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Best striped bass lakes in Tennessee

9 Tennessee waters hold striped 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. Open-water nomad that follows shad and herring schools; loves current, points and cool depths.

1. Chickamauga Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
2. Watts Bar Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Norris Lake — 210 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Cherokee Lake — 160 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
5. Cordell Hull Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
6. Old Hickory Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Bluegill
7. J. Percy Priest Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Boone Lake — 120 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill

When to fish striped bass in Tennessee

• Spring 5–20 ft — Fish push up creeks and rivers; chase the bait to moving water.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Stripers hold in the cool deep layer — live bait or trolling over the thermocline.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fall blitz season — follow the birds and breaking fish.
• Winter 20–50 ft — Big schools stack on channel bends with bait; slow presentations.

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 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

Striped Bass elsewhere: Arizona · Mississippi · Texas · Georgia · California · South Carolina