Nice Mill
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
7-8 wt and a #6 backstabber fly. Sight-fish tailing carp on the gravel runs in mid-day sun.
7-8 wt rod, floating line, 9 ft tapered leader to 12 lb fluoro. Sight-fish tailing or mudding carp like bonefish. Lead the fish by 2-3 ft, drop the fly soft (any splash spooks them), and let it sink to bottom on slack line. Strip the fly an inch when the carp gets within a foot of it; the strike is a slow head-down 'pickup', strip-set on weight. Mulberry pattern under an overhanging tree in June is the highest-percentage carp opportunity in TN.
Flies: Backstabber Carp Fly #6, Hybrid Carp Fly #8, Mulberry Fly #8
In a few hours
Pre-bait a known feeding flat with a handful of corn 30 min ahead. Sweet corn on a #6 hair rig with a 1/2 oz inline lead, cast to the baited spot.
BAIT OPTION: Sweet corn on a hair rig or doughball tight on bottom. Slow and patient — this water rewards the sit.
Medium 6'6" rod, 8 lb mono, simple bottom rig. Sweet corn (3-4 kernels) on a #6 hair rig with a 1/2 oz inline lead; cast to known feeding flats and wait. Pre-bait the area 30 min ahead with a handful of corn or pack-bait for serious carp anglers. The strike is a slow tip-load, let the rod load, then set; carp inhale and run before they realize the hook is there. Barbless circle hooks are cleaner for release.
Lures: Bread fly on barbless circle, Sweet corn on #6 hair rig, Doughball
In a few hours
- 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, olive
Full color matrix for clear water
- + water temp in target range+16
- + barometric trend+9
- + cloud cover+5
- + in season+4
- + pre-front feeding surge+4
- + solunar major window+4
- + wind speed+4
- + dissolved oxygen+3
- + flow band+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: after dark
Not a practical fly target most days. Heavy Clouser dredged deep is the novelty play.
In a few hours
Anchor at the heads of the deepest pools and fan-cast bait rigs after dark.
BAIT OPTION: Cut skipjack on a 6/0 circle with a 2 oz sinker fished tight on bottom in the deep slack pools. Post-rain flush triggers the bigger fish.
Heavy spinning or baitcasting combo, 50 lb braid + 30 lb fluoro leader. For drifting: 7/0 circle hook on a 3-way swivel with a 2-3 oz sinker; bait the hook with cut skipjack (largest available, palm-sized chunks for trophy fish). Drift broadside across the channel edge or anchor upstream of a creek mouth and let the bait sit. Post-rain flush is the trigger; first 24 hours after a 1"+ rainfall puts big fish on submerged wood.
Lures: Cut skipjack on 7/0 circle hook, Cut shad on 6/0 circle hook, Stink bait on treble (channel only)
Cut bait on bottom rigs. Put scent in the current seam and wait.
In a few hours
- 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, bloody
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
- + water temp in target range+16
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+9
- + cloud cover+5
- + pre-front feeding surge+4
- + solunar major window+4
- + wind speed+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + dissolved oxygen+3
- + flow band+3
- + in season+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: morning
ON THIS WATER (Nice Mill): Slow rural access to West Fork Stones River. Deep slack pools, soft mud bottom in most of the channel, and a few short gravel runs where the channel narrows. Cat-and-carp water primarily; sunfish hold in the shallow shaded edges.
3-4 wt + #14 yellow Stimulator dapped into the shaded edges along the outside bends. The fish are small but consistent.
3-4 wt short rod (7'6"-8'6"), 9 ft 5X tippet to a #14 yellow Stimulator or #16 black ant. Cast across-current 8-15 ft above the target water; mend immediately so the fly drifts dead. Tail-outs and riffle-pool transitions hold the best fish; rock bass especially love the soft slot below the riffle. Last light is the high-percentage window; trout-style hatch matching matters less than just having a buggy silhouette in the seam.
Flies: Yellow Stimulator #14, Black Ant #16, Small Beetle #14
Small chartreuse bugger or soft hackle under an indicator. Twitchy strips.
In a few hours
ON THIS WATER (Nice Mill): Slow rural access to West Fork Stones River. Deep slack pools, soft mud bottom in most of the channel, and a few short gravel runs where the channel narrows. Cat-and-carp water primarily; sunfish hold in the shallow shaded edges.
Ultralight + small Beetle Spin retrieved slow along the shaded edges.
BAIT OPTION: Red worm on a #8 long-shank under a small bobber set 2 ft deep. Family-fishing standard.
Ultralight 5'-6' rod, 4 lb mono. Cast a 1/32 oz inline spinner (silver or black) up + across, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade. Land it at the head of the riffle and let the current swing it through. Beetle Spin works the same way for sunfish; smaller is better. For rock bass specifically: a 1/16 oz brown jig with a small craw trailer ticked along bottom outproduces moving lures.
Lures: Red Squirmy worm #12 OR olive damsel nymph #12 under a tiny pencil bobber, 1/32 oz inline spinner, small Beetle Spin
Beetle spin or tiny jig tipped with wax worm. Slow roll past beds.
In a few hours
- 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: yellow, black, natural
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
- + water temp in target range+16
- + barometric trend+9
- + cloud cover+5
- + pre-front feeding surge+4
- + solunar major window+4
- + wind speed+4
- + dissolved oxygen+3
- + flow band+3
- + in season+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 74.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 93% |
| Dew point (°C) | 8.9°C |
| discharge cfs | 27 cfs |
| gage height ft | 2.13 in |
| Relative humidity (%) | 40% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 3% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,024.8 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | SE (135°) |
| Wind (mph) | 10.0 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) | 3840.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 5.1 h ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
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 | 80°F | 55°F | 6 mph SE | 89% | 11% | 1,024.5 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 65°F | 53°F | 7 mph SE | 96% | 82% | 1,026.5 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 74°F | 52°F | 8 mph SSE | 82% | 22% | 1,023.2 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 78°F | 57°F | 13 mph SSE | 63% | 29% | 1,018.1 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 73°F | 61°F | 11 mph S | 96% | 76% | 1,012.1 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 72°F | 55°F | 5 mph NW | 87% | 53% | 1,010.4 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 71°F | 51°F | 5 mph NW | 58% | 20% | 1,009.3 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 67°F | 46°F | Calm | 70% | 4% | 1,011.2 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 57°F | 48°F | 10 mph WSW | 78% | 9% | 1,009.6 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 57°F | 43°F | 6 mph WNW | 57% | 17% | 1,011.4 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 |
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