Tellico Lake offers a variety of fish species, like bass, crappie, striped bass, catfish, white bass, and many different sunfish. Chilhowee Reservoir and the Tellico river flow into Tellico lake, providing cooler water making the lake conducive to trout and walleye populations. The reservoir has over 350 miles of shoreline with tons of access points. If you don’t have a lakefront home with a dock, there are many lake communities with private ramps or public ramp options. Between the bank and a boat, there are plenty of places to explore and hunt for fish.
Due to our year round water levels, Tellico Lake has more fishing seasons:
Spring – late spring is a good time for bluegill and sunfish. It is the prime time for crappie. The spring season is also great for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, white bass, striped bass, muskie, and hybrid and striped bass.
Summer –This is a good time for bluegill and sunfish, as well as all five species of bass.
Fall: Fall it a great time for spotted, smallmouth and largemouth bass as well as crappie. Other species can also be caught.
Winter: Winter months are the best times for muskie, walleye, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.
Fish Habitat:
Water level fluctuations are minimal and shoreline vegetation is well developed. Therefore, traditional enhancement work using brush to concentrate fish for anglers is not needed reservoir wide. Some recent rebrushing work has been done to attract fish to the piers at Fort Loudoun State Park and Lotterdale Cove. Eighty-four smallmouth bass spawning benches were placed in the lower section of the reservoir in 1996. Many lake communities such as Rarity Bay also take great care of their shorelines making great habitat for fishing off your own dock.
Tips to Fish Tellico Lake:
Spotted bass- Bridge riprap and similar rocky areas with small white spinners, plastic grubs on leadhead jigs, doll flies, and crawfish crankbaits.
Largemouth bass- Spring: Bat, Clear, and Island Creeks provide excellent pre-spawn bass fishing. Creek points and channels using shallow running crankbaits, spinner baits, buzz baits, Carolina-rigged floating worms, and Texas-rigged worms; Summer: River channel points and humps with Mann’s deep running crankbaits, Carolina rigs, and pig n’ jigs; Fall: Creek mouths and river channel points using shallow running crankbaits and topwater plugs; Winter: Creek mouths and river channels using crankbaits, jigs, and lizards.
Smallmouth bass- Spring: Creek mouths and river channel points with shallow running crankbaits, pig ‘n jigs, and grubs; Summer: River channel points and humps and rip-rap banks using deep running crankbaits and pig ‘n jigs; Fall: River channels using shallow running crankbaits and topwater plugs; Winter: River channel near the dam and the Little Tennessee River section using jigs, grubs, and shiners.
Crappie- Spring: Creek channels in open water and brush with jigs, grubs, and minnows. The standing timber in the Tellico River also holds crappie; Summer: River channels at night with jigs, grubs, and minnows; Fall and Winter: In creeks with jigs, grubs, and minnows.
Walleye and Sauger- Spring: Upper Little Tennessee River section trolling crankbaits or drifting with jigs, grubs, and minnows; Summer: Occasionally caught by bass anglers in river channels fishing deep running crankbaits; Fall and Winter: Same methods as in the spring with less success.
East Tennessee really is an outdoor lovers paradise, enjoy cruising on the lake or fishing, there is something for everyone on our lakes. CLICK HERE to search for all lakefront and lake access homes on Tellico Lake and start living the Lakefront Living Lifestyle.
Excerts from Lakes Online and Perfect Fly Store.
Posted by Kody Millikan, REALTOR, Lakefront Living, On The Lake Realty.