WOODS LAKE
Because catfish are so highly favored as food fish, the cats typically don't get much attention from anglers on lakes where catfish cannot be taken home to fry in beer batter and peanut oil. Such is the case on Woods Lake, which impounds the Elk River in south-central Tennessee. Fish-consumption advisories warn against eating any catfish from Woods due to PCB contamination, so few anglers fish for the cats, which abound in lake.

"Woods is an exceptional catfish lake," Markham said. "For just having fun, it is one of the best lakes in Middle Tennessee, with blues, channels and flatheads all inhabiting this small military impoundment."

Woods Lake encompasses slightly less than 4,000 acres. The upper end is shallow and generally somewhat murky, with broad, stump-laden flats bounding the Elk River channel. Moving down the lake's main body, it gets gradually deeper and clearer. The banks of the lake, which is part of the Arnold Engineering Development Center, are mostly undeveloped and littered with downed trees. Stumps in the lake's upper end, riprap along the causeway of the state Highway 127 bridge, timber along the banks and the edge of inundated Elk River channel all are important catfish-holding areas.

For anglers who are new to Woods Lake, the riverine upper end offers a good starting point simply because key areas are easy to locate. Holes formed by outside channel bends, and flats that border inside bends are worth exploring. Flatheads are apt to hold tight to trees that are very close to river channel edges or brushpiles that are down in the channel.

The Highway 127 bridge serves as a dividing point between the narrow upper lake and the rest of the main body. Cats often can be found both in the main channel underneath the bridge and along the riprap banks of its causeway. Anglers can catch both channel cats and flatheads in the bridge area.

Channel cats also are common in and around treetops all along the lake. Anglers should look for spots where either the Elk River channel or a creek channel cuts close to the bank and anchor close to the edge of the channel. That way they can put baits near the ends of the tree branches, down in the channel and on the slope in between.

If stationary approaches don't produce steady catfish action, anglers should try drifting in Woods' open main body, usually around the river channel. A good approach is to begin out of the channel on the upwind side and drift so that baits bounce down the slope into the channel, along the bottom and back up the opposite side of the channel. Drifters should watch their graphs constantly, looking for catfish or baitfish and taking note of conditions any time fish hit. Finding baitfish is especially important for blue catfish, which follow bait around in much the same way as stripers do.

Access to Woods Lake begins at the Woods Ferry Boat Dock, which is located near the Highway 127 bridge on the south side of the lake. For more information, call (615) 967-5370.

BEFORE YOU GO
Tennessee has a statewide limit of one catfish daily over 34 inches. There is no limit for smaller fish. For complete regulations and extensive information on Tennessee fishing, check out TWRA's Web site at www.tnwildlife.org.

(Editor's note: Jeff Samsel is the author of Catfishing in the South. To order, send a check for $21.95 to Jeff Samsel, 173 Elsie Street, Clarkesville, GA 30523. For more information, go to www.jeffsamsel.com)