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Fishing Report :: 4/1/2014
Here’s a quick report from today…
Overall, the fishing was tough. We launched out of Elm Hill at around 3:45. The parking lot was full, but we got in and got on our way pretty quickly. Idling out of the marina, the water was in the low 60’s.First stop was Hamilton Creek. We fished from the point mid way back into the flat on the left if you’re facing the back. I had two fish pull off on a deep diving crankbait in 6ft of water. Neither seemed to really commit to the lure. One hit in about 2ft of water and the other hit at the boat [it was a better fish]. Water temps back there ranged from 55 towards the channel to 52 in the back of the pocket. This all seems counter intuitive, but I can’t argue with the thermometer. I’m guessing that wind or water color had something to do with it. There was one boat that I assume was fishing for crappie in 15ft around a couple of buoys that they had put out. After deciding that these fish weren’t super active here or hadn’t committed to moving up yet, we ran to Old Hickory cove.
In Old HIckory cove, we checked for hybrids [my partner is a huge fan of catching hyrbids]. The water conditions in the pockets were awful. There was a ton of red sediment in the water [algae? clay?]. Water temps were sticking around 55 in the areas that we focused on. My partner caught a decent white bass and a little hybrid on an umbrella rig. I kept hauling up wads of snot grass / algae on my crankbait. We moved around through deep and shallow water back there for about an hour. We really fished the entire area, pockets, islands, and the channel. My partner caught another small largemouth, but let it shake off at the boat. Can’t say enough for an easy release. There were also a lot of guys fishing the very far back of the cove with chest waders on. So, if you’re running back there, keep an eye out for the guys that are wading. Try not to throw a wake on them when entering the “no wake” zone.
I was really unhappy with the water clarity in this area. So, we headed to the cove where the summer Elm Hill ramp is located. Fishing on the side of the bank with the ramp9 all the way back into the pocket we threw deep diving crankbaits and umbrella rigs. My partner caught a good keeper smallie on the umbrella rig in 8ft of water. The temps towards the channel were closer to 55 and further back into the cove they were closer to 52. Again, odd that the shallower water would have been so much cooler. However, the shallow water was much clearer and had MUCH better visibility.
We then headed back to Elm Hill marina to finish out the afternoon. I caught a short smallmouth on a deep diving crankbait in a dark craw pattern out of 5ft of water on gravel with scattered rock. The temps back in here were 54. Water clarity was a bit better than before, but still tons of snot grass on every cast and clumps of snot grass / algae floating in the water. We fished the rest of the left side of the marina and I hung my crankbait up in a tire. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to retrieve it with a plug knocker or the money pole. So, I broke it off and abandoned the area with a bit of disgust.
Overall, the day was slow. Water conditions just didn’t feel right all day. Where we felt it should be warm, it was cold. Where we thought it should have been perfect, there was a lot of funk in the water. I left feeling frustrated. I would have expected that the warmer days/nights would have jumped the temps a little more than it has. On the upside, I have to think that with some more warm days ahead, the water on the lower end should be getting towards the lower 60’s. So, we should be close to having some decent fishing. Also, it was nice to catch a couple of ok smallies. Next trip, I think I’m going to venture into Suggs Creek past 7 Points. It’s usually good at this time of year.
summary ::
lake area – Lower End :: Shallow Flats, Pockets, Transition Areas
Water Temps :: 52-62 [further back in pockets was consistently colder]
Water Clarity :: Variable – some clear, some with rust colored sediment, some that had a nice 1-2 foot visibility stain
Successful Lures :: Umbrella Rig w/ variety of swimbaits, Lucky Craft DD Crankbait in Craw Color
Unsuccessful Lures :: SpinnerBait, Lipless Crankbait, Jig
Keepers :: 1 SMB around 3lbs -
2 Replies
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Hey Simple,
Where is this Old Hickory cove located at on the map.Thanks
Chuck Howell. -
It’s where Old Hickory Blvd dead ends into the lake. There used to be a boat ramp back there.
Here are some coordinates for the general area. You can plug them into google maps or bing to see where it is.36°09’18.5″N 86°35’52.2″W
36.155131, -86.597822j.
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