Reelfoot Lake, TN Fishing Report & Live Conditions

Reelfoot Lake, TN fishing report

Reelfoot is a shallow, timber-choked oxbow lake where largemouth bass dominate year-round, chain pickerel lurk in the thickest cypress tangles, and crappie — the local bread-and-butter panfish — draw serious crowds during their spring spawn. Walleye run strong here in late winter and early spring when water temps climb into the low 50s, making Reelfoot one of the few Tennessee waters where they're a realistic target. Catfish hold in the deeper ditches through summer, and while smallmouth and trout are rare in this warm, stained water, a few catfish guide trips do occasionally turn up surprise smallmouth near the lake's northern feeder channels.

Work the outside edges of cypress stump rows with slow-rolled swimbaits or Texas-rigged soft plastics when water temps are below 55 degrees — fish suspend tight to timber and won't chase. As temps push into the mid-60s, move to weedline ditches with jig-and-bobber rigs for crappie using minnows or small tube jigs, and throw weedless frogs or buzzbaits across pad fields for largemouth at first light. Walleye respond well to jig-and-minnow combos drifted through open-water troughs connecting the main lake. In summer heat, target catfish after dark in the deeper connecting ditches with cut shad on the bottom.