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09/06/2026

Hey bank beaters I didn't forget about yall.

Middle Tennessee Bank-Fishing Forecast — Sept. 6–12, 2026
Overall: The week starts hot, so dawn and the last 1–2 hours before dark are your best bank-fishing windows. The improving part of the week is Friday–Saturday, when cooler temperatures and some storm activity should make the bite more comfortable and potentially push bass shallower.
Best places to try
1. Percy Priest Lake — BEST overall
Water is around 84°F and the current report rates the bite fair, with early/late periods favored.
Bass: points, riprap, shaded banks and creek mouths.
Hybrids: watch for schooling baitfish early; small spoons, swimbaits or live shad.
Catfish: cut shad/nightcrawlers on bottom near deeper banks.

2. Dale Hollow — BEST for bass
Fall bass begin moving toward creek backs and schooling shad. TWRA specifically recommends shad-colored baits and spinnerbaits during fall.
From the bank, concentrate on rocky points, creek mouths, laydowns and gravel banks.
Best baits: white spinnerbait, shad-colored crankbait, fluke, Texas-rigged worm.

3. Old Hickory/Cheatham — BEST for catfish
Look for current, creek mouths and deeper access areas.
For catfish, use cut shad, chicken liver or nightcrawlers on a Carolina/slip-sinker rig.
Below dams, be extremely cautious about changing generation/current; TWRA notes strong current areas can be productive but require appropriate rigs and weights.

Day-by-day game plan
Date
Rating
Bank strategy
Sun 9/6
⭐⭐⭐
Fish first light. Topwater → spinnerbait.
Mon 9/7
⭐⭐⭐
Shaded rock and creek mouths; Texas-rig worm.
Tue 9/8
⭐⭐⭐
Early bass, then switch to catfish as it heats up.
Wed 9/9
⭐⭐⭐
Dawn/dusk again; target wind-blown banks.
Thu 9/10
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best afternoon/evening opportunity if storms/wind arrive.
Fri 9/11
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cooler weather should improve the bite; throw spinnerbaits and squarebills.
Sat 9/12
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best overall day — early morning bass, evening catfish.
What I'd throw
Bass:
3–4" white/silver swimbait
White spinnerbait
Squarebill crankbait
Green pumpkin Texas-rigged worm
Topwater walking bait at daylight

Catfish:
Cut shad ⭐
Nightcrawler
Chicken liver
Fish it on bottom near a drop-off or creek channel.
Hybrid/striped bass:
Percy Priest is worth checking early. September is a strong period for hybrids there, and schooling fish can give away their location by surface activity.

🔥 My ranking for this week
🥇 Percy Priest — bass/hybrids
🥈 Dale Hollow — largemouth/smallmouth
🥉 Old Hickory/Cheatham — catfish + bass

Best single strategy: Get to Percy Priest before sunrise, throw a white topwater/swimbait.

09/06/2026

Middle Tennessee Fishing Forecast — Sept. 6–12, 2026

This looks like a hot early-fall week, so I’d concentrate your fishing around first light, the last couple hours before dark, and deeper structure during the middle of the day.
Percy Priest is currently fair, with hybrids and catfish providing the most dependable action.

Best day-by-day game plan
Date
Outlook
Best target
What I'd throw
Sun 9/6
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hybrid, catfish
3/4-oz spoon, live shad, cut bait
Mon 9/7
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bass/hybrid
Topwater at dawn → crankbait/spoon
Tue 9/8
⭐⭐⭐
Bass, catfish
Texas rig, Carolina rig, cut bait
Wed 9/9
⭐⭐⭐
Hybrid/catfish
Spoon, swimbait, live shad
Thu 9/10
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bass
Topwater early, spinnerbait around wind
Fri 9/11
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bass + hybrid
Topwater, chatterbait, spoon
Sat 9/12
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bass/catfish
Topwater early, cut bait later.

My top 3 Middle Tennessee choices

1. Percy Priest Lake — best overall this week
The current report has hybrids schooling around main-lake humps/channel edges early, while largemouth are available around points, seawalls and deeper brush. Catfish are a particularly reliable backup.
For bank fishing: I'd focus on Long Hunter State Park shoreline, the dam/tailwater area and Hamilton Creek, especially around dawn and dusk.

2. Caney Fork River — best for trout
This is probably your best bet if you want a cooler-water option. Current conditions show water around 54°F and a good fishing outlook.

3. Old Hickory Lake — good bass option
The week starts hot, but the forecast improves toward Friday/Saturday. Work wind-blown banks early and transition deeper as the sun gets high.

If I were bank fishing this week
I'd go Percy Priest at first light, carrying:
Bone/shad walking topwater
3/4-oz chrome spoon
White/black chatterbait
3–4" swimbait
Texas-rigged creature bait
Cut shad for catfish
The big key is don't stay shallow once the sun gets up. Current Priest guidance has bass moving toward roughly 12–25 ft brush/points, while hybrids can be found around bait on main-lake structure.

Best overall day: Friday, Sept. 11 — the weather finally starts backing off the extreme heat, which should give you a better shot at an extended bite.

09/01/2026

Good luck to everyone hunting geese and dove this morning.

Don't forget that duck stamp.
08/28/2026

Don't forget that duck stamp.

Think about doing something like this for pond or small creek duck hunting. What do yall think
08/16/2026

Think about doing something like this for pond or small creek duck hunting. What do yall think

08/16/2026

Middle Tennessee Bank-Fishing Forecast — Aug. 17–22, 2026

For bank fishing around Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee, I’d rate this week good overall, with the best opportunities coming during the cooler low-light periods. The biggest factor is the heat: daytime temperatures remain high, so fish should generally be more active early and late.

Day-by-day
Date
Rating
Best target
Best bank strategy
Mon 17
⭐⭐⭐
Catfish / bass
Dawn; fish shaded banks and deeper water
Tue 18
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bass / crappie
Early morning; worms around cover
Wed 19
⭐⭐⭐
Bass / catfish
Dawn or after sunset
Thu 20
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catfish / bass
Fish before storms; current and creek mouths
Fri 21
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catfish / crappie
Evening/night
Sat 22
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catfish / crappie
Early morning and evening

Best places to try

1. J. Percy Priest — best all-around choice
TWRA specifically identifies Percy Priest as having both bank and boat fishing opportunities, with the reservoir extending into Rutherford County.

Bass: Texas-rigged worm, shaky head, small crankbait

Catfish: cut bait or chicken liver on bottom

Crappie: minnows around brush/docks
Concentrate on shade, points, creek mouths and deeper water once the sun gets up.

Recent Percy Priest reports indicate good activity on live bait, with morning, midday and evening bites reported.

2. Normandy Lake — good close-to-Murfreesboro option
TWRA lists Normandy as a 3,048-acre reservoir with bank-fishing opportunities.
I'd target:
Points
Riprap
Creek mouths
Shaded shoreline
Deeper brush

3. Center Hill — excellent variety
Center Hill has bass, crappie, walleye, bluegill and catfish, and TWRA specifically lists bank-fishing.

4. Tims Ford
A good choice for bass, crappie and catfish, particularly where you can reach rocky shoreline, points and creek inflows. TWRA lists Tims Ford as a 10,600-acre reservoir.

Bass:
Green pumpkin Texas-rigged worm
Shaky head
Small spinnerbait around dawn
Jig around rock/cover

Catfish:
Cut shad
Chicken liver
Nightcrawler

Crappie:
Live minnows
1/16–1/32 oz jig
Small tube/minnow imitation
⭐ My pick for this week
If you're bank fishing and want the best chance at several species, I'd fish Percy Priest Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, arriving 30–45 minutes before sunrise.
If your main goal is catfish, I'd switch the strategy to sunset through 11 PM, especially Friday or Saturday.
One caution: Thursday's forecast calls for potentially heavy thunderstorms, so don't fish exposed banks during lightning or rapidly rising water.
Always keep your eye to the sky when there is a chance of storms.

Middle Tennessee fishing forecast — August 17–22, 2026Based on the latest reports and current summer patterns, the best...
08/16/2026

Middle Tennessee fishing forecast — August 17–22, 2026

Based on the latest reports and current summer patterns, the best fishing this week should be early morning, late evening, and after dark. Water temperatures are in the upper 80s on many Middle Tennessee waters, so expect fish to move deeper or seek shade as the day heats up.

Best bets this week

Bass
Crappie
Catfish
Best window
Mon 8/17
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn–9 AM
Tue 8/18
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn & evening
Wed 8/19
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn–9 AM
Thu 8/20
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn & dusk
Fri 8/21
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evening/night
Sat 8/22
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn & after dark

Percy Priest

My top Middle Tennessee choice for bass and catfish this week.

Bass:
Fish rocky points, shaded banks, brush and offshore structure.
First light: topwater, buzzbait or spinnerbait.
Once the sun gets up: Texas-rigged worm, shaky head or jig.
Concentrate on deeper water as the morning progresses.

Catfish:
Try creek channels, points and deeper holes.
Cut bait, chicken liver or nightcrawlers.
Evening through midnight should be considerably better than the middle of the day.
Percy Priest has also received warmwater stockings during 2026, including largemouth bass-related stocking activity, so it remains one of the waters I'd keep high on the list.

Normandy Lake

Normandy is showing a tougher bass bite, with the latest TWRA report putting water around 87°F. Low-light periods have been best, with bass around 10 feet near points and some fish on flats.
Best approach:
Texas-rigged worm
Carolina rig
Small crankbait
Fish points around 8–12 feet
For crappie, try docks/brush around 10 feet
Catfish after sunset with shrimp, chicken liver or cut bait

Center Hill / Caney Fork

Excellent choice if trout are your target. TWRA reports that the Center Hill tailwater has retained unusually good cold-water conditions this summer, with better dissolved oxygen and cooler water than last year.

For Caney Fork trout, I'd put this near the top of the list for August.
Important: Check the Center Hill generation schedule immediately before fishing because flows can change.

Old Hickory

For bank fishing, I'd give Old Hickory a serious look this week.
Try:
Riprap
Creek mouths
Shaded shoreline
Bridges
Current areas
Catfish: cut bait/nightcrawlers on the bottom, especially evening through nighttime.
Crappie: shaded docks, brush and deeper cover.
🏆 My ranking for August 17–22
For bank fishing:
🥇 Old Hickory Lake — catfish/crappie
🥈 Percy Priest — bass/catfish
🥉 Normandy Lake — bass/crappie
Center Hill/Caney Fork — trout
Fall Creek Falls — bluegill/catfish
Fall Creek Falls is particularly interesting for an easy bank-fishing trip: TWRA currently reports good catfish, fair bluegill, and fair crappie, with fish responding well around the dock and feeders.

If I were fishing this week

Bass: Percy Priest at first light — topwater → Texas-rigged worm/jig.

Crappie: Old Hickory around shaded docks/brush, preferably early or after sunset.

Catfish: Percy Priest or Old Hickory from sunset through midnight, using cut bait or nightcrawlers.

Trout: Caney Fork below Center Hill Dam, checking generation before leaving.
The lunar fishing calendar has the strongest listed periods around sunrise on Aug. 18, Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, although I would put water conditions and temperature ahead of moon predictions.

08/10/2026

Hey Bank fishermen I didn't forget yall
August 9–15, the heat will make early morning, late evening, and moving water the best bank-fishing windows. TWRA also notes that fishing has slowed with the hotter weather and recommends mornings/evenings or overcast conditions.

Middle Tennessee bank-fishing

Date
Best target
Where to fish from bank
Bait/lure

Sun Aug 9
Bass + catfish
Percy Priest creek mouths/rocky banks
Green-pumpkin Texas rig; cut/live bait for cats

Mon Aug 10
Bass
Old Hickory Lake shaded banks & points
3–4" Senko, spinnerbait at first light

Tue Aug 11
Catfish
Cumberland River current breaks
Chicken liver, cut shad, nightcrawler

Wed Aug 12
Bass
Center Hill Lake rocky shoreline
Ned rig, small swimbait, Texas rig

Thu Aug 13
Bluegill + bass
Harpeth River deeper pools
Crickets/worms; small spinner or soft plastic.

Fri Aug 14
Catfish
Percy Priest creek channels/rock
Cut shad or chicken liver.

Sat Aug 15
Bass + bluegill
Old Hickory shaded shoreline
Live bluegill/cricket; topwater at dawn.

My top 3 choices this week

1. Percy Priest — best all-around bank option
Go before sunrise and concentrate on creek mouths, riprap and shaded shoreline. Once the sun gets high, switch toward deeper water.

2. Cumberland River — best for catfish
Fish the edges of current rather than the strongest current. A bottom rig with cut bait is my first choice.

3. Old Hickory — best bass/bluegill combination
Fish shade early, especially around rocks, fallen timber and shoreline cover.
Best strategy: If you only have 2–3 hours, fish 5:30–8:30 AM. On cloudy/thunderstorm days, you can extend the bite later into the morning.

Address

Murfreesboro, TN
37129

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