater lures were being used. Catfish were being caught while using the typical catfish baits. The tailwaters was an area that many anglers were catching catfish. Bluegill were being caught along the river bottom by those that were drifting. The upper area of the lake from Cottonport to the dam seemed to be the better location to catch bluegill. Small jigs and worms were being used for bait. Some rockfish were being caught in the tailwaters while using shad for bait.
Dale Hollow
Fishing is fair. The water temperature is 58 degrees; lake is falling slowly. Several smallmouth are being caught on live bait while fishing points in 20 feet of water. A few largemouth and spots are being caught in the rivers on jigs on bluff banks in 5-to-20 feet of water. Crappie fishing is fair in the rivers while fishing brush in 15 feet of water on minnows.
Watts Bar
Lake conditions as of 11/02/09 were as follows: The surface temperature was 57 degrees on average and the surface elevation was 741 feet, which is at the upper summer range. November 1 was the day that the winter drawdown was scheduled to begin. Crappie were being caught near piers, blowdowns and along selected bluff walls. Rocky points with large chunky rocks beneath the surface located along the main channel is one type of area where black crappie typically can be located. Minnows and/or jigs were being used for bait. Bass were being caught most often in the sloughs near shad minnows. Some larger bass were being caught around shallow points located on the main channel. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits were being used for bait. Some large catfish were being caught in the main channel while using shad for bait. The middle area of the lake seems to be the hottest location. 40 pound fish being caught was common. Some bluegill were being caught in the sloughs near Paint Rock. A lot of blugill were being caught from docks in all areas of the lake. Rockfish were being caught near the tailwaters and areas downstream from the same. The mid to lower end of the lake has had a few more rockfish being caught in the sloughs near the shad than is normally typical.
