|
J. Percy Priest Lake Priest is the most popular lake in middle Tennessee. It is a hill-land reservoir with river characteristics in the upper section, widening in the midsection and deep and wide near the dam. Priest has some highland reservoir aspects, including steep bluffs and drop-offs, sharp points, humps, and islands. Priest Lake covers 14,200 surface acres during summer pool with 213 miles of shoreline around its 42-mile length. A depth of 100 feet is found near the dam. Fall draw down usually begins in October, and a drop of seven feet is average. Full pool normally occurs in late April or early May. The section from Fate Sanders Marina upstream is riverine. The headwaters consist of the two forks of the Stones River and Fall, Spring, and Stewart creeks. These creeks are the places to fish in early spring for crappie, black bass, white bass, and rockfish. From the mouth of any creek and downstream for several hundred yards are particularly good spots when the warmer creek waters enter the cool lake waters. The midsection extends from Fate Sanders Marina to Hobson Pike Bridge. Priest widens and surrounds many islands in this area. These islands usually have steep drop-offs on one side and flat or gentle slopes on the other side. Fish, especially bass, tend to hold on the deep side in the summer and winter and on the shallow side in the spring and fall. Many guides consider the midsection the best, with the addition of Suggs and Hamilton creeks near the dam. The lower section, from the bridge to the dam, has much the same topography as the midsection, with islands, humps, and coves, but the water is wider and deeper. Hamilton Creek and Suggs Creek are the main tributaries below the bridge. Both are excellent fisheries. Suggs Creek has earned its reputation as the most likely area to catch rockfish and hybrids. Most lakes in Middle Tennessee are well known for one or two species. Priest rightly claims excellent fishing for crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, rockfish, white bass, and the hybrid. Catfish would be among these if more anglers fished for them. This impressive list is due to the abundance of superb structure in the form of rocky bars, creeks channels, humps, islands, ridges, coves, and flats and a strong base of forage or baitfish. You are never far from one of twenty-two launching ramps on Priest. There are twenty USACE recreation areas, three commercial marinas, a county park, a state park, hiking trails, six campgrounds, and a wildlife management area. Priest is ten miles east of downtown Nashville south of I-40. The other major access road is US 41 (Murfreesboro Road). All parts of the lake can be reached from these two routes. Mount Juliet is as far east as you need to go on I-40 to access the eastern side of the lake. South on US 41 to Smyrna gains you access to the western side, including the east and west forks of the Stones River. Taken from “Two Dozen Fishin’ Holes-A Guide to Middle Tennessee” By Vernon Summelin/Rutledge Hill Press
|
|