Reelfoot Lake
Tennessee's only large natural lake, formed by the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes, a cypress-swamp crappie and bluegill institution.
spring-fallTiptonville36.389° N, 89.389° WVery shallow natural lake: 15,000 acres, average depth 5.5 ft, maximum 18 ft (Wikipedia), swamp-like with bayou ditches joining open basins…
Depth & Structure
Very shallow natural lake: 15,000 acres, average depth 5.5 ft, maximum 18 ft (Wikipedia), swamp-like with bayou ditches joining open basins such as Blue Basin.
Best Lures
Small jigs and spinners around cypress knees, stumps and lily pads for crappie and bluegill.
Best Baits
Live minnows for crappie; worms and crickets for bluegill.
Gear to Bring
Light spinning tackle and jigging poles, 4-8 lb class line; a shallow-draft boat for the stump fields.
Local Tips
["Until 2003 Reelfoot was the world's only legal commercial fishery for crappie.", 'Bald cypress and nesting bald eagles define the lake; water levels have been spillway-regulated since 1930.']
Shop the Rig
Related Water
Sources: {'depth_profile': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reelfoot_Lake', 'best_lures': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reelfoot_Lake', 'best_baits': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reelfoot_Lake', 'local_tips': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reelfoot_Lake'}
Fish photos: crappie — Wikimedia Commons · bluegill — Wikimedia Commons · largemouth bass — Wikimedia Commons · catfish — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.
Fish photos: crappie — Wikimedia Commons · bluegill — Wikimedia Commons · largemouth bass — Wikimedia Commons · catfish — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.