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14,200-acre reservoir near Nashville. The lake tops out around 100 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 13,623 acres, worked by 151.6 miles of shoreline, with 26 islands in the mix. With a shoreline index of 9.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 62% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 14.3 mi end to end and 6.3 mi across at its widest. It sits in Davidson County. If the bite dies, Old Hickory Lake is 17 mi to the north.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. 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 | 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 | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (14 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring smallmouth bass on J. Percy Priest 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. Put Rock reef first on the milk run — a rock pile near 11 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (45 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring crappie on J. Percy Priest Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down 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. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| 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 | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on J. Percy Priest Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 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 small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| 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 | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Spring white bass & hybrids on J. Percy Priest Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Put Finch Branch inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Finch Branch inflow (8 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Finch Branch inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Finch Branch inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Finch Branch inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (50 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (85 ft) |
J. Percy Priest Lake also holds blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer), striped bass (25 to 60 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 27 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 85 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 J. Percy Priest Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Tennessee fishing regulations →
J. Percy Priest Lake is about 100 ft (30 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, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, blue catfish, striped bass on J. Percy Priest 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 J. Percy Priest 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.
Old Hickory Lake 17 mi · Marrowbone Lake 26 mi · Harpeth River 28 mi · Caney Fork River 37 mi · Duck River 39 mi · Bedford County Lake 43 mi · West Fork Drakes Creek Reservoir 44 mi, KY · Center Hill Lake 44 mi · Whippoorwill Lake 45 mi · Blue Cat Lake 46 mi · Normandy Lake 46 mi · Shellcracker Lake 47 mi
See how J. Percy Priest 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.