Rock Island State Park
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
3-4 wt rod, 9 ft floating line, 6X tippet. Roll-cast a #10 black wooly bugger or #12 olive damsel nymph into the shade under overhanging trees. Bluegill on calm sunny days hold tight to shadow lines; landing the fly within 18" of the shadow edge produces fish, landing it in open sun produces refusals. Let the fly fall 3-4 seconds before stripping; bigger bull bluegill grab on the drop.
Flies: Black Wooly Bugger #10, Olive Damsel Nymph #12, Small Black Beetle #14
Small chartreuse bugger or soft hackle under an indicator. Twitchy strips.
In a few hours
Ultralight 5'-6' rod, 2-4 lb mono. Cast a 1/32 oz black jig or small Beetle Spin into shade. Slow, steady retrieve with the rod tip down. The pro move: rig a small beaded red/brown/orange nymph (size 12) 18" below a tiny pencil bobber + flick into shade; the bobber dips when even sluggish fish nip. This pattern routinely outfishes any moving lure on bright calm days. Verified by user catches at Cane Creek Lake.
Lures: 1/32 oz black jig, small Beetle Spin, Red/brown/orange beaded nymph under bobber
Beetle spin or tiny jig tipped with wax worm. Slow roll past beds.
In a few hours
- 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: black, dark olive, red, brown
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
- preferred time of day+14
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: after dark
Not a practical fly target most days. Heavy Clouser dredged deep is the novelty play.
In a few hours
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
- 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, bloody
Guide pick for stained water (fall): bloody cut shad, blackened liver, chartreuse dip bait
Catfish hunt by smell first. Color barely matters, contrast and scent do. Dark baits with bloody scent win in stain.
Full color matrix for stained water
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: first light
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
Ultralight 6'6" rod, 4-6 lb mono OR 8 lb braid + 6 lb fluoro leader. Spring: 'shoot' a 1/32 oz curly-tail grub far under docks by bow-and-arrow casting the rod tip + flicking the lure. Let it fall on slack line; strike on the drop. Summer: vertical-jig a 1/16 oz hair jig directly above marked brush piles; 6" lifts, 3-second pauses. Minnow on a slip-bobber set 6" above the brush is the bail-out when the bite is light.
Lures: 1/32 oz curly grub (white/chartreuse), 1/16 oz hair jig, Minnow under slip-bobber
Chartreuse jig tipped with minnow, vertical over brush. Slow fall triggers the eat.
In a few hours
- 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: chartreuse, white, pink/white
Guide pick for stained water (fall): chartreuse, pink / white, electric chicken
Crappie hunt by flash and vertical profile. Chartreuse and white outproduce naturals in every stain level except gin-clear.
Full color matrix for stained water
- Crappie bite shuts down hard during post-frontal high-pressure days; commit to spring + fall windows where you can.
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+10
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: first light
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
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
- 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
- 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.
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+10
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: last light
Flies: Bulkhead Deceiver 8-12", Game Changer 10"
In a few hours
Lures: 9" Bull Dawg, Mepps Musky Killer #5, Suick Thriller 10"
In a few hours
- 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: perch, sucker, fire tiger
Full color matrix for stained water
- Musky in TN are limited to Norris, Melton Hill, and a handful of stocked tailrace pools. Verify your spot has them before committing the gear.
- Above 84°F surface temp, musky stop feeding and barely survive a fight. Don't target them in July-August on small water.
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: morning
ON THIS WATER (Rock Island State Park): Great Falls Dam tailwater on the Caney Fork. Surge pool below the powerhouse holds stocked trout when generation is OFF, smallmouth/walleye downstream year-round. TVA generation is the single most important variable — check the schedule before you wade, and step back from the bank when the siren sounds. REGULATION: from the Rock Island boat ramp upstream to Great Falls Dam, Jan 1 - Apr 30 is single-hook-only (one lure, one single-point hook) per TWRA fishing-regulation exceptions — leave trebles in the box for that 4-month window.
Below the powerhouse zone (Caney Fork proper). 6 wt floating line, weighted #4 olive Clouser quartering upstream into the head of each pool, mend hard, strip back. The pocket water below the powerhouse is the most consistent smallmouth water in the park.
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
ON THIS WATER (Rock Island State Park): Great Falls Dam tailwater on the Caney Fork. Surge pool below the powerhouse holds stocked trout when generation is OFF, smallmouth/walleye downstream year-round. TVA generation is the single most important variable — check the schedule before you wade, and step back from the bank when the siren sounds. REGULATION: from the Rock Island boat ramp upstream to Great Falls Dam, Jan 1 - Apr 30 is single-hook-only (one lure, one single-point hook) per TWRA fishing-regulation exceptions — leave trebles in the box for that 4-month window.
3/8 oz football jig + rust craw trailer hopped along the bottom seams below the powerhouse pool. Generation ON: stay back from the bank; smallmouth still bite from the scour holes off bigger riverside rocks, but you can't wade.
BAIT OPTION: Live crayfish on a #4 light-wire with one BB shot, drifted through the soft slots between boulders downstream of the surge pool. Most consistent producer on this section.
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
- 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
- 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.
- preferred time of day+14
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+10
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: first light
Niche — Rock Island walleye are scattered. If you try: 7 wt sink-tip, weighted Clouser swung through the deep slack below the powerhouse at last light.
Streamer game with a 7-8 wt and a fast-sink integrated line (Sonar SL Type 6 or equivalent). 4-6 ft of 16 lb fluorocarbon to a #2 Clouser or Deceiver in chartreuse/white. Cast down-and-across into the slack water below dam piers, count down 4-8 seconds depending on flow, then short strip-strip-pause. The strike comes on the pause. Sauger especially: hold the rod tip 6 inches below the surface and feel for the soft tick, sauger don't slam, they inhale.
Flies: Clouser Minnow #2 (chartreuse/white), Lefty's Deceiver #2
Niche on fly. Heavy chartreuse Clouser trolled along 20 to 30 ft ledges.
In a few hours
Vertical-jig a 1/4 oz hair jig tipped with a minnow in the deep pools below the powerhouse, last 30 min before dark. Sauger push up here on the Feb-March run from Cordell Hull.
BAIT OPTION: Live minnow on a slip-bobber set to 8-10 ft, drifted through the deep slack below the powerhouse at dusk.
Medium-light spinning rod with a fast tip, 10 lb braid + 8 lb fluoro leader. 1/4 oz hair jig tipped with a 2" minnow. Anchor or hold position upstream of the slack-water pool, then vertical-jig directly below the boat. Lift 12" with the rod tip, drop on slack line, strike comes on the drop. If you're bank-fishing, cast across-current and let the jig swing through the seam, picking up tension on the swing. Set hard at the slightest tick.
Lures: 1/4 oz hair jig (white) tipped with minnow, 3/8 oz blade bait (silver/chartreuse), 4" paddle-tail swimbait (smoke/chartreuse)
Bottom-bouncer plus chartreuse crawler harness along contour. Slow troll 1.0 to 1.5 mph.
In a few hours
- 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: chartreuse, white, purple
Guide pick for stained water (fall): chartreuse, orange, fire tiger
Walleye eyes gather light. They feed low-light and see chartreuse and orange deeper than any other colors.
Full color matrix for stained water
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Best window: last light
Flies: Clouser Minnow #4 (white/chartreuse), Wooly Bugger #6
Olive wooly bugger or black game changer. Dark silhouette first, drop to rust nymph if refusals.
In a few hours
Lures: 1/4 oz Roostertail, 1/8 oz spoon (silver), Sassy Shad 3"
Black and blue jig or chartreuse spinnerbait tight to cover. Stained fish hold on wood and rock edges.
In a few hours
- 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: white, chartreuse, silver
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
- hatch active+10
- preferred time of day+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+1
Dam generation & flow schedule
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 | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off |
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 66.6°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 100% |
| Dew point (°C) | 21.1°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 62% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 5% |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.00 in |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,019.8 mb |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 0.45 in |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | SE (124°) |
| Wind (mph) | 3.2 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.
Tailwater staple; year-round on Caney Fork
Weeks 14-39 (Apr-Sep) on Caney Fork tailwater; matches South Holston schedule per shop consensus + thermal profile.
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.
10-day weather & pressure outlook
Extended NWS meteorological outlook.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 1% | 1,024.3 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 71°F | Unknown | — | 2% | 1,024.0 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 72°F | Unknown | — | 2% | 1,019.9 mb | nws | |
| 94°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 9% | 1,015.6 mb | nws | |
| 94°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 10% | 1,014.2 mb | nws | |
| 92°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 17% | 1,013.5 mb | nws | |
| 89°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 26% | 1,014.3 mb | nws | |
| 82°F | 60°F | Unknown | — | 24% | 1,016.1 mb | nws | |
| 83°F | 56°F | Unknown | — | 16% | 1,013.8 mb | nws | |
| 86°F | 59°F | Unknown | — | 11% | 1,016.3 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 |
Field reports & historical notes
-
fly south 25 a night of music to kick off our fall of celebration · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago
-
yeti gobox overview · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago
-
pumpkin in the hallowed pages of scof · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago
-
the case for late spring in middle tennessee · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago
-
skillsets wet wading · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago
-
summercarp · flysouth
Fetched 10 h ago