Outdoor Reports

Lake levels did rise some with the arrival of the Hurricane last week, but not significantly, Kentucky lake was at 355.4ft on Wednesday October 2nd, and TVA is predicting the lake to remain stable this week, although the flow rates have and will remain strong, with averages around 80,000cfs. The Cumberland river saw a slight rise last week, but is now on the way back down, Cheatham dam has been releasing between 14,000-18,000cfs, and I expect them to continue to release until winter pool is reached over the next month. Surface water temps were around the mid to upper 70’s mid week, but some cooler nights have entered the picture, and expect water temps to decrease over the next few weeks. Those wanting to fish the Duck river, it saw a few foot rise, and is now back to normal.
Fishing continues to be tough for most species, Crappie remain scattered, with the best catches coming for moderate depths of 12-20ft on cover, although trolling and moving a lot has been the best pattern to put fish in the boat. Minnows and very slow presentations are working best. Bass have been sluggish for the most part, as we saw a warming trend last week, and the shallow bite diminished as the bass moved deeper, but once the water levels stabilize again, expect the backs of creeks around cover to start producing some good catches. One of the main issues with fishing continues to be the abundance of baitfish, they seem to be everywhere, and getting fish to take your offering may be challenging. The catfish bite seems to be the “shining light” for fishermen, as many fishermen have been coming up with some great catches along the main river channel, but also in the mid depths in the bays. Fresh cut shad have been producing the best catches, but many channel cats have been coming in by fishermen using nightcrawlers, liver, and stink baits.
Deer archery season began over the last weekend, but also the fall archery turkey season as well. Here are some totals for deer the first week of the season; Houston-10, Humphreys-30, Stewart-32, Dickson-35, Perry-9 with the top harvesting county for the state, Sullivan-75 and the statewide total is 2,008. Humphreys co did have one turkey harvested, with the statewide total at 20. The fall turkey archery season has a limit of 0ne (1) male turkey for the season. Not many hunt doves after the opening week, but the 2nd dove hunt will begin on Oct 12th and continue though Nov 3rd. The other seasons open are; squirrel, raccoon and the second segment of the “resident goose season” which begins on Oct12 and continues through Oct 22nd. Not much with TWRA news, a few Hunter ed classes are taking place, as of Oct 2nd, the only class was in Humphreys co, but was full, and nothing as of yet for Houston or Stewart co. was posted. Hunter ed classes can be found by visiting TWRA’s web-site; TnWildlife.org and looking under Hunter education. An increase in license fees is being looked at by the TWRC, and the comment period is open through November. Proposed increases include a 22% increase in boating registration, 28% increase in Hunting and fishing licenses, and a 12% increase in sportsman licenses. If approved at the December TWRC meeting, the increase would go into affect on July 1st next year.

Lake levels have been stable, even with the rainfall we’ve seen over the last few weeks, although another hurricane was predicted to enter the state this past weekend, leaving some much needed rainfall. Kentucky lake has stabilized at 355.3ft, with flow rates between 38,000-80,000cfs. Surface water temps remain around 80 degrees for most days, The Cumberland river at Cheatham Dam was at 385.5ft. With the tail waters at 355.4ft, flows are averaging between 9,000-15,000cfs. Dover is at 55.4ft and Clarksville is at 25.8ft. These levels may change, depending on how much rain we had this past weekend.
The Fall fishing pattern is usually dependent upon cooling water temps, and we just haven’t seen much of a decline yet. When water temps get into the 70’s, many types of fish move into the bays and coves, including shad and game fish. As the shad move shallower, bass, crappie, white bass and catfish will move with them. Shad are one of the most important factors in having good fisheries. There are two main types of shad in our area, the Threadfin and Gizzard shad. The threadfin shad are the ones you see near the surface on calm days, feeding on algae. They are sometimes called “yellow tails” due to their yellow tails, and seldom reach over 7 inches in length. The Gizzard shad can grow to a much larger size, exceeding over a foot in length, feeding near the bottom on algae growing on rocks, logs, etc. We’ve had a great spawn for both shad species over the past few years, and we should see a good increase in sports fish over the next few years, directly due to the good shad populations. As a side note; it seems that we may have had a “Asian carp” spawn, although I have not confirmed this, the sonar signatures I’m seeing appear to be many Asian carp. Next trip out, I’ll bring my cast net, and see if I can determine if they are carp. But back to the fishing report, the Crappie still seem to be scattered, and better catches have been coming early and late in the day, if the sun is bright, it seems that crappie have been holding 15-20ft deep, but if cloudy, they are moving shallower, in water 10-15ft deep. Minnows seem to be working better than jigs, with a slow presentation. Bass seem to be scattered as well, as the shad seem to be everywhere, so are the bass. Fishermen have been using various shad colored crankbaits, rattletraps and swim baits near shad schools. The catfish bite has returned with the added current. Most fishermen are targeting the river channel ledges using various baits, including nightcrawlers, liver and stink baits as well as cut shad. This is also the time of the year when catfish will move into the bays at night to feed on the shad.
The archery deer season opened last weekend, and I’ll have the totals next week. The Bucks have for the most part, lost their “velvet” and now are in the rutting phase. Most think of the rut as that early November period when bucks are chasing does to breed, but the rut officially starts when the antlers stop growing, and the velvet is “shed”. I’ve seen many trees “rubbed” where the bucks have rubbed off the velvet, and a few “scrapes” already. The peak of the rut is usually early to mid November in our area, although a few does might come into heat this next month.

Even with the much needed rain we saw last week, lakes remain near the same levels as the week before. Kentucky lake is at 355.5ft and should be at or near 355ft by the 25th. Flow rates are averaging 20,000-25,000cfs due to the rainfall the river valleys had from the recent rains. Water temps were at 80 degrees midweek and are right on par for this time of year. The Cumberland river at Dover was stable at 55.4ft, and at 26ft at Clarksville. Cheatham dam was at 385.5ft with the tailwaters at 356.5ft with an average flow of around 7,000cfs.
Fishing reports still are sporadic, with the strong winds and hunting seasons beginning, many fishermen are awaiting calmer weather. As the cooler temps enter the picture, and lake levels stabilize, I do expect the shad to continue to move into the bays, with many of the fish we are looking for close behind. A few Crappie reports I’ve gotten have been from fishermen inside the bays and creeks, fishing water 10-20ft deep with some decent catches, but still scattered. Using techniques like; spider-rigging, long-line trolling, or any techniques that cover water, have been producing the best. The bass bite has been all over the place, as fishermen have been targeting river flats and drops and coming up with some good fish, but also the shallow-bay bite is doing well, throwing crankbaits and spoons at bass chasing shad (often with gulls diving at shad) is a good opportunity to have some fun. The “fiddler” bite seems to be the best catfish activity this past week, targeting them along the river drops fishing various presentations like; nightcrawlers, stink bait, cut shad, etc in water depths of 10-30ft, or where the schools of catfish show on the depth finder.
Deer archery season will start on September 28th, and continue through November 8th. Archery deer hunting has seemed to lose popularity over the last decade or so, and many deer hunters wait until the ability to harvest a deer during one of the firearm seasons. Last year the statewide total was 1,872 deer for the opening weekend of archery. Humphreys and Houston county both saw only 8 deer for each county, taken over the opening weekend last year, Stewart saw 17. Many of those who do continue to archery hunt, can be rewarded with the “woods to themselves”, and enjoy a more consistent deer movement pattern. The limits for all of the deer seasons in our area haven't changed, its still 1 antlered deer/day not to exceed 2 antlered deer for the hunting season. Also hunters can harvest up to 3 antlerless deer per day.

Fall has arrived, and cooler temperatures are finally here, as well as the wind. Lake levels continue to fall back towards winter pool levels, with TVA right on the normal for this time of year. Levels on Kentucky lake are now in the 355ft levels, with both Kentucky and Barkley lakes at 355.8ft. Flow rates for Kentucky lake are averaging between 6,000-20,000cfs when generating. Cheatham dam has been releasing around 7,000cfs. Average surface water temperatures for either lake have been averaging in the low 80’s. The Cumberland river at Dover is at 55.82ft, and at 25.6ft at Clarksville as of last Wednesday (The weatherman is predicting rain from a Hurricane, so levels may change by the time you read this).
I have been getting a few more reports from fishermen this past week, with some good reports from crappie fishermen finding fish scattered, but moving shallower as the water cools. Fall is the time of plenty, and there is a lot of food available for all species of fish. As the water temps continue to cool, many shad will begin to move into the protected bays. Bass and crappie will follow, and some ‘old timers’ referred to this as the “fall bite” due to many species of fish moving into the shallows. Whatever fish you are looking for, look for shad activity, especially shad being chased by fish, often with gulls and other birds diving in the same area feeding on the shad. The Catfish action is all over the place, with many being found out on the river, as well as shallow. Some catfishermen have been using “jugs” when current has been present, finding some good fish.
Many hunting seasons have now started, including; squirrel, raccoon, dove, Woodduck and teal, early goose, etc. Hunting guides have been tough to find to keep up with the seasons, but some license dealers have now received a few, but if you haven't picked up a guide yet, individuals can still look up seasons and regulations on-line at TnWildlife.org or use the phone-app ‘TWRA on the go’ available at the apple store or play store for free. The regular archery deer season is only a few weeks away (Sept 28th) and many are getting ready for the season by planting fall food plots.

Area lake levels remain stable, Kentucky lake is at 356ft with TVA reporting the lakes to remain stable this week. Flow rates have been between 13,000-23,000cfs when generating, with a surface lake temperature in the mid 80’s. The Cumberland river is at 55.9ft at Dover, 26.9ft at Clarksville, and at 357ft below Cheatham Dam, with Cheatham reservoir at 385.6ft. Flow rates for the Cumberland have been between 7,000-14,000cfs when generating.
Not many fishing reports have been coming in this week, but a few individuals have been finding some “fiddlers” out on the main rivers. The young catfish are referred to as fiddlers, and are some good eating. In late summer and early fall, the young catfish will school up together in the main river channels, often being found in large schools, suspended over deep water. Fishermen using electronics can cruse the main channel looking for these large schools of cats, and once locating them, dropping various presentations in or around the schools, finding some good eating. A few reports of how the crappie are doing have been coming in, but overall, it seems they remain slow for the most part. As the cooler weather rolls in, we should see many crappie return to the bays in water depths of 10 to 20 ft, chasing shad schools. Look around cover, fishing jigs or minnows. The bass bite remains slow for most as well, and not many reports of good catches have come in. a few of the night tournaments have brought in some good fish, as many bass may be feeding mostly at night. Fall is often a good time to head to the various “impoundments” we have in our area. Mostly found in the National Wildlife refuges, like the Duck river unit, Cross creeks, etc. as well as a few WMA’s like Camden, Dover, etc. Now that the spawn is over, and the heat of summer is lingering, the fish, including crappie and bass, will look for deeper water in these impoundments. Many of these “de-watering areas” will close in mid November.