3 Bass Fishing Secrets of Lake Chickamauga

written by Evan Anderson

Bass fishing is one of the most exciting freshwater fishing experiences an angler can find. Competition anglers Joey Nania and Miles Burghoff head to Lake Chickamauga near Chattanooga, TN to demonstrate a few bass fishing tips and tricks while they rip some lips in this episode of Sweetwater. “I was pumped to get to Chickamauga and I’ve been there before,” says Nania, “but I was there in the spring. So I knew it was gonna be a completely different ball game going there in a hotter time of the year, late summer.” Here are 3 bass fishing secrets for Lake Chickamauga.

SHALLOW MORNINGS

The day starts as Burghoff disconnects his boat from his durable B&W trailer hitch and drives the two out into one of Lake Chickamauga’s shallower bays. Throwing topwater lures, it’s not long before they start getting a decent amount of bass traffic.

Nania recommends starting early in the morning and fishing the shallows. In the summertime, when temperatures rise considerably in Tennessee, bass will retreat to deeper water in the late morning. So if you get out there much earlier, you’re more likely to find fish in the shallower water. “It’s always worthwhile to go up to the bank, find some shallow grass, and throw some topwater [lures],” says Nania.

“Favorite way to catch ‘em, man,” adds Burghoff, “early morning with a popper or prop bait.”

FIND STRUCTURE

As the hour grows later and the temperatures rise, Nania and Burghoff move on to one of the deeper bays in Lake Chickamauga. “Fishing deep is one of the main things,” says Burghoff, “[and] fishing that main river structure is really key.” Fish love structure. So if you find the structure, you find the fish. Burghoff knew of a bay with a long point going through the center and steered them toward it. “That area had this long sloping point that has been a really key piece of structure for me all during the spring and even leading into the summer,” explains Burghoff.

“I’m sure with all that hard bottom down there and the way that point ran out, there’s probably fish that live there all year round,” adds Nania.

“Fishing deep is one of the main things...[and] fishing that main river structure is really key.”

— Miles "Sonar" Burghoff from Sweetwater

One example of this tactic is their success with fishing near the power plant on the bank of the lake. Lots of bass competitions are held in this area, and many people are familiar with this spot. “If you watch any of the big tournaments you see guys catching big ones around that power plant,” explains Nania, “and a lot of the time they’re out there on the main ledge; what we did’s a little different. It wasn’t the main ledge it was a little bit tighter to the bank; it was kind of just a little sweet spot that had some hard structure down there.”

CURRENTS ARE KEY

Lake Chickamauga is a part of the Tennessee River, with the Hiwassee River flowing into it. As such, it will have currents throughout. To find fish running, the current is the best place to look. “One of the things that’s really important in the summertime on the TVA is the currents running,” explains Burghoff, “And during the summertime, y’know July, it can start to get really tough.”

“Really you’ve gotta have rain in order for them to be running really really hard,” adds Nania.

But don’t get discouraged if the currents are not running. “Even if the current’s not running on the main river,” says Burghoff, “they still tend to bite in these big bays.”

BONUS: BAIT CHOICES

For the Tennessee River, Nania and Burghoff recommend a lure called a mag fatty, a thick rubber worm. “You find them in the right place and if you fish something slow like the mag fatty,” says Nania, “you have a shot at getting bit. And at Chick, you don’t have to have a school of 100 fish to catch a 5-pounder.”

Burghoff adds, “For some reason on the Tennessee River, it’s all about Plum, Red Bug, and June Bug when you’re fishing these bigger worms like these mag fatties.”

It’s a beautiful day of classic summer bass fishing. As the two head back and reload the boat onto their reliable B&W trailer hitch, Burghoff remarks, “Well that’s Chickamauga for you, man...it’s a lot of fun and these are some really healthy bass. I hope this place stays healthy for a very long time to come.”

Check out the full episode below and see what this Chickamauga place is all about on this episode of Sweetwater.

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