Old Hickory 7-23 & 24-2010

Two days of fishing in 100 degree weather! Yeah, fishermen are nuts.

Friday, I fished with my good friend Doyal Brown from Memphis and in another boat, Phil Robison from Memphis and his nephew Brad Cole. We left Brentwood at 4 am and arrived at the intersection of I40 and Hwy 109. Pulled into MacDonalds for a quick bite. Standing at the counter to order, the power in the whole area went out. After a moment or two, we were asked to leave. We did find a bait shop down the road to get a bite. We were on the water at first light with prospects of fish jumping in the boat. It didn't turn out that way. I did catch a 2.9 bass in the first half hour on a speed worm. Caught a couple of other dinks the rest of the day. Unhappily, Doyal didn't score. Phil and Brad caught a couple of small fish early, then Phil caught a 3 lb in deeper water. We fished the shore grass in several places, then went to the ledges. Just couldn't score. At 11:15 we headed for Flipper's for a burger and air conditioning. Doyal and I went back out to a couple of more places including the Steam Plant canal. I was promised by my good friend Noah that we couldn't miss there, but we did. Since Doyal had to head back to Memphis, we pulled at 2 pm, licking our wounds. Phil and Brad stayed out so I don't know if they did better. Out of respect for Doyal's ordeal of driving back, I waited until 8 pm before I went to bed. After all I had to get up again at 3 am to fish in my clubs tournament.

My partner was ill with a virus so I fished alone. We had 6 boats fishing. I was back on the water at 4:45 and blasting off 20 minutes later at first light. Caught a couple of dinks in the hazy light, 1 was just shy of being a keeper at 11.75" (our club "paper weighs" so we count 12" fish). About 40 minutes later I caught a 16" fish in the shore grass on a motor oil/chartreuse worm. That was my last fish until we "weighed" in at 12 noon. As it turned out I finished second to Rob Kennedy who had a five fish limit with a big fish of 16.25". Noah finished 3rd with 1 fish at 15.75". It was really a rough day with very few bites. Lots of recreational boaters, tournament fishermen and big power boaters on the lake.

The fishing was rough, the heat even tougher but a couple of days rest and I would be ready to do it again. I can't explain what the addiction is to catch a bass but I know it generates a passion that can't be understood by a non-fisherman (like my wife).

Til the next time on the water.