Fishing Report For Percy Priest Lake, TN

By Rick Seaman

April 18, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Percy Priest Lake Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
Boat Launch Ramps
Fishing License
Map
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Fishing Report Percy Priest Lake, TN

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Percy Priest Lake, TN

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

Reported to be one of the best bass producing lakes in the state, Percy Priest Lake is definitely living up to its reputation this year. Bass are in the shallows, eating anything that moves as they prepare for the spawn which is coming very soon. A plethora of lures are catching nice bass here, but the dingy water is ideal for spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs and noisy crankbaits. Pitching or flipping jigs is a proven technique here, and often catches some of the bigger bass. Smallmouth and spotted bass share this water with the largemouths, so you can easily end up with a mixed bag. Bass are currently being caught in small coves and pockets, and will move outside these spawning areas to points and ledges nearby deeper water.

Black Crappie - White Crappie

Uncle Buck's Panfish Creatures Curly Tail Minnow Rigged

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Now is the time to be on the water crappie fishing in Percy Priest Lake. The crappie are shallow and beginning their Spring spawning cycle. Brush, wood, brush piles and vegetation are a good place to find them on shallow ledges in these bays. Locals cast small crappie jigs or live minnows, using light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line. Fish finders and forward facing sonar are helping locate schools of crappie when they are in 8' to 10' of water or deeper. The deeper they go, the more they tend to stack vertically around cover.

Hybrid Striped Bass

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good

Swimbaits, jerkbaits, bladebaits crankbaits and spoons are all catching hybrid stripers, but live minnows are the proven winner here. Hybrid stripers primarily feed on the schools of baitfish throughout the lake, and follow these schools to stay close to food supply. In Spring wipers, and stripers, will be up-river attempting to spawn. By late Spring they are back in the main lake. Use electronics and fish finders to locate both bait and wipers. Trolling baits around 15' to 25', over contour breaks in deeper water, is should put you in contact with these schools.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass, warmouth, white bass, yellow bass, striped bass and hybrid striped bass at J Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee.

Percy Priest Lake is a 14,200-acre lake with over 260 miles of shoreline. Much of the shores are available for fishing from the bank. Bass, crappie and striped bass are favorites here, but the lake also fishing for walleye, catfish, hybrids, white bass, bluegill and other sunfish.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

Click here for fishing boat rentals available at this lake.

Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Click here for boat ramps available at this lake.

Fishing License

Click here for a Tennessee Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".