OHL Newbie...Any suggestions?

[butts0907]

I've just recently started fishing OH and, although most of the places I've fished so far seem ideal, I can't seem to find any bass. Is there some sort of secret I don't know about...like having to hold your mouth a certain way?? Also, I had someone tell me that shaky heads were a must for this lake. I've never fished one before but have since done some research on how to fish them. However, I don't know what depths they're intended for. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks!

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by butts0907

I've just recently started fishing OH and, although most of the places I've fished so far seem ideal, I can't seem to find any bass. Is there some sort of secret I don't know about...like having to hold your mouth a certain way?? Also, I had someone tell me that shaky heads were a must for this lake. I've never fished one before but have since done some research on how to fish them. However, I don't know what depths they're intended for. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks!

Depending on how recent you have been fishing it, the water has been kind of messed up with generation and holding water.

Usually this time of year with "normal" conditions you can find fish from up lake to the Dam in all stages of spawn from pre to post. I haven't been recent enough to be on top of them right now. Based on history the creeks should be doing pretty well. Pick a big one that feeds the main lake and fish it top to bottom. You will find the fish.

Shaky's are a good bait there. There is no real depth they don't excel at. I would not limit yourself to just that though. Chart/white spinnerbaits, big worms and cranks all have a role too. With bluegill getting ready to spawn or some may be on, I would definitely have a gill swimbait or a chartruse jig to swim around those shallow silty bottoms.

[Dub J]

Listen to this guy.....he knows what hes talking about. Already helped me in multitudes!

[butts0907]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

Depending on how recent you have been fishing it, the water has been kind of messed up with generation and holding water.

Usually this time of year with "normal" conditions you can find fish from up lake to the Dam in all stages of spawn from pre to post. I haven't been recent enough to be on top of them right now. Based on history the creeks should be doing pretty well. Pick a big one that feeds the main lake and fish it top to bottom. You will find the fish.

Shaky's are a good bait there. There is no real depth they don't excel at. I would not limit yourself to just that though. Chart/white spinnerbaits, big worms and cranks all have a role too. With bluegill getting ready to spawn or some may be on, I would definitely have a gill swimbait or a chartruse jig to swim around those shallow silty bottoms.

I appreciate the info Travis!! Hopefully I 'll have some time to get out there this weekend to try it out!

[Jim]

Old Hickory is not the easiest bass fishing lake. It takes a little while to figure out the patterns. With that said, the bass fishing on OH has been really good this spring compared to some years for both largemouth and smallmouth. It seems like a lot of fish and some really bigs ones are being caught. Like most years the bite has moved around with bass staging to spawn. There was a good early spawn this year and we are still catching many bass with beat up tails (spawning).

A couple general hints. The emergent grass near the mouth coves has been holding a lot of fish recently. They are not always right up in the grass but are within a long cast of the grass on a drop off if not in the grass.

Also, the shaky head is good, but not the only good bait. I have seen the retrieved speed be very slow on most days. This is when the shaky heads and all soft plastics do well. Maybe you are just fishing the good areas too quickly. It is hard to slow down if you are not sure if you are in a good area, but there are a lot of good areas on OH and plenty of bass. Once you find them, you can catch them from that area for the next few weeks at least.

Good luck,
Jim

[butts0907]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

Depending on how recent you have been fishing it, the water has been kind of messed up with generation and holding water.

Usually this time of year with "normal" conditions you can find fish from up lake to the Dam in all stages of spawn from pre to post. I haven't been recent enough to be on top of them right now. Based on history the creeks should be doing pretty well. Pick a big one that feeds the main lake and fish it top to bottom. You will find the fish.

Shaky's are a good bait there. There is no real depth they don't excel at. I would not limit yourself to just that though. Chart/white spinnerbaits, big worms and cranks all have a role too. With bluegill getting ready to spawn or some may be on, I would definitely have a gill swimbait or a chartruse jig to swim around those shallow silty bottoms.

Originally Posted by Jim

Old Hickory is not the easiest bass fishing lake. It takes a little while to figure out the patterns. With that said, the bass fishing on OH has been really good this spring compared to some years for both largemouth and smallmouth. It seems like a lot of fish and some really bigs ones are being caught. Like most years the bite has moved around with bass staging to spawn. There was a good early spawn this year and we are still catching many bass with beat up tails (spawning).

A couple general hints. The emergent grass near the mouth coves has been holding a lot of fish recently. They are not always right up in the grass but are within a long cast of the grass on a drop off if not in the grass.

Also, the shaky head is good, but not the only good bait. I have seen the retrieved speed be very slow on most days. This is when the shaky heads and all soft plastics do well. Maybe you are just fishing the good areas too quickly. It is hard to slow down if you are not sure if you are in a good area, but there are a lot of good areas on OH and plenty of bass. Once you find them, you can catch them from that area for the next few weeks at least.

Good luck,
Jim

Jim,
Your suggestion that I may be fishing too fast due to my uncertainty may be dead on...I had never considered that. I'll try to slow down and see if that helps. Also, about the only place I've found any fish so far is in grass. But I've been fishing around the immediate edges and not out from it any. I'll definitely give that a shot. But regarding the drop offs near grass, would a crank bait be the best option? It seems as though, lately, I've been reading a lot about spinnerbaits being the go-to bait right now.

Again, thanks for your suggestion to slow down...I think it's a good one!

[Buccaneer]

Right now through mid June focus shallow, hard bottom areas with any sort of structure, wood, rock whatever as long as it is in or near shallow water. When the shore grass begins to green, throw spinner baits, snagless sally's, Johnson Silver Minnow spoons with curly tail trailers, buzz baits, Zoom flukes, and swim jigs into the grass and work it out. Throw to the bank, behind the grass and work it all the way through back to the boat. From md-June on go back to the shaky head or texas rigged platics. Now is the time to power fish, stay on the move working every grass patch you can find. Grass near docks is a sure fire location.
Work from East side of Cages Bend down to the dam, hit every pocket, point, creek or cove and hunt the grass patches.

[Travis C.]

I was just thinking as I read your post Buc that man there are a bunch of ways to fish Old Hickory. That sounds like good game plan.

For me this time of year I am fishing pockets too but staying mainly in big creeks that feed the lake. Not really looking for big pockets either just ones in the right places. Also, like to fish a lot ditches or small creeks that feed the bigger creeks. About mid to end May, I am night fishing thru October. Then, it is big chunk rock banks, main river ledges and long points with gravel flats. I will almost always not matter what time of the year stop and fish bluffs where they change composition.

On all those places I will throw various colored rapalas shallow or deep depending on situation, big worms, jigs and shaky heads. Night time I'll add a big thumpin spinnerbait.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Right now through mid June focus shallow, hard bottom areas with any sort of structure, wood, rock whatever as long as it is in or near shallow water. When the shore grass begins to green, throw spinner baits, snagless sally's, Johnson Silver Minnow spoons with curly tail trailers, buzz baits, Zoom flukes, and swim jigs into the grass and work it out. Throw to the bank, behind the grass and work it all the way through back to the boat. From md-June on go back to the shaky head or texas rigged platics. Now is the time to power fish, stay on the move working every grass patch you can find. Grass near docks is a sure fire location.
Work from East side of Cages Bend down to the dam, hit every pocket, point, creek or cove and hunt the grass patches.

This is a super Old Hickory pattern, especially as the next full moon comes up. But remember if they are not right in the grass and actively biting, they are close by for sure. The big females tend to sit out on the breaks waiting for the right conditions to spawn. Find cover or something on the nearest drop off to the grass and you will have a good shot at finding some real quality fish right now. By next week it should a all shallow water spawn fishing. It is definitely a slower pattern, but once you find them, the spot will produce over and over for you.

I am not a great crankbait fisherman so I typically use spinnerbaits and plastics. Most of our good fish are coming on plastics this spring, but I am also fishing them the most because they are getting bites. Other lures could also work well.

good creeks to learn in are station camp and cedar creek. chrome colored or accented crankbaits and rattletraps have worked well for us lately. blue and black jig is a must for your box. usually a 1/4 oz jig is what I fish. I prefer an 1/8 oz shaky head over a 1/4 but still fish a 1/4 on really windy days or in strong current. Fish red bug shaky heads for numbers and the occasional big fish and green worms for the larger fish. usually in deeper waters. I also throw black and blue, and green(sometimes with white) senkos or yum dingers texas rigged at stump or wood submerged or sticking out of the surface. hope this helps a little.

[butts0907]

Originally Posted by javelinmatt

good creeks to learn in are station camp and cedar creek. chrome colored or accented crankbaits and rattletraps have worked well for us lately. blue and black jig is a must for your box. usually a 1/4 oz jig is what I fish. I prefer an 1/8 oz shaky head over a 1/4 but still fish a 1/4 on really windy days or in strong current. Fish red bug shaky heads for numbers and the occasional big fish and green worms for the larger fish. usually in deeper waters. I also throw black and blue, and green(sometimes with white) senkos or yum dingers texas rigged at stump or wood submerged or sticking out of the surface. hope this helps a little.

Javelinmatt,

I appreciate the info. I think Station Camp creek is where I fish the most...is it located to the north of Spencer Creek? I'm hoping to try out Cedar Creek this weekend. But regarding Station Camp, I fished it last weekend, all the way to the mouth of the creek. The water in the creek is extremely clear, but gets real muddy once it hits the lake portion. Is that normal for the water to be that clear? Do you think it's due to a rocky bottom versus a mud/silt bottom? Whatever the reason, there were no fish in the creek. Not only did I not catch any, but saw none on the depth finder. However, once I got to the mouth of the creek, there were fish from around 3 ft down to the bottom. I tried to fish that area with everything I had in the boat, but they apparently weren't buying what I was selling. Was I doing something wrong?

The extent of my excitement while in the creek was watching a school of fish (probably 30-40) all bunched up and right at the surface. I originally thought I found a hawg sitting against the bank, but when I got closer I saw it was a bunch of fish. Best I could tell, they were bass and all were in the 6"-8" range. Have you ever seen this?

Thanks!

[Scott715]

Topwater and spinnerbaits have been working lately. Use a topwater you can pause like a rapala skitter or any type chugger. I had a buddy not having much luck on buzz bait, but he changed to topwater that he could sit and managed several bass.

On a side note, I grew up on Percy Priest lake and have been fishing it 20+ years. I'm not a tourney fisherman but I managed bass here and there. I've started fishing OH the past couple of years and have caught more and bigger bass at Hickory than I ever have at Priest. I believe there's simply more quality bass at Hickory. It's a little more of a drive for me and I catch grief from the wife because of the gas, but it's worth it to me. My opinion, if you're an amateur bass fisherman, OH is the place to go. Just make sure you have a GPS or good mapping. It's not a lake you want to wander around on if you're not familiar with. You can go from 60ft to 2ft in seconds.

Unfortunately I have not been out as much as I'd like lately and actually haven't fished station camp at all. A buddy told me he was catching a lot of fish back towards Gallatin marina. I believe on the point just across from the docks. Papas bank(first long bank on the left after the point in the east fork creek) is usually a great place to start this time a year. Usually our wind comes out of the north more so than the south that is the reason the water was clearer up in the creek most likely. Spencer creek probably looked like chocolate milk then I'd assume. Although a friend called me this afternoon and said they had about a 15-16# sack all out of Spence creek. I had the pleasure of fishing Fri. And sat. though. We fish mostly down river from bluegrass to the dam. Hitting mainly north facing banks and only fishing the front of the pockets. Fish on that side seemed to be in the first stage mainly hence why we fished mainly just the mouths. Shaky heads and chartreuse squarebill cranks. The fish were pretty schooled up both days. There are some good fish back in old hickory marina but they have ruined most of the fishing with new docks everywhere. Don't just fish the back of creeks and pockets. It seems most are just in the early stages from what I saw those two days. Start in the front and work your way in. Pay attention to where you catch fish, their color, and just try and find a pattern. Your sure to fill a limit that way. We had I believe 11 keeping fish Fri. and our best sack was probably 13#+- and 4 at about 10-11# sat. The wind ran us off that day so we only fished about 3 hrs. We are still looking for those big females too, o think most of the shallow spawners are still in the early stages but it won't be long. Have fun and get our there as much as possible right now. Good luck, let me know how you do.
Apologies in advance for any typos. I'm typing this from my so called smartphone. It often thinks its smarter than I.

Station Camp Creek is awesome. It's my favorite place to fish around here. Tons of blue gills and sun fish, young largemouth bass (the largest one I've caught was only 5 lbs), catfish, and others.

The most fish I've caught in one day of fishing in Station Camp Creek was 23 blue gills and 1 bass over the course of 3 hours. I don't have any pictures sadly.