"The channel cats are up along riprap where they spawn as late as June and some of them are still up there in the summer. When the water warms up, channel catfish move out into the main lake where they suspend over 50 to 100 feet of water. They're hard to find because they're just cruising away from structure. I think they're out there in the open water because the shad are. This is the time when jug-fishing really shines."

Jug-fishing or otherwise, fishing more than 10 to 15 feet deep in the summer on Tims will put you below the thermocline.

The channel cats aren't particularly large here, but they're numerous. A good day on the water will mean a stringer-full of channels and a flathead or two.

The flatheads in Tims can easily reach 20 or 30 pounds. These rodbenders aren't as common as the channels but will be taken on occasion.

"The flatheads are predatory and are actually pretty good at it," Riddle said. "They'll hang out in riprap areas where the riprap has bigger rocks, on large rocky points and in places where they can find crevices. We see flatheads throughout the lake and they're fairly well distributed."

Blue catfish are sometimes caught incidentally, Riddle said. The population of blues in Tims isn't high enough to draw anglers looking specifically for them, but an occasional big one is taken. (Continued)

Anglers looking for big cats can launch from the Holiday Marina or the state park and be in productive waters, Riddle said. The Tims Ford Marina in the center of the lower section of the lake and the Rock Creek and Winchester Bass Club areas on the upper end access shallower, more traditional catfish waters.

Hot-weather hotspots also include the stretch of Elk River between the reservoir and the Woods Dam. There is a carry-down access for johnboats and canoes below the dam, but otherwise there is only bank-fishing in this area. Channel catfish are abundant for a couple of river miles downstream, and a float trip would be well worth it.

"We see a lot of catfish in this stretch of the river and there are plenty of decent-sized ones," Riddle said.

Tims Ford covers 10,700 acres in Moore, Lincoln and Franklin counties. Depths reach 150 feet, and the lake is 31 miles in length and has over 240 miles of shoreline.

Additional information on fishing Tims Ford is available by calling Region II at (615) 781-6622.

J. PERCY PRIEST
"Percy Priest is a pretty average catfish fishery in terms of numbers but also a pretty decent one for sizes," said Tim Churchill, Reservoir Statewide Coordinator for the TVA Fisheries Division.

"Our creel surveys show catch rates of about one fish for every three hours fishing time. The lake ranks number four in the state for fishing pressure and less than Old Hickory because of that lake's close proximity to Nashville."