Lake levels have stabilized around the 355 ft level, but flow rates have been adjusted by TVA to help maintain that level. Flow rates have slacked off from last weeks 100,000 cfs to around the mid 40,000 cfs, but with the added rainfall predicted this week, expect flow rates to reflect the rain amounts coming into the Tn river valley. Water temps remain in the mid 70’s, but a cold front early this week will drive water temps down somewhat.
Fishing hasn’t been all that bad this week, with bass fishermen still finding some decent catches coming off shallow rocky areas while tossing lipless crank-baits like rattle traps. Some topwater action is being found early, but seems to diminish by mid-day. It seems that the fish are following the numerous bait fish we now have. Catfishermen have been coming up with some good numbers, especially in the shallow waters close to the river channel, baits of choice continue to be night-crawlers and liver. Crappie remain scattered, and those fishermen who are finding some seem to be using techniques that move a lot, like spider-rigging and long line trolling. As the water cool’s below the 70 degree mark, expect the crappie to ‘stack up’ better, and be found much shallower than expected , many fish can be found in the same areas you’d expect to find them during the spring spawn.
Deer season has started off slow, with as of Friday, only 12 deer checked in, in Humphreys Co. As the opportunity to harvest deer has increased over the years, most hunters seem to wait for cooler weather and gun hunts to harvest deer. The acorns have began to fall, and this definitely will impact where the deer will be. As the rut begins, expect the deer to be close to the acorn crop, as well as bucks being close to the does.
The USFS TN national wildlife refuge (Duck River unit) did have a juvenile deer hunt this past weekend, and will have a few more open hunts coming up before the refuge closes November 15th. Hunters can view the hunting opportunities on the refuge by visiting their website https://www.fws.gov/refuge/tennessee/