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Duck River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The longest river entirely within Tennessee, which TWRA calls the most biologically diverse river in North America.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
156 cfs
Air / High
76 / 76 F
Wind
NNE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03599500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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 the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Duck River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 156 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 76. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:24 AM-11:24 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Tomorrow: Similar at 76 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Tennessee requires a fishing licence from age 13, from $33.00 for residents. What a Tennessee licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with TWRA before you keep anything. The season dates for Tennessee, read off the agency, are on the Tennessee seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Duck River at Columbia.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03599500.

156187218156 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 111 years of October 23

At 156 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 03599500 (Duck River at Columbia) is at the 33rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 111 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 191 cfs; the highest was 7,770 cfs and the lowest 13 cfs.

p10 88median 191p90 981

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 03599500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp76 F
High / Low76 / 42 F
WindNNE 5-6 mph
Pressure1020.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:01 / 18:02
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Duck River this week

The best day on Duck River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:24 AM-11:24 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM
Minor period
3:46 AM-4:46 AM
Sun
07:01 to 18:02
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

When to come: the Duck River 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
Smallmouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Largemouth bass
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Duck River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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

Tennessee fishing license; see TWRA's license guide for trout. TWRA's Duck River page lists black bass 5 a day combined with no length limit, rock bass 20, rainbow trout 7, and channel catfish with only one over 34 inches a day.

Access

30 TWRA-listed public access sites; Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park and Henry Horton State Park.

About this water

A 284-mile river across middle Tennessee, the longest entirely within the state (TWRA).

Fishing Duck River: the full guide

A river of record diversity

TWRA says the Duck flows 284 miles east to west across middle Tennessee, the longest river located entirely in the state, and deems it the most biologically diverse river in North America, with over 50 species of freshwater mussels and 151 fish species. TWRA's 2010 quantitative mussel survey puts the count at about 151 fish, 56 mussel and 22 aquatic snail species, and gives the watershed as 3,127 square miles.

Bass and other fish

TWRA lists largemouth, smallmouth, spotted and rock bass, channel catfish, rainbow trout and panfish. Its Duck River page says most smallmouth run 10 to 14 inches, with fish documented to 20 inches.

The Normandy tailwater

TWRA stocks rainbow trout from November through June in the Normandy tailwater, from the dam down to Three Forks Bridge.

Access

TWRA counts 30 public access sites on the Duck with no fees, from concrete boat ramps to canoe and kayak put-ins and bank fishing areas. Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park and Henry Horton State Park offer bank and boat access. The USGS gauge at Columbia (03599500) reports flow.

Common questions

Why is the Duck River famous?

TWRA calls it the most biologically diverse river in North America, with over 50 mussel species and 151 fish species.

Is there trout fishing?

Yes, in the Normandy tailwater down to Three Forks Bridge, stocked from November through June.

How many public access sites are there?

TWRA lists 30, free to use, from boat ramps to canoe launches and bank fishing spots.

Is fishing good at Duck River 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Percy Priest Lake42 miOld Hickory Lake52 miTims Ford Lake52 miWilson Lake64 miWheeler Lake66 miPickwick Lake75 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03599500 — Duck River at Columbia
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 35.6200, -87.0300 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.