Fishing Report for February 2012

Center Hill:  
Fishing is good.  Water temperature is 49 degrees with color.  Lots of walleye are being caught near the sandbar, while using jigs in 20 feet of water.  Bass fishing is good on crankbaits and jigs, while fishing channel bends in 5-to-20 feet of water. 
Chickamauga:  
The lake conditions as of 2/05/12 were as follows: The surface elevation was 677.3 feet.  This elevation was 1.3 feet above winter mean elevation.  The surface water temperature warmed to 55 degrees during the daylight hours.  The days are getting longer and the flowers are blooming. The fish are biting.  Patterns that are generally used for locating fish in March can be used now in locating fish.  This could quickly change with a blustery front blowing through from the north, but the projected 15 day forecast suggest that this pattern may prevail for a while.  Many bass and crappie are being caught.  Some crappie are being caught around shallow brushpiles and blowdowns.  Some primary creek rocky banks are holding a substantial number of crappie.  Minnows and jigs are equal opportunity offerings.  River crappie holes are hard to fish due to the heavy current in the river.  Lipless lures are just one lure being used for shallow water bass.  Look for flats adjacent to deeper river or creek locations.  Some heavy sacks of bass continue to be caught which now have become the norm for the lake.  Some sauger are being caught.  The river conditions have hampered the sauger angling efforts. White bass are being caught in the tailwaters areas more often than any other species.  Catfish are being caught on a wide variety of offerings with skipjack being the optimal offering.
Cordull Hull:  Fishing is fair.  Water temperature is 49 degrees with color.  Several bass are being caught on crankbaits and jigs while fishing isolated stumps on points.  Several crappie are being caught while fishing small jigs in laydown trees in 10-to-15 feet of water.  Sauger fishing is fair while fishing jigs in 40-to-45 feet of water near Gainesboro.
Dale Hollow: 
Fishing is good. Water temperature is 47 degrees; lake is stable.  Several bass are being caught on crankbaits, jerkbaits and small jigs while fishing points in 10-to-20 feet of water.  Crappie fishing is good near the dam while fishing grassy flats in 15 feet of water.
Nickajack: The spillways were open as of 2/05/12.  This has stopped most of the angling efforts in the Riverpark area of the reservoir.  The bay areas in the lake reached a surface water temperature of 56 degrees on 2/05/12.  Bass are being caught shallow while using spinnerbaits and lipless lures.  Some jigs anglers are catching decent bags under the bridges.  Crappie are being caught around docks and in grass beds in the large bay areas.  "Panfish Assassins" are one bait a few anglers are reporting using with success. Catfish are being caught by those that are fishing in the main channel.  The current is making this task challenging.
Watts Bar: 
The surface water elevation on 2/05/12 was 683.7 feet.  This is one foot above the winter mean elevation.  The surface water temperature warmed to 54 degrees in the most recent days.  Some brushpile bay crappie were being caught by those tempting with jigs and/or minnows.  Most crappie being caught were white and this may be because of the area these crappie were being caught.  Some deep creek crappie were being caught by those crankbait trollers that have perfected the art of slow trolling.  These anglers determine the location and depth of the crappie and at that point it becomes a bit like picking cotton.  Bass are being caught at locations that suggest it may be closer to spring than the calendar may suggest.  Shallow large water bays and the area leading into the same is one type of area anglers are targeting.  Pinpoint anglers are tossing jigs and fan casters are throwing lipless lures and the "Tennessee Rig".  Some nice smallmouth are being caught, but the average bass being caught is green and will weigh about 2 pounds.  The tailwaters below Ft. Loudon Dam are difficult to fish because of the heavy current.  A few sauger and walleye are being caught.  Most anglers are fishing the protected and still water below the dam and these anglers are targeting crappie and white bass.  The average catch of these anglers will consist of crappie, catfish and white bass.  These anglers are using jigs and/or minnows for bait.

Source: TWRA Web Site.