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Best smallmouth bass lakes in Tennessee

22 Tennessee waters hold smallmouth bass. 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. Current- and rock-loving fighter. Lives around gravel, boulders and hard-bottom structure.

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. Fort Loudoun Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
11. Center Hill Lake — 190 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
12. South Holston Lake — 240 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
13. J. Percy Priest Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
14. Duck River — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum
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. Harpeth River — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Longnose Gar
18. Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Buffalo River — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish
20. Elk River — 9 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
21. Hiwassee River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
22. Obed River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge

When to fish smallmouth bass in Tennessee

• Spring 3–12 ft — Gravel and rock flats near deep water; spawning happens on hard bottom.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Offshore rock humps and deep points; smallmouth suspend near bait.
• Fall 8–25 ft — Feeding hard for winter — long tapering points and rocky drops.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Deep, vertical presentations near rocky wintering holes.

Also in Tennessee: best largemouth 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 freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best brown trout lakes

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