Michael L. Thomas, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene and a second boater was able to swim to shore when a 14-foot, flat-bottom johnboat sank on Chickamauga Lake on Saturday afternoon.
TWRA officers were dispatched around 1:20 p.m.
to the Cottonport Marina area.
The two men were in a johnboat that sank in six feet of water in Johns Slough, just south of the Cottonport Marina. A nearby angler heard the commotion and went to assist. Meigs County, TWRA and several good Samaritans assisted with recovery of the deceased.
It is unknown why the boat sank at this time. The incident remains under investigation. The deceased was not wearing a life jacket.