Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – July 2018

Chatuge: Level: 1 foot above full pool. Temp: 85-87 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Eric Welch reports, “It’s been a crazy month with all the rain we got during Memorial week. The lake was way up in the woods, and some of the boat ramps were under water with water in the parking lots. A lot of the docks on the lake could not be accessed due to water being over the walkways. Chatuge was at the highest level I have ever seen. TVA said it had not been that high in 40 years. TVA had to open all 16 flood gates for 48 hours to get the lake back down. Like all the mountain lakes, the bite is just now starting to get back to normal. There are some fish breaking around in the mornings. The best baits for me has been a 5-inch Strike King Caffeine and a 2.75-inch Rage Swimmer on a 3/16- to 1/8-oz. swimbait jig head. Look for long points and get out around 12 to 18 feet, and you should start seeing fish on your electronics. Try dropping the Rage Swimmer or a drop shot with a 6-inch morning-dawn Roboworm. You can also throw a shaky head or a Texas rig in the same areas. When fishing around the docks, try the drop shot and a 5-inch Strike King Ocho wacky style with a 1/16-oz. tungsten nail weight in the head. Use your electronics to find offshore ditches and brush. These fish are out there waiting on schools of herring to pass through. If you’re running bank lines fishing brush, try a Texas rig 6.5-inch finesse in green pumpkin. With the water temps warming up so fast, don’t forget to drop your line sizes. On my drop-shot rods, I use Daiwa J-Braid in yellow in 10-lb. with an 8- to 10-foot leader of 5-lb. Gamma Touch fluorocarbon. When fishing a Texas rig tube and shaky head, I use 7-lb. Gamma Touch fluorocarbon. If it’s a good windy day, throw a 3/8-oz. spinnerbait. If night fishing, I’m throwing a Norman DD22, a 10-inch Zoom Ol Monster worm and a 3/8-oz. black spinnerbait.”