Relocating to Knoxville

[MGranlund]

Hello Everyone,

 

I will be relocating to the Knoxville area next week from Minnesota. Up here I'm used to fishing small, natural lakes. I have no experience with the big reservoirs type systems down there and I'm terrified of them. I do no have a boat, further complicating things.

 

I was hoping someone could give me some bank fishing pointers/locations to these reservoirs. Or if you know of any small ponds, those would be ideal too, but never want to ask for a spot.

 

Thanks, and I look forward to hopefully hooking up with one of those Southern toads we dream of up here.

[Oregon Native]

Welcome to paradise.  Tons of places to fish from the bank.  Easy to say for me as I'm a boater but have done the bank thing and all I do is take a drive (get a map) and look for boat ramps and parks.  They may get hit a bit harder but not this time of year and if you move around you'll find fish.  Very dependent on where the bait fish are cruising.  One day hero..one day could be a lot tougher.  Small jerks, small ponyheads should get you some action.  Good luck.    

[Al Wolbach]

There are numerous bank fishing spots on all the lakes. After you get more familiar with the area you can determine which lakes are best for your location then we can provide better info. Fishing is good on all of them but some are better for different species of fish.

[JoePhish]

Welcome to Knoxville.

 I moved here a little more than 2 years ago from South Florida.  I went through what you're gong through now. I spent a lot of time researching maps looking for parks and public shoreline. I did some bank fishing but eventually I came to the conclusion that I needed to get on the water. I found that a kayak was one of the most affordable ways to do this. I liked and joined a few kayak fishing pages on Facebook to help me out, East Tennessee Kayak Anglers was one of them. I decided to show up at one of their weeknight tournaments. They have been very welcoming and have since helped me progress in figuring out bass fishing in this region as well as exposing me to new waters.

[MGranlund]

Thanks for the input. When I was down there about a month ago I tried to do a little scouting (very limited with interview and looking for places to live) but what stood out to me was how low the water level was. I'm not sure if that's common or if there was some kind of unseasonal drought but it seemed like that would really hinder people fishing from the shore. Another thing that seemed different from what I'm used to is that the spots I did happen to drive by seemed to lack any sort of structure. Just a few observations.

[JoePhish]

We did go through a major drought which contributed to the rash of wild fires the region has recently endured. However, there is a seasonal drawdown on Fort Loudon Lake on November 1. The TVA does this because there is a higher risk of flooding during the winter months. It's actually a great opportunity to take note as to what's there so that when the water rises you can fish accordingly. 

There isn't much cover as far as weeds and such go. It's mainly rock but there are stumps, laydowns and brush piles as well as docks that hold fish. A lot of guys fish points and ledges too. 

 

[MGranlund]

Yes, I noticed a lot of intriguing points. And "marina's" looked like very good locations to fish. It's just all so different than what I'm used to I feel like I will have to re-learn how to fish haha

[Al Wolbach]

17 hours ago, MGranlund said:

Thanks for the input. When I was down there about a month ago I tried to do a little scouting (very limited with interview and looking for places to live) but what stood out to me was how low the water level was. I'm not sure if that's common or if there was some kind of unseasonal drought but it seemed like that would really hinder people fishing from the shore. Another thing that seemed different from what I'm used to is that the spots I did happen to drive by seemed to lack any sort of structure. Just a few observations.

Depending on which lakes you drove by the water levels fluctuate a great deal in winter for flood control. I live on Douglas Lake and the current water level is down approximately 40 feet. Cherokee Lake and Norris Lake are also down about the same amount which is normal for this time of year. TVA will attempt to raise them in the spring with the rain. I believe the fishing is better with lower water levels but that is just my opinion. It will take some getting used to but worth the effort. A few of the other lakes are used for navigation and the levels are not dropped as far such as Loudon, Tellico, Melton Hill and Watts Bar. All are good fisheries

[topwaterrob]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 10:50 AM, Al Wolbach said:

Depending on which lakes you drove by the water levels fluctuate a great deal in winter for flood control. I live on Douglas Lake and the current water level is down approximately 40 feet. Cherokee Lake and Norris Lake are also down about the same amount which is normal for this time of year. TVA will attempt to raise them in the spring with the rain. I believe the fishing is better with lower water levels but that is just my opinion. It will take some getting used to but worth the effort. A few of the other lakes are used for navigation and the levels are not dropped as far such as Loudon, Tellico, Melton Hill and Watts Bar. All are good fisheries

I have a place on Douglas Lake as well.... I still live in Sofla but am going to relocate up there in the coming years...  I really hope to get some time fish Douglas this summer.  Ive never fished deep lakes like that, what would be some good starting pointers if you don't mind... 

[TnRiver46]

Late seeing this post, but I can give you dozens of bank fishing spots to try. Below ft loudoun dam is probably the best, although not in Knoxville it's close. There's also a couple warm water discharges that are good in winter also

[Al Wolbach]

On 1/19/2017 at 2:07 AM, topwaterrob said:

I have a place on Douglas Lake as well.... I still live in Sofla but am going to relocate up there in the coming years...  I really hope to get some time fish Douglas this summer.  Ive never fished deep lakes like that, what would be some good starting pointers if you don't mind... 

I would suggest you get a topography lake map and look for the humps. Most of the tournaments are won fishing humps and points during the summer months, and I'm told by using swim baits or deep crank baits. You can get a map at local BPS or Bucks and Bass in Dandridge( about $7-$8 ) Many of these humps have old building foundations on them that hold fish. There are always shallow fish to catch and can be found on the maps as TWRA fish attractors. These are usually brush piles put in by TWRA. If you can ride around during the winter with a camera(when the water is down) it is easy to find fish holding areas. The map is a good starting point. FWIW these humps may only have a foot of water on them during spring and fall, the water levels can change daily, so be careful. I have learned my way around this lake using the braille system in the spring, lol. It's an expensive way to learn but a good teacher. Be glad to show you around when you come up. I live about 2 miles from Dandridge around point 8 if that's familiar.

[topwaterrob]

9 hours ago, Al Wolbach said:

I would suggest you get a topography lake map and look for the humps. Most of the tournaments are won fishing humps and points during the summer months, and I'm told by using swim baits or deep crank baits. You can get a map at local BPS or Bucks and Bass in Dandridge( about $7-$8 ) Many of these humps have old building foundations on them that hold fish. There are always shallow fish to catch and can be found on the maps as TWRA fish attractors. These are usually brush piles put in by TWRA. If you can ride around during the winter with a camera(when the water is down) it is easy to find fish holding areas. The map is a good starting point. FWIW these humps may only have a foot of water on them during spring and fall, the water levels can change daily, so be careful. I have learned my way around this lake using the braille system in the spring, lol. It's an expensive way to learn but a good teacher. Be glad to show you around when you come up. I live about 2 miles from Dandridge around point 8 if that's familiar.

I really appreciate that Al.  I was just there for that snow storm...  I'll be up in the spring and may bring my boat if I can.  I'll keep in touch 

[MGranlund]

On 1/19/2017 at 8:16 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Late seeing this post, but I can give you dozens of bank fishing spots to try. Below ft loudoun dam is probably the best, although not in Knoxville it's close. There's also a couple warm water discharges that are good in winter also

 

I have actually tried there and a few other spots and have yet to come up with a bite. Fishing is so different here, very difficult. I actually live in Maryville so that's not too bad of a drive. I have been throwing a lot of cranks, jerks, jigs. Occasionally I try and toss out some stick worms, ned rigs, spinner, inline spinner. My next guess is a swimbait but I'm clueless here.