Results 1 to 15 of 15
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    O-HI-O
    Posts
    2,159

    Can anyone tell me about Watts Bar? Never been and thinking about a trip in April

    Last spring, I went to Chickamauga and the rain really killed any chance for a consistent bite. Kinda burned me as it's so river-like where I fished (upper end from Bluewater to Sale Creek.) I also wouldn't mind trying something with a little less fishing pressure (or is it about the same as Chickamauga?)

    Can anyone tell me what the lake is like? Predominent cover; water clarity; how well it's insulated from being blown out from lots of rain; bass populations, etc?

    It's down to Chickamauga, Lake Chatuge or Watts Bar for us. I really enjoyed Chatuge but if we go there, I feel like we'd pretty much be limited to spotted bass. Not a bad thing as I had a blast catching 20 spots a day two summers ago and they were mostly 12-19" but I would probably prefer fishing a place that has a chance for a good largemouth and decent numbers.

    Thanks in advance for any guidance you guys can provide me to help me make a decision.
    2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559

  2. 165 Custom Baits Hair Jig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Weatherford,TX by way of Chattanooga, TN
    Posts
    4,245
    #2
    Watts Bar is an older impoundment and a lot of the cover has rotted away and gone. If you want size, the predominate thing is fishing structure. Chickamauga is primarily a mud/dirt composition and Watts Bar is a lot of rock and gravel. GREAT smallmouth lake. For a first time visit I would use the ramp at the dam and fish the lower end of the lake up to the first bend. That is the easiest to fish for a person unfamiliar with the lake. FWIW, I have won tournaments there and never cranked the big motor except to load back on the trailer. If you can obtain a topo map it would be a huge help. As with most any TVA lake, be aware that anything outside the buoys can be hazardous to your prop. Just take it easy and be careful. There are several creeks on the lower end that can be great .... Lowe Branch, Piney River, and the numerous sloughs are all worth a visit. I have caught fish on most every point on the lower end.

    My best daylight baits were a 8" Producto tournament worm in black grape ... A chartreuse buzzbait worked slowly over the milfoil ... A ZOOM lizard in chameleon grape ... and most any bright colored crankbait that will run 8-12 feet. Work points on the main lake and the first points going back into the sloughs/creeks. You can spend days on the lower end of the lake and not run out of structure/drop offs/points and they all can produce fish at certain times. The rip-rap at the dam is also worth a quick pass to see if the fish are there.

    Watts Bar doesn't muddy up as quickly as Chickamauga, especially down near the dam. The wind definitely does have an effect there, but the lower end is flanked by high ridges on the east and west sides and that helps a lot.

    Watts Bar doesn't get the pressure that Chickamauga does because it doesn't get the publicity. Larger fish regularly come from Chickamauga. But Watts Bar can and does produce some great smallmouth fishing that Chickamauga can't match. Hair jigs and 3"-4" grubs tossed on the steeper banks and bluffs can get them.

    Watts Bar was my favorite lake for years until we moved away. My personal best there was a 8.2 largemouth and a 7.1 smallmouth. Both came at night on a spinnerbait.

    Chatuge is LOADED with smallmouth. If you were catching mainly spotted fish, you were probably fishing too deep for the smallmouth bite. They can be caught there in 2 feet of water at times. I haven't been to Chatuge in a few years but it can be off/on with the weather.
    Last edited by Hair Jig; 01-11-2020 at 06:56 AM.

  3. cookshook
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Maryville
    Posts
    56
    #3
    The spotted bass have all but depleted the smallmouth in Chatuge. Not many caught anymore.

  4. Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    O-HI-O
    Posts
    2,159
    #4
    Thanks Hair Jig. Very helpful info on Watts Bar. Sounds like KY Lake a little as far as it being rocky/gravely with minimal cover in the old reservoir.

    but cookshook is right about Chatuge. I don’t think there are many smallies left as it’s been overrun with Alabama spots. When was the last time you fished Chatuge? I did enjoy it but I didn’t catch one largemouth or smallmouth in a week of fishing there.
    2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559

  5. Member Hez's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Apopka, FL
    Posts
    2,886
    #5

    Wishin' I was fishin'...


    1990 Ranger 374v
    1996 175 HP Mariner - Magnum EFI
    25p Tempest - A45 model
    80 lb 24v MinnKota Maxxum
    Humminbird Helix 10
    Humminbird Helix 7
    Garmin EchoMap 106sv w/ LS
    Dual 8' Power Poles



  6. Member Melton Jason's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Knoxville TN
    Posts
    4,364
    #6
    Another to look at is Nickajack lake just down from Chickamauga. No where near the fishing pressure that Chickamauga gets. If you like spotted bass you can fish through downtown Chattanooga and catch plenty.
    Stroker DC21 Mercury 250 XB

  7. Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    O-HI-O
    Posts
    2,159
    #7
    I like spotted bass, but my first choice for this trip is a lake with a solid largemouth population. I may end up even at Chickamauga again. Still mulling over my choices. Appreciate the suggestion on Nickajack though. What’s that lake like?
    2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559

  8. 165 Custom Baits Hair Jig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Weatherford,TX by way of Chattanooga, TN
    Posts
    4,245
    #8
    Like I said ... haven't fished Chatuge for a few years. Looking back at my records, it was in 2014 and it was a night trip. We caught 12 fish (all smallmouth) with the largest at 3#. So you may be right about the spots taking over. Sad to hear.

    5150 ... Nickajack is a river-run reservoir for the most part. Lower part of it opens up a bit. It has some great scenery in the mid section though. It has been called "The Grand Canyon of Tennessee" because of the extremely high bluffs that it runs through in that section. I never had a lot of success at Nickajack except on the extreme upper section immediately below Chickamauga Dam. But then again, I never spent a lot of time on it either.

    It is only a 45-60 minute drive from Watts Bar dam to the mid sections of Chickamauga. If you have time you can easily explore both of them.

  9. Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    O-HI-O
    Posts
    2,159
    #9
    Thx for the info guys.
    2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559

  10. 165 Custom Baits Hair Jig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Weatherford,TX by way of Chattanooga, TN
    Posts
    4,245
    #10
    After making a few phone calls to some folks I haven't seen in a while, one of them laughed and said "Didn't you see my article!?!"

    Written by a dear old friend of mine and it does confirm what has already been said about Chatuge........ and possibly what the future holds.

    https://lakerecord.net/2019/03/11/th...allmouth-bass/

  11. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Varnell, GA
    Posts
    7,414
    #11
    I live in Dalton, GA, just down the road from Chick and have a condo at Lake Chatuge. Unfortunately, the spots have pretty much decimated the smallmouth in Chatuge. If there are any there, I don't know of them or any one that has caught one in the last 3 years. With the carp sighting in Chick recently, I think I will focus on Chatuge and Watts Bar.

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    West Liberty, Ky
    Posts
    514
    #12
    Check out Piney Point Resort, My family has been going down there for about 8 years. The best fishing we had was usually around the first of May, last few years we go the 1st week of June,not as good fishing, but I enjoy it,Still catch more fish there them my home lakes.
    1987 Procraft 1780V, 150 Mercury XR2 Blackmax and now a 2021 Ranger Z185, 150 Pro XS.

    DAV / U.S. Army 88-91.

  13. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Crossville, TN & Houston, TX
    Posts
    3,466
    #13
    Since we have local knowledgeable guys here, is the Watts Bar White's Creek Launch closed?

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Kingston, Tenessee
    Posts
    548
    #14
    I have almost stopped fishing Watts Bar due to the pressure...there are tournaments every day of the week out of many ramps (some even have multiple derbies out of the same launch site) all year long. There is still good fish to be caught but during the late winter/early spring thru fall it's pretty hectic. My advice would be to go on the lower end of the lake near the dam and fish the Piney River. At least down there the boats are spread out more. When you get farther up a little, like Rockwood on up to Loudon and to the base of Fort Loudoun dam it's narrower and that confines folks a little more. A lot of what Hair Jig says is spot on...I usually fish off shore or near large creek mouths and stay out of the creeks/coves because they get beat to death. It's a solid fishery and most "real" tournaments (I don't count the daily 3 or 4 hour wild cats that go all over the lake in this statement) take 20+ pounds to win all year long. A lot of the small wild cat derbies are just guys who like a little competition but aren't really tournament anglers. They beat the banks and fish the same stuff over and over so guys willing to get away from that can still find fish and catch them.

  15. Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    O-HI-O
    Posts
    2,159
    #15
    MattVT18-wouldn’t you say Chickamauga has more pressure than Watts Bar? Or maybe it just can handle more boats/fishes bigger?
    2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559

Tags for this Thread