East Tennessee Best Times To Fish

(by type)

East Tennessee fishing adventures yield a wide variety of fish from our area lakes, rivers and streams.  Below is a recommended guide table for the best times of the year to catch your favorite type of fish. We do fish all year and no matter the time of year there’s always fish to be caught.

Trout Fishing

Fishing Smoky Mountain trout streams are best late March through June and again October through November.

Lunker Bass

Fishing December through March is mainly spent using slow presentations to entice big Largemouth or Smallmouth.  Numbers of bass are not common during this time , so expect fewer bites in pursuit of catching your big bass.

Spring Bass Fishing

Very active March through May.  Excellent time for fishers to catch numbers as well as big bass.

Summer Bass Fishing

Day fishing– June through September the best bite usually occurs during the early morning hours or in the late evening hours.

Night fishing– Largemouth and Smallmouth bass are good June through August and allows anglers to beat the heat.  A great opportunity to catch large numbers as well as your larger size fish.

Fall Bass Fishing

Smoky Mountains area can produce some nice catches during October and November.  Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass are feeding heavily for the winter providing for exciting top water action.

Crappie Fishing

Day crappie fishing is best December through April, usually producing good numbers of fish as well as good size fish.

Night crappie fishing trips can provide great action June through August.  All fishing trips are aboard a comfortable fully rigged Pontoon Boat to make the trip more enjoyable for all ages.

Bluegill Fishing

Bluegill fishing falls inline with family vacations to the Smoky Mountains.  The Bluegill fishing season starts mid May and carries into August.

Winter Fishing

Don’t let the cool weather fool you! Fishing December through March can  produce nice catches of Slab Crappie and trophy size Smallmouth Bass.