ANTIOCH, Tenn. — With so many great, well-known fisheries in the state of Tennessee, it can sometimes be hard for smaller lakes with less national tournament traffic to get noticed. Percy Priest Lake is among them.
That may change with the Music City Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine set to open its 2026 season on the fishery this Saturday.
“Oh, the lake is simply fishing incredible right now,” says local John Hopkins. “The whole thing has blown loose.”
What to expect
Covering around 14,000 acres, Percy Priest is small compared to many reservoirs. The weight it’s been taking to win there lately, though? Quite the opposite.
Hopkins, who has won three MLF events on the fishery, said the last four team tournaments on Percy Priest have all taken more than 24 pounds to win, and the tournament this past weekend saw nearly half the field eclipse 19 pounds. He admits it’s like nothing he’s seen in quite awhile.
“This is probably the best I’ve seen this lake fish in at least five or six years,” Hopkins said.
So, what’s prompted the explosion? Hopkins said a cold winter had been holding the lake back, with water temperatures stuck in the upper 40s. However, a warm rain a few weeks back combined with plenty of sunshine has shot up the water temperatures almost to the mid 50s, igniting the entire lake.
“Typically, this lake fires up in sections,” Hopkins said. “Not now, though. They’re biting everywhere.”
If that didn’t sound good enough, Hopkins said the smallmouth should be going on beds right about now, and the largemouth are plenty fat and staging, allowing anglers to basically catch fish however they want, wherever they want.
Baits to bring
A little-known fact about Percy Priest is the original Rapala Shad Rap was crafted from a frozen shad caught and shipped from the fishery. Needless to say, Shad Raps and other subtle crankbaits are still a local staple on the fishery.
But with how it’s fishing, Hopkins said squarebills, spinnerbaits, jigs and more are all in play. The big fish at this past weekend’s event fell for a Carolina rig. And that doesn’t include the forward-facing baits, especially Alabama rigs and jighead minnows, which have been key to the recent surge in weights.
What will it take?
While the lake has been pumping out 20-pound bags recently, Hopkins figures weights will be a little lower due to the BFL not being a team event and the three-hour cap on forward-facing sonar. Plus, the significant increase in boats could cause the fishery to get a little cramped.
That said, he wouldn’t even dream of winning without at least 21 pounds. There are simply too many big bass biting in Percy Priest.
“Truly, it’s crazy how good the fishing has been,” Hopkins said. “Everything has been lining up perfect, and this weekend’s weather forecast looks like it’s only going to get better.”