Paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, moved to the upper reaches of Old Hickory Reservoir (a mainstem reservoir on the Cumberland River in north-central Tennessee) during the March-May spawning period and concentrated in the tailwaters of Cordell Hull Dam (Cumberland River) and Center Hill Dam (Caney Fork River). Paddlefish eggs were collected 5.6 km downstream from Cordell Hull Dam beginning 13 April, and larvae were found beginning 21 April 1977. No paddlefish eggs or larvae were collected in the Caney Fork River, presumably because the low temperature (11–11.5 C) of the Center Hill Dam discharge prevented spawning there. No paddlefish greater than 18 mm total length were taken by larvae sampling gear, and gill nets were ineffective in capturing young of year and yearlings. Paddlefish from 50 mm to 400 mm total length, however, were impinged on the intake screens at the Gallatin Steam Electric Plant on Old Hickory Reservoir in large numbers (approximately 9,000 from August 1975 to May 1976). Comparisons of lengths on capture dates with similar data reported in the literature demonstrated that the impinged paddlefish were young of year which attained approximately 300 mm total length by age I.