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10,700-acre reservoir near Winchester. Deep, clear Elk River highland reservoir; top smallmouth and striper lake. The lake tops out around 143 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Shoreline on the chart totals 169.7 miles, broken up by 3 islands. An index of 14.8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 58% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 13.8 mi, about 7.5 mi across. It sits in Franklin County. Woods Reservoir sits 9 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 11 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Rock reef (11 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| 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 (8 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, spotted bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 50 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 40 ft, rated prime for winter spotted bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (36 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (12 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Offshore hump (12 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (8 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| 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 (12 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 25 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: Elk River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Elk River inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (40 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (36 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Tims Ford Lake also holds walleye (15 to 35 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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 21 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 122 ft.
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 Tims Ford Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Tims Ford Lake is about 143 ft (44 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 smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass, walleye, channel catfish on Tims Ford Lake.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For smallmouth 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 Tims Ford 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.
Woods Reservoir 9 mi · Elk River 13 mi · Normandy Lake 16 mi · Bedford County Lake 19 mi · Madison County Public Fishing Lake 31 mi, AL · Nickajack Lake 38 mi · Lake Guntersville 41 mi, AL/TN · DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake 51 mi, AL · Duck River 52 mi · Center Hill Lake 58 mi · J. Percy Priest Lake 61 mi · Tennessee River - Reach 1 of 3 64 mi, AL/TN/MS
See how Tims Ford 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.