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Percy Priest Lake Water Level

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Tennessee

489.18ftAbove full pool

Latest reading Oct 26, 6:00 AM · elevation

Percy Priest Lake is 1.0 ft above top of power pool today (489.18 ft vs 488.22 ft), 0.4 ft higher than a year ago. It is 100%+ full: Army Corps reports 103% of conservation storage, which means the lake is above its normal full pool and holding floodwater. It has fallen 0.04 ft since yesterday and is down 0.16 ft over 7 days.

Lake 1.0 ft above top of power pool and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:08 AM–8:08 AM (moonset near sunrise).

vs top of power pool+0.96 ftTop of power pool 488.2 ft · USACE
How full100%+103% of conservation storage (Army Corps)
Change since yesterday−0.04 ft7 days: −0.16 ft
Same date last year488.83 ftNow +0.35 ft vs 2025
Dam release30.0 cfsOutflow below the dam
Air temp & weather now74°F · Mostly CloudyWind ENE 2 mphNWS forecast · see Weather & wind below
Sun today7:03 AM – 5:56 PMFirst light 6:36 AM · Last light 6:23 PM

Water level chart

ft above sea level

Top of power pool (488.2 ft) is 1.0 ft below the latest reading, off this chart

Top of power pool (488.2 ft) is 1.0 ft below the latest reading, off this chart

Reading

Percy Priest Lake fishing report & conditions

updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ET

Lake 1.0 ft above top of power pool and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:08 AM–8:08 AM (moonset near sunrise).

Main species

  • Black bass
  • Crappie
  • Hybrid striped bass
  • White and yellow bass
  • Catfish

Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — “What you can catch”, as published on the TWRA J. Percy Priest Reservoir page.

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 7:03 AM · Sunset 5:56 PM

Major fishing times

  • Moon underfoot11:54 AM–1:54 PM

Minor fishing times

  • Moonset7:08 AM–8:08 AM
    Sunrise
  • Moonrise5:32 PM–6:32 PM
    Sunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
TodayOct 266/10GoodMajor 11:54 AM–1:54 PM
Minor 7:08 AM–8:08 AM · 5:32 PM–6:32 PM
Calm wind 0–2 mph
TueOct 274/10FairMajor 12:23 AM–2:23 AM · 12:52 PM–2:52 PM
Minor 8:23 AM–9:23 AM · 6:16 PM–7:16 PM
Calm wind 0–2 mph
WedOct 283/10PoorMajor 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 2–7 mph
ThuOct 294/10FairMajor 2:27 AM–4:27 AM · 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Minor 10:47 AM–11:47 AM · 8:13 PM–9:13 PM
Calm wind 1–4 mph
FriOct 303/10PoorMajor 3:32 AM–5:32 AM · 4:03 PM–6:03 PM
Minor 11:47 AM–12:47 PM · 9:23 PM–10:23 PM
Calm wind 0–4 mph
SatOct 315/10FairMajor 4:34 AM–6:34 AM · 5:03 PM–7:03 PM
Minor 12:37 PM–1:37 PM · 10:36 PM–11:36 PM
Light wind 1–6 mph
SunNov 15/10FairMajor 4:32 AM–6:32 AM · 4:59 PM–6:59 PM
Minor 12:17 PM–1:17 PM · 10:47 PM–11:47 PM
Light wind 5–8 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.

Baseevery day starts at 11
Sunrise / sunseta period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1)2
Moon phasewithin 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days)2
Local conditionspressure 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)
  • Pressure: No NWS pressure forecast for this day +0
  • Wind: Calm 0–2 mph, gusts 6 +0
  • Level: Level steady (−0.04 ft in 24 h) +1
1
Today6, rounded6/10

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 36.16, -86.62 (moon times from astronomical equations, Percy Priest Lake local time).

Weather & wind at Percy Priest Lake

air temperature, not water
Air temp74°FNWS forecast for this hour
Wind2 mphfrom the ENE · NWS forecast this hour
Gusts5 mphpeak gusts this hour

3-day forecast

NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 36.157, -86.619 (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

Last 10 days

DateLevel (ft)Change
Mon Oct 26 (today)489.20±0.00
Sun Oct 25489.20−0.02
Sat Oct 24489.22−0.01
Fri Oct 23489.23−0.02
Thu Oct 22489.25±0.00
Wed Oct 21489.25−0.03
Tue Oct 20489.28−0.02
Mon Oct 19489.30−0.03
Sun Oct 18489.33−0.03
Sat Oct 17489.36−0.05

Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.

Nearby lakes & rivers

About this data

Source
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — J Percy Priest Dam
Location
36.1567, -86.6186 · Tennessee
Measures
Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
Latest reading
Oct 26, 6:00 AM local time
History
399 days on file since 2025-09-22
Page built
Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
Top of power pool
488.22 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Power)
Storage
380,425 of 369,513 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.