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Fishing Douglas Lake: what the data says
28,420-acre reservoir near Dandridge. The lake tops out around 140 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Crappie fishing at Douglas Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Douglas Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Douglas Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Douglas Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Bluegill fishing at Douglas Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Douglas Lake
Spring channel catfish on Douglas Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Nolichucky River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Douglas Lake
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Douglas Lake also holds white bass & hybrids (10 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 120 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 80 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 70 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 63 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 50 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 35 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 35 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 30 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 20 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
Common questions
How deep is Douglas Lake?
Douglas Lake is about 140 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Douglas Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, common carp on Douglas Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Douglas Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Douglas Lake?
For crappie, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Cherokee Lake · Norris Lake · Fort Loudoun Lake · Clinch River · Tellico Lake · Boone Lake
See how Douglas Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Tennessee · best smallmouth bass lakes in Tennessee · best walleye lakes in Tennessee · best crappie lakes in Tennessee
Browse all Tennessee fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.