← Tennessee fishing maps

Best crappie lakes in Tennessee

32 Tennessee waters hold crappie, 5 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Schooling panfish that suspends around timber, brush and creek channels.

1. Kentucky Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 44 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
2. Lake Guntersville — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, BluegillWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 29 public access sites
3. Chickamauga Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 28 public access sites
4. Pickwick Lake — 85 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 22 public access sites
5. Watts Bar Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 46 public access sites
6. Mississippi River — Memphis — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 17 public access sites
7. Lake Barkley — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 39 public access sites
8. Norris Lake — 210 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 28 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Cherokee Lake — 160 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 27 public access sites
10. Cordell Hull Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
11. Dale Hollow Lake — 130 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
12. Tellico Lake — 95 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
13. Douglas Lake — 140 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 12 public access sites
14. Old Hickory Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, BluegillWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 32 public access sites
15. Fort Loudoun Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 16 public access sites
16. Center Hill Lake — 190 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 13 public access sites
17. Melton Hill Lake — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 15 public access sites
18. South Holston Lake — 240 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
19. J. Percy Priest Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 26 public access sites
20. Tims Ford Lake — 143 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 18 public access sites
21. Watauga Lake — 265 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
22. Boone Lake — 120 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #22: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 9 public access sites
23. Reelfoot Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 15 public access sites
24. Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 6 public access sites
25. Normandy Lake — 85 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached

…plus 7 more Tennessee waters holding crappie.

Find the closest crappie waters to you →

When to fish crappie in Tennessee

• Spring 2–8 ft — The famous spring bite: brush, timber and docks in protected shallow pockets.
• Summer 10–25 ft — Find suspended schools over channel-edge brush piles and deep timber.
• Fall 8–20 ft — Schools follow shad into creeks; fish channel bends with cover.
• Winter 15–35 ft — Tight schools in deep holes and channel bends; slow presentations.

Also in Tennessee: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best brown trout lakes · best spotted bass lakes

Crappie elsewhere: Ontario · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Maine · New Hampshire · Montana · New York · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Florida · Indiana · North Dakota · Iowa · Texas · Ohio · Connecticut · Nebraska · Missouri · Vermont · California · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Arizona · Colorado · Illinois · New Mexico · Kansas · West Virginia · Mississippi · Idaho · New Jersey · Kentucky · Alabama · Oregon · Georgia · North Carolina · Delaware · Nevada · Manitoba · Virginia · Rhode Island · Louisiana · South Carolina · Pennsylvania · Arkansas · Maryland