Here is the fishing report from the TWRA:
Center Hill: Fishing is good. Water temperature is 49 degrees; lake is fairly stable.
Bass: Lots of bass are being caught on jigs and shaky heads while fishing in the channel banks in 10-25 feet of water.
Crappie: A few crappie are being caught while fishing sunken brush piles in 15 feet of water using minnows.
Chickamauga Reservoir: Reservoir Conditions: Summer normal elevation: 682.0 feet. Winter normal elevation: 676.0 feet. Current elevation: 680.6 feet.
The water surface temperature is 41 degrees. Cold weather kept traffic to a minimum.
Largemouth Bass: Deep secondary structure and subtle ledges near the deeper secondary water are locations popular for bass. The rig is being used as often as any other bait.
Smallmouth Bass: No observations or any stories.
Crappie: Bluffs, docks, blowdowns, river banks and deep secondary structure are areas holding crappie. Use minnows or jigs for bait.
Striped bass: Mid to lower lake seems best. Use shad or swimbaits.
Sauger: Slow. Those that are caught are mostly small. There was a report of a couple of big sauger caught in the middle of the week.
Catfish: A few anglers caught a few fish. Meaty baits such as chicken parts, shad, and bologna are being used.
Dale Hollow: Fishing is great. Water temperature is 47 degrees; lake is fairly stable.
Smallmouth: Lots of smallmouth are being caught on jigs and tailspinners on points in 25 feet of water.
Largemouth: Fish are being caught using jigs and Alabama-rigs in the creeks in 20 feet of water.
Crappie: A few crappie are being caught in the rivers on minnows in laydown trees in 15 feet of water, using minnows.
Watts Bar: Reservoir Conditions: Summer normal elevation: 740.5 feet. Winter normal elevation: 736.0 feet. Current elevation: 738.3 feet. The water surface temperature is 41 degrees. Cold weather lowered the interest.
Largemouth Bass: A few are being caught around large water points and ledges. The rig is tied on most rods.
Smallmouth Bass: Slow. No observations and just a couple of reports. Float-N-Fly is being used most often.
Walleye: Jerkbaits and jigs are the most popular baits. No observations, just fish tales.
Sauger: A jig used along the bottom is the better bait choice. Not many reports. Just a few reports suggest fishing may be slow and the fish may not have moved upstream yet.
Crappie: Some crappie are being caught in all areas. Jigs are being used most often. 15 feet of water around structure in large water areas seem to offer the best chance of catching fish.
Catfish: River drifters are catching plenty of fish while using a variety of baits.
Striped bass: The rig is the best bait. Fish the deeper baits and creek channels.
Musky: The Clinch River is the place where some musky are being caught on a few lures. The rig is the most popular lure.