Chickamauga Lake (Sale Creek arm)

79 good scored 41 min ago how is this scored?
Bass 79
Water: Lake
Location: Hamilton
Target: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Striped Bass
Nearest Access: Chickamauga Lake (Sale Creek arm) (35.38190,-85.08830)
Sun: 7:23 AM – 7:46 PM (EDT)
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What to throw right now

Fly anglers
8 wt rod, integrated intermediate or floating line, 8 ft of 16-20 lb fluoro tapered down (4X butt to 0X bite). #4 deer-hair frog or #4 popper on calm warm mornings; #6 Clouser in chartreuse/white or olive Game Changer on overcast days or deeper. Cast tight to cover (overhung wood, dock corners, weed edges), let the popper sit 4-6 seconds, then a sharp pop. For sub-surface: cast across to the bank, let the streamer fall, then 2-3 ft strips with hard pauses. Strip-set hard; bass jaws are bony and you need the line tight to drive the hook.
Spinning / casting anglers
Medium-heavy 7' rod, 20 lb braid + 12-15 lb fluoro leader (or straight 12 lb fluoro on a baitcaster). Texas-rigged 7" watermelon-red worm with a 3/16 oz tungsten weight + 4/0 EWG hook is the all-conditions standard. For active fish: 1/2 oz spinnerbait slow-rolled along points + drop-offs. For deep summer suspended fish: 3/8 oz football jig + craw trailer hopped along 12-18 ft ledges. Post-front shutdown: switch to a weightless wacky-rigged 5" Senko in green pumpkin, work it dead-slow next to cover.

Per-species breakdown & tactics

Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.

Best window: first light

HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 5 wt rod with floating line, 9 ft 5X tippet. #8 Crappie Candy OR 1/32 oz white marabou jig fished as a fly. Crappie don't hammer dries but they will eat a midge cluster (#16-20 Griffith's Gnat) drifted slowly through brush + dock corners. Watch for the soft pickup, strip-set on any line stop.

5 wt rod with floating line, 9 ft 5X tippet to a #8 Crappie Candy or 1/32 oz marabou jig. Spring spawn (55-68°F water): dap or short-cast under dock corners + into brush; let the fly fall 2-4 ft then twitch once. The fall does the work. Summer + winter: switch to a sink-tip or full intermediate line, count down to the brush depth (8-12 ft), then microscopic 2" strips. Crappie eat lightly, set on any line stop, no rod sweep.

Flies: Crappie Candy #8, Marabou Jig 1/32 oz

Chartreuse marabou jig or small Clouser under an indicator. Count down to the school depth.

In a few hours

Fly
67%
Lure
85%
Bait
26%
Hatch: 83% (BWO (fall)) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
  • Crappie bite shuts down hard during post-frontal high-pressure days; commit to spring + fall windows where you can.
Why this score
  • barometric trend+12
  • pre frontal surge+10
  • in season+4
  • cloud cover+1

Next 24 hours · weather forecast

Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.

1PM
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4PM
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93°
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Latest readings

Live telemetry
Air temp (°F) 67.2°F
Cloud cover (%) 97%
Dew point (°C) 21.7°C
Relative humidity (%) 70%
Chance of precipitation (%) 8%
Precipitation (in) 0.11 in
Barometric pressure (mb) 1,019.2 mb
Rain past 24h (in) 1.29 in
Rain past 6h (in) 0.00 in
Wind direction NNW (346°)
Wind (mph) 2.8 mph

Reading freshness

Source update lag
Barometric pressure (mb) 0 min ago openmeteo
Wind (mph) 0 min ago openmeteo
Cloud cover (%) 0 min ago openmeteo
Air temp (°F) 0 min ago openmeteo
Rain past 24h (in) 2777.1 h ago openmeteo stale
Rain past 6h (in) 0 min ago nws

Hatch matcher · this month

Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.

Midge Sizes 18–24
Recommended patterns: Zebra Midge #20, Griffith's Gnat #20, WD-40 #20

Tailwater staple; year-round on Caney Fork

Sulphur Sizes 14–18
Recommended patterns: Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail #16, Yellow Sally

Weeks 14-39 (Apr-Sep) on Caney Fork tailwater; matches South Holston schedule per shop consensus + thermal profile.

BWO (fall) Sizes 20–22
Recommended patterns: RS2 #22, Parachute BWO #20

Cool overcast afternoons

Next few hours · best species

Prime windows for active feeding over the next 12 hours (EDT).

Wed 2:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (midday) 95
Wed 3:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (midday) 92
Wed 4:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (afternoon) 82
Wed 5:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (afternoon) 82
Wed 6:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (afternoon) 84
Wed 7:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (afternoon) 82
Wed 8:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (last light) 95
Wed 9:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (after dark) 93
Wed 10:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (after dark) 96
Wed 11:00 PM
Largemouth Bass (after dark) 93
Thu 12:00 AM best window today
Largemouth Bass (after dark) 100
Thu 1:00 AM
Largemouth Bass (after dark) 98

7-day forecast

Composite spot scores over the coming week.

TREND SPARKLINE (7-DAY BITE SCORE) Score Range: 0 - 100
Wed Sep 16
99 excellent
Wed Sep 16
95 excellent
Wed Sep 16
92 excellent
Wed Sep 16
82 excellent
Wed Sep 16
82 excellent
Wed Sep 16
84 excellent
Wed Sep 16
82 excellent

10-day weather & pressure outlook

Extended NWS meteorological outlook.

Day High Low Wind Cloud Rain % Pressure Source
96°F 68°F Unknown — 1% 645.4 mb nws
97°F 71°F Unknown — 2% 526.5 mb nws
97°F 71°F Unknown — 4% 524.4 mb nws
96°F 71°F Unknown — 10% 533.0 mb nws
94°F 69°F Unknown — 13% 579.3 mb nws
93°F 69°F Unknown — 16% 554.1 mb nws
90°F 69°F Unknown — 26% 620.2 mb nws
86°F 63°F Unknown — 26% 652.4 mb nws
83°F 58°F Unknown — 18% 1,013.2 mb nws
88°F 58°F Unknown — 13% 1,015.4 mb openmeteo

Hover chart points for telemetry details. Gold dot represents latest reading.

Barometric pressure (mb)

Water temperature (°F)

Fishing regulations (TWRA)

Statewide creel and length limits. Confirm the current rule on TWRA before you keep a fish.

These are statewide defaults only. Many waters have their own creel, size, or season rules that override this list. Check the water you are fishing on TWRA before you go.

TWRA fishing regulations · Water-specific exceptions

Statewide defaults (19 rules)
SpeciesRule
Alligator Gar No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately.
Black Bass (includes Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Alabama And Coosa) No more than 5 black bass per day in any combination may be taken. | None
Catfish Only one (1) catfish over 34 inches may be harvested per day. No harvest limit on catfish less than 34 inches.
Crappie 15 | 10 inches
Lake Trout Only 2 of your 7 total trout may be lake trout. | None
Muskellunge 1 | 36 inches
Paddlefish Paddlefish may be harvested from April 24 through May 31. Daily creel limit is 2 fish per day with no size limit. Culling is prohibited. Exceptions on Center Hill, Cherokee, and Watts Bar reservoirs.
Redear Sunfish (shellcracker) 20 | None
Redear Sunfish Or Shellcracker 20 | None
Region 1 Crappie Exception: Unless Otherwise Noted For Specific Waters. 30 | None
Rock Bass Or Redeye And Shadow Bass 20 | None
Sauger Or Sauger/walleye Hybrids 10 | 15 inches
Shovelnose Sturgeon No harvest allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately.
Skipjack Herring 100 | None
Striped Bass Or Hybrid Striped Bass (any Combination) 2 | 15 inches
Trout (all Trout Species Combined) 7 | None
Walleye 5 | 16 inches
White Bass 15 | None
Yellow Bass, Bluegill, Warmouth, Bream, Bullheads, Pickerel, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, And Nongame Species no limit | None

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