Ohd.
 

Below the dam is where it's at right now guys. Dad and I put in Saturday morning with one gen running, 2nd kicking on at 10. We caught everything but a Rockfish, Walleye/Sauger, and a carp.
Most of the big Smallies came on a 1/4 ounce Strike King bitsy flip jig. Didn't seem to matter what trailer you put on it. We caught fish on jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. I caught the biggest Spot that I've ever caught down there on a 3/8 Booyah spinnerbait..
Don't waste your time fishing past OHB bridge, we drifted both sides and didn't get a bite a half mile past the sewer discharge.
Biggest Smallies were 20 and 18.5 inches

Now that is a report!!!!


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Finally a happy fisherman. Good report.

Thank you for the report...



How is the current when the locks are open ? (probably a dumb question)

I ask because its pretty swift when Cordell Hull opens a couple gates, enough so that you can't anchor and fish generally quit biting.

1 or 2 gens you are good. Any more than 2 is to much current for me.

Locks open should not affect current.

Nice smallie. River fishing is my preference (when there is current).

You are talking about the spill gates. When the lock opens downstream the upstream side is closed and there is no current flow through the lock with the exception of the lock discharge typically on the side of the wing wall.

What you saw .... TK
 

Ohd
 

I have been doing well. I have not had a bad trip in 5 weeks.
I wish the flood doors would open... oh, baby that is Thunderdome!

I’ve fished a lot of tailrace.....Cordell Hull included. If they are not generating or have some gates open you might as well go home. I love it when the gates are open...the fish are most likely going to bite. When planning on fishing a tailrace and I check the TVA schedule, and there are no generators running, I don’t go. I have been below dams many times catching fish on every cast and they turn the generators off...the bite stops immediately. This holds true about 90 percent of the time.

Regards

Yes I stand corrected.. I said locks when I meant spill gates. I've never fished below OH dam, but that is where I'm going in the morning. I need some confidence building if you know what I mean. :p

Where do you guys usually put it at? I live in Hendersonville and don't really want to fool with locking thru the dam. I've done that before and it just takes too long.

Opposite side of the river below the locks.

Go through Rayon City.
Google Old Hickory dam, get driving directions s to the dam.
Ramp is below the dam.

It called Tailwater Access off of Cinder Rd... I was there today for the first time... I don't like the place... very narrow and steep ramp and from the ramp to the dam.. its shallow, hit my prop on rock pile in the channel no less. Luckily nothing a file can't fix.


On a good note I caught 2 today

You are much better off launching at Rockland and locking down. That ramp below the dam sucks and there are some sketchy characters there sometimes. Otherwise I would drive around and launch at the ramp on the Stones River at Heartland at McGavock Pike. Plenty of good fishing from there back up to the dam. Don't use any other ramp below the dam, unless you are prepared to potentially lose anything in your truck, the truck itself, or your trailer.

Stripes?


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USACE dredged the channel on the lock side and just deposited the spoils in the middle of the river, mostly below the green buoy, but some is above the green buoy too.
Stay way to either side of the green buoy and you'll be ok.

Now you tell him.

I know someone posted on here the other day not to go past the OHB bridge but there is some good fishing right now past the stones river. Make that big right hand turn and down on the left there we caught quite a few smallmouth last week. If you start at the cornfield on the left and work down stream you should get bit.

That was me Tex. I was referring to that specific trip. We didnt do much past a certain point, which seemed odd. There are great spots all up and down the river.

Fun fact about that hard right turn....I caught my personal best sauger (downstream of OHD) just past the tip of that turn 4 years ago. When they are churning out big water below the dam, the fish stack up there as a current break/ambush point when conditions are just right.
Little winter tip for any winter jiggers on here.

Yes one was a stripper (I think)
2nd was a drum, Both weight just at 2 lbs and caught on a rattle trap

Are you serious :confused: Whatever I hit I saw on my depth finder and it was straight up and straight down, also a there is a hell of a bolder that sits just under the surface about about 200' just below the dam dead center of the generators and the flood gates . In fact I saw a guy hit it with his motor and the currents pushed me sideways on it.. all that did was scratch the bottom but not to the metal.



Also I'm hear to tell you that there is a hell of a water rush when they drain the lock... Yea that was ugly. Fortunately I was above that when they released.


There were 2 different barges that was going up river loaded with coal. To be honest I don't know how the hell they wedged that big thing in the locks. I know the second barge had to wait for the dam to release water to get the water level up.

People talk about how shallow JPP is... I'm telling you I feel safer there than below this dam.

Caution
 

Yes ohd demands respect and fear

There is a reason you need to wear life jackets. I go up the lock side to catch bait. Then I scoot across and drift the far bank. I’m in a 14ft Jon boat so I’m very weary of the lock. I don’t hit bottom but I can be swamped easily.

My boat sank on Percy about a month ago because some jack wagon didn’t understand they are responsible for their wake. I wish I had a picture of there boat so I could get at them. Luckily we saved the boat and the engine never went underwater.

Anyone on the water understand YOU are responsible for your wake and if you sink a boy YOU are responsible for that.


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I fish down there now and then. I have the patches in my fiberglass as proof. When there is 1 generator don't go down directly below the spill gates for around 100 yards as there are rocks that will get you. I've never hit anything on the generator side. On the stuff placed around the green buoy, are you guys talking about the first green buoy down from the dam? Thanks for the heads up on that!

Yes, my experience was above and below the first green buoy.

I got fairly close to that yesterday, what a dumbazz place to dump dredge rubble. Now we have another needless obstacle to dodge. FWIW I saw a bird yesterday standing on one of the rocks that got me a few years ago down from the spill gates.

That’s the only way I knew it was there as well! Thank god for herons


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