Are there any smallmouth below gville dam? Want to carry my boy to get his firsts one.

Yes there are smallmouth below the dam. Along the river downstream too. There are a few decent areas where you have a good chance at catching a 5 or 6 pounder but I don't catch them every trip and I definitely don't catch one over 3lbs often. I know a guy that use to wear them out often, 20yrs ago in one area for the Thursday ditto tournament.

I'd take my kid upstream to the next dam. Nickajack. It has a lot more bluff walls and it supposed to be known for smallmouth. Been hearing that for 30yrs but I have never fished it. I been there a few times but never fished it.

They aren't in there thick or anything like that. I've fished below the dam a lot in the fall and winter for the past 4 years. I don't bass fish, but crappie and sauger fish and I've never caught one. I'm probably not fishing the right water to catch one but you'd think one would have run into my bait in the past 4 years.

The next one up river does.

Thanks y’all for responding. Hope to get boat out soon.

Pickwick is where you want to go

One of my long time buddies has a cousin who guides on Chickamauga for em. They usually fair pretty well fishing around downtown Chattanooga. I've never caught one, but if I did I guess I'd eat it to keep it off my crappie jigs.

I've caught several. Night fishing is best

Ive caught a few small ones above the dam between there and 69 causeway

I have a friend that says he does great on time ford lake at night in summer. Using a homemade jig made from an old bear rug. No joke.

He says smallmouth taste real strong and taste like crap. Like a mud taste. I ain't never ate one. I can't bring myself to kill a smallmouth. Luke gets mad at folks keeping smallmouth 😂.

Yeah Tim’s Ford is a Great Lake.