Old Hickory Lake Guide Service Fishing Report

Posted by ian on January 20, 2021

After a weird 2020 and running very few trips due to Covid and all the uncertainty surrounding it were are locked and loaded ready to go in 2021!

Fishing Report:

The bite recently has been pretty good for both bass and crappie over the last week and both appear to be transitioning to deep water. Over the last month or so the fish have remained pretty scattered in both deep and shallow water due to the water temps remaining in the 50’s. I have found once the temps dip below 50 and stay there for a bit the fish transition to their winter grounds and setup shop. Due to a lack of rain the water clarity in the creeks and main river have been good but the lack of current due to no incoming water has made the river bite somewhat hit or miss. Water temps on the main river are in the mid to upper 40’s and creeks are in the low to mid 40’s.

Bass:

As we all know the A-Rig reigns king in the cold water and this year is no different. It has been our primary bait along with jerbaits, jigs and ned rigs producing fish as well. In the winter months we typically focus on channels whether it be main river or creek channels as the fish use these for both travel and living areas. Channel banks are important as they allow fish to change depth vertically as opposed to horizontal using much less energy. This isn’t to say you cant catch fish elsewhere but as they say “90% of the fish use 10% of the water” during the winter months. We are also finding fish on deep main lake and secondary points in the creeks and pockets working jigs and ned rigs slowly on the bottom.  On warmer sunny days, especially in the afternoons, fish will move up into rockier pockets and areas just off deep water to feed in the warm warmed by the sun. My favorite bait when targeting shallow fish in the winter is the Rapala Shad Rap in a shad pattern or red. Some fishermen refuse to throw a shad rap due to its light weight and difficulty of casting but with the correct rod, reel and line it can be an unbelievable producer.  Jerkbaits are a long standing winter classic and still produce fish on days other baits wont. With the water clarity being good right now its an excellent time to throw a jerkbait as it is a visual bait the fish generally have to see to bite. We use several different jerkbaits, just depending on the day and its wild to see how the fish will key in on one bait over another from day to day. Depending on which bait you are throwing most baits have different actions with the “rolling action” probably being the most significant other then the running depth. I generally graph over several areas pay attention to the depth most of the bait is hold at to decide on either a shallow or deeper running bait.

Bass Baits: YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr with any shad colored boot tail swimbait, ½ oz homemade football jig in green pumpkin or slight variant, ned rig also in green pumpkin and jerkbaits like the Megabass 110, Lucky Craft Pointer and the Strike King KVD line of jerkbaits. Just as with all my bait selections I try and keep it simple focusing on shad patterns with a bit of chartreuse mixed in when choosing my jerkbaits.

Crappie:

The crappie have finally made their transition to deeper water and that awesome deep bite is turning on. We have been focusing on brush piles in 15 ft+ and have been fishing vertically with both jigs and minnows producing. Again, just like with bass, crappie use channels to both travel and reside in and being either close to or in the channel is key.  Prior to this week the crappie have been scattered as well and on the same trip we have caught fish in 2 fow down to 30. Like I mentioned it appears they have finally pushed deep and we are seeing greater numbers by the day showing up deep.  I try not to get too caught up on colors as there are more colors of crappie baits then fisherman! Bobby Garland Baby Shad is our go to in the winter months and is a very versatile bait as it can be fished vertical, cast and reel or fished slow under a bobber. Favorite colors for Old Hickory are Electric Chicken, Monkey Milk, Bluegrass, Mayfly and Chartreuse.  I generally keep my jig head weights simple as well ging with either the 1/16^th or 1/32 oz heads and generally use unpainted heads. Flippers Bait and Tackle have the best deal going on the jig heads with 100pack for $15 or so. I think sometimes fishermen get caught up on specific colors of baits or jig heads or various other things when in fact being around the fish often is their biggest problem.

Winter is often when we catch our largest fish of the year so don't let the cold, cloudy days keep you off the water. Often fisherman get intimidated with the cold weather or water temps in the lows 40's or even 30's, just remember fish have only one way to make a living and that is to eat! You may have to change tactics and step out of your comfort zone to catch cold water fish but just remember: YOU CAN DO IT!

Be nice, stay positive, enjoy your fishing and remember IT'S JUST FISHING!