Johnsonville WMA lake
Lake / Reservoir
Johnsonville WMA lake Conditions
Level Stable
Flow / Discharge
Unmeasured Reach
Local Hydrology
Water Temp
Pending Telemetry
Thermal Lag Model
Generation State
Unregulated flow
Natural Drainage
Barometer Trend
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NWS Station Barometer
What to throw right now
Per-species breakdown & tactics
Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.
Best window: morning
Bugs are hatching (fly). Light rod, floating line. Put a small dry (yellow Stimulator or black ant) on top with a beadhead Hare's Ear or olive damsel nymph underneath as a dropper — bluegill often eat the dropper. Cast into shade and along pad edges; wait a few seconds before twitching.
3-4 wt rod, floating line, 5X tippet. #10 yellow or chartreuse popper. Cast within 12" of the weed edge or lily-pad pocket and let it sit dead-still for 3-5 seconds. Twitch, pause, twitch. The first twitch after a long pause is when the bull bluegill eats. Strip-set, no rod lift. Overcast skies push bluegill into the upper 2 ft of the water column, they'll travel 4 ft to crush a popper.
3-4 wt rod, floating line, 5X tippet. #10 yellow or chartreuse popper. Cast within 12" of the weed edge or lily-pad pocket and let it sit dead-still for 3-5 seconds. Twitch, pause, twitch. The first twitch after a long pause is when the bull bluegill eats. Strip-set, no rod lift. Overcast skies push bluegill into the upper 2 ft of the water column, they'll travel 4 ft to crush a popper.
Flies: Yellow Popper #10, Chartreuse Popper #10, Hare's Ear Nymph #12
Small chartreuse bugger or soft hackle under an indicator. Twitchy strips.
In a few hours
Bugs are hatching (spin). Ultralight rod. Hang a small beaded nymph under a tiny pencil bobber with one BB shot for casting weight. Flip into shaded pockets, wait 5–10 seconds, twitch once. When the bobber dips, set right away. This slow rig often beats moving lures on bright calm days.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb mono. Yellow Beetle Spin or 1/16 oz chartreuse jig with a small tail spinner. Cast parallel to weed edges and retrieve just fast enough to keep the blade turning. For surface action, switch to a 1/16 oz popper (Rebel Pop-R Jr in chartreuse) and walk-the-dog along the pad edge; pause for 3 seconds after every 2 twitches.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb mono. Yellow Beetle Spin or 1/16 oz chartreuse jig with a small tail spinner. Cast parallel to weed edges and retrieve just fast enough to keep the blade turning. For surface action, switch to a 1/16 oz popper (Rebel Pop-R Jr in chartreuse) and walk-the-dog along the pad edge; pause for 3 seconds after every 2 twitches.
Lures: Red Squirmy worm #12 OR olive damsel nymph #12 under a tiny pencil bobber, yellow beetle spin, chartreuse 1/16 oz jig
Beetle spin or tiny jig tipped with wax worm. Slow roll past beds.
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.
Best colors right now: chartreuse, yellow, white
Good colors for clear water (fall): natural nymph, olive, smoke
Sight feeders in shallow water. Small and bright beats big and natural except in the clearest spring pools.
Full color matrix for clear water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Hatch: 44% (midge) Light activity. Some bugs in the air, but fish aren't committed yet.
Conditions Match Breakdown
- + water temp in target range+20
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+9
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + solunar major window+5
- + in season+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: after dark
Catfish on a fly is a niche stunt. If you want to try: 8-9 wt rod, sinking line, a meat fly tied with rabbit + a stinger hook trailing chicken-liver scent paste. Drift over known channel-cat structure at dusk. Real fly anglers fishing TN lakes for catfish almost never do it; this is here for completeness, not productivity.
Not a practical fly target most days. Heavy Clouser dredged deep is the novelty play.
In a few hours
Medium-heavy rod, 30-50 lb braid + 40 lb mono shock leader to a 6/0-7/0 circle hook. Tactical setup: live bluegill 4-6" hooked through the upper jaw on a slip-bobber rig with the bobber stopper set so the bait swims 12-18" off bottom over a known brush pile. The bait stays alive + thrashes, which keeps turtles off it. For larger fish, switch to a tightline bottom rig with a chunk of cut skipjack on a 7/0 circle + 3 oz sinker so turtles can't drag it; check in 30 min, reset if stripped. Free-spool the strike, reel-set, no rod sweep.
Lures: Live bluegill (4-6") on slip-bobber over a brush pile, Chicken liver in a mesh bag (low turtle attraction), Shad-gut dough on a #2 treble (firm bait stays on the hook), Cut skipjack on 7/0 circle (large hook + heavy weight discourages turtles)
Cut bait on bottom rigs. Put scent in the current seam and wait.
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.
Best colors right now: natural, live
Good colors for clear water (fall): natural cut bait, nightcrawler, live shad
Catfish hunt by smell first. Color barely matters, contrast and scent do. Dark baits with bloody scent win in stain.
Full color matrix for clear water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Hatch: 44% (midge) Light activity. Some bugs in the air, but fish aren't committed yet.
- Turtle pressure is heavy on small TN lakes (Cane Creek, Standing Stone, TWRA family lakes, plateau state-park lakes) from May through September, especially after sunset.
- Live bluegill on a slip-float OR chicken liver in mesh outfishes loose cut bait when turtles are active.
- If you commit to cut bait, use the largest possible chunk on a 7/0+ circle hook so turtles can't strip it.
Conditions Match Breakdown
- + water temp in target range+17
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+9
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + solunar major window+5
- + cloud preference+3
- + in season+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: first light
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.
Flies: Clouser Minnow #6 (chartreuse/white), Frog Popper #4
Olive wooly bugger or black game changer. Dark silhouette first, drop to rust nymph if refusals.
In a few hours
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.
Lures: Texas-rigged worm (watermelon red flake), 1/2 oz spinnerbait (white/chartreuse), 3" soft jerkbait (smoke shad), 3/8 oz football jig + craw trailer (deep summer)
Black and blue jig or chartreuse spinnerbait tight to cover. Stained fish hold on wood and rock edges.
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.
Best colors right now: watermelon, chartreuse/white, shad
Good colors for clear water (fall): watermelon red, natural shad, green pumpkin
Bass see red and green well and chase high-contrast silhouettes in stain. Black and blue reads as a shad or bluegill profile when detail drops out.
Full color matrix for clear water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Hatch: 44% (midge) Light activity. Some bugs in the air, but fish aren't committed yet.
- Topwater commits hardest in the first 90 minutes after sunrise on calm warm mornings, see /learn/technique/topwater-bass.
- Bluebird high-pressure days after a cold front kill the topwater bite; switch to slow soft plastics in deeper cover.
Conditions Match Breakdown
- + water temp in target range+20
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+9
- + wind speed+7
- + cloud cover+6
- + in season+5
- + solunar major window+5
- + cloud preference+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
7PM
69°
5
SE
22% rain
8PM
66°
5
SE
39% rain
9PM
63°
5
SE
39% rain
10PM
62°
5
SE
43% rain
11PM
61°
5
SE
48% rain
12AM
59°
5
SE
51% rain
1AM
59°
5
SE
53% rain
1AM
59°
5
SE
59% rain
2AM
58°
5
SE
66% rain
3AM
58°
5
SE
69% rain
4AM
58°
5
SE
81% rain
5AM
57°
5
SE
97% rain
6AM
57°
5
SE
91% rain
7AM
57°
5
SE
93% rain
8AM
57°
10
SE
87% rain
9AM
57°
10
SE
78% rain
10AM
58°
10
SE
68% rain
11AM
58°
10
SE
57% rain
12PM
58°
10
SE
39% rain
1PM
58°
10
SE
33% rain
2PM
58°
5
SE
26% rain
3PM
60°
5
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21% rain
4PM
61°
5
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20% rain
5PM
64°
5
SE
17% rain
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 72.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 92% |
| Dew point (°C) | 14.4°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 61% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 9% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,023.6 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | SE (135°) |
| Wind (mph) | 5.0 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 6 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 6 min ago nws |
| Cloud cover (%) | 6 min ago nws |
| Air temp (°F) | 6 min ago nws |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 3864.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 5.1 h 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
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.
10-day weather & pressure outlook
NWS forecast where it reaches, Open-Meteo beyond it. Days run midnight to midnight, spot time.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Oct 31 | 77°F | 58°F | 5 mph ESE | 88% | 48% | 1,023.8 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 64°F | 56°F | 7 mph SE | 95% | 97% | 1,025.3 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 71°F | 57°F | 8 mph SSE | 83% | 27% | 1,021.5 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 76°F | 63°F | 12 mph SSE | 72% | 60% | 1,015.7 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 71°F | 62°F | 7 mph S | 90% | 76% | 1,011.0 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 69°F | 58°F | Calm | 89% | 35% | 1,010.7 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 72°F | 54°F | 4 mph NNW | 45% | 15% | 1,010.8 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 64°F | 52°F | Calm | 74% | 4% | 1,011.6 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 58°F | 47°F | 7 mph WNW | 77% | 7% | 1,010.3 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 63°F | 43°F | 6 mph NW | 20% | 12% | 1,013.2 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
- Anchor Inn Resort, Inc. 36.0158, -87.9886 phone map Google OSM
- BEAR CREEK 36.1126, -87.9147 phone map Google OSM
- Beaverdam Marina 36.0591, -88.0187 phone map Google OSM
- Birdsong Creek 35.9676, -88.0514 phone map Google OSM
- Birdsong Marina 35.9706, -88.0473 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 35.9016, -87.9171 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 35.9371, -87.9189 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 35.9681, -87.9941 phone map Google OSM
- Boat Ramp 36.1137, -87.9169 phone map Google OSM
- Camden Landing 35.9902, -88.0122 phone map Google OSM
- Clydeton Dock 36.1726, -87.8983 phone map Google OSM
- Cuba Landing Marina 35.8788, -87.9330 phone map Google OSM
- DUCK RIVER MILE 11.5 R 36.0450, -87.8549 phone map Google OSM
- Eva 36.0632, -87.9970 phone map Google OSM
- HURRICANE MILLS 35.9767, -87.7726 phone map Google OSM
- Hallshire 36.0624, -88.0267 phone map Google OSM
- Harmon Creek Resort 36.1595, -87.9405 phone map Google OSM
- Harmon Dock Road 36.1561, -87.9442 phone map Google OSM
- Mason's Dock 36.1746, -87.8925 phone map Google OSM
- Morgan's Creek 35.8357, -87.9773 phone map Google OSM
- NEW JOHNSONVILLE 36.0177, -87.9890 phone map Google OSM
- Nathan Bedford Forest State Park 36.0612, -87.9975 phone map Google OSM
- North Eagle Creek 35.9218, -87.9533 phone map Google OSM
- Pebble Isle Marina 36.0612, -87.9538 phone map Google OSM
- Peckerwood Landing 35.9433, -88.0130 phone map Google OSM
- Pilot Knob 36.0858, -87.9741 phone map Google OSM
- Stirling Road 36.0546, -88.0219 phone map Google OSM