Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
14,600-acre reservoir near Knoxville. The lake tops out around 75 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Traced from the shoreline, Fort Loudoun Lake runs 12,608 acres with 242.7 miles of edge. An index of 15.4 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 82% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 19.5 mi, about 7.7 mi across. The water lies in Blount County. The nearest mapped water is Tennessee River - Reach 3 of 3, 10 mi to the northeast.
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. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (19 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (11 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (34 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 45 ft. Spring smallmouth bass concentrate at Rock reef, a prime-rated rock pile around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (19 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (34 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring crappie concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Old creek channel (38 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Sharp break (23 ft) | Tiny spoon |
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Tennessee River inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tennessee River inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Tennessee River inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (26 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (38 ft) |
Come spring, look for blue catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 38 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Tennessee River inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (38 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (38 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Old creek channel (38 ft) |
Fort Loudoun Lake also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), white bass & hybrids (10 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 29 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 64 ft.
Access data: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Tennessee waters are set by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — and special regulations can apply to Fort Loudoun Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Fort Loudoun Lake is about 75 ft (23 m) deep 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, white bass & hybrids, freshwater drum, longnose gar, common carp on Fort Loudoun 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.
For largemouth bass, 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.
Fishing on Fort Loudoun Lake is regulated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Check the official Tennessee regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Tennessee River - Reach 3 of 3 10 mi · Melton Hill Lake 12 mi · Tellico Lake 15 mi · Clinch River 23 mi · Watts Bar Lake 26 mi · Santeetlah Lake 35 mi, NC · Fontana Lake 37 mi, NC · Obed River 38 mi · Norris Lake 40 mi · Douglas Lake 40 mi · Nantahala River 47 mi, NC · Hiwassee Lake 49 mi, NC
See how Fort Loudoun Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Tennessee · best smallmouth bass lakes in Tennessee · best crappie lakes in Tennessee · best bluegill lakes in Tennessee
Browse all Tennessee fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.