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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	37	36
Black Crappie	28	34
Bluegill	27	27
Channel Catfish	31	33
Crappie	23	36
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Spotted Bass	30	33
White Crappie	28	28

Bear Creek

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	48	36
Bluegill	22	27
Channel Catfish	26	33
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	50	33
White Crappie	22	28

Beech

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

Blue Ridge

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	46	36
Bluegill	26	27
Largemouth Bass	36	33
Smallmouth Bass	20	30
Spotted Bass	24	33
Walleye	50	34

Boone

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	25	36
Black Crappie	27	34
Bluegill	26	27
Channel Catfish	28	33
Largemouth Bass	25	33
Smallmouth Bass	29	30
Striped Bass	32	37

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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	48	36
Bluegill	20	27
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Spotted Bass	44	33

Cherokee

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	32	36
Black Crappie	50	34
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	24	30
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	46	37

Chickamauga

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	34	36
Black Crappie	52	34
Bluegill	32	27
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Smallmouth Bass	28	30
Spotted Bass	36	33

Douglas

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	31	36
Black Crappie	32	34
Bluegill	30	27
Channel Catfish	31	33
Crappie	42	36
Largemouth Bass	33	33
Sauger	24	24
Smallmouth Bass	24	30
Walleye	32	34
White Bass	44	38
White Crappie	28	28

Fontana

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	40	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Smallmouth Bass	48	30
Spotted Bass	24	33

Fort Loudoun

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	26	36
Black Crappie	32	34
Bluegill	32	27
Channel Catfish	24	33
Crappie	32	36
Largemouth Bass	26	33
Smallmouth Bass	24	30
White Crappie	32	28

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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	26	36
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	28	33
White Crappie	26	28

Guntersville

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	40	36
Black Crappie	40	34
Bluegill	42	27
Channel Catfish	46	33
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Spotted Bass	30	33

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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	39	36
Black Crappie	35	34
Bluegill	22	27
Channel Catfish	35	33
Crappie	40	36
Largemouth Bass	44	33
Sauger	25	24
Smallmouth Bass	26	30
Spotted Bass	40	33
Striped Bass	32	37
White Bass	46	38
White Crappie	40	28

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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	24	36
Black Crappie	26	34
Bluegill	32	27
Channel Catfish	50	33
Crappie	32	36
Largemouth Bass	34	33
Smallmouth Bass	25	30
White Crappie	21	28

Nickajack

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	38	36
Black Crappie	32	34
Bluegill	42	27
Channel Catfish	46	33
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Spotted Bass	26	33

Normandy

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	30	36
Black Crappie	26	34
Crappie	30	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Spotted Bass	30	33
Walleye	24	34
White Crappie	32	28

Norris

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	33	36
Black Crappie	28	34
Bluegill	22	27
Channel Catfish	30	33
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	34	30
Spotted Bass	34	33
Striped Bass	44	37
Walleye	44	34

Nottely

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	46	36
Black Crappie	36	34
Largemouth Bass	24	33
Spotted Bass	46	33

Parksville

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

Pickwick

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	35	36
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Smallmouth Bass	28	30
Spotted Bass	35	33

South Holston

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	34	36
Black Crappie	30	34
Largemouth Bass	30	33
Smallmouth Bass	39	30
Walleye	30	34

Tellico

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	29	36
Bluegill	22	27
Channel Catfish	34	33
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Smallmouth Bass	24	30
Spotted Bass	32	33
Walleye	32	34
White Bass	36	38

Tims Ford

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Crappie	22	34
Crappie	24	36
Largemouth Bass	28	33
Walleye	26	34
White Crappie	24	28

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	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	32	36
Largemouth Bass	32	33
Smallmouth Bass	32	30
Spotted Bass	30	33
Walleye	30	34

Watts Bar

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	33	36
Black Crappie	36	34
Bluegill	32	27
Channel Catfish	26	33
Crappie	50	36
Largemouth Bass	38	33
Smallmouth Bass	31	30
Striped Bass	44	37
White Crappie	43	28

Wheeler

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	48	36
Bluegill	24	27
Channel Catfish	28	33
Largemouth Bass	48	33
Sauger	34	24
Smallmouth Bass	44	30
Spotted Bass	28	33
Striped Bass	24	37
White Bass	26	38
White Crappie	14	28

Wilson

Fish Species	2007 Score	2007 Valleywide Average
Black Basses	50	36
Black Crappie	28	34
Crappie	52	36
Largemouth Bass	40	33
Smallmouth Bass	30	30
Spotted Bass	26	33
White Crappie	30	28

 

2008 Sportfish Survey Schedule

 

Tracking water temperatures on the Elk River

TVA monitors water temperatures in the Elk River closely so that it can adjust the operation of Tims Ford Dam to protect the diversity of aquatic life, including a cold-water trout fishery and endangered species and sport fish that require warm water. Read more.