Boating and Fishing on the Lakes and Rivers of Tennessee
In western Tennessee you can boat and fish in waters like Reelfoot Lake or Kentucky Lake. Fishing is bountiful at these spots with Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, and Bluegill. Middle Tennessee lakes such as Percy Priest, Center Hill Lake, and the Nashville Cumberland River are seeing Rock Bass, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, along with Crappie, Stripers and White Bass jumping on the line. Eastern Tennessee lakes such as Watts Bar, Norris Lake, and Cherokee Lake are pulling in Bass, Crappie, White Bass, Striper Bass, as well as Walleye.
If you would like the latest fishing reports of the Tennessee rivers and their lakes, you can get your reports at http://www.fishin.com/ . This is a site that is updated regularly by fishermen that actually fish the waters. They will tell you the latest water temperatures, the favorite fishing holes, and the bait that are currently attracting the different types of fish. This is great information for those that like to fish year round, or night fish. A Tennessee Boaters newspaper that will give you latest information about boating, fishing, conservation, lakes and lake property is the Tennessee Valley Outdoors. You can also subscribe to the Tennessee Valley Outdoors at http://www.boatlodge.com/.
If you are not into fishing, but are more interested in skiing and water play, you will not be let down with the Tennessee lakes. The lakes in Tennessee are stocked with marinas. You can get your own listing of the marinas on each lake from the Tennessee Mariana Association at http://www.tnmarinas.com. This is a state wide group that keeps logs of all the various marinas, and the contact information of each.
If you are going to be out on the waters in the state of Tennessee, it is important that you are made aware of the water laws. Any person that is operating a boat on the waterways is giving their implied consent to a sobriety test. Refusal to give a test, if asked, is a separate offense. It is against the law for a person younger than 12 to drive a boat that is more than 8.6 horsepower. However, if your child is between age 10 and 12 and they have completed a Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency training program, it is allowed. It is important to understand that you can be given a reckless driving violation on the waterways in Tennessee. This will be handed out if you are taking your boat through a designated swimming area, if you have too many people in your boat, or if you are towing a skier in a crowded area where the skier could be hit by another boat, or strike an object. You can get the latest information on boating laws at http://www.boatlodge.com/.
All boats that are powered mechanically must be registered before you can put them on the lakes of Tennessee. A vacationing boater can use the Tennessee water ways for a period of no longer than sixty days, then they are required to register. The cost of the registration depends on the length of your boat. The costs range from $16.00 for a boat 16 foot or less, up to $112.00 for a boat that is 40 feet, or larger. You can get your registration form at any county clerks office, or at an office of the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. More than 300,000 boaters register annually through the state of Tennessee to boat on the numerous waterways. If you want to jet ski, water ski, or fish, you can do so in the state of Tennessee. For more information on fishing and boating you can go to http://www.state.tnus/twra/.
