Standing Stone Lake
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
ON THIS WATER (Standing Stone Lake): 50-acre state-park lake in Overton County. Shallow weedy with productive coves around the campground, brush piles off the points, and a dam wall on the southwest end (deepest water, ~25 ft). Modest pressure most of the year.
3-4 wt and a #10 yellow popper walked along the lily-pad edges in the coves at first light. Switch to a #12 olive damsel nymph 18" below the popper as the sun gets high and the bull bluegill drop into the shade.
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
ON THIS WATER (Standing Stone Lake): 50-acre state-park lake in Overton County. Shallow weedy with productive coves around the campground, brush piles off the points, and a dam wall on the southwest end (deepest water, ~25 ft). Modest pressure most of the year.
1/16 oz yellow Beetle Spin retrieved slow along the weed edges in the campground coves. For bigger fish: small red worm under a slip-cork 4 ft deep, drifted along the dam-wall riprap.
BAIT OPTION: Red worm or cricket on a #8 light-wire under a slip-cork set 3 ft deep along any weed edge. Easiest panfishing on the plateau.
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
- 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
- + water temp in target range+19
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+8
- + cloud cover+5
- + solunar major window+5
- + in season+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 off the dam wall at dusk and fan-cast bait rigs across the deepest water on the lake.
BAIT OPTION: Live bluegill (4-5") on a slip-bobber set 12 ft deep off the dam wall — turtle-resistant since the bait keeps swimming. If turtles are quiet, switch to a palm-sized chunk of cut shad on a 6/0 circle with a 3 oz sinker fished tight on bottom.
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
- 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
- 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.
- + water temp in target range+16
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+8
- + cloud cover+5
- + solunar major window+5
- + cloud preference+3
- + in season+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: first light
ON THIS WATER (Standing Stone Lake): 50-acre state-park lake in Overton County. Shallow weedy with productive coves around the campground, brush piles off the points, and a dam wall on the southwest end (deepest water, ~25 ft). Modest pressure most of the year.
5 wt sink-tip with a 1/32 oz white marabou jig fished as a fly over any brush pile you can locate off the campground points. Count the jig down to 8-10 ft, then microscopic strips.
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
ON THIS WATER (Standing Stone Lake): 50-acre state-park lake in Overton County. Shallow weedy with productive coves around the campground, brush piles off the points, and a dam wall on the southwest end (deepest water, ~25 ft). Modest pressure most of the year.
Slip-bobber a small minnow at 8-12 ft over brush off the points. Spring spawn (April-May): shoot a 1/32 oz curly-tail grub far under any overhanging structure in the coves.
BAIT OPTION: Live minnow on a #4 Aberdeen under a slip-cork. Find a brush pile or floating dock to anchor next to and stay on top of the school.
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
- 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, white, pink/white
Good colors for clear water (fall): smoke shad, natural minnow, pearl white
Crappie hunt by flash and vertical profile. Chartreuse and white outproduce naturals in every stain level except gin-clear.
Full color matrix for clear water
- Crappie bite shuts down hard during post-frontal high-pressure days; commit to spring + fall windows where you can.
- + water temp in target range+20
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+7
- + cloud cover+5
- + solunar major window+5
- + in season+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: first light
8 wt and a #4 deer-hair frog or #4 popper skipped under the laydowns in the coves. Best at first light before the boats stir the water up.
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
Texas-rigged worm pitched into the laydowns and brush in the coves. Summer post-front: a weightless wacky Senko worked dead-slow along the dam-wall riprap pulls suspended fish.
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
- 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
- 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.
- + water temp in target range+20
- + preferred time of day+11
- + barometric trend+7
- + cloud cover+5
- + 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.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 70.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 94% |
| Dew point (°C) | 7.2°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 41% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 4% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,025.5 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | Variable |
| Wind (mph) | 0.0 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.
Tailwater staple; year-round on Caney Fork
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
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 | 79°F | 56°F | 4 mph SE | 86% | 10% | 1,025.4 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 66°F | 55°F | 6 mph SE | 96% | 56% | 1,027.3 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 71°F | 53°F | 5 mph SSE | 84% | 20% | 1,023.9 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 76°F | 57°F | 11 mph SSE | 48% | 15% | 1,018.9 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 71°F | 61°F | 11 mph S | 97% | 77% | 1,012.5 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 70°F | 56°F | 3 mph NNW | 94% | 63% | 1,010.7 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 67°F | 52°F | 4 mph NW | 74% | 24% | 1,008.1 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 65°F | 48°F | Calm | 77% | 6% | 1,010.7 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 56°F | 49°F | 7 mph SW | 95% | 9% | 1,009.6 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 53°F | 39°F | 4 mph W | 62% | 16% | 1,011.1 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 |