CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Impressive limits can be expected when qualified anglers take on Chickamauga and Nickajack lakes at the 2025 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft.
The two-day contest is scheduled for March 11-12, with tournament headquarters located in Chattanooga. The top finishers will be recognized on stage prior to the Day 1 weigh-in at the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour in Knoxville, Tenn.
“This is going to be a prespawn tournament, and weather will play a big factor,” said Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation kayak angler Chris Walters. “Most everyone will target prespawn females staging in creek channels and ditches. Both lakes are pretty equal this time of the year. Both lakes produce double-digit bass.”
Nationally recognized as one of the best big-bass fisheries in the country, Chickamauga Lake has been a recurring stop on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. This will be the third visit to Chickamauga for the Kayak Series, the last visit being the 2023 National Championship won by Rus Snyders.
Nickajack, meanwhile, remains one of the hidden gems of the Tennessee River system and sees much less national tournament attention, mostly due to its smaller size in comparison to other reservoirs in the region. The fishing, however, is just as good, and sometimes better.
While Chickamauga flows into Nickajack, the two fisheries look quite different in March. Chickamauga experiences a winter drawdown and will be close to 6 feet below full pool in normal conditions, but a substantial rain event could result in a flooded reservoir.
Offshore bars, channel swings, stumps and planted brushpiles will be key pieces of structure and cover in low-water conditions. Depending on the water temperature, some grass might be available on the northern end of the lake.
“The Hiwassee River arm is really good in the springtime too, as well as the Dayton area,” Walters said. “The very lower ends of both lakes are cleaner, and that is where the minnow will be a big player.”
The water level fluctuates very little on Nickajack, which allows for better grass growth earlier in the year. This vegetation, which includes eelgrass and milfoil, will be key to finding groups of prespawners.
The X factor in this tournament will likely be smallmouth bass and the tailraces below the Watts Bar Dam and the Chickamauga Dam. Because of Tennessee’s regulations, smallmouth have typically not factored in boat tournaments on Chick and Nickajack, but with the catch-photo-release format in the Kayak Series, brown fish can make an impact. For this tournament, all black bass must be at least 12 inches long.
“Those tailraces are loaded with smallmouth this time of year,” Walters said. “A lot of guys love the current. That bite won’t be affected as much by cold fronts either.”
Expect traditional prespawn baits such as lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits, ChatterBaits, jigs and crankbaits to shine in this tournament as well as jighead minnows.
For more information on the 2026 Bassmaster Classic and Classic week events, visit Bassmaster.com.
This event is being hosted by the Chattanooga Tourism Co.