Best freshwater drum lakes in Tennessee
8 Tennessee waters hold freshwater drum. 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. The hardest-pulling fish nobody brags about. Roams current seams and mussel beds — bites all day.
- Kentucky Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
- Chickamauga Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Watts Bar Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Cordell Hull Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
- Old Hickory Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Bluegill
- Fort Loudoun Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Duck River — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum
- Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
When to fish freshwater drum in Tennessee
- Spring 5–20 ft — Big spring runs into current — gravel bars and creek mouths.
- Summer 8–30 ft — Channel edges and mussel beds; drum feed by ear — a dragging bait gets found.
- Fall 10–35 ft — Schools slide toward deep holes; slow bottom presentations.
- Winter 15–45 ft — Deep and slow.
Also in Tennessee: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie 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 common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best brown trout lakes
Freshwater Drum elsewhere: Minnesota · Iowa · Indiana · Nebraska · Ohio · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Texas · Illinois · Kansas · Missouri