The flow of the Tennessee River greatly influenced the growth and development of this area. With many small valleys and ridges, the rolling hills offered privacy and seclusion without the cost of isolation for early settlers and farmers. The rivers and waterways connected people and places, then and now. The locks, dams and waterway system constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the purposes of electric power, flood control, navigation, an adequate supply of water and other related benefits have turned this area into a water-lover’s playground. Watts Bar Lake (771 miles of shoreline), Melton Hill Dam and Lake (173 miles of shoreline), Tellico Dam and Lake (373 miles of shoreline) and Fort Loudon Reservoir and Dam (360 miles of shoreline) offer boating, fishing, swimming, camping, public access areas, and jet ski, boat and houseboat rentals. These lakes are home to Rock Bass, Bluegill, White Bass, Sauger, White Crappie, Spotted Bass, Warmouth, Large Mouth Bass, and Rainbow Trout. Catch your next trophy fish in the Tennessee Valley!