Watts Bar Lake Fishing Guide, Roane County, Tennessee

• Overview

  You will find Watts Bar Lake in Roane County, Tennessee. What surrounds it is dry hill. Around 52.3 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. Long inlets mean the far ends can be calm while the main body is rough. It is one of the larger waters we list anywhere in Tennessee. Nearest place of any size is Rockwood, 7.9 miles away. The nearest city of size is Knoxville, 45 miles away. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Watts Bar Lake

  It is listed at 108 ft. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Records held for Roane County cover golden redhorse, rock bass, spotted bass, bluegill and blueside darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Watts Bar Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 37°F in January up to 77°F in July. Temperatures stay workable through the cold season. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Watts Bar Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  State or federal ownership covers this water. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Edgemon Lake, 5.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Watts Bar Lake carry more weight than any list.