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Best crappie lakes in Tennessee

22 Tennessee waters hold crappie, 4 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, Crappie
2. Chickamauga Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Watts Bar Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Norris Lake — 210 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
5. Cherokee Lake — 160 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
6. Cordell Hull Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
7. Dale Hollow Lake — 130 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
8. Tellico Lake — 95 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
9. Douglas Lake — 140 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
10. Old Hickory Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Bluegill
11. Fort Loudoun Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Center Hill Lake — 190 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
13. South Holston Lake — 240 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
14. J. Percy Priest Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
15. Watauga Lake — 265 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
16. Boone Lake — 120 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
17. Reelfoot Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
18. Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Laurel Hill Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
20. Marrowbone Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
21. Bedford County Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
22. VFW Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

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 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

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