Tellico Lake is a 15,560-acre reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in Loudon, Monroe, and Blount counties in East Tennessee, created when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Tellico Dam. Planned as an extension of Fort Loudoun Reservoir, Tellico Dam diverts water through a short canal into Fort Loudoun for power production and allows barges to enter the Little Tennessee without a separate lock. The project also helps regulate flooding downstream, especially at Chattanooga.

Stretching about 33 miles into the mountains with roughly 357 miles of shoreline, Tellico mixes residential and resort development on the lower lake with forested upper reaches toward the Smokies foothills. Islands, creek arms, and a shared pool with Fort Loudoun create a large, interconnected recreation surface. Clearer water and mountain scenery in the upper arms contrast with the more developed canal and dam area near Lenoir City.

The lake is popular for boating and fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and striped bass, with fisheries managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Public ramps, marinas, parks, and planned communities provide access along the reservoir, drawing visitors from Knoxville, the Smokies region, and beyond. The canal link to Fort Loudoun lets boaters move freely between the two lakes without locking.

Water levels on Tellico Lake are managed by TVA in concert with Fort Loudoun Lake around a shared summer full pool near 813 feet above mean sea level. Because the two reservoirs operate as one pool for navigation and power, elevations respond together to rainfall, generation, and mainstem traffic toward Watts Bar Lake. Monitoring current lake levels is helpful for boating, fishing, and dock access throughout the year.

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