Need some help/info with current on the TN River system

[TNfish3]

I'm looking to retire down to TN next year...somewhere between Chattanooga and Knoxville. So I'll be fishing on TN River system wherever I end up. My question is about the river current, and I know there's not a solid answer since levels fluctuate, and I'm looking at a large area, but can someone give me some ideas on what the current generally is, say up near Knoxville, and down near Watts Bar and Chickamauga. I'm trying to upgrade my trolling motor batteries to lithiums and not sure if I should get 3 50aH's or empty the wallet and get 3 100aH's instead. I hate to buy 50aH batteries now, where I fish small lakes/no current, and then find out next year I'm killing them in a day out on the river.
Thanks for the help.

[Wackyjig]

Really just depends on how you're going to fish. If you like to beat the bank and won't be doing much ledge or main lake flat fishing, 50's will do just fine.
If you're going to spend long days spot locked out on ledges, you might want 100's
I'll be switching to lithiums when my dekas give up so I've had the same decision in my head for a while. I'm currently running group 27 dekas and have absolutely beat on them and not been dead at the end of the day yet (knock on wood). I've been spot locked all day fishing ledges and grass flats in the average current for 8-9 hour tournaments and last year I fished a current break off and on for about 6 hours when they were spilling 170 cfs out of Chickamauga dam. The boat was sitting in the full current the entire time with spot lock on and had no issue. For reference you could drift gown the main lake at a touch over 3mph during that time.
I'm personally leaning towards 50's when the time comes. But, if you're wanting 2-3 days fishing per charge, get the 100's

[printman71]

2 or 3 months of the year you will need the most you can get, the rest of the time, most anything will do.

[TNfish3]

Ok thanks for the info

[n2ratfishin]

Not sure how this equates, but I fish the Cumberland quite a bit. It seems like they run current unless it is in the dead of summer, this time of year they REALLY move some water! I've been sitting out there with spot lock set on my Ultrex for hours and haven't run down my Duracell group 31 AGMs yet.

[Hair Jig]

Depends on where you are in relation to the dams. The farther reaches of any of the TVA reservoirs will have more current than the lower areas. I fished for years on Chickamauga with a 12/24 OMC and never needed more. Current won't play with your trolling motor as much as the wind. Some of these reservoirs can get pretty sporty when the wind gets up.

[Moose6]

Wind affects me more than current. Some days it seems like you just can't get out of the wind!