Old Hickory 5/28

[Travis C.]

Got out today to see if I could bother some big mouths. I ended up having a pretty good day. Caught between 15-20 fish with none smaller than 13 1/4" long. Lost 2 fish that would have really made my day. One I never got up out of cover and the other I was able to get boat side. Don't know exact weight but it would have continue my streak of years with a 5+ lb fish easily.

Started the day shallow but quickly realized that where I was needed to change. People around me were catching little buck bass so I headed to deep water. My boat sat in 17-26ft all day and I was pretty much all alone all day on the banks I fished. That was fine with me. :D My pattern was a little different, I knew shad spawn was going on so I flipped a big double willow spinnerbait in shad color around cover.

That was the trick.

Here are a few of the fish. The bottom one was 14 3/4"

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii40/MrCarney1979/IMG_9726.jpg

[Scott715]

I haven't done much with bass the last two times I've gone to Hickory, but I've been fishing shallow. Is the spawn/shallow water done? A couple of weeks ago I was catching decent sized bass on topwater before all the rain came in.

[Travis C.]

I haven't done much with bass the last two times I've gone to Hickory, but I've been fishing shallow. Is the spawn/shallow water done? A couple of weeks ago I was catching decent sized bass on topwater before all the rain came in.

I don't think spawn is done it usually continues for several weeks as different waves move in and out. The tails were bloody on a few of the fish I caught. Not all fish make that big move to spawn shallow, some will spawn not far from where they reside even if it is deep.

I would look for spawing pockets still but start fishing where they intersect a channel and work back into them. That way you can see if they are holding on the first or second drop going in/out or catch those fish in transit. My preference when searching or trying to catch size is using extremes. Say, if they aren't in 6-8ft, I'll go to 0-2ft or 15-20ft. Making that big move helps me so I avoid fishing just a little deeper and shallower.

Time to mimick shad right now though... The shad spawn is going on. A spinnerbait is a good choice for that with double willows. You will see shad swim with it and feel them bump it trying spawn with it I guess. Bass will crush it, I went through three yesterday losing skirts, bent arms and paint.

This was my last day trip until fall. I am night fishing the rest of the year on the lakes for bass.

[Buccaneer]

Nice fish. I have hammered them the past two days in the Cedar Creek & Cages bend area in shallow water with spinner baits. Changed it up this morning and headed towards the dam. Fished the pockets opposite Bluegrass and on down towards Langfords. Not much grass as compared to further up stream but did catch several carbon copy 3lb fish on sides of points that will have grass soon.

[chaseasl]

good deal

[TNtransplant08]

What size spinnerbait has been working for you guys? 3/8, 1/2, 1 oz, etc?

[Buccaneer]

I am typically throwing a 3/8oz in white or white with charteuse and a double willow in silver. Also a multi-bladded spinner bait is a good bet right now with the shad hatch. I use a bulky trailer, usually a curly tail grub in salt/pepper color. Have a Zoom fluke tied on too for the fish that miss the spinner bait. Throw it right back and twitch it on the same path and pick up that fish.

[Travis C.]

Since I was fishing deeper sloped banks mine was 1/2 & 3/4 oz.Chrome double willow gray head and skirt with red/blue glitter flake with a grub trailer.

I was ptiching it to logs, rocks, under over hangs and every where else you'd put a jig. Let it sink just a little then slow roll it out. Usually they nail it in the first 8 ft from the bank. The two big fish I lost would have probably been caught if I had a trailer hook but where I was pitching it did not allow for that.

[bd-]

Travis, you're going to have to teach me to bass fish some time. I can do well at trout fishing pretty much any day I want, and I am even pretty good at creek and river fishing for smallmouth and largemouth, but when it comes to bass fishing in lakes, I can't do what you do.

bd

[TNtransplant08]

Thanks Travis and Buccaneer!

[Travis C.]

Travis, you're going to have to teach me to bass fish some time. I can do well at trout fishing pretty much any day I want, and I am even pretty good at creek and river fishing for smallmouth and largemouth, but when it comes to bass fishing in lakes, I can't do what you do.

bd

Thanks for the kinds words, I just always try to keep learing but time on the water is where it comes together. One of these days maybe we can get out and I will show you what I know lake fishing bass and you can help with my dead drift. That way I don't have to fish up stream all the time. :D

[bd-]

Any time you want to go trout fishing, just give me a shout.

We just need the generators to finally shut off!!!

bd

[tkwalker]

bd, I didn't know you were interested in tourney type bass fishing .... stop by the shop sometimes and let's talk bass Fishing ... I haven't really thought about them in the last twenty five years since my Striper days ... The next time I go to the cabin I will take some pic's of the mounts I have .... <'TK><

[Travis C.]

Nice hardware TK.

The ones in the frame on the bottom are pretty nice too. Thank you.

[butts0907]

Thanks Travis and Buccaneer!
I've got to echo TNtransplant08's gratitude. That's great advice and I hope to be able to get out there some time this week. This past weekend was crazy, not to mention the amount of pleasure boaters out and about. Great advice and I appreciate you both sharing!!

[bd-]

bd, I didn't know you were interested in tourney type bass fishing ....


Ah, I probably wouldn't ever want to bass fish on a tournament level, other than just the fly fishing tournaments which pop up every few years. Those are a different ballgame and just something a little fun and different.

I just wish I had a better grip on the seasonal movements of bass in lakes so that I could do reasonably well whenever I went out - maybe not "win a tournament" performance, but a decent number of fish in the boat consistently. As it is, I have good days and bad days but it's pretty hit and miss, and on the bad days I often don't quite know what I didn't do right. I just don't understand bass the way I understand trout, I guess.

bd

[Travis C.]

I just wish I had a better grip on the seasonal movements of bass in lakes so that I could do reasonably well whenever I went out - maybe not "win a tournament" performance, but a decent number of fish in the boat consistently.

bd

You can get as deep into the habits of bass as you want. We have a good idea of what they do year in year out. We know there is a spawn which trumps all other behavior characteristics that they are supposed to be doing at that time. But bottom line we still don't know everything and that makes it an ever moving target to find them then catch them. Otherwise every pro on the elite level would bring in limits of the biggest bass in the lakes they fish.

That said time doing it helps close the gap in periods of catching and not catching.

Next time your out bd and are having trouble go to 45 degrees banks. They are exactly what they sound like not bluffs and not flat. Those are almost always channel banks and almost always have a shelf up close to the shore then fall off in steps into the deeper water. Fish always hold there year round and will move vertically up/down to feed. Deep water is close by as is food. Being a channel bait fish will use it as a travel way but up on the ledges will have rocks that will more than likely hide crayfish.

That is where I always go when I can't catch or find fish where they "should" be.

[WXMikey]

Great points and tips, Travis!

[Travis C.]

Great points and tips, Travis!

Thanks Mike.

Where is the NWS office at in Old Hickory. I always hear it reporting out of Rockland but never seen any buildings marked. Weather is about as big of interest as fishing for me. I went into Geography post high school wanting to make that my career but a bad relationship decision derailed that.