Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)
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
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 6 wt rod with floating line, 9 ft 3X-4X tippet. Hatch-on smallmouth on rivers eat dries you'd throw at trout: #10-12 Stimulator or Chubby Chernobyl, often with a #14 rust-color Hare's Ear dropper. On lake smallmouth, a #4 Game Changer (perch finish) twitched along rocky banks at first light covers more water. Cross-current + dead-drift on rivers, twitch-and-pause on lakes.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
Target the head of every plunge pool and the undercut banks on outside bends. A weighted #6 rust Wooly Bugger swung through the soft slot below each riffle pulls the bigger fish. Move every 3-4 casts.
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.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
Target the head of every plunge pool and the undercut banks on outside bends. A weighted #6 rust Wooly Bugger swung through the soft slot below each riffle pulls the bigger fish. Move every 3-4 casts.
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
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: medium-light spinning combo, 8 lb braid + 6 lb fluoro leader. River: 1/16 oz brown jig + 2" smoke craw trailer ticked along bottom seams, smallies hammer it during the hatch as they key on emerging caddis nymphs. Lake: tiny 1/16 oz hair jig under a slip-bobber rig drifted along rocky shorelines. Surface action: 1/8 oz Yellow Magic popper twitched dead-slow with 5-second pauses.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
1/16 oz brown jig + small craw trailer ticked along bottom from the head of each pool back through the tail. Skip the open shallow runs — fish hold tight to structure on a creek this small.
BAIT OPTION: Live crayfish or a chunk of nightcrawler on a #6 hook with one split shot, drifted from the head of each plunge pool through the slack. Most consistent producer on small Overton County creeks.
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.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
1/16 oz brown jig + small craw trailer ticked along bottom from the head of each pool back through the tail. Skip the open shallow runs — fish hold tight to structure on a creek this small.
BAIT OPTION: Live crayfish or a chunk of nightcrawler on a #6 hook with one split shot, drifted from the head of each plunge pool through the slack. Most consistent producer on small Overton County creeks.
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: 1/16 oz brown jig + 2" smoke craw trailer (bottom-tick presentation), 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
Stained
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: watermelon, chartreuse/white, shad
Guide pick for stained water (fall): black / blue jig, chartreuse / white spinnerbait
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 stained water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
Hatch: 83% (BWO (fall)) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
- 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.
Why this score
- preferred time of day+15
- barometric trend+10
- pre frontal surge+9
- cloud cover+5
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
Best window: morning
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 3-4 wt rod with floating line, 7.5-9 ft tapered leader to 5X tippet. #14 yellow Stimulator or #16 black ant on top, drop a #14 beadhead Hare's Ear or small olive damsel nymph 12-18" below as a dropper. Bluegill + redbreast hammer the dropper most of the time; the dry indicates. Cast into shade lines + along pad edges; let the rig sit 5 seconds before twitching.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
3-4 wt short rod (7'6" or less) for tight casting under canopy. Bow-and-arrow or roll-cast a #14 yellow Stimulator or #12 olive damsel nymph into each plunge pool and pocket; let it drift through then pick up and move. Land the fly with no line on the water if you can — these fish spook hard.
5-6 wt rod, floating line, 4X tippet. Cover water with a #10 olive wooly bugger first, then drop to a #14 Pheasant Tail if nothing's eating up top. Vary depth + retrieve speed until you find what works.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
3-4 wt short rod (7'6" or less) for tight casting under canopy. Bow-and-arrow or roll-cast a #14 yellow Stimulator or #12 olive damsel nymph into each plunge pool and pocket; let it drift through then pick up and move. Land the fly with no line on the water if you can — these fish spook hard.
5-6 wt rod, floating line, 4X tippet. Cover water with a #10 olive wooly bugger first, then drop to a #14 Pheasant Tail if nothing's eating up top. Vary depth + retrieve speed until you find what works.
Flies: Olive Wooly Bugger #10, Pheasant Tail #14
Small chartreuse bugger or soft hackle under an indicator. Twitchy strips.
In a few hours
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: ultralight 5'-6' rod, 4 lb mono. Rig a small beaded nymph (red Squirmy / brown Hare's Ear / olive damsel, #12-14) on a 24" 4 lb mono tippet below a tiny 1/2" pencil bobber + a single BB-shot for casting weight. Flip into shaded pockets, let it sit 5-10 seconds, twitch the bobber once. The bobber dips on every fish, set immediately. This rig outfishes any moving lure on bright calm days when the hatch is on.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
Ultralight 5'-6' rod, 4 lb mono. 1/32 oz inline spinner cast directly into the head of each plunge pool and let to tumble through. Move between holes constantly. For panfish in the shallow pockets, switch to a #6 Beetle Spin and slow it down.
BAIT OPTION: Red worm on a #8 long-shank with one split shot, drifted into each pocket. Old-school approach but consistently outproduces lures on this kind of creek.
Medium-light combo, 8 lb mono. 1/16 oz curl-tail grub on a steady retrieve covers the broadest set of conditions. Vary depth + speed until the bite is found.
ON THIS WATER (Mill Creek (Standing Stone tributary)): Small wadeable creek feeding Standing Stone Lake. Pocket water between boulders, short plunge pools, and a few deeper holes where the creek cuts undercut banks. Walk-and-stalk water; one cast per likely lie.
Ultralight 5'-6' rod, 4 lb mono. 1/32 oz inline spinner cast directly into the head of each plunge pool and let to tumble through. Move between holes constantly. For panfish in the shallow pockets, switch to a #6 Beetle Spin and slow it down.
BAIT OPTION: Red worm on a #8 long-shank with one split shot, drifted into each pocket. Old-school approach but consistently outproduces lures on this kind of creek.
Medium-light combo, 8 lb mono. 1/16 oz curl-tail grub on a steady retrieve covers the broadest set of conditions. Vary depth + speed until the bite is found.
Lures: Red Squirmy worm #12 OR olive damsel nymph #12 under a tiny pencil bobber, 1/16 oz jig, small spinnerbait
Beetle spin or tiny jig tipped with wax worm. Slow roll past beds.
In a few hours
Stained
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: natural, black
Guide pick for stained water (fall): chartreuse, yellow, pink / white
Sight feeders in shallow water. Small and bright beats big and natural except in the clearest spring pools.
Full color matrix for stained water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
Hatch: 83% (BWO (fall)) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
Why this score
- preferred time of day+15
- barometric trend+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- cloud cover+5
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
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Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 66.3°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 98% |
| Dew point (°C) | 20.0°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 53% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 8% |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.00 in |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,020.4 mb |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 0.52 in |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.01 in |
| Wind direction | E (80°) |
| Wind (mph) | 2.5 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) | 2753.1 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 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94°F | 73°F | Unknown | — | 1% | 1,024.3 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 72°F | Unknown | — | 3% | 1,023.5 mb | nws | |
| 94°F | 71°F | Unknown | — | 4% | 1,019.9 mb | nws | |
| 95°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 4% | 1,015.4 mb | nws | |
| 93°F | 67°F | Unknown | — | 6% | 1,014.0 mb | nws | |
| 92°F | 71°F | Unknown | — | 16% | 1,013.2 mb | nws | |
| 89°F | 67°F | Unknown | — | 24% | 1,014.2 mb | nws | |
| 80°F | 58°F | Unknown | — | 22% | 1,016.4 mb | nws | |
| 82°F | 53°F | Unknown | — | 15% | 1,013.9 mb | nws | |
| 86°F | 56°F | Unknown | — | 12% | 1,016.6 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 |