Tennessee

Beech Lakes
Beech Lake Marine- 731 968 8492- Crappie fishing and duck hunting take the forefront here in January. Trolling is the method most effective but it must be done very slowly. There are a myriad of sunken brush piles placed strategically along the ledges and underwater humps that hold large numbers of crappie. Three years ago the 10-inch limit was dropped due to the huge population of this species. Bass fishermen would do well to target a warming trend when the bigger bass will move shallower following the shad schools. Otherwise, deep diving crank baits or bottom-bumping jigs would be advised. Lakes are close to pool and clear.

Cold Creek
Cold Creek Grocery-731 738 2960-The big river has been up over the magic 16 feet number on the Memphis gauge so much that predicting it this time of year is almost impossible. The fishing conditions are governed by its rise and fall associated due to rain and snowmelt from up North. If things go as expected, one can just scratch off this destination until Spring. The exception will be the nearby oxbows on Anderson Tully and Lower Hatchie Refuges that are shallow and warm quickly where fishing can be great when the Mississippi is not in them. Be sure you are not on an area closed for the waterfowl migration. The only other area choice is Fort Pillow Lake that does allow fishing year round.

Dale Hollow
Bobby Gentry of Bobby Gentry’s Guide Service (270-427-0419) is our source for fishing on Dale Hollow Lake. For more information on Bobby and his guide service, visit online at www.bobbygentry.com. He told us “We will be having higher water conditions throughout our winter months due to the excess rain. The core has stated that they will be holding a higher level this winter. I expect the smallmouth will be in the backs of the creeks following the shad movement, which is controlled by water temp. The main contributing factor to that temp is determined by rainfall whether it is a warm or cold rain. Live bait such as shad and shiners will be a consistent bait choice for most anglers. For the artificial bait fisherman, the float n' fly should be a consistent method using light colored flies in the clear water and cold temp below 50 and darker colors in stained water conditions back into the creeks and run off areas. Minnow type swim baits are also effective, retrieve method will be determined by where you find your shad. I like to fish just below bait balls and swim through them. Tail spinners are a good choice for cold conditions, they fish similar to standard blade bait, which can be a slow retrieve or cast and let the bait fall to the bottom and try random rip and fall presentation. You will have to try different methods and the fish bite will determine a pattern. During the winter conditions I like fishing hair jigs and also jerk baits up on points in the wind on bright days. If you are fishing during a lake turnover, bright colored crank baits that run in the depth ranges of a 200 Series Bandit can be very effective during the cold months. On crank bait fishing colder the water the wider the wobble, that indicates the natural movement of bait in cold conditions due to their slow down and metabolism. Quick note for your live bait guys and gals don't hesitate to fish your minnows in the 30- to 40-foot range during the day when the bass pull off deep. Happy Holidays to everyone.”

Gibson County Lake
Store and boat rentals are closed until March. This is your best bet for a real wall hanger in this entire area. More bass exceeding 10 pounds have been landed here than any of our West Tennessee lakes since the lake opened in 2002. They don’t come easy, however. One must expect to fish extremely slow to land a real lunker in the dead of winter. Bottom digging crank baits such as Norman’s DD22, Strike King 6XD, or Bomber Fat Free 7’s are good choices to use as you probe the channel ledges and log jams. Large jig and pig combos are also good produces. Jigging spoons can be effective but are also prone to hanging in sunken timber. The exception may be when an extended warming trend occurs and baitfish head to the shallows. The big bass will follow. This when Strike King Redeye Shads and Rattletraps can be dynamite. Crappie over two pounds have been caught here as low water in other lakes has sent crappie fishermen here. Some catfish action can be expected from the pier area. Lake is not as low as in past years and clear. Anglers should use caution when launching as TWRA has yet to replace the dock.

Glenn Springs Lake
The Store is closed until March. Anglers must use the honor box for daily permits. This is a prime winter lake that remains clear all year. Bass, crappie, bream, and catfish can be caught by fishing slowly and being patient. Catfish and bream favor worms and night crawlers fished on the bottom. Crappie will be suspended in mid lake and large coves around the sunken timber and brush. Bass will be on the major ledges at the end of the tree line near the dam and off deep points. Jigs and dark plastics fish along these can produce several lunkers. If a warming trend occurs, try small white crank baits around logs in the shallow backs of coves. Lake is clear and near pool due to the many springs that feed the lake.

Lake Graham
Store and boat rentals are closed until March. Use the honor box for daily permits. TWRA has stocked rainbow trout here for several winters. This has provided lots of action for anglers wanting a change. The area in front of the store has a long cove that is blocked with a net for this event. Anglers must have a trout permit in addition to their regular license. These can be obtained on line from TWRA. Most prefer corn or red worms as the baits of choice. Some fly cast or use small spinners for good results. Crappie anglers should target leaning logs along the main channels with minnows or light colored jigs. Bass fishermen should wait for warming trends that will put bass surprisingly shallow but close to their deep water wintering areas. Jigs and diving crank baits in shad or crawdad colors are good choices. Many bank fishermen catch catfish from the riprap-lined parking lot by casting night crawlers to the nearby depths. Lake is clear and near pool.

Hatchie/Wolf Rivers
The Hatchie fishing will be confined to the oxbows and small lakes that are not muddied by high water or frozen once the River falls back out of the bottoms. Winter crappie fishing can be excellent after the River rises and restocks the oxbows. Minnows or black/chartreuse tube jigs are good choices. Bass fishermen should use black and blue jigs and expect slow action unless a warming trend occurs which is always a possibility here in the Mid South. Check out the water level gauge near Brownsville on the Hwy.76 Bridge at our MSHFN.com web site. The Wolf is similar in that water clarity and level dictate the fishing. Wolf River guide Billy Doyle likes to go on dark, misty, cold days in late winter for some of the biggest bass of the year. Call him at 901 497 1577 for a unique fishing adventure in the area’s most pristine wilderness.

Herb Parsons Lake
Store and boat rentals are closed until March. Use the honor box for daily permits. This is one lake that offers excellent winter fishing. Many folks try for catfish from the bank near the picnic grounds. A sunny day will find diehards in their lawn chairs tossing gobs of night crawlers after those tasty channel cats for which this lake is famous. Others will be trolling for crappie near the dam, while some will be casting their ultra light tackle for yellow bass. Largemouth bass can be caught with jig and pig combos off the wooded points by slowly probing the sunken tops. Lake is low and stained but still fishable.

Kentucky Lake
Winter brings new dimensions to fishing on this giant reservoir. There are many choices such as sauger fishing at stream mouths like the Duck River, crappie fishing along medium depth ledges in Big Sandy, bass fishing points, flats, and riprap next to deep water at Paris Landing andEva, even fishing the warm water outlets at New Johnsonville for catfish. One can pick and choose the day and the time. It is no longer necessary to be on the water at daylight. In fact you can sleep in and start after waters warm from midday on. Just be sure to give the duck hunters their space. Those duck blinds where you caught fish in previous months are usually too shallow now, anyway. Some successful anglers have revealed a secret they learned. They have been catching some of their biggest bass by targeting stumps on flats close to deep water. They use a Series 6 Strike King crank bait in very shallow water. They would let the crank bait dig the bottom until it was beside a stump. Then they would stop and let drift up. That’s when the bass would strike. Savvy anglers know that fish will move extremely shallow following baitfish when waters warm by just a few degrees.

Old Hickory
Jim Duckworth of Jim Duckworth’s Guide Service (615-444-2283) told us, “The water is flowing well with all this rain that keeps coming and the fishing is slow on all species. The elevation is 444.50 and falling and the water color is almost normal with just a little dinge to it. The water temp is 52-degrees on the river and in the pockets it's colder. Best bass bite is the steam plant and directly downstream to Bull Creek. A shallow-running Bandit 100 series in Pearl Splatterback has been a good color to start with and also a 1\8- to 1\4-ounce lead head with a 3-inch grub in white would be the best back up at and near the steam plant. Please remember when entering the steam plant channel to not cause a wake because it shuts down the fish and you will definitely get some hard looks. Once you get about a half a mile below the steam plant go to a suspending jerk bait, a Buckey Shad or that same 3-inch grub along those bluff banks on the same side of the river as the steam plant. Fish slow while at the steam plant, normal speed with stops and starts. The rockfish are in this same area and the best bet is to take a Sabiki rig (my favorite is made by Daiichi) and catch some skipjack. Fish them live in the canal or use them as cut bait. You can also hook up live skipjack under a balloon and move slow down to Bull creek and fish 5- to 10-foot deep. The best crappie bite is in this same area. Fish minnows under a bobber or tight-line them around the brush at the mouth of the steam plant and in the canal. There are some being caught deep in the creek channels on cover but the bite is slow with the water temp, there are also some around the boat docks and a very slow rolled 1\8-ounce Roadrunner about 5- to 10-foot deep will catch you a few. The sauger are trying to bite but the current is staying so strong it is hard to fish for them. Bledsoe creek up to Spring creek are the best spots with 1-ounce jigs tipped with creek minnows or 3-inch shad bodies tipped with a minnow or sprayed down good with some Berkley Gulp spray. There are some small Sauger being caught below the dams with the same set up but no good sows. This is a hard time of year to fish because the fish only need to feed once a week or two because of the water temp. If you want steady fishing stay around the steam plant where there is some warm water and the fish are still feeding and as long as everyone stays quiet and moves slow the fish will bite. Please make sure to keep that life jacket on all day and carry an extra set of good warm clothes in a dry bag in case you or someone else falls in. Good luck to everyone! Check my website for more fishing reports from regular contributors. You can always ask questions that either one of the readers or myself will answer. www.jimduckworth.com, Jim Duckworth.”

Percy Priest
Jim Duckworth of Jim Duckworth’s Guide Service (615-444-2283) told us, “The lake is back up with all the rain but they are pulling it down so be careful in the shallows. The elevation is 487.66 with a water temp of 50-degrees and normal water color. The best spot for crappie will be in Spring Creek because of the warmer water, most winters it stays above 53-degrees all winter so this is where the most active crappie will be and there is a lot of brush piles and tree's all the way back to the spring to fish in the deep part of the channel. The best way to fish these is with a Kentucky Lake rig and bleeding bait Tru-Turn hook about 2-feet up from the bottom weight and a size 1 hook with a minnow and a Berkley Gulp crappie nibble on top of the minnow. This gives it smell, flash, and helps to hold the minnow on. Find the brush piles in the corners first with your depth finder and fish them vertical. If you don't catch a fish in 5-minutes go to the next brush pile and eventually you will find some hungry crappie. If you catch several sunny warm days in a row there will be a lot of crappie move up and feed on the shad that will be sunning on the shallow rock ledges. The best bait for that is a slow rolled Roadrunner in 1\16- or 1\8-ounce. Play with the color till you find what they want. The best bass spot for action will be Spring Creek once again because of the warmer water. The creek will be loaded down with shad and the bass will be close by. The bait I have fished for 20+ years in the winter for bass is a Buckeye Shad. The new ones are way better than the old ones. I was afraid to loose them every time I used them because it took a lot of yard sales to find more but now you can get all you want at their website which is www.buckeyeshad.com. They have 5 or 6 colors now but I love the red one, which has always been called the Bloody Buckeye. The white and the chartreuse are also very good. With the cold water temperatures throw it out towards the bank and let it sink to the fish level and just slow roll it back. Don't put any action in it and stall it about every 5 or 6 turns for a second or so then begin again with the slow retrieve, a very easy and simple bait to use. A number 5 Shad Rap is also a big producer along with hair jigs and slow moving drop-shots on the steep banks. The hybrids and the stripers will be from Seven Points to the dam. Vertical fished shiners down about 10- to 15-feet will be the ticket early and late in the day. Y’all make sure you keep your life jacket on in the winter and carry a dry bag full of warm clothes in case you or some one else falls into this cold water. Find my DVDs for crappie on my website, www.jimduckworth.com. Almost all of them were filmed on Percy Priest Good luck! Jim Duckworth.”

Perryville
Perryville Marina-731 9472444- Sauger and white bass fishing are the primary activities here in mid winter. Creek mouths are holding places for the sauger and they gang up here in droves. Bottom- bumping jigs tipped with minnows or similar plastics will get ’em. White bass tend to stick close to the many riprap banks and favor anything white such as jigs or small crank baits. Some hardy bass and crappie fishermen will be out on warmer, sunny days targeting these species around stumps and lay downs on the main river and creek mouths. Shad colored crank baits and spinner baits will be favored for bass and minnows for crappie. The Tennessee River is usually at winter pool and clear, except after big rains as occurred in early December.

Pickwick Lake
Famed angler Bill Dance had a field day on Pickwick last year in mid winter. He and his partner launched in 17-degree weather but found the bass bite to be worth the trip. They caught countless white bass and dozens of largemouth by targeting the “gut“ of creek channels with jigging spoons. This is almost a lost technique that old timers have been using for decades. Hopkins spoons and the newer jigging spoons are ideal for catching lethargic, cold-water bass. It is a simple technique to use once you locate the fish with your electronics. Just drop the spoon to the bottom, lift a foot or so and drop again. Most strikes will occur on the drop and you will feel weight as you lift it up, that’s when you set the hook. The spoon resembles a dying shad, which, with the recent cold spells, there are plenty. Crappie will be “on” in Yellow Creek. Dragging or pulling as some say are forms of trolling using multiple rods baited with minnows. Slow trolling small deep running crank baits along ledges or humps will also be a good choice. Lake is near winter pool and clearing. The early December rains brought it up considerably and made the water quite murky.

Reelfoot
Sportsman’s Resort-731 253 6581-Recent rains gave this lake a boost by bringing the lake back up several feet and, with more rain expected, conditions for that winter crappie bonanza will be prime. Even with the high water, big crappie limits are frequent. Minnows and green jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles were the right tickets to success. Some catfish catches were reported prior the rise. Bass fishermen should target leaning logs and duck blinds with big bladed, slow rolled spinner baits and black/ blue jig and pig combos. That is if the blinds are not occupied, if an extended warming trend occurs. The Eagle Festival is the first weekend in February but the eagles are there now. Check out the article in this issue for an interesting article about the catastrophic event that occurred 200 years ago and the history of the Lake. Grizzly Jig in nearby Caruthersville will be having their crappie seminars the last weekend in January. See their ad in this issue for details.

Shelby Forest
One of our readers reported catching several large bass from Piersol Lake last December. He was bank fishing with a Rattletrap as his lure. This lake is about 20 acres but only small boats can be utilized, as there is no ramp. Both this lake and larger Poplar Tree have excellent crappie, bass, and bream populations. Both lakes are clear and low. Permits are required and can be obtained at the Park Office or Shelby Forest Store. The Park opens at 7 a.m. The rental boat concession is closed until March.

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