Reports (With Clients 2009)

Tuesday I fished with Jason and Phillip. Fishing with drop-shots and crankbaits, we managed to catch around 20 bass with a couple nice largemouths. Unfortunately the biggest catch of the day (5lb smallmouth) got away at the boat. After a tough fight and a few jumps, the hook from the crankbait came free…oh well maybe next time. I had a blast fishing with these guys and look forward to getting back out this spring! Have a great Christmas guys.Today Jacob and I went out again in search for bass. We started off cranking and fishing jigs, but had little success. The clear blue skies kept the fish tight to structure and tough to catch. Fortunately we found another successful pattern, drop shotting in 30ft of water. For the day we caught 20 bass with a handful of nice largemouths.Today I fished Mike’s Sunday Morning Tournament out of Fate Sanders Marina. I managed to catch 9.16lbs and take first place fishing crankbaits around chunk rock in 6ft of water. I lost two smallmouth in the 3-4lb range at the boat, but thankfully I already had enough to take the victory! BCGS Guide Jacob JewellToday Jacob and I went out in search for some smallmouth bass. Using crankbaits, jigs, and shaky heads, we caught around 10 bass with several nice ones. All fish were caught down lake where the water was clear (compared to the upper end of the lake which is really muddy).Today I fished with Shaun Lyons from Hillsborough, NJ. Fishing for bass we caught and released around 20 largemouths. We focused manly on shallow water with crankbaits and swimbaits. Below is our best four fish that weighed 10lbs! Thanks for a great time Shaun.Yesterday I fished with Alandrous and Trey from Nashville. This was Trey’s first time ever fishing and Alandrous’s first time in 15 years. Fishing for largemouth and white bass, hybrids and stripers, we caught around 20 fish, including a 12lbs striper! All fish were caught on rattle traps and crankbaits in 1ft-3ft of water. Thanks for a wonderful time guys……..now your hooked for life!Yesterday I fished with Scott Shifflett and Max Green. Fishing with rattle traps, crankbaits, and soft plastics, we caught over 25 largemouth bass, white bass and hybrids! The fish are still feeding heavily on schools of shads in main lake pockets and flats. Thanks for a great time guys! See you soon.Today I fished with Tim Reed from Murfreesboro, TN. This was our fourth time out together and every time we have a ball joking around and telling stories. Fishing for bass we had a good day with around 25 fish. All of our fish were caught on crankbaits and topwater! Below is Tim with a 2.5lb and 5+ largemouth! Thanks for another great trip Tim.Yesterday Jacob and I fished the Saturday morning tournament out of Fate Sanders Marina. Fishing from 8am – 2pm, we reeled in around a dozen bass, including four keepers. Our keepers weighed 12.88lbs, enough to take the first place title! We did not get many bites throughout the day, but the bites we got were worth the wait.Today I fished with Dave and Rich Berg. Fishing for largemouth and white bass we continued our success from the last few trips. During the 4 hours we fished, we caught over 50 fish including a dozen largemouth bass and tons of whites. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I fished with John, Jackson and Mason Elzinga from Franklin, TN. Our trip was originally planned for crappie, but with the white bass biting so well, we decided to try our luck with them. The bite today was a little slower than the last few days. I think that was because the lake has risen a couple feet and the water was a kind of muddy. Even though we were faced with tough conditions, we still managed to catch over 15 fish, including white bass, yellow bass, largemouth bass, crappie and one catfish. Thanks for a great time guys. Jackson and Mason, you did a wonderful job reeling in those big white bass! See you in the spring!Yesterday I fished with Richard Brewer from Alaska. We started the day targeting white bass and hybrid. The first hour was a blast reeling in one after another until the wind picked up over 20mph. Then we made a move to find schools of shad. The first location we stopped at was loaded with bait. We manage to catch several fish, including a 5.2lb largemouth and 10.7lb striper. You talk about a fight, the largemouth took Richard all over the boat and the striper took the boat all over the pocket we were in. The remaining of the day we caught several more white bass and largemouth bass. Thanks for a great trip Richard! It is one I will not forget!Friday I fished with John and Mark from Boston. Fishing for bass we started the morning reeling them in every few minutes. As the day progressed the bite slowed down. Overall, we caught around a dozen bass and white bass on crankbaits. After our trip was over I went back out with a friend that works at Fate Sanders. We got into the white bass and hybrid the first hour out and then found a bank loaded with largemouth bass and was able to catch over a dozen. Thanks for a great time guys!Saturday Jacob and I took out four great guys. Rick Scherer, Ben Stilwell, John and Eric Meyers lived near each other growing up and also worked together. Now they live in different parts of the country, but gathered here in Middle Tennessee for a few days of vacation and fishing. Between both boats we caught over 40 bass (including 9 keepers) and 40 white bass. Ben was the angler of the day with this 10lb striper! Thanks for a great time guys, hope your enjoyed your stay!Today I fished with Dan from Georgia and Dylan from Nashville. We started the morning fishing in 3 to 4 feet using small crankbaits. In the afternoon we switched over to jigs. Our catch included around 15 largemouth (all released back into the lake safely) and several white bass, one of which was over 5 pounds! Jacob JewellYesterday I fished Hans and Kris Schachtschneider from Hermitage, TN. This was their second time out with me and each time we have a blast together. These guys are great fisherman and hungry for advice to increase there success. Fishing for bass we found multiple schools of of both largemouth bass and white bass. For the day we caught around 50 fish, including 25 bass and 25 white bass. Almost all fish were caught on either crankbaits or topwater! Thanks for a great time guys!Yesturday I fished with Jacob Jewel from Murfreesboro. Fishing for bass we caught around 8, including this 2.5lb. We spent most of our time shallow fishing in schools of bait, but almost all of our fish came from 3ft-6ft with jigs. The next few warm days will push the bass up even shallower, great time for rattle traps and crankbaits!Sunday I fished with Todd, Jackson and Temada. We started the day near freezing temperatures, but as the sun came out and the fish started biting, we quickly forgot about the cold. For the day we caught near 30 fish with 10 keepers. Jackson and Temada did a wonderful job reeling in some big crappie. Thanks for a great time guys, see you in the spring!Today I fished with newlyweds Jim and Susan Schmidt. They were married on Saturday and this was one of their fun activities during their honeymoon! Fishing for crappie we had a great trip with around 25 crappie including 15 keepers! We also caught a ton of other fish including largemouth bass, yellow bass, and catfish. I hope you have safe travels the rest of your honeymoon! Congratulations!!!Yesterday I fished with David and Elizabeth Jameison from Brentwood, TN. Our trip was even cooler than Friday’s trip, but once again the fish were bitting well so we never paid much attention to the cold winds. Fishing with minnows, we caught around 30 fish, including around a dozen keeper crappie, a few bass, hybrid, catfish and yellow bass. Thanks for a great time guys. See you in the spring!Friday morning I fished with David and Stephen Bass form Murfreesboro, TN. Fishing for crappie we had a good day considering the cooler temperatures and high winds. For the day we caught around 25 fish, including 10 keepers. The crappie are starting to move into shallow water. It will not be long until you can fish shallow all day! Thanks for a great time guys, I had a blast with you!Today I fished with Roger Acuff from Lebanon, TN and friend Tommy from Mt. Juliet, TN. We started the day at 7am and fished until 3pm. During the eight hours we fished, we caught over 50 crappie and many other fish. However, we did have to earn each of our keepers. We fished round 20 brushpiles and caught an average of 1 keeper per/tree. For the day, we ended with 20 beautiful keepers, all caught on minnows and jigs. Thanks for a great time guys….see you next time!Yesterday I fished with Scott and Cole Batson from Hendersonville, TN. Fishing for bass we had a good day with around 12 bass. All of our fish were caught on soft plastics, rattle traps, and topwater. Thanks or a great time guys, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Coles! Below is Cole with a nice largemouth caught on a popper!

Today Chris Clark and I got out for a fun day of bass fishing. The water level that was up 2ft a several days ago, is now back below summer pool. I think US Army Corp of Engineers is lowing the lake to winter pool, but not for sure. Nevertheless, we had a good day fishing, we focused on the main channel, catching fish that were positioning themselves up current in ambush position. The water temperature is currently 75 degrees and falling. The forecast predicts cooler weather on the way, which is going to put the bass on the bank! Here is Chris and I with a few nice bass!

Today I fished with Dan and Daisy Thomas from Kentucky. Fishing for crappie we had a great day with 21 keepers, tons of yellow bass and one nice largemouth bass. All fish were caught on minnows in 12ft-18ft of water. Thanks for another great time guys. It’s funny how when your catching fish the rain doesn’t seem too bad!Yesterday I fished with Jerry Haglage and his nephew Tony. We had another good day with over 50 crappie, including 26 keepers. Thanks for another great trip guys……..see you next time!Saturday fished with Scott and Andrea Shifflett from St.Louis, MO. Fishing for crappie, we had a great morning with over 45 fish, including 19 keepers! All fish were caught in brushpiles in 13ft-20ft of water. Thanks for a great time guys, I look forward to getting out later this year!Today I fished with the Jerry the”Hagman” again! Our last few trips have been phenomenal, so we thought that we would push our luck and see if we could continue our success. I’m sure one of the next few trips together will not go so well, but it was definitely not this trip. In the first two hours we had over 20 keepers and the remaining of the day we caught a total of 67 crappie, including 44 keepers! We both agreed that we have not seen the bite this consistent for this long in a while and it surely wont last forever. If you have been considering getting out on the water with me to crappie fish now is the time. Thanks for ANOTHER great trip Jerry! Yesterday I fished with Mark Ballard from Chicago, IL. Mark has been coming out with me the last 2-3 years and it is always nice to catch up with him while chasing the crappie around the lake. We had an awesome day with a total of 51 crappie, including 28 keepers! We also pulled into a cove when the white bass were on a topwater feeding frenzy. We caught about 20 in 30 minutes before they stopped. Thanks for another great time Mark, hope you had safe trip home!Tuesday evening I fished with Ray and Carson Hensler from Nashville. As summer break comes to an end Ray wanted to get Carson out for some fun fishing before he hit the books. Fishing with minnows Carson reeled in 8 keepers and many yellow bass and short crappie! You did a great job Carson, I look forward to fishing with you in the future!Today I fished with Bob, Jeff, Michael and Will Mahoney. We had a great day reeling on 30 fish, including 15 keepers. The highlight if the day was when we realized that Jeff was not stuck on bottom of the lake, instead he had a 30lb flathead catfish on the end of his line. Talk about making memories, I don’t think any of us will ever for get this day! Thanks for a great time guys!Our second trip was guided by Billy Harris. He had the privilege to fish with Steve Arnold and Shelton Lowery. Fishing for crappie they had a slow start, but a strong finish. Below, they are holding 13 keepers caught in brushpiles from 12ft – 20ft of water.Friday I fished with Paul Thomas from Franklin, TN and David Atchley from Mt. Juliet, TN. Fishing for crappie we had a great trip with over 40 fish, including 23 keepers! All fish came on minnows in 12ft-20ft of water. Thanks for a great time guys!Yesterday I started the day at Old Hickory Lake with Dan and Hannah Clayton form Franklin, TN. Hannah is down to her last week of summer break before she heads to Lipscomb University and her father wanted to take her fishing to spend some quality time together. We were blessed with a cool morning with low north winds, a great fishing atmosphere. In addition to the perfect weather, the fish were cooperating with us as well! During our several hours together, we caught around 15 bass on soft plastics. I had a great time with you guys and wish you the best of luck at Lipscomb Hannah!My second trip was at Percy Priest Lake with Glenn and Alexander Weitzmen from Franklin, TN. Once again, Alexander is down to his last week of summer before he entering 4th grade, and Glenn wanted to get him out for some fun fishing before he hits the books. If there is one word Alexander would use to some up our trip, it beleive it would be “fun”. During our four hours together we caught around 25 fish, including 11 keepers. Alexander you did a great job reeling in all those fish and I hope you enjoy the 4th grade!Today I fished with Chad Armstrong and brother-in-law Kurt with his two boys Tucker and Jackson form IN. Fishing for crappie with had a great trip with around 40 crappie, including 25 keepers! Thanks for a great time guys, you did great!

Yesterday I fished with one of my main clients Jimmy Small and his two friends Manuel Sir and Bud Zander, from Zander Insurance. Fishing for crappie we had a great trip. Using minnows we caught around 20 crappie with 11 keepers! Thanks for another great time guys! See you next week.

Thursday I fished with Dave and Rob from Nashville. Fishing for crappie we had a great trip with around 50 crappie including 22 keepers! I had a great time with you guys and hoped you learned a lot. Do not hesitate to call if you need anything. I look forward to our next trip!Monday the one and only “Hagman” and I got up with hopes of duplicating our last trip with 41 keepers! Well, we did not reach 41, but we were not far away with 35 keepers! The last three trips together we have caught an estimated 175 crappie with 100 keepers!!! All fish were caught deep with live bait. Thanks for yet another great ad memorable trip Jerry!Sunday I had the pleasure of fishing again with Vaughn and Tyler Pennington. For our second trip we wanted to do something different, so we headed over to Old Hickory Lake for some bass fishing. We had a great day catching around 15 bass throughout the day. In the morning we caught most of our fish on crankbaits and in the afternoon we fished deeper with plastics worms. Thanks for another great trip guys!Today I had the pleasure of fishing with Vaughn and Tyler Pennington, from Ohio. This was Vaughn’s second time out with me, he came out a few years back when visiting for Music Fest. Fishing for crappie we had a great day with over 50 fish, including 21 keepers! The highlight of the day was when Vaughn caught this giant crappie that was almost 15″ and over 1.5lbs! Tyler you did a great job today, I had a blast joking around with you all day.Today I fished with Ari and Ethan Brin from Miami, FL. Fishing for crappie, we had another successful trip with around 20 fish, including 10 keepers. You guys did a great job today! I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!Yesterday I fished with the Carters from Ariozona. Fishing for bass, we had a great trip catching around 20 bass, including 5 keepers for 12lbs! Most of our fish were caught on crankbaits and soft plastics in current and on main lake ledges. Thanks for a great trip guys, have a safe trip home!Yesterday I fished with two gentlemen visiting from Russia, Sergeoy and Sergeoy Myasmikov. Knowing it would be a very wet trip, we decided it would be worth it knowing how well the fish have been biting the past few days. After fishing for an hour, we were glad we continued with the trip. In the several hours that we were out, we caught around 50 crappie with around 35 keepers. I need to add that these 35 keepers were not the normal keepers that we usually catch, these were extremely large. We had 10 crappie that were 12″, 5 crappie that 13″ and 2 that were 14″. I have learned that when the sky is overcast, the bigger crappie bite….something to remember. Thanks for a wonderful time guys, we sure did have blast getting soaked while trying to left those giants into the boat! Have a safe trip home.Yesterday I fished with two gentlemen visiting from Russia, Sergeoy and Sergeoy Myasmikov. Knowing it would be a very wet trip, we decided it would be worth it knowing how well the fish have been biting the past few days. After fishing for an hour, we were glad we continued with the trip. In the several hours that we were out, we caught around 50 crappie with around 35 keepers. I need to add that these 35 keepers were not the normal keepers that we usually catch, these were extremely large. We had 10 crappie that were 12″, 5 crappie that 13″ and 2 that were 14″. I have learned that when the sky is overcast, the bigger crappie bite….something to remember. Thanks for a wonderful time guys, we sure did have blast getting soaked while trying to left those giants into the boat! Have a safe trip home.Yesterday I fished with Scott and Ray Hudson from Nashville. We had another great day crappie fishing with around 25 keepers! Thanks for a great time guys!Thursday I fished with Ken Sliger Sr. and Jr from Memphis, TN. Fishing for crappie we had a great trip with well over 50 fish, including around 25 keepers! All fish were caught in deep water on minnows. Thanks for a great time guys.Yesterday I fished with Jerry Haglage, better know as “Hagman”. To say that we had a great trip would be an understatement. We had a phenomenal day, catching 70 crappie with 41 keepers, in six hours! All fish came on minnows in deep brushpiles. Thanks for another great trip Jerry. I look forward to getting out again soon!Today I fished with Tim Reed from Murfreesboro, TN. Tim has been out with me many times and I always have a blast fishing with him and joking around all day. We started the morning crappie fishing in deep water and had 20 keepers the first several hours. For the remaining of our time we were able to catch over 20 bass on topwater. We found a pocket that was full of bait and the bass were going at it! Thanks for a great time Tim, see you next time.Yesterday I fished with Chad and Ben from Hendersonville, TN. Fishing for bass we had a great day with over 25 fish, including 8 keepers (our best five weighed 10lbs). All of our fish came off the main river channel with soft plastics. Thanks for another great time guys!Thursday I fished with Don and Jim Thomas. Fishing for crappie, we continued our success from the previous day with over 40 fish and 17 BIG keepers(including another fish over 14.5″). I had a great time with you guys and hope to see you again.Wednesday I fished with Robert Lankford from Gallatin, TN. We had a great day catching over 60 crappie with 31 keepers! All crappie were caught on brushpiles in 12t-20ft of water. Thanks for another great time Robert!This morning I fished with Terry Johnson Sr. and Terry Johnson Jr., from Lebanon, TN. All morning we concentrated on main lake ledges with Texas rig worms. Like most weekdays, TWRA was pulling water, which increases the bass activity. During our trip we caught around 15 bass with 5 keepers that weighed about 10lbs! Thanks for a great trip guys. See you in a couple months!Yesterday I started the day at Old Hickory for a fun tournament/trip with Brad Wiltz. Brad has been out with me multiple times and want to check out what tournament fishing was all about. Fishing the Sunday morning Flippers tournament, we had a great day with over 30 bass, including 9 keepers. Our best 5 weighed 10.65lb and we finished 9th out of 49. It took 13lb to win and 12lb to get a check. We had a blast catching our fish on ledges and drops with worms. Thanks for another great time Brad. See you next time! —–sorry, I forgot to get a picture before we weighed-in—

My second trip was at Percy Priest Lake with Mo, Ali and Rushan Syed, from Nashville and IN. Fishing for crappie we had a phenomenal trip, catching over 30 crappie with 15 keepers, including one over 14.5″! All fish were caught with minnows in 12ft-16ft of water. Thanks for a wonderful time guys. See you next year!Saturday I fished with Kenny Medert from Gallatin, TN. Fishing for bass we had a great trip with over 25 bass, including 5 keepers for around 10lbs. We found most of our fish on main lake ledges and points. Our lures of choice was texas rig large worms and jigs. The fish were active throughout the day, but you had to filter through a lot of small fish before you got a bigger bite. Thanks for a great time Kenny!Yesterday I fished with Neil, Taylor and Drew Collins. Fishing for bass and crappie, we had fairly good day with around dozen bass and crappie. Most of our bass were caught on topwater and crankbaits, and the crappie were caught on minnows. Thanks for great time guys. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!This morning I fished with my number crappie client Jerry “Hagman” Haglage, from Nashville. We started at 6am and decided to get off the lake before it got too crazy with recreational boaters. In that time, we managed to catch 40 crappie with around 15 keepers. The bite was very active, but most of the fish were in the 9″-10″range. Thanks for another great day Jerry. Have a good 4th!!!Yesterday I fished with father and son, Sam and Terry Slater(owner of Big T’s Sport Bar in Nashville). Terry’s father was visiting from Atlanta for a few days and he wanted to take him out for a memorable fishing trip……and what a trip it was. Fishing with minnows, we caught over 80 crappie with 33 keepers(including a few slaba-dabas)! All fish were caught in brushpile from 12ft-20ft. Thanks for a great time guys! Keep and eye out for me when football season starts Terry.Today I crappie fished with Rich and TJ Strong. The bite was consistant throughout the lake. We caught a lot of short crappie, but still manage to reel in around 20 keepers! All fish were caught on brushpile in 15ft-20ft of water on minnows. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I guided Jeff and Michelle Mcallister from Smyrna, TN. The morning produced a few little ones on topwater, and then a 4lb catfish caught on a plastic worm got us excited. It wasn’t until later in the day when we started catch quality bass. Fishing in deep water with plastic worms, we caught a handful of big bass including four keepers that weighed 12.5lbs! It is a bite that you have to be wait for, but it is well worth it. Thanks for a great trip guys!

This morning I fished with Brad Wiltz and good friend Matt Katula, long snapper for the Baltimore Ravens! Fishing for bass, we had a great trip catching round 20 fish with five keepers that weighed around 10lbs. We found multiple patterns that were successful, including shallow crankbaits, jigs, and soft plastics on ledges. Thanks for a great trip guys! Good luck with the 2009/2010 season Matt!

This morning I fished with Gary and Cindy Lee. Our success continued today, catching over 40 crappie with 17 keepers!. All fish were caught in 12ft-20ft of water on minnows and jigs. Thanks for a great time guys. Happy Birthday Gary!Today I fished with Dan and Kelly David from Chicago, IL. Fishing for crappie we had a fantastic trip, reeling in over 40 crappie, including 21 keepers! I have to say that this year Percy Priest Lake has been producing bigger crappie than I have seen in a while. The average keeper is between 11″-12″ and we seem to consistanty catch a few in the 13″-14″ range. Thanks for great time today guys!This morning fished with Brandon Jenkins from Brentwood, TN. The weather was hot, but we would have not noticed it because we were too busy reeling in fish all day! Fishing from 6am – 12pm, we caught around 18 bass with our best five keepers weighing over 15lbs! All fish were caught deep on ledges and points with worms. Thanks for a great time Brandon.This morning fished with Robert and Peter Burrus from Franklin, TN. Fishing for crappie, we reeled in over 50 fish, with 18 keepers! It was a hot day on the water, but when the fish are biting it never seems to bother you too much. Thanks for a great time guys!This morning I went out and scouted a few places before my trip. I fished for two hours and caught over 25 crappie with 15 keepers! Of the 15 keepers, 12 of them were between 13″-14″!!! So far this year has been phenomenal on quality of fish. Now that the water temperature has warmed up into the mid 80’s, the crappie have moved out into deeper water and stacked up in brushpiles…..I love this time of year. As for the trip I was scouting for, we caught a dozen more fish with a couple more giants. Below is Sara Small hold up her two best fish! Thanks for another great time guys.Today I fished with Chuck Lewis and his good friend Don from Murfreesboro, TN. Chuck won a trip through a MTSU Athletic silent auction. It was a trip that I donated to support the Blue Raiders. I don’t think I could have had a nicer guy win the trip. We joked around and told stories all day. Fishing from 6am – 11am, we caught around 10 bass with two nice keepers. Topwater lures in the morning, and worms in the day did the trick again! Below is Chuck and his catch of the day; caught on a Pop-R! Thanks for a great trip guys, hope to see you again soon!Wednesday I fished with Lynn Smith from Gallatin, TN. Fishing for bass with worms, topwater, and crankbaits, we caught around 12 fish, including 4 keepers. Most of our fish came near the main river channel on wood. The bass were fairly active, but it was hard to get a big bite. Below is Lynn with a couple nice Old Hickory bass caught on a zoom speed worm! Thanks for a great trip Lynn. I had a wonderful time with you!Tuesday I fished with Bob Hordell from Nashville. We started the morning fishing flats where bait had moved up into the shallows. Topwater and crankbaits were our lures of choice. Making continuous casts into the schools of bait produced multiple keepers and a few shorter fish. After sunrise, we moved into deeper ledges and caught one around 4lbs on a 10″ plum Texas rig worm. Later in the day we boated another keeper on a deep diving crankbait. Thanks for another great trip Bob, See you in a few weeks for our evening trip!My first trip today was with Willie and Little Wille Ortiz from Murfreesboro, TN. Fishing from 6:00am until 10:30am, we boated over 25 crappie with 16 GIANT slabs! Most of the fish were between 11″-12″ and we had several in the 14″ range! All fish came on minnows in depths of 10ft-18ft. Thanks for a great time guys, I look forward to getting out with you later this summer.My second trip was with Chis and Riley Holden from Nashville. Fishing for crappie, we were excited to get back out on the water after the success we had in the morning. With the crazy boat traffic, we tried a few others place with hopes of more monsters, but the bite was slow. After an hour we decided to head to our “honey hole” on the main lake. We knew that is was going to be rough with all the boat traffic, but it’s never too rough when your catching fish. Just as we hoped, the fish were still there, and still hungry. We boated over 20 crappie with half a dozen giants again! It appears the crappie are turning on in their summer locations, and I can’t wait to get back out there. Thanks for a great time guys……”squirrel” hahahaYesterday I fished with Sean, Jason and Ross. Fishing for bass, we had a great time catching over 12 bass, including a three keepers. All fish were caught on topwater early, and then crankbaits and worms in the afternoon. The fish have pulled out to deeper water and into their summer pattern. Thanks for a great time guys, see you in a few weeks!Wednesday I fished with Ken Harris form Murfressboro, TN. We started at 6:00am throwing topwater and crankbaits on flats close to deep water. After an hour and no bites, we headed down toward the dam and caught a few largemouths and smallmouth on worms and crankbaits. Next, we tried some ledges and caught a few more decent ones in the 8-12ft range. Thanks for a great time Ken, see you next time!Saturday I had the pleasure to fish with Brad Wiltz and friend Brandon. Fishing for bass, we had a good day with 15 hookups and 10 in the boat. Unfortunately, some of the better fish unbuttoned at the boat. Our success came on soft plastics, crankbaits and poppers! Thanks for another great time guys!

Last Tuesday I fished with Osc solution owner and new BCGS sponsor, Jim Mintz. Fishing from 3pm until dark we have a blast catching over 20 bass with three giants in the boat and one that broke off at the boat. The pattern we found to be the most productive was fishing in 3-6ft with crankbaits and worms! Thanks for another great time with you Jim!

Yesterday I fished with John and Karren Campbell. Fishing for crappie, we had a great day on the water. Although it was raining on and off, the temperature was great and the fish were bitting. I think the first 8 trees we caught 6 crappie on each. We tried a few different areas around lunch and did not have much luck, so we went back to our productive area and caught more. After lunch we went up lake and tried a few more locations. There, at every hole, we caught 6-10 crappie but only a few more keepers. For the day we ending up with around 45 crappie and 16 BIG keepers! Thanks for a great time guys!Saturday I started the morning with Steve and Matt Kubicet. This was their second time out with me and I am happy to have them in my boat every time. We seem to always have fishing success, and enjoy goofing off at the same time. The first two hourswe fished for bass and caught several on topwater, including the one Matt is holding up below. The following two hours we crappie fished and caught an impressive 25 crappie, with 10 keepers in two different locations. Thank for another great trip guys!During my first trip with the Kubicets, BCGS guide Chris Clark took out two guys that were in town for the weekend. Fishing for bass, they had a phenomenal trip with over 30 bass caught, and 5 keepers that weighed 18lbs! I wish I could tell you more, but I am still trying to squeeze the information out of Chris myself. Glad you guys had a great time, hope to see you again!Last but not least, my second trip was with Mr. and Mrs. Al Swift. In search for crappie, we had a great start with 6 keepers in the boat at our first spot. After that it slowed up a bit, catching more smaller fish than keepers. I am not sure exactly why it slowed down, but I do know that the lake was starting to get really rough with all the boat traffic. For the next four hours, we caught around 20 crappie with 8 keepers. Thanks for a great time guys!My first trip was with Eric and Alex Beard. Fishing for bass and crappie, we had a great day. The bass were hitting topwater in the morning and worms in the afternoon. Below is a couple nice bass that Alex caught…his first fish on topwater! In between fishing for bass the crappie were bitting well on jigs and minnows in deep trees. Thanks for a great time guys.My second trip was for bass as well. We had a good trip with multiple keepers and a lot of smaller ones. Below, Rick holding up a nice three pounder he caught on a swimbait! All fish were caught on worms, jigs, swimbaits, crankbait and topwater. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I fished with Time Reed from Murfreesboro,TN. This was Tim’s fouth trip out with me this year, and every trip we have a blast. We started the morning with topwater and caught one right off the bat(Tim’s first fish on topwater)! After a few more blow-ups and the sun begining to rise, swtich over to crankbaits and worms. We ended up using those baits for the remaining of the day, for they produced fish all day. The first half of the day we caught one keeper and a lot of small fish, and the second part of the day, we got on some bigger keepers and even lost the biggest fish of the day at the boat.. 5+ largemouth. Thanks for another great time Tim, see you next time!Today I fished with Val and Gary Turner. We met at the marina at 6:00am and heading out for some crappie and bass fishing. Throughout the day we caught crappie in brushpiles with jigs and minnow. The bite is getting better now that the lake is almost back down to summer pool. While crappie fishing, we caught around 25 crappie with 15 keepers(I think we only measured one fish…the rest were in the 11″-13″ class)! As for the bass fishing, we were very successful as well. Fishing with crankbaits and worms, we caught 15 fish or so with a few nice ones. All fish were caught in depths from 6ft-12ft. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I fished with Val and Gary Turner. We met at the marina at 6:00am and heading out for some crappie and bass fishing. Throughout the day we caught crappie in brushpiles with jigs and minnow. The bite is getting better now that the lake is almost back down to summer pool. While crappie fishing, we caught around 25 crappie with 15 keepers(I think we only measured one fish…the rest were in the 11″-13″ class)! As for the bass fishing, we were very successful as well. Fishing with crankbaits and worms, we caught 15 fish or so with a few nice ones. All fish were caught in depths from 6ft-12ft. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I fished with Bob MacCallister who is visiting from Puerto Rico! Fishing for crappie, we knew that we were up for a tough day with the high north winds and cooler temperatures, but to our surprise the fishing was actually not bad. We did have to fight the winds at points but when the fish are bitting it does not seem to bother you as much. For the few hours we were out, we caught around 25 crappie, including 8 keepers. We still caught a lot of small fish, but as the water is falling down to summer pool, the bigger fish are retreating back to the normal lake brushpiles. Thanks for a great time today Bob, see you in a few months!Today I fished with Tim and Tyler Ricks, along with brother in law Dan. We met at Fate Sanders Marina and barley had enough pavement to back the boat into the lake. Although there are tons of fish in the the miles of flooded shoreline, I decided to try and make it easier on us by staying off the bank and tight lining deep trees. I have to admit the bite was not bad, we caught around 25 crappie, but the size was down. Out of the 25, we only had 8 keepers. As the lake level falls, the fish in the trees will pull back out into the deeper brush and we should see more bigger fish again. Thanks for a great time guys!Today I fished with John Devalt and Tim Diagle. We took a chance with the storms, knowing we were going to get wet, but hoping we did not have to retreat back to the dock. The first few hours in rained cats and dogs, but after it stopped it was a pleasent cloudy day. The last trip I did we fished up in the flooded trees and had great success, but today we did not get as many bites. So we decided to fish off the bank 15 yards and cast to the tree line with worms and jigs. For the day we caught 21 bass, including one around 3lb! Thatnks for a great trip guys!Yesterday I fished with Brad Wiltz and his boss, Jerry, that flew into town that morning! As I pulled up to the lake I was taken back by what I saw, the lake was almost into the parking lot! It must have been flooded 6-7ft from summer pool! I knew some areas where the fish have been, so we headed there hoping that the bass just moved into the trees on the shore. Lucky us, they were there. During our 5 hour trip we caught and released around 12 bass, including three nice ones. Brad also lost a good one that took him under a tree, I wish we got that one in the boat, but maybe next time. Thanks for a great trip guys!Yesterday morning I fished with Jeff and Ben Doster. This was their second time out with me, our first trip we went to Old Hickory, so they thought they would check out Percy Priest. The first half of our trip, we caught around 12-15 crappie with seven keepers. We lured them in with minnows and jigs from depth of 10ft-14ft for them to take home. The second half of the trip we fished for bass, Ben caught a few little ones, but nothing to brag about. Thanks for a great time guys, see you down the road!At the same time of Brian’s trip, I fished with Wayne and Dean Finley. We caught around 20 crappie with 10 keepers! Dean caught the big one, 15.5 inches, weighing 2.4lbs! It is his biggest fish and 1st crappie. We had a blast and most our fish came out of 15ft of water. I enjoyed our time on the water guys! BCGS Billy HarrisYesterday afternoon, I fished with Stephen and Ethan Desforges from Tompson Station, TN. We met at 12 noon and went out in the 25mph winds, hoping to find some cover, and hungry crappie. Thankfully, the trees that we were in calmer water were holding fish. During our time on the water, we caught around 20 fish, with 10 keepers! Thanks for a great trip guys. Ethan you did a spectacular job reeling in those fish!Yesterday morning I went out before my trip and bass fished with BCGS guide Chris Clark. Fishing in 5ft-8ft of, we caught around 12 bass on crankbaits and carolina-rigs, including one around 4lbs. Most of our fish came out of one hole very quickly, so after catching several fish we left that area because Chris has a tournament this morning.Friday I fished with James Smith from Murfreesboro, and Malcon Hayden from Indianapolis, IN. Malcon was visiting for a few days, so they decided to get out on the water and do some fishing! In the four hours we fished, we caugh over 20 fish, with a dozen crappie and a handful of white bass and stripers. Thanks for a great time guys, hope you got that fence up!Today I fished with the “Hagman”. We met at Four Corners Marina at noon, had a little lunch, and then hit the lake with high hopes of a livewell full of crappie when we returned. I usually fish shallow this time of year, but there were a lot of boats on the bank, so I decided to hit some deep trees. Not all trees were holding fish, but the ones that were produced great numbers and size! After five hours of fishing, we successfully landed 36 crappie, including 26 keepers, that weighed a total of 20lbs! That is almost a 1lb average per crappie! I believe that this is the beginning of a great crappie season!Yesterday I fished with Rick Arnold form Kansas City. We knew that we were in for a wet, windy day. So we suited up our rain gear and hit the lake. Once again, the morning was tough, I thought that we could catch some good fish shallow, but they just don’t seem to be there. So, we headed back down lake and started cranking windy point and pockets and started catching fish. For the day, we caught around 20 bass, including this 4lb largemouth! Rick also caught this nice striper. Thanks for a great time Rick, hope you have a safe trip home!Saturday I fished with Tim and Hunter Reed, from Murfreesoro,TN! This was Tim’s second time out with me. Back in March we had a phenominal crappie and bass trip, so he decided to get out in May to learn some deeper pre/post spawn areas. The pace of the day was kinda slow to start, but picked up around lunch. In the morning we fished shallow and found the bite to be really tough and scattered, we could never find a good concentration of fish. So, we headed down lake and tried some deeper areas, and that is were we caught the majority of our fish, including this 3lb smallmouth! Points and deep banks near shallow areas was the ticket. We caught them on worms and deep crankbaits in 6ft-15ft of water. Thanks for a great time guys, I had a blast with you!My last trips was with Jim and Beverly Small from Nashville. Jim and I get out once a week on his pontoon boat, and beleive this trip was our best trip this year. The weather was beautiful and the fish were biting. We only went out for 2 hours, but in those two hours we caught over 20 crappie with 12 keepers! The warmer temperature definately helped the bite throughout the day. The next few weeks should be on fire!My second trip was with Joe, Riley and Jack. Since our last trip ended with success in the trees we went right back to those areas and started reeling them in again. After that, we headed to an area I like where the water is really clear and we were able to sight fish for crappie and bass. You guys did great today, hope you had a fun time!The first was with Al and Brandon Swift. Fishing for crappie, we started shallow in the creeks and found the fish to be very slow and scattered. We then tried to hit a few deepers trees and found some success. Only a few of the trees were holding fish, but after 4 hours, we managed to scrape up 8 keepers and a handful of bluegil. Thanks for a great time guys!

Today I had the pleasure to fish with Jim Mintz, owner of www.Oscsolutions.net. Jim and I recently got together, discussed advertising ideas, and agreed on becoming one of my main sponsors for the next year! Oscsolutions is a business that sells software that Jim created for companies that sells items online(e-commerce). This software not only manages all your e-commerce needs, but is so user friendly that every and anyone can use this product to increase their sales! I am excited to be apart of Oscsolutions and look forward to a rich, long relationship with them.

We started with high hopes of trying to get into some big stripers and hybrid, but could not quite pinpoint there location. So we decided to hit some bass areas that have been producing for me. There we caught around 15 bass in less than two hours. All fish came on shallow running crankbaits.

Today I fished for my forth time with Neil, Taylor and Drew Collins from Brentwood, TN. The first two trips we fished for crappie, and this was our second time out for bass. After today, I’m not sure if they will ever want to crappie fish again. Fishing shallow with crankbaits, we caught over 40 bass! Most were in the 1lb-2lb range, but we did manage to catch our limit, giving us a 12.5lb sack for 5 fish! Thanks for a GREAT time guys, hope you enjoy the rest of your break. See you in the summer!On April 4th I had a bass fishing trip with Mr. Thomas Smith and his grandson Mac Bouldin on Percy Priest Lake. We finally found some clear water down lake due to heavy rains the day before. We caught several largemouth and smallmouth bass. Most of our fish were small, however we had a great time. We caught our fish primarily on a small Bouyah jig with a small Zoom trailer in about 6ft. of water on a point. We look forward to our next trip. BCGS Guide Chris ClarkToday I crappie fished with Mark and Nathan Davis from Lakeland, TN. We caught fish shallow, we caught fish deep, we caught some on live bait and also on artificial. To get to the point, the fish seemed very scattered today. Two fish here, one here, none there, etc. For the day we caught around 50 fish, with 15 keepers( A LOT of short crappie)! The water is getting back near 60 degrees, and the fish are started to concentrate shallow again…. let’s hope is stays warm. Thanks for a great trip guys!

Today I crappie fished with Charles and Daniel Wendt from Murfreesboro, TN. This was the first day in a while that the sun was going to shine all day and the wind was going to be calm, so we left the marina with high hopes. We started fishing shallow around stumps and laydowns. The bite was very slow, we caught 3 keepers and half a dozen short fish. I decided to head down lake and try some deeper brushpiles. There, we found the bite to be better! Our first tree we caught 2 nice keepers and a few short fish, and then at our next tree we caught 4 keepers with several other fish. During our half day trip, we totaled around 20 fish with 9 keepers! You did a wonderful job reeling in those fish today Daniel! Thanks for a great time guys.
The fishing is HOT! Now is the time to call and book your spring trip before it is too late.

Today I fished with Jeff and Ben Conklin from Franklin, TN. We went out in search of crappie in one of my favorite holes, but found that the bass were more active there. So we enjoyed catching around 17 bass on jigs. We did not catch any with much size, but did enjoy fighting them on our ultra light tackle! Thanks for a great time guys!