Running Reelfoot Bayou Fishing Guides
The spillway outflow below Reelfoot Lake, gauged for stage and rainfall only, fished from the bank for crappie, bream and catfish moving between the lake and the Obion.
Guides on the Running Reelfoot Bayou
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About the Running Reelfoot Bayou
Running Reelfoot Bayou is the channel that carries water out of Reelfoot Lake. Reelfoot itself was created by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, when the ground subsided and the Mississippi backed into the depression, and the lake has no natural outlet of any consequence. What it has instead is a managed spillway, and this bayou is what runs below it, easing southeast through flat Lake and Obion county farmland toward the Obion River and eventually the Mississippi.
It is worth being plain about the gauge. It reports stage and rainfall, and nothing else. There is no discharge series here, so a reading tells you how high the water is and whether rain has arrived, not how much is moving. That turns out to suit the water, because what governs fishing here is the spillway. When the structure is passing water, fish stack below it and the bayou fishes like a tailrace. When it is closed, the bayou settles into a slow, weedy ditch and the fishing goes quiet.
The species list is Reelfoot’s list, because these are Reelfoot’s fish using the outflow. Crappie are the reason most people come to this corner of Tennessee at all, and both black and white crappie move through. Bluegill and other bream hold along the bank cover, largemouth work the edges, and the catfish, including some genuinely large blues and flatheads, sit in the deeper scoured holes immediately below the structure.
Access is straightforward but limited. This is bank fishing and small-boat fishing around road crossings and the spillway area rather than a developed launch fishery, and the surrounding ground is largely private farmland. Anyone making the trip should treat the lake as the main destination and the bayou as the specialist option for the days when the gate is open.
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Access
Reelfoot spillway - the control structure the bayou runs out of, and the single feature that decides how it fishes.
Reelfoot Lake State Park - the main public facility on the lake, with ramps, camping and information a short drive upstream.
Reelfoot Lake - the marquee water this bayou drains, and the reason most anglers are in the county.
Samburg - the closest small town to the lake's east side, with bait, fuel and local guides.
Tiptonville - the larger town on the lake's west side, with lodging and full services.
Obion River - the larger river this bayou feeds, with more consistent water when the spillway is shut.
Mississippi River - the main stem below the Obion confluence, the natural pairing for a longer trip.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest window, with crappie shallow, bream on the beds and the spillway usually passing water after wet weather.
Summer: warm, weedy and low unless rain arrives, worked early and late for bream and catfish in the shaded bends.
Fall: cooling water and steadier levels bring a second good stretch for crappie and bass along the edges.
Winter: cold and often high after Delta storms, with catfish in the deeper holes and slow, patchy panfish action.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Running Reelfoot Bayou?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Bream, Bullhead, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Gar, Warmouth, White Crappie, Yellow Bass on the Running Reelfoot Bayou in Tennessee.
Where can you access the Running Reelfoot Bayou?
Reelfoot spillway - the control structure the bayou runs out of, and the single feature that decides how it fishes. Reelfoot Lake State Park - the main public facility on the lake, with ramps, camping and information a short drive upstream. Reelfoot Lake - the marquee water this bayou drains, and the reason most anglers are in the county. Samburg - the closest small town to the lake's east side, with bait, fuel and local guides. Tiptonville - the larger town on the lake's west side, with lodging and full services. Obion River - the larger river this bayou feeds, with more consistent water when...
When is the best time to fish the Running Reelfoot Bayou?
Spring: the strongest window, with crappie shallow, bream on the beds and the spillway usually passing water after wet weather. Summer: warm, weedy and low unless rain arrives, worked early and late for bream and catfish in the shaded bends. Fall: cooling water and steadier levels bring a second good stretch for crappie and bass along the edges. Winter: cold and often high after Delta storms, with catfish in the deeper holes and slow, patchy panfish action.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Running Reelfoot Bayou?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Tennessee agency site: https://www.tn.gov/twra/fishing/fishing-regulations.html