02/05/2021

This report covers the last couple weeks on Old Hickory.

Over the last couple weeks the bass and crappie fishing has been good for us. We have experienced a mixed bag of weather with days in the 60’s and others being at or near freezing accompanied BIG winds that have limited areas we are able to fish. While it may be uncomfortable for some people to be out on nasty weather days it has been my experience the cold temps and wind typically effect the fisherman more than it does the fish. In fact, when we get a weather change it often sparks a bite considering a front pushing in is what causes the weather change in turn causing the fish to feed.

Just after the last report we received several inches of a warm rain and the water temps rose and sparked a good shallow bite for several days. Temps rose from the mid to low 40’s to low 50’s in a lot of areas and the fish responded by pulling shallow and feeding. While initially the water got dirty in spots after a couple days the fish acclimated and put the feed bag on! We had several excellent days fishing in less the 5 fow, for both species, and clients brought home more then enough crappie to feed an army! Water temps have begun to fall back down in most areas averaging in the mid to low 40’s in creek and around 45 on the river. Water clarity has also improved to around what we would consider normal unless one of those big winds stirs up shallow areas creating pockets of dingy water.

The bass bite has remained about the same with winter type patterns hold constant except for the shallow bite coming on occasionally. Surprisingly, the shallow bite doesn’t take much to fire especially if we have several days of a warming trend with some sunshine. I have always liked the second or especially the 3^rd day of a trend as the fish seem to really fire up shallow. Again I am focusing on shallow areas that are still close to deep areas weather it be a creek or main river channel. When I am looking shallow I am always keeping in mind the area the fish are migrating from and its important to realize the fish aren’t typically going to move a long way horizontally to find that shallow area. Rather they may pull up off a deep point touching a channel and instead of being in 20 fow off the tip they will push up onto the top of the point. Shallow pockets right off the main river is also a great place to look for shallow fish as well.

 The crappie bite has remained good for us and again just like the bass there is a mix of both shallow and deep fish. On most of our trip’s clients have been in the action pretty consistently and bringing home nice messes of fish. Just like before I am targeting brush pile in or around the channels and shallow flats adjacent to the channels where the fish can move up and feed then retreat to deeper areas with ease. We have primarily relied on jigs for both the deep and shallow fish only changing weights and colors depending on depth and watercolor.  Crappie remain active in the cold water and winter is an awesome time to fish for them.

Our bait choices have remained about the same and should remain consistent throughout the rest of the winter and are as follows:

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. 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 Baits: 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 going with either the 1/16^th or 1/32 oz heads for casting and 1/8^th oz for vertical presentations.  Flippers Bait and Tackle have the best deal going on the jig heads with 100pack for $15 or so.

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!

My favorite time of year has finally arrived and the bass have not disappointed! Over the last several weeks we have had some awesome days with great numbers and quality to boot. This year has been slightly different then the last several with the lack of rainfall and current but the fish have bit well and have shown up deep in good numbers. The fish move offshore in search of cooler more oxygenated water and without current the water warms and holds less oxygen therefor often the fish will push back off the ledges and get in surprisingly high numbers. With the rainfall over the weekend the Corp has generated more water  and prolonged the ledge bite. Over the weekend the water rose quite a bit and I think some fish pushed back up shallow hurting the bite for a few days but should quickly return to the deep more comfortable water. I have learned when there’s too much current, >30,000 cfs, prolonged over several days, a lot of fish will move off the ledges in search of calmer water where they do not have to work as hard staying put. Thankfully we only had a half day of heavy current and I do not think many fish moved off the ledges. I feel the deep bite is going to get even better and we have yet to see the best of what the ledges have to offer. 

We have been spending 90% of our time off shore ledge fishing with the first hour of the morning being the only exception. This year more then any other I can remember the first hour has been critical when looking for a grass bite. The fish seem to be heavy in the grass beds super early but quickly push out leaving very few fish hanging around. We have been catching good quality early out of the grass throwing frogs, spinner baits and swim jigs. Once you stop getting bites its time to move on as the grass bite dies and your fishing empty water.  Channel banks have also produced some fish for us throwing jigs and shakey heads, working the bait off the ledges of the banks and typically getting bit as the bait falls. A lot of anglers are still catching fish shallow on a variety of methods including light shakey heads, crankbaits, c-rigged creature baits, spinner baits and topwaters. While on the ledges Strike King 6xd crankbaits in natural shad patterns and blue/chart have been very effective. Strike King Shadalicious swimbaits , football head jigs, shakey heads, 10in worms and c-rigged creature baits have also been very good.  We have been throwing green pumpkin and slight variations when throwing plastic and jigs

If you are struggling with your electronics we can help. On our graph specific trips we spend a lot of time idling around looking at different areas and teaching you to interoperate what we are seeing. Not only will I teach you what you are seeing but we will also cover what kind of ledges are most productive, what areas to look at and how to setup properly after finding fish to be able to catch what you found. There is a lot to finding fish offshore but we can cut your learning time greatly. 

            At OHGS we offer fully guided fishing trips for bass and crappie using the latest and greatest from sponsors like Lews, Vicious, Eco Pro Tungsten, Engel Coolers, Simms Gear and Riverside Marine. 

I am a USCG licensed captain, fully insured and 100% committed to making your day the most memorable day on the water! Call today and lets go fishing!

Captain Ian Huey

The summer ledge bite is still hot with great numbers and quality. The ledge bite this year has far and away been the best summer bite is can remember and it is not showing any sign of slowing.  Over the past week I have run 3 awesome graphing specific trips where the clients were able to see exactly what fish look like on my Humminbirds and then how to setup and catch them. And it wasn’t just 1 school or a group of 2 or three fish, we have found big groups of fish on multiple spots where the client actually gets to practice identifying.  My clients this week have left happy and with the knowledge to find and catch their own fish. Not to mention the trips I ran on the other days where we have averaged 25-35 fish per trip depending on the length of trip.

We are still catching a fish or two a trip with a fresh bloody tail meaning there are still fish heading out deep and the schools haven’t appeared to be shrinking. The TVA did not pull as much current this week as they have been but still pulled enough water for several hours each day to be able to find a couple schools willing to fire. Water temps are slowly rising to upper 80s in the main river and creeks and hopefully the upcoming rain will cool the water some and keep the water full of oxygen keeping the fish on the ledges longer. Water clarity has remained good in both the creeks and river. The forecast over the next week looks fairly stable after the weekend with temperatures returning to the low 90s and several days with a slight chance of rain.

As I mentioned the ledge bite has remained hot and a variety of baits have been producing. We are still catching good numbers of fish on 6xds in shad colors, big worms in green pumpkin, football jigs in green pumpkin and c-rigged creature baits in green pumpkin. It has seemed to matter what baits you throw, as the fish aren’t very picky right now. Without the current as much this week we have had to slow down and pick apart areas a bit more methodically as the fish didn’t bite a crankbait as well without the current. As long as the fish remain catchable and in good number deep on ledges we will continue focusing our efforts out deep.

Early in the mornings we are focusing on grass fishing frogs, swim jigs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. A long as the water level doesn’t drop and the majority of the grass stalk is in the water, the fish will be there until the sun gets up.

Knowing how to setup and read you electronics are absolutely key to productive summer time fishing. Whether you are struggling trying to learn them or just want to learn more about ledge fishing, now is the time to go. Learning electronics can be a very painful and frustrating experience if you don’t have someone to guide you along. Let me help ease the learning curve and show you what ledges and electronics are all about. Ledge fishing is my passion and there is nothing I enjoy more then teaching people how to do it. Give me a call and lets setup an electronics trip today and keep catching fish!

At OHGS we offer fully guided fishing trips for bass and crappie using the latest and greatest from sponsors like Lews, Strike King, Vicious, Eco Pro Tungsten, Engel Coolers, Simms Gear and Riverside Marine.

I am a USCG licensed captain, fully insured and 100% committed to making your day the most memorable day on the water! Call today and lets go fishing!

Captain Ian Huey

The bite is on fire!!! Fishing has been good over the last 2 weeks with the ledge bite being excellent. Most trips are seeing 20+ fish per trip with good quality to go with numbers.  As is typical for this time of year the river ledges are filling up and more and more fish are headed that way. This year the ledge bite has been very good and I believe that’s due to the abnormal spring weather and a lot of the fish bedding at the same time. Every day we are catching fresh fish that appear to have just arrived with bloody tails and battle scars. The TVA has generated good current almost every day, setting the fish up right to graph and catch. The stable water temps and good current have setup for a great summer bite. Looking ahead the weather forecast looks to be holding steady with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s and lows around 70. Water temps have remained steady being 80 in the main river and upper 80’s in the creeks. Water clarity has been very good with several feet visibility. 

 The grass bite has also been good early and has prolonged for several hours if the clouds hang around. Frogs, buzzbaits and swim jigs have been best. If you are unable to find fish out deep we have also caught fish on secondary points in creeks dragging shakey heads and fishing channel banks with jigs.

 While fishing ledges it seems if you are around the fish they are not too terribly picky on what they will bite. The crankbait bite has been very good and jigs, shakey heads and c-rigs have cleaned up what fish do not eat a crankbait. Natural shad colors on crankbaits have been productive with green pumpkin being the best on plastics and jigs.

 Knowing how to setup and read you electronics are absolutely key to productive summer time fishing. Whether you are struggling trying to learn them or just want to learn more about ledge fishing, now is the time to go. Learning electronics can be a very painful and frustrating experience if you don’t have someone to guide you along. Let me help ease the learning curve and show you what ledges and electronics are all about. Ledge fishing is my passion and there is nothing I enjoy more then teaching people how to do it. Give me a call and lets setup an electronics trip today and keep catching fish!

 At OHGS we offer fully guided fishing trips for bass and crappie using the latest and greatest from sponsors like Lews, Strike King, Vicious, Eco Pro Tungsten, Engel Coolers, Simms Gear and Riverside Marine.

I am a USCG licensed captain, fully insured and 100 % committed to making your day the most memorable day on the water! Call today and lets go fishing!

Captain Ian Huey

Fishing over the last week has really picked up and has finally turned the corner I believe with both good quality and numbers. As we all know this spring has been one like no other with one cold front after another setting everything back several weeks. Everything from the crappie to the bass has been unpredictable and inconsistent making it one of the tougher springs in recent memory.  I personally cannot remember the water warming as quick as it has this year with over a 10 degree warm up in a week. The weather for the upcoming week looks really good with slight chances of rain each day. With the steady temps coming the bass should be hitting the ledges hard anytime now.  Water temps on the main lake are ranging from the mid 70’s to mid 80’s depending on which part of the lake your on and mid 80’s in creeks. Water clarity is really good right now with 3-5 ft visibility in certain areas.

 We have been fishing several patterns lately with fishing being caught both shallow and deep. There are still a ton of fish shallow and fish being caught from 1ft of water on out. Fishing crankbaits, shakey heads and c-rigs have been productive fished around spawning areas and secondary points. Follow the wind and find the fish right now.  The grass bite is really turning on with best being early in the mornings. Frogs, jigs and flipping baits have been catching fish out of the grass and if the waters at normal pool the grass is the place to be early. On the converse if the waters down that bite can disappear.  

 With the spawn being pushed back several weeks I think it made for a huge first wave of spawner’s and should make for a huge first wave of fish to the ledges. The fish have begun showing up on the ledges this week with more and more schools each day. The first couple groups we found this week were more then willing to bite and quality has been excellent and good numbers as well.  The Corp has been pulling good current everyday just adding to the quality of the bite. This is my favorite time of year to fish and I believe this year the ledge bite is going to be awesome! We have been graphing creek and main lake ledges until we see fish on the graph. Once a school is found we have been catching them on Strike King 6XD crankbaits in shad colors, football jigs, shakey head, c-rigged creature baits and big worms. Jig and plastic colors have been green pumpkin.

 The ledge bite is getting hot and now is the time to learn your electronics so you can stay on the fish! We offer 4, 6 an 8 hr electronics trips where we show you how to find fish offshore and what they look like on your graph.  This is an awesome time of year to fish if you know what you are looking for and no is the time to learn!

 At OHGS we offer fully guided fishing trips for bass and crappie using the latest and greatest from sponsors like Lews, Strike King, Vicious, Eco Pro Tungsten, Engel Coolers, Simms Gear and Riverside Marine.I am a USCG licensed captain, fully insured and 100 % committed to making your day the most memorable day on the water! Call today and lets go fishing!

Captain Ian Huey

Fishing on Old Hickory has been very good over the last several weeks with several patterns working well. Fish have finally moved out to the deeper water and have taken up residency on the river and creek ledges. This year has been very different from the years past as it seems the spawn has been very drawn out and everything seems at least several weeks behind what it normally is. The weather has finally stabilized out and the lack of huge rains has not only kept to water clean but also helped the temperature rise pushing the fish out to cooler waters. Water temps in the river have been in the low 80’s with creeks being only several degrees warmer.  Water clarity for the most part is consistent and clean throughout most areas of the lake.

Our main pattern has been fishing creek and river channel ledges looking for schools of bass. We have been able to find several really nice schools of fish over the last week or so and most of them appear as though they have just got there, beat up and multiple with bloody tails still. The key, as always in summer, is graphing until you find the fish on your electronics. Modern day electronics will tell you if they are there or not and being patient, waiting until you see what you should, is key to catching fish.  Fish are still schooled up really nicely and most schools don’t appear to be busted yet. Most productive baits have been the Strike King 6xd in Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Sexy Shad, Citrus and Chartreuse Blue. Your typical ledge baits are productive as well including football head jigs, c-rigged creature baits, shakey heads and 10 in worms.

            We are also catching fish on channel banks in the creeks and river. If you are not able to find fish on ledges, a good fall back plan is hitting any banks where the channel hits it with the highest percentage areas being where the channel hits and turns away from the bank. We have been fishing football head jigs, shakey heads and trigged baits on these banks.

            If you are having trouble finding fish this summer, book a trip with us and allow OHGS to show you how to break down ledge fishing, setup/fish ledges and go over productive baits. It is a whole system that makes ledge fishing work and we know how to do it! Recognizing what bass looking like on your side imaging unit is the most important part of ledge fishing and we have helped hundreds of anglers improve their summer fishing by taking our ledge fishing trips!

            When you come fishing with us here at OHGS we are focused on the whole experience. Not only do we believe in catching fish but we enjoy teaching, never hold back any of our secrets and do everything possible to make your day a memorable experience. We supply brand new fishing equipment from our awesome sponsors including Lews fishing rods and reels, Strike King, Eco Pro Tungsten, Vicious Fishing, Simms, Fish Terror Baits and Engel Coolers. I am a fully licensed United States Coast Guard Captain and am fully insured.

Call us today and lets go fishing!

Fishing on Old Hickory has overall been good over the last several weeks with the bass and the bluegill being on fire! The constantly water levels have forced us to change patterns throughout the day with multiple patterns working. I cannot remember the water temperatures fluctuating as wildly as they have over the last month and was shocked several mornings when the temps were in the low 60’s in MAY! Water clarity has been variable from muddy to clean with the majority of the lake being about normal now. Waters temps are beginning to stabilize now with temps ranging from low 80’s in the back to low 70’s on the river.

 The bass bite has been good over the last several weeks with multiple patterns being productive. When the water is up in the grass the bite has been awesome! Swim jigs, frogs and buzzbaits have been the best. When the water levels fall, mid depth banks, 5-10 ft, have been good fished with crankbaits, shakey heads and various texas rigged plastics. Early in the mornings the shad spawn has been on and spinnerbaits, poppers and swimbaits have been productive. Target docks, riprap or grass and if the shad are there the bass will be too.

 After the last full moon the bluegill bite has been red hot! We have been targeting the backs of creeks and pockets and have caught them on a variety of baits. If you have never tried bluegill fishing with topwater baits you are missing out!

Here at OHGS we use brand new high-end fishing equipment from Denali Rods, Lews reels, Vicious Line, Fish Terror Baits, Strike King, Eco Pro Tungsten 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.