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Lake Information for Douglas Lake
Douglas Lake is a fertile, Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir with 555-miles of shoreline and a total surface area of 30,600-acres. The shoreline is primarily farmland and residential, with rolling hills. Douglas' drainage basin of 4,541-square miles is the largest of the tributary reservoirs. The reservoir can fluctuate 60-feet from the summer elevation of 1000-feet above sea level, to the winter elevation of 940-feet. It is not uncommon for the lake to rise as much as 15- to 20-feet in a day or two if heavy rains occur in the nearby Appalachians. However, summer levels can be relatively stable.
Thermal stratification is common during the summer months. Low dissolved oxygen concentrations are common during the summer, making fishing tough until cooler fall weather arrives. Thermal stratification can begin forming as early as April, and can be firmly in place by June or July. At that time of year, fishermen should concentrate on fishing the lower end of the lake, and at depths of less than 10-feet (above the thermocline).
Twelve public boat ramps are located around the reservoir.
Largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish are the most popular game fish for Douglas anglers. Sauger, walleye, and white bass also provide excellent fishing opportunities when they make their late-winter spawning runs to the headwaters. Douglas' game fish feed on an abundant supply of gizzard shad, bluegill, and various types of minnows. Anglers unfamiliar with the lake should find excellent fishing in the Flat, Muddy, McGuire, and Nina Creek embayments.
Largemouth bass - March through June. Spinner baits in chartreuse or white and Carolina-rigged lizards are good. Other popular lures are Rattle Traps, DD-22's and electric red worms. Concentrations of largemouth bass have been observed in the creek channels after the water has been drawn down in the fall.
White bass - January through April. White bass make a spring spawning run to the headwaters of the reservoir. The Leadvale area is a good place to fish. White spinners (Rooster Tails), grubs and small flies are all effective. Good white bass fishing can be found on the lower end of the reservoir during the summer months. The lures listed for the early spring spawning run are also recommended for the summer.
Crappie - February through early May. Fishing points and brush is effective, but many crappie are caught trolling. Small flies (usually two per line) tipped with minnows (good colors are white, chartreuse, blue and green) and small tube jigs can be fished over brush and trolled. Small crank baits (chartreuse and orange) are also good trolling lures. Flat, Muddy and McGuire creeks would be good areas to look for crappie.
Sauger - January through April. Sauger make a spring spawning run to the headwaters of the reservoir. Good fishing takes place from Point 18 to Walters Bridge as fish move upstream. The most effective tactic is to bounce large red or orange flies off the bottom.
Businesses Located Nearby
Boat Rental
- Deyton Camp Boat Dock Rentals
- 306 Massey Branch Rd - Robbinsville, NC
- (828) 479-7422
- Indian Creek Boat Dock
- 2321 Norman Way - Dandridge, TN
- (865) 397-7286
- Gator Point Marina
- 1809 Gator Point Rd - Sevierville, TN
- (865) 428-0467
Vacation Rental
- All Seasons Cabins
- 721 Schneider Ln - Sevierville, TN
- (865) 453-8722
- Living Well A Vacation Rental on Norris Lake Tn
- 224 Lakeshore Dr - Maynardville, TN
- (865) 719-9261
- Lacayo Homes Vacation Rental
- - Sevierville, TN
- (713) 992-6928
Bar and Restaurant
- Mountain Edge Grill
- 1645 Parkway, #975 - Sevierville, TN
- (865) 453-2939
- Crawdaddy's Restaurant & Bar
- 762 Parkway, #5 - Gatlinburg, TN
- (865) 430-3755
- Bennett's Pit Bar-B-Que
- 2910 Parkway - Pigeon Forge, TN
- (865) 429-2200
