Elk River below Tims Ford Dam
What to throw right now
Per-species breakdown & tactics
Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.
Best window: last light
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 5 wt rod with floating line, 9-12 ft tapered leader to 6X fluorocarbon tippet. Match the hatch by stage, emerger (CDC pattern in the film) first, dun (Comparadun, Parachute) second, spinner (rusty spinner) at last light. Cast 3-4 ft above the rise with a reach mend; the line lands sideways and the fly drifts ahead drag-free. Strip-set on small flies, no rod lift.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
Flies: Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail Nymph #18, Zebra Midge #20
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. Two productive rigs: (1) #00 or #0 Mepps Aglia or Joe's Fly in olive-and-yellow, cast quartering upstream + retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade through the seam; (2) a #16 beadhead Pheasant Tail OR Zebra Midge tied to a 24" tippet hanging below a 1/2" pencil bobber, drifted dead-naturally through the same lane a fly angler would target. The bobber rig outfishes the spinner once trout are keyed on a specific bug.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz white grub, small Rooster Tail
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
Clear
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Engine pick right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Guide pick for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Hatch: 80% (terrestrials) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
Why this score
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
Best window: morning
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 5 wt rod with floating line, 9-12 ft tapered leader to 6X fluorocarbon tippet. Match the hatch by stage, emerger (CDC pattern in the film) first, dun (Comparadun, Parachute) second, spinner (rusty spinner) at last light. Cast 3-4 ft above the rise with a reach mend; the line lands sideways and the fly drifts ahead drag-free. Strip-set on small flies, no rod lift.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
Flies: Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail Nymph #18, Zebra Midge #20
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. Two productive rigs: (1) #00 or #0 Mepps Aglia or Joe's Fly in olive-and-yellow, cast quartering upstream + retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade through the seam; (2) a #16 beadhead Pheasant Tail OR Zebra Midge tied to a 24" tippet hanging below a 1/2" pencil bobber, drifted dead-naturally through the same lane a fly angler would target. The bobber rig outfishes the spinner once trout are keyed on a specific bug.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz white grub, small Rooster Tail
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
Clear
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Engine pick right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Guide pick for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Hatch: 80% (terrestrials) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
Why this score
- preferred time of day+14
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
Dam generation & flow schedule
Gen off, wadeable
Gen on, high flow
Now marker
24h release schedule (table)
| Time | Flow (cfs) | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 6:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 12:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 3:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 4:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 5:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 6:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 PM | 240 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 11:00 PM | 240 | Spill/Off |
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
12PM
92°
0
N
1PM
94°
0
N
2PM
95°
0
N
3PM
96°
0
N
8% rain
4PM
97°
0
N
11% rain
5PM
95°
0
N
10% rain
6PM
90°
0
N
9% rain
7PM
88°
0
N
8PM
85°
0
N
9PM
80°
0
N
10PM
77°
0
N
11PM
76°
0
N
12AM
75°
0
N
1AM
74°
0
N
2AM
73°
0
N
3AM
72°
0
N
4AM
71°
0
N
5AM
71°
0
N
6AM
70°
0
N
7AM
70°
0
N
8AM
75°
0
N
9AM
80°
0
N
10AM
83°
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11AM
88°
0
N
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 68.7°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 100% |
| Dew point (°C) | 21.7°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 62% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 4% |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.05 in |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,019.1 mb |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 0.35 in |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | ENE (77°) |
| Wind (mph) | 3.9 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
Year-round on tailwaters/lakes
Craneflies
Sizes 10–14
Recommended patterns:
Cranefly Larva #12, Adult Cranefly #12
Weeks 10-39 (Mar-Sep) on Stones River + lower Cumberland; long warmwater season.
Next few hours · best species
Prime windows for active feeding over the next 12 hours (CDT).
7-day forecast
Composite spot scores over the coming week.
TREND SPARKLINE (7-DAY BITE SCORE)
Score Range: 0 - 100
10-day weather & pressure outlook
Extended NWS meteorological outlook.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97°F | 72°F | Unknown | — | 1% | 1,024.2 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 1% | 1,023.9 mb | nws | |
| 97°F | 71°F | Unknown | — | 3% | 1,019.8 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 6% | 1,015.7 mb | nws | |
| 94°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 7% | 1,014.2 mb | nws | |
| 93°F | 69°F | Unknown | — | 15% | 1,013.4 mb | nws | |
| 90°F | 67°F | Unknown | — | 23% | 1,014.1 mb | nws | |
| 82°F | 61°F | Unknown | — | 21% | 1,015.8 mb | nws | |
| 81°F | 56°F | Unknown | — | 14% | 1,013.5 mb | nws | |
| 86°F | 59°F | Unknown | — | 11% | 1,016.1 mb | openmeteo |
Trends · 7 days
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)
| Species | Rule |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Access points & navigation
- Bass Club 35.2011, -86.1280 phone map Google OSM
- Devil's Step Boat Ramp 35.2020, -86.1643 phone map Google OSM
- Dry Creek Boat Ramp 35.1958, -86.1397 phone map Google OSM
- Holiday Landings Resort, Inc. 35.2695, -86.2439 phone map Google OSM
- Lost Creek 35.2580, -86.3037 phone map Google OSM
- Neal's Bridge 35.2808, -86.2926 phone map Google OSM
- Pleasant Grove Boat Ramp 35.2663, -86.2001 phone map Google OSM
- Rock Creek Boat Ramp 35.2522, -86.1422 phone map Google OSM
- Turkey Creek Boat Ramp 35.2670, -86.2754 phone map Google OSM