TELLICO RESERVOIR FISHING REPORT
Use a **spinnerbait** (white/chartreuse) slow-rolled near the surface to cover water before the heavy rain kills the bite.
TELLICO RESERVOIR FISHING REPORT
THE CALL
Fish the southern basin warm pockets first with a ½-ounce black/blue chatterbait from 5:30 AM to 8:00 AM, targeting the transition edges where shallow cove water meets the main channel. This pattern beats alternatives because the 72°F water, cooling trend, and stained clarity have fish holding in the warmest, most productive coves and feeding aggressively along the thermal break.
WHY IT WINS
- 72°F water is prime for both largemouth and smallmouth; both are in pre-spawn/spawn mode and actively feeding on structure and cover.
- Cooling trend (25°F drop over 46 readings) pushes fish to stable depth—they’ll use warm pockets for metabolic efficiency, then slide to the first break to feed.
- Stained cove water (from March clarity data) forces fish to rely on vibration and sound—a chatterbait cuts through and triggers reaction strikes.
- Minor solunar window at 5:37–7:07 AM overlaps with ideal wind (5–6 mph forecast) and low light, extending the shallow feeding window.
START HERE Pick the southernmost cove on the western side of the lake where satellite imagery shows the densest residential dock clusters. These coves are the warmest pockets in the thermal image (May 17) and hold the shade/cover fish need after the cooling trend. Focus on the first point inside the cove mouth where the water color changes from stained (inside) to clearer channel water—that’s the edge where fish ambush bait.
THROW THIS
- Primary: ½-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait in black/blue or green pumpkin, with a matching Zoom Z-Craw Jr. trailer. Burn it past dock edges and along the transition line, then kill it and let it fall. Retrieve at a medium speed with erratic pauses.
- Backup: Weightless Senko (green pumpkin/watermelon) pitched to the same docks and channel edges if the chatterbait gets follows but no commits.
- If stained water is thicker than expected: switch to a 1/2-ounce lipless crankbait (Red Eye Shad in chrome/blue) to increase vibration and sound.
BEST WINDOW 5:30 AM – 8:00 AM. The minor solunar (5:37–7:07 AM) and forecast 5–6 mph wind create ideal conditions for the chatterbait. After 8:00, the sun gets high and fish slide deeper—expect the bite to taper until the major solunar window from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (wind lightens, major solunar). If you can fish both windows, the afternoon bite will be slower but bigger fish may show.
NEXT MOVE If the first cove feels dead after 30–45 minutes:
- Move to the western shoreline points identified in the thermal analysis. These are isolated warm plumes with sharp temperature edges—fish hold on the “cool” side of the break, so slow-roll a football jig (3/8-ounce, green pumpkin) down the drop.
- If thunderstorms roll in (forecast says possible), retreat to protected northern inflow coves where the funneled water concentrates bait. Use a spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) slow-rolled near the surface to cover water before the heavy rain kills the bite.