Area lake levels have risen about ½ ft this past week. TVA is expecting the lake to remain stable between 354.2ft to 354.5ft on average. Flow rates still remain slight, with averages between 12,000 and 22,000cfs. Water temps have been around the 70 degree mark, and on some mornings, dipped into the upper 60’s.
Crappie action has picked up, with fish being taken in depths of 8-15ft. The fish seem to be concentrating better, with some good creels being reported, although the fish are not ‘slabs’, numbers seem to be looking better. Brush piles and stake beds, where shad are present, seem to be the key to finding active fish. Bass continue to be somewhat unpredictable, with no real pattern producing any better than another. Bass are being found on the river flats, as well as rocky banks. The catch is picking up, although still lagging behind what we had a few years ago. Catfish action seem to be the shining star in the fishing world, with some great catches of smaller cats being found by fishermen heading out early, as the bite seem to be a morning thing still. Not sure if the bright moon has had anything to do with the bite, but it has been bright throughout the night, possibly contributing to a slow bite on most fish. Fishermen are reminded that the impoundments on the Federal refuge will close on the 15th of next month, so if you want to fish the refuge, you only have a month to do so, as some of the waterfowl areas will be closed to all traffic from November 15th-March 15th.
The deer archery season continues until the 28th this month and the harvest seems to have slowed. Humphreys Co. now has over 100 deer checked in, with 34 being antlered, and the remainder antlerless. Montgomery Co. so far is leading the pack, with right at 300 deer checked in so far, the statewide total stands at 9,700 deer. Juvenile deer season will be the last weekend of the month, October 29-30th. A few turkeys are starting to show up in the harvest report, but none so far in Humphreys Co. Hunters are allowed one (1) bearded turkey per county during the fall archery hunt. The fall shotgun turkey hunt began Saturday October 15th, and will continue through October 28th. Limits are the same, with one bearded turkey per county (this includes any harvested during the archery season). I hope hunters take advantage of the fall hunt, as it seems we have had a great turkey hatch this year, and the acorn crop doesn’t seem to be great.