I first want to start off by saying Old Hickory lost one of its true legends last week and a very dear friend to myself in Mike Erwin. Mike Erwin has been a familiar face to many of us that fish Old Hickory and specifically Spencer Creek as he sat on his signature orange bucket for many hrs catching anything that swims at the Riverview Ramp(the small ramp on the right as you run into Spencer).  Mike and I spent many, many hours fishing together over the last several years and I can truly say Mike taught me more about fishing Old Hickory then most anyone else.  Mike was the most genuine and good hearted friend a man could ever ask for and I thank the Lord that he blessed me by allowing me to meet and become friends with Mike. Mike we love you buddy and you will forever be missed.

Fishing on Old Hickory is changing by the day now and the fishing is good. The shallow water grass bite everyone has been looking for is in full swing and depending on the day the fish will hang around in the grass throughout the day. The weed bite should remain strong but may tapper off to just a good morning bite soon. Overall the fish are in the post spawn transition and headed off the bank towards the first drop and deeper water. Good numbers are starting to show up on creek drops now and when you are able to find them you can flat catch them. We had one day last week where we pulled up on a creek hump and caught over 50 in less then an hour! We are weeding through a lot of shorts to find the better fish and they are all mixed in together. With that being said there are still plenty of fish up shallow and people are catching them many different ways. Several of the 5+ lb fish we caught this week were bloody tailed and still full of eggs and we will have fish still spawning into June and July but I do believe the majority of the fish are beginning to push out and are showing up by the day on offshore structure. Some tournaments will still be won beating the banks and there’s always good fish up shallow on Old Hickory but beginning now and for the summer if you are fishing the bank you can bet the majority of the fish are behind you. With the exception of the last several days, water temperatures have maintained a steady climb into the mid and upper 70s, mid lake, low to mid 70’s towards the dam and water clarity has remained excellent.

            Starting out in the mornings we have been fishing shallow in the weed beds as fish are roaming in and along the edges. Depending on conditions a wide array of baits have been productive from frogs, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Kandi Swim Jigs and flipping baits. I believe when fishing offshore the hardest part it is finding the fish this time of year as all the drops are not yet inhabited. Once you locate the fish you then must get the school to fire and after several fish bite it can be game on! Without a doubt our best bait has been the Bass Kandi T-Craw fished on a 1/2oz Bass Kandi Swinghook Football Jig and a 5/8oz Bass Kandi Jig in Magic Craw. These jigs are bad to the bone and because of the way they designed the head you will not hang this jig often.

Here in several weeks many “bank beaters” will find that the bite has begun to slow and fewer and fewer quality fish as the majority of the fish begin pushing out towards their summer home. Being able to read and interoperate you electronics is of the upmost importance and if you are struggling let me help. I have spent literally hundreds of hours riding and looking without ever making a cast and have gained the knowledge necessary to teach you where to look, how to look and then how to fish offshore structure. 

Here at OHGS we use brand new high end fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

The last week has provided good fishing and lots of trips with good numbers being caught. The quality bite has been sporatic and most people we have talked to are catching fish but struggling to find the good ones.  The weather has remained stable and with stable weather light winds and bluebird skies follow. A lack of wind has made things difficult at times for both bass and crappie but looking at the upcoming forecast it appears next week some wind will return and will help the bite. Water temps have really jumped up this week and in some creeks pushing near 80. Down lake closer to the damn it’s hanging low to mid 70’s, mid lake is mid 70’s and overall water clarity is better then normal.

Right now is the time you can catch fish just about anyway you want. Over the last week we have caught fish consistently in less then 1 fow all the way out to 20 fow along hump and ledges in the creeks. Fish are still in all phases but I believe there are more post spawn fish then not. Fish are beginning to group up on drops and hump in the creeks as they continue to pull out away from the banks and begin recouping. This is the bite you need to find as these spots will continue replenishing as long as you don’t beat up on the schools too much and should only improve as we go. The shallow bite has remained as the fish are pushing into the willow grass beds now and have provided good action for us throughout the day. The fish are not in every bed but a good bed can be loaded when you find them. Early in the mornings we have begun seeing the shad spawn here and there and this can be a great early bite for the first hr or so. Look for the shad spawn to really pick up in the next week or so.

Our most productive baits have been shallow and medium running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Kandi Texas Craw flipped around grass and wood, 1/8-1/2 shakey heads(depending on depth being fished) and 4-5 in swimbaits.

The crappie bite has been hit or miss this week for us which I absolutely attribute to light winds and bluebird skies. We are catching absolute monster crappie this year and some days have provided great numbers as well. Old Hickory has turned into a phenomenal crappie lake and provides the best quality crappie bite in the area. The most aggravating part of the crappie bite has been scanning the beds and seeing the crappie all over the cover and not being able to make them bite. Next week the bite should return to normal with cloudy days and increased winds forecasted. All of our crappie has been out of 12-4 fow casting jigs and minnows.

Our most productive baits have been shallow and medium running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Kandi Texas Craw flipped around grass and wood, 1/8-1/2 shakey heads(depending on depth being fished) and 4-5 in swimbaits.

            Here at OHGS we use brand new high end fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime. My spring dates are quickly filling up so call today to get booked!!!

I apologize for the delayed fishing report as my son was born this week and has been keeping us a bit busy.

Fishing on Old Hickory has remained good over the last several weeks for both the bass and crappie. Over the last week we have had a pretty significant water temp drop due to the colder nights with lows in the low 40's dropping the temp into the upper to mid 50's. This along with dirty water has made it challenging at times but overall the bite has remained good.The shallow bite was very good up until 2 days ago when they dropped the water level by 1.5 feet overnight killing any quality bite up shallow. I do believe the largest wave of bass have hit the banks and are actively spawning and lots of smaller juvenile buck bass running the banks have offered steady action.

Over the last week we have begun catching more post-spawn fish that have pulled off bed looking beat up and thin. After this weekend and the full moon coming next week I believe we will begin to see a bit of the “spring lull.” Typically after fish pull off bed and before they really begin feeding up we have a lull when the fish are recuperating and don’t really want to do anything.  It is believed a lot of fish actually pull off and basically suspend as they try and heal up which can be incredibly frustrating, considering they don’t want to bite in the first place. This can be a discouraging period to fish as we have it in our minds as fisherman that the spring is when we should be catching big number and lots of quality fish.  Keep in mind that following the lull awesome offshore fishing is waiting and in my opinion the best time of the year to catch big numbers and good quality.

Fish seem to be pretty well scattered all over and multiple techniques catching fish. We have fished several different patterns this week with the fluctuating water levels including, points all the way back to the backs of the pockets. Junk fishing is the name of the game right now and will continue to be that way until the fish begin stacking up on off shore structure. Our best baits over the last week have been shallow and medium running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Kandi Baits Texas Craw and shaky heads.

The crappie bite has remained pretty strong with good quality and numbers. The crappie are not as far along as the bass as I believe they are waiting for a bit more stability in both the weather and water levels before fully committing but do believe the stable weather forecast for next week should kick the crappie bite into overdrive. The crappie bite is good and should get better. Most of our crappie have been coming out of 4-10 fow with white, blue/white, chartreuse, chartreuse/white and motor oil being the top producers fished on a 1/8 oz lead head.

Here at OHGS we use brand new high end fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime. My spring dates are quickly filling up so call today to get booked!!!

Fishing on Old Hickory is on FIRE!!! WE have been running very successful trips over the last week with good number and quality and look for the good days to continue.  The fish have made a big push up into the shallow water now and we have been catching fish in water that is so shallow you would swear you should be able to see them.  The water temps are in the low 60s in the mornings and rising into the mid to upper 60s by the afternoon depending on where you are. While we were out today we noticed some dirtier water creeping into some of the creeks and as long as the incoming rain doesn’t muddy the water up too much the bite shouldn’t change.

This week we have seen quite a few fish that have gone on bed with most of them being very spooky and uncatchable.  We have been focusing on lead in banks next to the spawning areas, large wind blown flats and typical spawning areas. Fish are scattered around all these areas and like I said before fish are in just inches of water in some places.

Our primary baits have been rattlebaits in chrome and red, shallow running crankbaits, Fish Terror Baits jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and flipping a Bass Kandi Baits T-Craw on wood and docks.

THE CRAPPIE HAVE FINALLY SHOWN UP!!!This week the crappie fishing has improved greatly and it appears they are headed shallow. Old Hickory has an unbelievably healthy crappie population and the average size of our keepers have been from 11-13 inches with many over 15in +!!! We have been focusing on depths from 10-4 fow and this bite is only going to get better over the next month. Our best baits have been tude baits and small swimbaits in white, blue/white, chartreuse and white/chartreuse fished on 1/8oz jig heads.

Here at OHGS we use brand new high grade fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

Old Hickory is continuing to pump out big fish and the bite should just keep getting better. Old Hickory seems to really be hitting its stride and I can’t remember a spring with as many quality fish being caught and 20lb bags so common.  I am unsure why Old hickory is fishing so good this year but have several different theories. 1) anglers are figuring out different ways to fish the A Rig and fish that were previously conditioned to it are seeing a new look or 2) we have had several good spawns in a row and are now seeing the results with more fish reaching the 4-6 lb range. Whichever one it is one thing is for sure; Old Hickory is a healthy fishery and the fishing is good. So far this year Old Hickory has be on fire and the fish population looks to be healthier then we have seen in quite a while.

Water temps have stayed pretty stable over the last week with a slow but steady rise. Main river is hanging around and just below 50 with the creeks, depending on where you are, hanging just a bit below 60. Clarity has remained good but I look for that to change this week as we have several days of rain forecasted for the upcoming week.  The warm rains we are forecasted to receive this week should stain up the water and help the shallow bite even more as long as it doesn’t get too muddy.

The bass are in full pre-spawn now and a variety of baits and techniques are productive.  More fish are continuing to show up on main lake and secondary points in creeks and the quality has begun to improve up shallow.  The deep bite is still good but as the fish continue to push towards the spawning grounds look for shallower patterns to out produce the deeper ones.

Over the last week we have focused on secondary points and early and later in the day fishing shallow flats adjacent to deeper water half way back in pockets and creeks have produced the most consistent bite. A variety of baits have produced well for us but the Fish Terror Baits Thundering Herd and Fish Terror Baits jerkbaits in Pro Blue and Sexy Shad have been the best. When fishing deeper football Jigs in green pumpkin, green pumpkin Bass Kandi Baits Sweet Sick on a ½ oz shakey head and the Thundering Herd have been top producers.

We are still waiting on the crappie to do their thing this year and it seems they are several weeks behind their normal schedule. It should break open any day now and the first wave of crappie hitting the shallows should be ridiculous!!!

The boys at Fish Terror Baits have just come out with an AFFORDABLE custom painted jerkbait and let me tell you, THEY FLAT CATCH’EM!!! They have several stock colors and are able to reproduce most any color as long as they have a picture to work with. We have been throwing these jerkbaits almost exclusively over the last week and have been more then impressed with the results. Do yourself a favor and give them a try; you wont be disappointed.

 Here at OHGS we use brand new high end fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

This report is for the last week on Old Hickory. Old Hickory is still fishing good over the last week and should continue to for a while.  I believe we had a false water temp reading for several days last week as it read low to mid 60’s for several days. I think it happened due to a layer of water several feet below the surface that is still cold and after the warm water began to mix with the colder layer it dropped considerably. We have a pretty substantial front pushing through this weekend that will probably have an effect on the fish for several days but hopefully they will rebound pretty quickly as the weather looks to stabilize after it passes.  Water temps are hanging in the high 40’s on the main river and low to mid 50’s in the creeks. Water clarity has remained good as well. The crappie bite is still inconsistent and I think again this has something to do with the cold layer of water several feet below the surface. When the crappie decide to pull up and do their thing, there should be a huge first wave and the bite should be awesome. This year the crappie in particular seem to be several weeks behind their normal schedule for this time of year but should be just around the corner.

We have been targeting staging banks and points outside the spawning grounds with a variety of baits. Depending on the day the fish can either be found inside the pockets and points and cruising in some pretty shallow water. When we can get wind and clouds the bite has been considerably better as the wind seems to really jump start the food chain and everything becomes more active.  Moving baits like jerkbaits, crankbaits and a rigs have been best with some wind and with no wind we have had to slow way down and throw 1/8 oz Bass Kandi Sweet Sticks shakey heads and a Bass Kandi T-Craw on a Swing Head Jig.

Here at OHGS we use brand new high grade fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

Spring is finally here and Old Hickory has really been fishing great! The bite has finally returned after several weeks of ice and snow melt compounded by heavy rainfall left the main river along with the creeks a mud bath. Everything is finally cleared up and the fishing is excellent.  The bass have started their annual migration towards their spawning grounds and are looking to feed up along the way. Water temps, depending on where you are, vary between mid to upper 40’s on the river and up to low 60’s in some creeks. Water clarity has finally returned with visibility being about 2-3 foot. The crappie bite has been somewhat inconsistent this week and I think it should be getting good here in the next several weeks.

As I said earlier the bass have begun their annual migration towards the shallows and are hungry.  By the day the fish are beginning to show up in their typical staging areas with a lot of smaller fish being caught into and in the backs of a lot of pockets and larger fish being on the points or just inside the pockets.  Flipping wood has also produced some quality fish as well with not as many numbers but good quality.

Jerkbaits, A-Rig’s, squarebill crankbaits, spinnerbaits and fliiping a Bass Kandi T-Craw have been our primary tools over the last week. Crappie have been caught casting 1/8oz jigs in and around cover with a wide variety of colors producing.

Here at OHGS we use brand new high grade fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

There is one word that explains Old Hickory over the last several weeks: TOUGH!!! With all the recent snow Old Hickory has been turned into a COLD mud bowl and if you ask me there is absolutely no tougher conditions. This week the river temp has been as low as 37 and as of yesterday it had climbed to 45 and still muddy.  But it appears that the weather may finally breaking. The 10 day weather outlook is defiantly promising with highs in the low 60’s and rain forecasted for 4 days this week that should warm the water up quicker then nice sunny weather would. After the rain clears and warms the water for a few days look for the fish to begin to start staging up as they begin thinking about spawning. After a few days of warm stable water it will not take long for the fish to pull up into shallower water, especially in the afternoons, looking to feed where jerk baits, crankbaits and A Rigs getting the brunt of the work.

 Bites over the last week or so have been few and you must take advantage when you do get one.  We have been unable to get bites in the muddy water and have had to run around looking for the cleanest water with most of the bigger creeks beginning to clear in the backs. Water temps have been very inconsistent with the river hanging around the mid 40s and creeks being in the low 40s to upper 30s depending on where you are.

 Our most productive patterns have been jerkbaits in the cleaner water and flipping a Bass Kandi Speed Bug and Texas Craw in the dirtier water.

 Here at OHGS we use brand new high grade fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.

The above pictures are a school of fish we graphed over, immediately cast into and caught this 5+ pounder out of. It was a lot of fun catching several fish out of that school.  There has not been much change over the last month or so in the fishing on Old Hickory but I believe that is about to change. After this weeks absolutely frigid weather and all the snow melt it will be very interesting to see what it does to the bite. As I see it we have 2 possibilities: 1) the drastic drop in water temp could kill off a ton of the shad and we could have a great bite for several days. If this happens the jerk bait will be killer; 2) with the sudden drop in water temps, the bite shuts completely off and fishing will be super tough. Hopefully it will be the first of the two and the bite never quits. Prior to the front fishing was good with some big limits of fish being caught and water temps hanging in the mid to lower 40s.  Water clarity has remained good with just the right amount of stain.

 The deep bite has been most consistent for us and we have been focusing on creek channels, ditches on the main lake and bluff ends.  The bluffs are defiantly holding fish right now but with everyone fishing them we have elected to spend a lot of time graphing/fishing offshore spots. While it usually takes a lot of time to find these type of spots, if you find one usually it is all yours and the fishing can be unbelievable. Understanding and being able to interoperate what your graph is telling you is imperative.

Our best baits have been the Fish Terror Baits Thundering Herd with Bass Kandi Baits Costal Crippler in white/chart, jerkbaits, dd crankbaits and jigs tipped with Bass Kandi Baits Speed Bug trailer. We keep the colors very simple and go natural with a little added chartreuse.

Spring is just around the corner and my spring dates are starting to fill up. Call today and get your preferred days reserved! Here at OHGS we use brand new high grade fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Sunline, Santone Jigs, Fish Terror Baits, Bass Kandi Baits, and other top of the line equipment. I am a United States Coast Guard licensed captain and 100% dedicated to making your trip the trip of a lifetime.