Jig (Casting & Pitching) Fishing on Tellico Lake
Tellico Lake · Tennessee · Southeast
Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Tellico Lake is a 16,000-acre TVA impoundment known for its pristine, clear waters and significant depth. It offers a unique blend of rocky bluffs, long tapering points, and submerged timber, providing habitat for a healthy population of largemouth and smallmouth bass, with spotted bass also present.
A lead or tungsten head with a weed guard, skirt, and soft plastic trailer. Fished on the bottom by pitching, casting, or slow-rolling. The jig imitates crawfish and bottom-dwelling forage. More big bass have been caught on jigs than any other lure category — it's the lure that separates serious anglers.
Jig (Casting & Pitching) Setup for Tellico Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon (cover) or 50 lb braid (heavy grass) |
| Weight | 3/8 oz standard; 1/2–3/4 oz in wind or deep; 1/4 oz finesse |
| Hook | Built-in, typically 4/0–5/0 |
Seasonal Tactics on Tellico Lake
Lake: In spring, bass migrate to shallow rocky banks and coves for spawning, making spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and soft plastics effective around visible cover like docks and laydowns.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Pre-spawn is prime season — pitch brown/green pumpkin jig to 45° bank transitions and rocky points.
Lake: Summer patterns revolve around deep main lake ledges, submerged timber, and thermocline breaks, where bass are targeted with deep crankbaits, football jigs, and drop shots.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Football jig on offshore ledges 15–30 feet. Swimming jig around grass edges at dawn.
Lake: Fall sees bass following migrating shad into creeks and shallower pockets, creating schooling opportunities for topwaters, lipless crankbaits, and swimbaits.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Swim a jig around baitfish schools near points and flats. Shad trailer colors in fall.
Lake: During winter, bass hold on deep bluff walls, channel swings, and brush piles, requiring slow presentations with vertical jigs, Alabama rigs, and suspending jerkbaits in the clearer, colder water.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Slowest presentation — drag a 3/8 oz football jig on deep hard bottom. Barely move it.
Best Conditions
All seasons, all depths, all cover types; most effective in 50–70°F water; excellent in pre-spawn and when fish are on hard bottom
Match trailer to conditions: craw trailer in cold water (slower fall, bigger profile), swimbait trailer when swimming, chunk trailer for flipping.
More Techniques for Tellico Lake
Ready to fish Tellico Lake?
Ask Hank about current conditions, water temp, and exactly what to throw today.
Ask Hank →