Throughout the state, there are a number of lakes that provide exceptionally good bream fishing. In addition to Chickamauga, other great bream fishing destinations include Douglas Lake, Center Hill Lake, Percy Priest Lake, Barkley Lake and Reelfoot Lake.

Let’s take a look at some of these hotspots as well.

Douglas Lake on the French Broad River is another bream factory in the eastern sector of the state. While perhaps traditionally better known for great crappie fishing, the bream panfish species also does quite well here.

The bream are abundant and big at Douglas. As local anglers will note, there are times you’ll have to cull through some smaller fish. But by staying on the move, you can usually find plenty of action on quality bream. With the Smoky Mountains as a backdrop, the scenic quality is outstanding as well. And because the lake is located near Knoxville, there are many anglers nearby that can enjoy the fishing.

According to information from the Tennessee Valley Authority (Douglas Lake is a TVA lake), the lake does have an annual fluctuation of 41 feet per year. Thus, the specifics of exactly where you’ll find bream will change much more than on lakes with smaller annual fluctuations. However, with the numbers of bream in this lake, it’s not that that difficult to find them.

During May and even into June, much of the action will be around the coves and creeks throughout the lake. Some anglers will use light line and a small bobber and cast back into the pockets and gravel beds looking for bedding bream. When the fish are not bedded, they’ll still be in the same general areas, but typically a bit more scattered.

The entire lake is productive, but the mid-lake sector to the upper end of the lake seems to be where many anglers focus bream fishing efforts. However, these panfish are well distributed throughout the lake.

Moving westward across the state, the next stop is Center Hill Lake.

Center Hill Lake has long been a favored bream hotspot for knowledgeable anglers. One issue that occasionally turns some anglers off at this lake is the very clear water color. While that can certainly have an effect on the bream, basically you just simply have to fish a bit deeper to consistently be successful.

One key to success at Center Hill is to employ the use of light line, such as 4-pound-test, and make long casts. One fishing tactic that generally works very well is to work a redworm or cricket on a tightline using a small BB-sized split shot. Cast to the shoreline and let the bait fall down the slope of the shoreline. Typically, once you get a few bites, you can pattern the fish at a specific depth on a given day.

The farther up the lake you go, the more potential for finding fish in shallower water. The Falling Water River area has long been a favored hotspot for many bream fishermen. The area above the Cookeville Boat Dock is loaded with big bream and sometimes during the spring, the water color will be very favorable for finding fish shallow, especially when they’re on the beds. However, stick with the light tackle.

I’ve always liked the Pate Ford area of the lake as well. The steep banks and shallow coves and pockets are ideal places to find spring and summer bream hotspots.