I have been able to get out several times over the last several weeks and have had mixed results. We have had a crazy winter so far with extreme temperature changes and some EXTREMELY cold days and nights. With the wild temperature swings the water temp has been all over the place from the mid 50's all the way into the low 40's and this has made the fishing challenging at best. Fishing after a few warm days has been the best bet and few degrees in water temperature can make a huge difference. 

As I said before we had had some fair days but have struggled as well, We have been primarily focusing on main river bluffs ends and small flats right off the main river with a rocky bottom. Anything that breaks current on the main river is holding fish and bait but getting the fish to bite can be tough. A-rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits have been the most productive fished SLOW.

 Hopefully here in the next several weeks the weather will stabilize and make the fishing a little better. The key has been to fish a productive area thoroughly and if you catch a fish in an area slow way day and fish it through. I have days still available this winter with some days starting to book up for the spring. 

                I apologize for not posting a report for a few weeks as I have been busy getting all my new equipment ordered and set up for the 2014 fishing season.  It has been a process changing all my equipment over but it has been well worth it. In 2014 we will be fishing with all brand new Denali Rods and Lews reels. I have always fished with top of the line equipment but since switching to Denali Rods and Lews reels we have hit a new level!!!

                The fishing on Old Hickory has slowed down some from what is has been the last several weeks.  Several cold fronts have passed through our area with bone chilling lows in the low 20s and teens the water temps has dropped in a hurry and the day time temps remaining in the 30s and 40s has kept any warming to a minimum. The current water temps are in the upper 40s and the water clarity varies from stained in the main river to fairly clear in the creeks. Our best bite has been on the main lake bluffs with the focus on river channel swings. We have also been catching fish in the creeks on any rocky banks where the creek channel swings close to the bank making a small flat before dropping back into the channel. Our most productive baits have been shakey head worms, jigs, jerkbaits, A-rigs and small drop shot baits. While we have caught some fish up shallow the deep bite has remained more consistent. Fishing medium diving crankbaits and shakey heads have been the ticket when fishing shallow.           

                With water temps getting pretty cold and the fish becoming more lethargic it is easy for fisherman to get very frustrated with not catching fish. You have to remember that fish still have to eat and you have to be in the right place at the right time to capitalize. Remember to slow your presentation down and down size you bait to increase your bites.  

 This week the fishing has remained pretty consistent with the exception of the day after the massive cold front that hit our area and dropped the air temp 30 degrees and the water temp 10 degrees all the way into the mid 50’s. With the drop in the water temperature the fish seem to be moving and heading out of a lot of the areas we had been catching them in and are getting closer to the deeper water.  

                With the main lake pockets and bays being more consistent then the creeks and bigger pockets we have spent the majority of our time focusing on them. After the front this week the  fish have seemed to pull back toward the river some and are staging up on the points and just inside the pockets. While there is still plenty of bait inside these bays and pockets, we have not been able to consistently catch fish inside. The wind is still the key to finding the active fish and we have struggled some when the wind is absent. Covering water is still the deal right now and throwing moving baits is the easiest and most efficient means of doing so. Not every pocket is holding fish right now but the fish are beginning to stack at the mouths of the bays and pockets and school up so don’t leave an area you have caught a few out of too quickly.  

                Anything between 1-10 fow has been the most productive depths and the windier the days the more shallow the fish.  Squarebills and jerkbaits have been the top producers when we have had a good wind with jigs, c-rig’s and shakey heads shining when the wind lays.

                With the forecasted highs this week in the low to mid 60 and the lows in the 40’s this pattern should hold together pretty well and the fishing should continue to improve before the fish pull off into their winter areas. Start looking at some main lake areas like bluffs and steep banks and creek channel swings if you are in creeks because fish are starting to show up more and more in these areas.  This is an awesome time to be on the water right now because most days you have the lake to yourself and with highs in the 60’s and 70’s its absolutely perfect to spend a day outside on the water. The fishing has been good lately and we are running out of warm days so get up and hit the water!!!

Over the last week the fishing has continued to improve with good numbers and quality. The water temps are still hanging around the low 60's and with nice, cool water the bass get active. Wind and clouds have been key over the last couple of weeks with our best days being cool, windy and cloudy. The wind and clouds break up the water and push bait up concentrating them on banks where a small crankbait or spinnerbait can be absolutely deadly. The fish appear to have recovered from the summer and they are looking healthy and fat. The fall is a very important time for the fish on Old Hickory. More so then other lakes, Old Hickory fish in the summer time get long and super thin almost as if they are malnourished or just not eating well.  In the summer, it’s not uncommon to catch a fish with a head the size of a 5 pounder only to have the fish weight 3 lbs. Therefore the fall is an extremely import time for our fish to recoup and fatten up in a hurry so they will be able to survive the cold winter months. This provides good fishing for us, particularly in late fall when the bait is not as prevalent as it was and the fish still looking to eat. I love this time of year when most days you can have the lake to yourself because everyone else is burned out from fishing all year and super frustrated from the tough early fall fishing. It surprises me every year to see so few boats on the water when the fish are up shallow and people can catch them just beating the banks with a crankbait. Crazy!!!

Our best bite is still the shallow bite with the flatter the bank the better and any kind of isolated cover in the pockets and bays paying off big time. Covering water and fishing flat banks is the best way to find productive areas right now. Fish don’t seem to be relating to anything that you can pattern and don’t seem to be relating to anything specifically other than being in pockets and bays. The best banks have had so much wind that it has been difficult to hold the boat but with that much wind a ton of bait will push up and the bass will be there to capitalize. Isolated cover has been excellent lately and at times we have had to make 10 or 15 casts at a single piece of cover to get bit. We are also catching multiple fish off of a single piece of cover so fish the heck out of it before moving on.  Until the water temp falls below the mid to upper 50’s I expect this type pattern to continue with a few fish beginning to transition into their winter patterns. Our best shallow baits have been small crankbaits, spinnerbaits, shakeyheads, t-rigged creature baits and carolina rigged creature baits.

Also don’t forget about the river bluffs right now. We have started to catch more fish on the river bluffs throwing jerkbaits, shakeyheads and jigs. Check bluff walls that are in river bends and bluffs that the channel swings into.

The river below the dam has also been productive. We are still catching quality smallmouth and spotted bass with the occasional largemouth. We have had current below the dam pretty consistently throughout the last week which makes all the difference with river fishing. Our best baits have been shakey heads, crankbaits and jerkbaits.

Fall brings crisp air, beautiful days and shallow water fishing. If you have struggled this fall and haven’t expirenced the success you want, give me a shout and lets set up a day to get you back on track. I offer technique or pattern specific trips and we can focus specifically on the fall transition.  So lets go out and enjoy the beautiful fall days before it gets too cold!!!

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Over the last week we have seen a dramatic change in weather with a huge cold front pushing in which sank the water temperatures from low 70’s all the way down into the low 60’s. A big cold front in the fall can absolutely kill a bite, which we saw this week with a couple brutally tough days with the fishing towards the end of the weekend and yesterday picking back up.

  Towards the late part of last week and early this week the fishing has definatly improved. Once the post front clear skies and windless days were gone and we were able to get some good clouds and wind the fish turned back on. The same pattern that we were following pre front is still catching fish post front and actually with a few more quality bites then before. Look for wind blown banks where the shad have been pushed up and ditches running across flats in the creeks to find the bigger concentrations of fish with small crankbaits, small spinnerbaits and a jerkbait, being our top producers. Never rule out the shakey head and a small finesse jig when the conditions get tough. The key to fall fishing is finding the bait and if you are not around the bait, you are not going to catch the fish. The creeks and pockets are full of bait right now and the bass are following right behind them but it won’t be long until the bass will begin to pull back off and start thinking about winter. The fishing on Old Hickory this time of year can be absolutely brutal until you are able to dial in but once you do the numbers as well as the quality will be there.

  We also hit the river some this week chasing after some brown fish and caught good numbers as well as quality. It is getting in the smallmouth prime water temperatures and the fishing should only get better. Look for current breaks on the river and flip creature style baits. Crankbaits jerkbaits and spinnerbaits have also been catching fish on the river as well.  

  The best baits for us this week has been a finesse jig, Missile Baits Fuse shakey head, Missile Baits Baby D-Bomb rigged on a shakey head, small crankbait, jerkbait and small spinnerbait.

Lewis was up for 2 full days to do some pre fishing for the Weekend Series National Championship that's here on Old Hickory in a couple weeks and the fishing was HOT!!! Yesterday, 10/15, we had a good day boating 30 or so fish with our best 5 going 15 lb's and Lewis lost one at the boat that was a good 4 or 5 pounder. We caught several 3 lb fish and multiple 2.5 pounders with several limits of 14 and 15 in fish. Once we found what the fish were doing it was consistent throughout the areas we fished. 

Today we fished a different area of the lake and tried a few different things that didn't quite pan out like we had hoped. But once we switched back to the pattern we fished yesterday it was game on again. While the numbers of fish were there we didn't quite find the quality we had yesterday. With the weather forecast over the next several weeks looking pretty consistent the bite should improve and replenish with bigger fish. The bite on Old Hickory right now can be brutal but once we found a pattern that worked we were able to consistently run it and catch fish. 

The only day I have left available this week is Thursday and I am available all day. So call and lets go fishing!!!

Capt Ian Huey

Old Hickory Guide Service

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This week the fishing has been up and down.  All around fishing remained pretty tough which fits into the typical fall fishing on Old Hickory and junk fishing has been the name of the game. We have had to adapt and adjust every day as the fish are moving and changing. The fish are defiantly transitioning into their fall patterns with different areas of the lake in different stages. The further you get away from the dam the further in the transition the fish are and when you find the bait it is everywhere!!! The lake is absolutely full of bait this year which is going to hurt the bite but help the fish for the upcoming year. When we could get some wind and current the bite defiantly picked up but remained pretty tough overall. We are catching fish from less then1 fow all the way out to 25 fow and on a wide variety of baits and techniques. Creek drops are holding some fish right now and shallow cranking/spinnerbaits have produced fish as well. You can catch fish from the river all the way into the backs of the creeks in some areas and trying to pattern fish has been impossible. Early and late there has been a pretty good topwater bite but after that we have had to pick up the shakey head and go to work. Schooling fish are starting to show up and the few we have been able to catch have been on spooks. 

Hopefully as it continues to cool off and the fishing improves but the bite is always tough in the fall on Old Hickory and keeping your head down and just fishing has been the key. I ahve several days available this week for trips.

Good luck and keep at it,

Capt Ian Huey

Old Hickory Lkae Guide Service