The lake
Chickamauga Lake
Bass-famous water running from Chattanooga's back door to Watts Bar Dam.
Impounded in 1940, Chickamauga covers about 36,200 acres with 810 miles of shoreline. It runs riverine and quick in its upper reaches, wide and slough-laced toward Chattanooga, and home to Tennessee's state-record largemouth.
- Surface water ~36,200 acres
- Shoreline 810 miles
- Impounded 1940, by TVA
The lay of the land
What it’s like here.
Chickamauga is the busier, bolder half of Ivey's territory, the reservoir that runs from Chickamauga Dam at Chattanooga upstream to the foot of Watts Bar Dam, touching Rhea, Meigs, Hamilton, and Bradley counties along the way. Dayton sits mid-lake, close enough to Chattanooga for a night out and far enough to keep its own pace.
The upper lake moves like a river (current, bluffs, creek mouths) while the lower end opens into broad water with big embayments and sloughs. That variety is why the lake shows up on national best-bass-lakes lists year after year, and why weekends here sound like outboards and tournament weigh-ins.
Where it sits
On the Chattanooga–Knoxville corridor.
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Places to know
The spots that come up in every showing.
Marina Dayton Boat Dock Dayton's front door to Chickamauga Lake. 
Shops & services Small Town Antique Mall Family owned, meticulously kept, and full of finds you will not see twice. Park & outdoors Cherokee Removal Memorial Park Where the Trail of Tears crossed the Tennessee. Park & outdoors Chester Frost Park Hamilton County's flagship lakefront park. TVA dam Chickamauga Dam Where Chickamauga Lake begins at Chattanooga. On the water
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A record-book fishery
Tennessee's state-record largemouth, 15 pounds 3 ounces, came out of Chickamauga, helped along by TWRA's Florida-strain stocking program. Tournament trails treat the lake as a regular stop.
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Dayton's front porch
The Dayton Boat Dock hosts major tournaments and everyday launches alike, with the town's "Fish Dayton" scene built around the lake's reputation.
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Two lakes in one
Riverine current and bluff banks up top; wide, slow water with sloughs and long embayments down low. Pick your water by picking your mile marker.
Worth knowing
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Chickamauga Dam
129 feet high and 5,800 feet across the Tennessee River at Chattanooga. It is the 1940 TVA project that created the lake.
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The Hiwassee confluence
Where the Hiwassee River meets the Tennessee, the flats draw thousands of wintering sandhill cranes, one of the Southeast's great wildlife spectacles, viewable near Blythe Ferry.
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Chattanooga, downstream
The lower lake runs to the city limits: riverfront restaurants, the Riverwalk, and an airport within an easy drive of mid-lake towns like Dayton.
Your agent here
Ivey Hayes is your market expert in Chickamauga Lake: Tennessee-licensed, a member of both the River Counties and Greater Chattanooga REALTOR® boards, with the region’s listings at her fingertips.