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Reelfoot Lake Fishing Report

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

Reelfoot Lake: Tennessee's largest natural lake, a 10,427-acre earthquake basin that TWRA ranks among the state's best for crappie and bluegill.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
ENE 7 mph

Sources: 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Reelfoot Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 7 mph, falling pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:33 AM-11:33 AM and 10:02 PM-12:02 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

Chasing largemouth 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low78 / 46 F
WindENE 7-9 mph
Pressure1021.7 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 18:11
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 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 Reelfoot Lake this week

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

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:33 AM-11:33 AM and 10:02 PM-12:02 AM
Minor period
3:56 AM-4:56 AM
Sun
07:12 to 18:11
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 Reelfoot Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

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. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

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. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

When to come: the Reelfoot 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)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Reelfoot Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

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

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 license plus a Reelfoot Preservation Permit (not required for anglers under 16, residents 65 and older, or lifetime and sportsman license holders). TWRA limits: largemouth and spotted bass 5 a day combined, largemouth 15-inch minimum; crappie 20 a day, 10-inch minimum; catfish no limit at 34 inches or less, 1 over 34 inches a day; paddlefish 2 a day, April 24 to May 31. Gas-powered boats are banned in TWRA-posted areas from April 1 to May 31, and trolling-motor-only areas at Rat Island Shore, Eagle Nest Timber and the Air Park shoreline protect bluegill beds.

Access

Reelfoot Lake State Park (280 non-contiguous acres) has a boat ramp. Its Eagle Basin Day Use Area has been closed since June 12, 2026, and the Blue Bank and Eagle Basin day-use areas have intermittent closures for tornado repairs. TWRA notes that most of the shoreline is undeveloped and out of reach for bank anglers; the park asks boaters unfamiliar with the lake to run trimmed up at idle.

About this water

A 10,427-acre natural lake (TWRA) formed by the 1811-1812 earthquakes, Lake and Obion counties, Tennessee, and Fulton County, Kentucky.

Fishing Reelfoot Lake: the full guide

Formed in 1811-1812

TWRA places the lake in Lake and Obion counties, Tennessee, and Fulton County, Kentucky, and says it was formed by the 1811-1812 earthquakes, which made the Mississippi River flow backward into a shallow basin. About 68% of the lake is 3 feet deep or less, stump fields and aquatic plants can hamper navigation, and four basins are linked by ditches.

Crappie and bluegill

TWRA ranks both fisheries among the best in the state. White crappie are the most harvested fish, averaging over three-quarters of a pound over the last ten years, and most are taken in the Lower Blue Basin. Bluegill have averaged 0.45 pounds, and full moons in May, June and July are the prime time.

Local techniques

In winter, anglers troll the Reelfoot Lake rig, a three-way swivel with two leaders baited with minnows, in deeper water around Lower Blue Basin, near Green Island or Caney Island. In spring, TWRA points to Swan Basin, Grooms Pocket and the log-filled Moultrie Field, and to Nations, Donaldson and Willow Bar ditches as places to escape the wind.

Bass, catfish and winter closures

Largemouth bass have historically been scarce because of limited spawning habitat and siltation, and a 15-inch minimum has applied since 1996. Historic surveys estimated channel catfish at over 400 pounds per acre. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the lake from Kirby Pocket to Brewer's Bar, closing its Grassy Unit from November 14 to February 15 and its Long Point Unit from November 15 to March 15.

Common questions

How was Reelfoot Lake formed?

TWRA says the 1811-1812 earthquakes caused the Mississippi River to flow backward into a shallow basin. Most of the lake is still very shallow, with stumps and cypress.

When is the best bluegill fishing?

TWRA calls full moons in May, June and July the prime time, with crickets under slip floats or small jigs near the beds and cypress bases.

Are parts of the lake closed in winter?

Yes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closes its Grassy Unit from November 14 to February 15 and its Long Point Unit from November 15 to March 15; the closed areas are signed.

Is fishing good at Reelfoot Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Kentucky Lake78 miCedar Lake87 miLake Barkley88 miKinkaid Lake98 miCurrent River98 miEleven Point River101 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.3830, -89.4170 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 8, 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 8, 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.