Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association

Marion County > Outdoor Recreation

Fishing Overview
Marion County

There are good fishing areas thoughout the many waterways of Marion County. Whether you are a serious bass angler, fly fisherman, or just out having fun fishing for anything that strikes your line you will find it either at Nickajack Lake, one of the many creeks, or on the Little Sequatchie River. Tournament fishing is popular in this area. You might see fishermen participating in local tournaments as well as national tournaments around the Nickajack Lake.

Nickajack is a fine largemouth lake, and fish can be taken year round-whether in the shallow, milfoil-filled coves and deltas or out on the channel around bluffs and rip-rap.

Panfishing may even be better here than on Chickamauga, and the catfishing is some of the very best in the entire state. Stripers and white bass, although present, aren't as dominant in the lake portion as they are in the upper end or beneath the Nickajack Dam.

Nickajack is listed as a Type I Reservoir Fishing. The following species are usually in this area:

Bass Black, Largemouth Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye

Panfish, White Crappie, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker), Green Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Warmouth Bass (Stumpknocker)

Temperate Bass, Striped Bass, Cherokee Bass (Hybrid), White Bass, Yellow Bass

Perches, Walleye, Sauger, Yellow Perch

Pike, Muskellunge, Chain Pickerel

Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, White Catfish, Bullheads

Rough Fish, Drum, Carp, Buffalo, Spotted Gar, Longnose Gar, Hickory Shad

The extreme headwaters of Gunterville lies in Marion County. The tailrace below Nickajack Dam is noted for a wide variety of fish, but white and striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass and sauger are its most south after species. Guntersville is also listed as a Type I Reservoir Fishing.