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5,470-acre reservoir near Lenoir City. Clinch River reservoir above Oak Ridge; bass, stripers and muskie. The lake tops out around 65 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Melton Hill Lake maps at 4,603 acres behind 118.5 miles of shoreline, with 10 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 12.5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 87% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 14.9 mi with a 5.4-mi widest point. Knox County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Fort Loudoun Lake, is 12 mi to the southeast.
Spring largemouth bass on Melton Hill Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| 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 | Sharp break (19 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season smallmouth bass use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 45 ft. Put Rock reef first on the milk run — a rock pile near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (7 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (19 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted bass in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 40 ft before dropping to 25 to 50 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Bearden Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring striped bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bearden Creek inflow (7 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season muskellunge use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Sharp break — drop-off, 19 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (19 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| 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 | Sharp break (19 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (19 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (19 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Melton Hill Lake also holds walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Melton Hill Lake carries 27 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 55 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. 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 Melton Hill Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Melton Hill Lake is about 65 ft (20 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, spotted bass, striped bass, muskellunge, crappie, walleye, bluegill, channel catfish on Melton Hill 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. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Melton Hill 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.
Fort Loudoun Lake 12 mi · Tennessee River - Reach 3 of 3 14 mi · Clinch River 14 mi · Watts Bar Lake 23 mi · Tellico Lake 24 mi · Obed River 28 mi · Norris Lake 35 mi · Douglas Lake 45 mi · Santeetlah Lake 47 mi, NC · Fontana Lake 49 mi, NC · Tennessee River - Reach 2 of 3 50 mi, TN/AL/GA · Cherokee Lake 51 mi
See how Melton Hill 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 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.