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Chickamauga Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Tennessee's big-bass phenomenon: TVA grass, Florida genetics and 15-pounders within sight of Chattanooga.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Gauge
4.68 ft
Air / High
97 / 97 F
Wind
E 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03544600, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Chickamauga Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 4.68 ft, 677.82 ft below pool, holding steady. Today brings a mixed sky, wind E around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 97. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 101 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Richland Creek at Dayton, TN.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03544600. Conservation pool is 682.5 ft.

123.28343.58563.88pool 682.54.68 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp97 F
High / Low97 / 72 F
WindE 6-8 mph
Pressure1014.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain37% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset07:14 / 20:02
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 97/72 F, wind 10 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Chickamauga Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Chickamauga Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Chickamauga Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Tennessee requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Largemouth: 15-inch minimum, 5 per day. Confirm with TWRA.

Access

Chester Frost Park, Dayton Boat Dock, Soddy and Harrison Bay ramps.

About this water

36,240 acres on the Tennessee River, Hamilton/Rhea/Meigs counties, TN. TVA, impounded 1940.

Fishing Chickamauga Lake: the full guide

The Chick's rise

Chickamauga went from regional TVA lake to national big-bass headline after TWRA began Florida-strain stockings in 2000: the lake record (15-plus) and a string of 10-pound tournament fish followed. Grass beds, river ledges and creek flats along 36,000 acres of the Tennessee River make it a complete fishery, minutes from downtown Chattanooga.

Grass and ledges, TVA style

Spring is a sight-fishing and grass-flipping show in the creeks (Dallas Bay, Soddy, Possum); summer moves the schools to the river ledges where deep cranks and big worms grind out giants when current runs; fall follows shad into the pockets. Like all TVA water: generation current is the bite switch.

Electronics era, Chick edition

Forward-facing sonar rewrote the Chick's offseason: winter bass suspended over the creek channels off Harrison Bay and Soddy now get hunted with jerkbaits and hair jigs cast at marks, and the technique-driven crowd calls it the best December-February bite on the TVA chain. Purists still crank the ledges blind in June; both camps meet at the spring grass. The takeaway for visitors: the lake fishes 12 months, and the cold half is no longer a secret.

Common questions

Is Chickamauga still producing giants?

Yes: grass cycles move the epicenter around, but double-digit fish come every spring, and the Florida-gene engine TWRA built keeps running.

Do I need forward-facing sonar to compete on Chickamauga?

No: the grass and ledge bites reward water knowledge over screens. But winter suspended fish are genuinely hard without it: plan cold-season trips around the riprap and springs instead.

Is fishing good at Chickamauga Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Hiwassee River28 miWatts Bar Lake39 miNickajack Lake44 miTellico River46 miCenter Hill Lake48 miToccoa River52 mi
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