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Old Hickory Lake Like all lakes on the Cumberland, Old Hickory is a run-of-the-river lake. Physically it is a river with its flow regulated by Old Hickory Dam, and it is a more stable fishery year-round because of the controlled flow. Usually there is no thermal stratification in the main channel, but it may occur in its tributaries and embayments. The cold water from Cumberland Dam and Dale Hollow Dam keeps Cordell Hull cool. That cool water enters Old Hickory Lake via Cordell Hull Dam, and cold water from the Caney Fork River mixes in five miles downstream from the dam. This, along with the fact that the water is frequently being used to generate electricity, prevents stagnation. Although the water in Old Hickory is well oxygenated, its creeks and embayments can be drastically different. Water temperatures confined to these creeks and embayments can soar and hold less oxygen. This can create a bonanza for anglers because fish move from the creeks to the mouths for more comfortable living and feeding conditions. There are 97.3 river miles between Old Hickory Dam and Cordell Hull Dam. The lake has 440 miles of shoreline with 22,500 surface acres during summer pool and is about 70 feet deep near the dam. Beginning in the headwaters, the main tributaries to Old Hickory are the Caney Fork River and Round Lick, Dixon, Goose, Cedar, Spring, Bartons, Bledsoe, Spencer, Station Camp, Big Cedar, and Drakes creeks. Old Hickory also has piles of logs in the shallows and at the edge of the channel. Stumps along the banks, flats with adjacent deep water, and creek mouth deltas that drop off into the main river channel. You can find bass in all these areas. There isn’t much wintertime fishing for bass on Old Hickory, but the few anglers who do brave the chilly weather catch bass, usually larger bass than are caught the rest of the year. Springtime angling is hot. From March to May bass weighing six pounds are fairly common. Ten-pounders are not rare. All the major tributaries listed earlier become the hot spots. The popular and productive lures are spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and worms. Deep-diving crankbaits, such as Rebel’s Deep Wee-R, Poe’s RC3, and Bagley’s Diving B series, are favored for the spawning grounds. Crankbaits that bump bottom and stir up a little mud are the ones that get the bass’s attention. After the spawn, while the weeds are growing well, fishing Snag Proof’s “Rats,” the Moss Mouse and Boss Rat, will give you thrills bordering on a heart attack. Bass explode from under the milfoil chasing the rat as it scurries across the top of the mat. Work this bait fast initially; then slow it down if you haven’t provoked a strike. The technique of casting it out so it “splats” on top of the mat and leaving it still for thirty seconds, then barely twitching it, leads to big bass blowups. Bass fishing doesn’t get any more exciting. As summer peaks, bass become susceptible to spinnerbaits and worms fished around the milfoil, docks, boat houses, log jams, and bars formed at the mouths of creeks. Flippin’ is very productive also. Taken from “Two Dozen Fishin’ Holes-A Guide to Middle Tenn By Vernon Summelin/Rutledge Hill Press |
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