December Crappie on Old Hickory

Went crappie fishing on Old Hickory this morning. It was a perfect day for December with morning temperatures in the 50s. It was also overcast with a strong south wind and a low pressure system moving in. Water temperature was 51 degrees. Fished 20 feet down in 30 feet of water using jigs tipped with minnows & slip bobbers w/minnows on regular hooks. Caught 15 nice keepers.

Crappie on Shrimp

Very interesting fishing outing this morning. Catchin crappie on shrimp in Old Hickory Lake. 16" big one in the picture.

Claytor Lake 2011

This year was another good fishing year. Weather was mild and overcast with moderate winds and a water temperature of around 72 degrees. Caught the majority of fishing 8 to 10 feet down in 10 to 20 feet of water. Caught several large channel catfish, a variety of bass, some nice yellow perch and a lot of decent bluegills. Also caught a large stinky snapping turtle.

Old Hickory-First Kayak Fishing Outing for My Son

Kayak fishing with my son today was a proud moment for me. Steve went out in his own kayak and learned to kayak and caught some nice fish on Old Hickory. It took him about 30 minutes to learn how to navigate properly in the kayak but when all was said and done he did pretty well for a 7 year old. He also did very well fishing, catching a very nice channel 2-3 pound channel cat, a drum and a lot of bluegill under the shade trees in a deep water cove. I didn't think about it previously but all I had to do to manage the fishing was drop an anchor and tie it off on the cleats of the two kayaks. I will take credit for most of the casting, but he hooked and caught all the fish. It was kind of frustrating since they were biting very well this morning, but he caught his fair share. The funny part of it was watching him struggle so hard to bring the big catfish up. His arms were killing him:)

Old Hickory Lake Summer Shore Fishing

Went fishing for a few hours in the morning from the shoreline in a fairly heavily fished area. We caught a lot of bluegill, 2 small channel cats, a drum and a 2 small snapping turtles (may have been the same turtle...not sure). We used nightcrawlers fished on slip bobbers about 5 feet down. Fishing in the shade is the key for the fishermen and the fish.

Outing #2 Old Hickory 2011

The fishing was better today {even if I was feeling a bit constipated}, but the crappie are not biting yet. Caught some large drum, smaller cats and bluegill (of course). The video above highlights my skills at catching fish and videoing at the same time. Have not dropped the $200 4G I-phone in the water yet.....good hands from my basketball years.

Rough Start for 2011

I had my first fishing outing of the new year on Old Hickory Lake. The ginormous fish picture attached was the lone highlight for the morning. It was very cold and windy and I only fished for a few hours. I'll get em next time. At a minimum it's more than the competition in North Carolina has caught this year.....