Sport Fishing Index Ratings

To help anglers decide where they have the best chance of catching their favorite types of fish, TVA and state fisheries agencies have created a Sport Fishing Index that reflects fishing quality for different species in the TVA reservoirs.

The Sport Fishing Index scores for different species are based both on population measures (the size and health of the individual fish, along with the number of fish present) and information on angler use and success (the number of anglers looking for a particular type of fish, and the number of that type that they actually catch).

The Sport Fishing Index score ranges from a high of 60 (excellent) to a low of 20 (very poor).

To view the scores for specific TVA lakes, choose from the list below.

Lakes Apalachia Barkley Bear Creek Blue Ridge Boone Cedar Creek Chatuge Cherokee Chickamauga Douglas Fontana Fort Loudoun Fort Patrick Henry Great Falls Guntersville Hiwassee Kentucky Little Bear Creek Melton Hill Nickajack Normandy Norris Nottely Parksville Pickwick South Holston Tellico Tims Ford Watauga Watts Bar Wheeler Wilson

Apalachia

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	30	37
Channel Catfish	38	34
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Smallmouth Bass	32	31
Spotted Bass	28	33

Barkley

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	35	37
Black Crappie	44	31
Channel Catfish	36	34
Crappie	20	31
Largemouth Bass	40	35
Sauger	42	38
Spotted Bass	30	33
Striped Bass	26	35
White Bass	24	40
White Crappie	50	33

Bear Creek

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	48	36
Bluegill	22	27
Channel Catfish	26	33
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	50	33
White Crappie	22	28

Beech

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Channel Catfish	48	34
Largemouth Bass	48	35

Blue Ridge

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	46	36
Bluegill	26	27
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Smallmouth Bass	20	30
Spotted Bass	24	33
Walleye	50	34

Boone

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	32	37
Black Crappie	32	31
Largemouth Bass	32	35
Smallmouth Bass	37	31
Striped Bass	40	35

Cedar Creek

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	47	36
Crappie	46	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	22	31
White Crappie	46	41

Chatuge

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	50	37
Channel Catfish	26	34
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Spotted Bass	50	31
Walleye	38	38
White Bass	30	40

Cherokee

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	35	37
Black Crappie	31	31
Channel Catfish	32	34
Largemouth Bass	40	35
Smallmouth Bass	24	31
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	44	35
Walleye	28	38

Chickamauga

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	35	37
Black Crappie	38	31
Channel Catfish	28	34
Largemouth Bass	42	35
Smallmouth Bass	34	31
Spotted Bass	38	33

Douglas

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	31	37
Black Crappie	30	31
Crappie	30	31
Largemouth Bass	28	35
Smallmouth Bass	26	31
Walleye	28	38
White Bass	48	40
White Crappie	28	33

Fontana

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	48	37
Channel Catfish	32	34
Largemouth Bass	50	35
Smallmouth Bass	40	31
Spotted Bass	42	33
Walleye	40	38
White Bass	48	40

Fort Loudoun

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	33	37
Black Crappie	30	31
Crappie	28	31
Largemouth Bass	38	35
Smallmouth Bass	35	31
White Crappie	31	33

Fort Patrick Henry

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Largemouth Bass	32	35
Smallmouth Bass	30	31

Great Falls

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	26	36
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	28	33
White Crappie	26	28

Guntersville

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	43	37
Black Crappie	48	31
Channel Catfish	34	34
Crappie	52	31
Largemouth Bass	38	35
Smallmouth Bass	26	31
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	32	35
White Bass	48	40
White Crappie	52	33

Hiwassee

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	48	37
Channel Catfish	24	34
Largemouth Bass	28	35
Smallmouth Bass	44	31
Spotted Bass	44	33
Walleye	48	38

Kentucky

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	37	37
Black Crappie	35	31
Crappie	38	31
Largemouth Bass	42	35
Smallmouth Bass	32	31
Spotted Bass	38	33
Striped Bass	24	35
White Bass	32	40
White Crappie	38	33

Little Bear Creek

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	48	37
Largemouth Bass	38	35
Smallmouth Bass	30	31
Spotted Bass	26	33
White Crappie	42	33

Melton Hill

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	24	37
Black Crappie	20	31
Channel Catfish	40	34
Crappie	26	31
Largemouth Bass	34	35
Sauger	22	38
Smallmouth Bass	30	31
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	40	35
White Crappie	26	33

Nickajack

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	30	37
Black Crappie	26	31
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Spotted Bass	26	33
White Crappie	26	33

Normandy

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	30	37
Black Crappie	22	31
Channel Catfish	28	34
Crappie	24	31
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Smallmouth Bass	26	31
Spotted Bass	36	33
Walleye	26	38
White Crappie	26	33

Norris

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	33	37
Black Crappie	30	31
Crappie	50	31
Largemouth Bass	28	35
Smallmouth Bass	38	31
Spotted Bass	38	31
Striped Bass	46	35
Walleye	38	38
White Crappie	33	33

Nottely

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	46	36
Black Crappie	36	34
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	46	33

Old Hickory

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	45	37
Black Crappie	26	31
Channel Catfish	36	34
Crappie	16	31
Largemouth Bass	52	35
Sauger	50	38
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	48	35
Walleye	46	38
White Bass	46	40
White Crappie	40	33

Parksville

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	38	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Spotted Bass	36	31

Pickwick

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	38	37
Largemouth Bass	33	35
Smallmouth Bass	28	31

South Holston

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	32	37
Black Crappie	24	31
Channel Catfish	46	34
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Smallmouth Bass	32	31
Walleye	50	38

Tellico

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	29	37
Largemouth Bass	26	35
Smallmouth Bass	22	31
Spotted Bass	22	33
White Crappie	22	33

Tims Ford

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	34	37
Black Crappie	28	31
Channel Catfish	22	34
Largemouth Bass	28	35
Smallmouth Bass	42	31
Spotted Bass	29	33
Striped Bass	24	35
Walleye	24	38

Upper Bear Creek

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	47	37
Largemouth Bass	30	35
Spotted Bass	30	33
White Crappie	48	38

Watauga

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	32	37
Largemouth Bass	26	35
Smallmouth Bass	28	31
Spotted Bass	30	33
Walleye	48	38

Watts Bar

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	30	37
Black Crappie	33	31
Channel Catfish	26	34
Crappie	28	31
Largemouth Bass	40	35
Smallmouth Bass	26	31
Spotted Bass	40	33
Striped Bass	24	35
White Bass	36	40
White Crappie	31	33

Wheeler

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	48	37
Channel Catfish	46	34
Largemouth Bass	38	35
Smallmouth Bass	32	31
Spotted Bass	26	33
White Bass	50	40
White Crappie	24	33

Wilson

Fish Species	2008 Score	2008 Average Across the TVA Region
Black Basses	52	37
Channel Catfish	44	34
Largemouth Bass	40	35
Smallmouth Bass	26	31
White Crappie	22	33

 

2012 Sport Fish Survey Schedule

 

Tracking water temperatures on the Elk River

TVA monitors water temperatures in the Elk River closely so that it can adjust the operation of Tims Ford Dam to protect the variety of life in the river, including a cold-water trout fishery, and endangered species and sport fish that require warm water. Read more.