Live pool levels for the great reservoirs of Tennessee — the TVA chain on the Tennessee, Holston, French Broad & Clinch, plus the USACE Cumberland-river lakes — running east to west. Every tube shows the normal summer pool, the current level, the lake's two signature fish (hover for the species, click for 2026 tournaments), and a live bite gauge at left. The deep-drawdown lakes (Douglas, Cherokee) sit well below summer pool in their winter cycle. Scroll down for the South Holston & Clinch trout tailwaters, the catfish rivers, the Duck & Buffalo float rivers, and the West Tennessee duck water.
Hover a fish for its species · click a fish to search that lake's 2026 tournaments
Tennessee is tailwater-trout country — cold water pulled from deep in the dams keeps trout alive year-round below South Holston and Norris (the Clinch). Those releases are TVA-scheduled, so they read as honest snapshots — always check the dam's generation schedule before wading. The Little River in the Smokies runs free and shows live USGS flow (cfs). Hover a trout for the species; tap it for a guide.
Tailwater flow swings with TVA generation — wadeable on minimum flow, fast and cold when units run. Always check the dam release schedule before wading.
Tennessee gives up giant blue catfish — the Mississippi at Memphis and the Tennessee River through Chattanooga, along with flathead & channel cats. Live river stage (ft) from NOAA, with the action and flood stages marked. Rising, off-color water after a rain turns the cats on. Hover a cat for the species; tap it for a guide.
Tennessee's classic float water — the Duck River, the most biodiverse river in North America and a premier smallmouth float, and the scenic Buffalo River, the state's favorite canoe run. Live USGS gage height (ft); each tube marks FLOAT (minimum floatable), EXPERT (high water) and FLOOD. Hover a fish; tap it for an outfitter.
The Duck floats much of the year; the Buffalo is flashier and drops in late summer. Check the gage before launching.
West Tennessee's duck country is flooded bottomland timber along the Obion and Forked Deer rivers, and the Reelfoot region. Live river stage (ft) from NOAA where gauged, with WOODS (water spreading into the timber) and HUNT (good duck water) marked. Hover a duck for the species; tap it for a guide.
The bottoms flood into the timber as the rivers climb toward action stage; a dry fall leans on rain to put water in the woods.