Old Hickory Lake Water Level
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Tennessee
Latest reading Oct 26, 6:00 AM · elevation
Old Hickory Lake is 0.4 ft below top of power pool today (444.59 ft vs 445.00 ft), 0.4 ft lower than a year ago. It is 98% full. It has risen 0.01 ft since yesterday and is down 0.03 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReading
Old Hickory Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETLake 0.4 ft below top of power pool and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:09 AM–8:09 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 76°F / low 48°FMostly Cloudy
- WindCalm0–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 6
- Level0.4 ft below top of power poolLevel steady (+0.01 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Largemouth bass
- Crappie
- Striped bass
- Sauger
- White bass
- Catfish
Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — “What you can catch”, as published on the TWRA Old Hickory Reservoir page.
Official Tennessee fishing report: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — Weekly fishing reports
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:04 AM · Sunset 5:56 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot11:54 AM–1:54 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:09 AM–8:09 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:32 PM–6:32 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 11:54 AM–1:54 PM Minor 7:09 AM–8:09 AM · 5:32 PM–6:32 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:23 AM–2:23 AM · 12:53 PM–2:53 PM Minor 8:24 AM–9:24 AM · 6:16 PM–7:16 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:23 AM–3:23 AM · 1:55 PM–3:55 PM Minor 9:38 AM–10:38 AM · 7:09 PM–8:09 PM Light wind 1–7 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:27 AM–4:27 AM · 3:00 PM–5:00 PM Minor 10:48 AM–11:48 AM · 8:12 PM–9:12 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:32 AM–5:32 AM · 4:04 PM–6:04 PM Minor 11:48 AM–12:48 PM · 9:23 PM–10:23 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:34 AM–6:34 AM · 5:04 PM–7:04 PM Minor 12:38 PM–1:38 PM · 10:35 PM–11:35 PM Light wind 1–6 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:32 AM–6:32 AM · 4:59 PM–6:59 PM Minor 12:18 PM–1:18 PM · 10:47 PM–11:47 PM Light wind 4–8 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 36.29, -86.66 (moon times from astronomical equations, Old Hickory Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Old Hickory Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon76° / 48°Mostly CloudyWind 0 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday77° / 51°Areas Of Fog then Mostly SunnyWind 0 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday76° / 48°Patchy Fog then Mostly SunnyWind SSE 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 36.294, -86.657 (grid OHX), issued Oct 26, 1:31 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Past 12 months
daily readings from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Today444.59 ft
- Same date last year444.94 ft−0.4 ft change
- 12-month high446.68 ftJan 26, 2026
- 12-month low443.61 ftNov 11, 2025
- Top of power pool445.00 ftUSACE
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 444.45 | −0.10 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 444.55 | −0.09 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 444.64 | −0.05 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 444.69 | +0.01 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 444.68 | −0.10 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 444.78 | +0.02 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 444.76 | +0.09 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 444.67 | −0.14 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 444.81 | −0.15 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 444.96 | +0.03 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Percy Priest Lake10 mi · Lake489.18 ft+0.96 ft vs top of power pool
- Cumberland River at Nashville11 mi · River6,330 cfs80% of normal
- Cheatham Lake32 mi · Lake385.35 ft+0.35 ft vs top of power pool
- Cordell Hull Lake40 mi · Lake502.65 ft−0.38 ft vs top of power pool
- Center Hill Lake48 mi · Lake630.85 ft−17.15 ft vs top of power pool
- Barren River Lake51 mi · Lake · Finney548.66 ft−3.34 ft vs full pool
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Source
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Old Hickory Lock and Dam Headwater
- Location
- 36.2942, -86.6567 · Tennessee
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 6:00 AM local time
- History
- 397 days on file since 2025-09-22
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
- Top of power pool
- 445.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Power)
- Storage
- 410,598 of 420,000 acre-ft (Top of Power)
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (official page). Operator data is preliminary and may be revised. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.