Sport Fishing Index Ratings

To help anglers decide where they have the best chance of catching their favorite types of fish, TVA and state fisheries agencies have created a Sport Fishing Index that reflects fishing quality for different species in the TVA reservoirs.

The Sport Fishing Index scores for different species are based both on population measures (the size and health of the individual fish, along with the number of fish present) and angler use and success information (the number of anglers looking for a particular type of fish, and the number of that type that they actually catch).

The Sport Fishing Index score ranges from a high of 60 (excellent) to a low of 20 (very poor).

To view the scores for specific TVA reservoirs, choose from the list below.

Reservoirs Apalachia Barkley Bear Creek Blue Ridge Boone Cedar Creek Chatuge Cherokee Chickamauga Douglas Fontana Fort Loudoun Fort Patrick Henry Great Falls Guntersville Hiwassee Kentucky Little Bear Creek Melton Hill Nickajack Normandy Norris Nottely Parksville Pickwick South Holston Tellico Tims Ford Watauga Watts Bar Wheeler Wilson

Apalachia

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	30	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	26	30
Spotted Bass	22	31

Barkley

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	31	36
Black Crappie	34	31
Crappie	42	36
Largemouth Bass	42	33
Spotted Bass	32	31
White Bass	30	30
White Crappie	44	41

Bear Creek

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	30	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	30	31
White Crappie	50	41

Beech

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	38	36
Channel Catfish	46	36
Largemouth Bass	48	33

Blue Ridge

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	28	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	22	30

Boone

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Bass	35	36
Largemouth Bass	25	33
Smallmouth Bass	26	30
Striped Bass	29	25

Cedar Creek

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	47	36
Crappie	46	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	22	31
White Crappie	46	41

Chatuge

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	32	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	40	31

Cherokee

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	37	36
Black Crappie	31	31
Crappie	26	36
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Smallmouth Bass	25	30
Spotted Bass	26	31
Striped Bass	21	25
Walleye	23	33

Chickamauga

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	33	36
Black Crappie	33	31
Crappie	30	36
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Spotted Bass	36	31

Douglas

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	38	36
Black Crappie	28	31
Crappie	28	36
Largemouth Bass	26	33
Smallmouth Bass	32	30
Walleye	26	33
White Crappie	28	41

Fontana

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	40	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	42	30
Walleye	36	33

Fort Loudoun

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	31	36
Black Crappie	30	31
Crappie	52	36
Largemouth Bass	26	33
Smallmouth Bass	28	30
White Crappie	52	41

Fort Patrick Henry

Fish Species	2005 Score	2005 Valleywide Average
Black Bass	35	34
Largemouth Bass	28	34
Smallmouth Bass	30	30

Great Falls

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	50	36
Crappie	48	36
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Spotted Bass	34	31
White Crappie	48	41

Guntersville

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	37	36
Largemouth Bass	52	33
Spotted Bass	32	31

Hiwassee

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	36	36
Largemouth Bass	26	33
Smallmouth Bass	40	30
Spotted Bass	36	31
Walleye	48	33

Kentucky

Fish Species	2005 Score	2005 Valleywide Average
Black Bass	31	34
Black Crappie	33	33
Crappie	44	37
Largemouth Bass	42	34
Smallmouth Bass	28	30
Spotted Bass	35	30
White Crappie	43	36

Little Bear Creek

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	46	36
Black Crappie	26	31
Crappie	52	36
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Spotted Bass	26	31
White Crappie	50	41

Melton Hill

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	24	36
Black Crappie	26	31
Channel Catfish	26	36
Crappie	22	36
Largemouth Bass	33	33
Smallmouth Bass	25	30
White Crappie	40	41

Nickajack

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	33	36
Largemouth Bass	28	33
Spotted Bass	24	31

Normandy

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	34	36
Black Crappie	28	31
Channel Catfish	24	36
Crappie	26	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	40	31
White Crappie	28	41

Norris

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	26	36
Black Crappie	31	31
Crappie	26	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	31	30
Spotted Bass	36	31
Walleye	23	33

Nottely

Fish Species	2004 Score	2004 Valleywide Average
Black Bass	36	32
Largemouth Bass	28	31
Spotted Bass	32	28

Parksville

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	38	36
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Spotted Bass	36	31

Pickwick

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	33	36
Largemouth Bass	29	33
Smallmouth Bass	25	30
Spotted Bass	25	31

South Holston

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	35	36
Black Crappie	36	31
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Walleye	25	33

Tellico

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	24	36
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Smallmouth Bass	20	30
Spotted Bass	27	31

Tims Ford

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	37	36
Black Crappie	32	31
Channel Catfish	24	36
Crappie	32	36
Largemouth Bass	28	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Spotted Bass	28	31
White Crappie	26	41

Upper Bear Creek

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	52	36
Largemouth Bass	34	33
Spotted Bass	42	31
White Crappie	50	41

Watauga

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	41	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Smallmouth Bass	34	30
Spotted Bass	24	31
Walleye	48	33

Watts Bar

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	30	36
Black Crappie	35	31
Crappie	30	36
Largemouth Bass	42	33
Smallmouth Bass	31	30
Spotted Bass	36	31
White Crappie	32	41

Wheeler

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	43	36
Channel Catfish	48	36
Largemouth Bass	28	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Spotted Bass	24	31

Wilson

Fish Species	2006 Score	2006 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	38	36
Channel Catfish	48	36
Largemouth Bass	28	33
Smallmouth Bass	36	30

 

2008 Sportfish Survey Schedule