Boat show and fishing reports

Posted on February 17, 2017 by troyleebasso

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Well once again the 2017 Nashville Boat and Fishing show is a memory. Seems like I have been going to that show for decades, wait I have been going to that show for decades. I, as many of you, have seen the show go from good to bad several times over the years. This year the show looks to be moving back to the good.

I was happy to see several tackle manufactures and guides from Tennessee and Kentucky were in attendance. The best thing was to see Hog Farmer bait company had made it. This guy makes the best A-Rigs on the market bar none. Also present was Hugh McNaughten and the Southern Woods and Waters crew from Channel 5 in Nashville. They are a great bunch of folks who love to share the outdoors with anyone who will listen.

It appeared all the boat dealers in the area were present and accounted for but, the one that went the extra mile was C&O Marine. I would hate to know how many people it took to get that many boats moved into the building! They were there making deals and selling boats all three days.

The amount on non-fishing booths was down from normal. We counted 12 booths in the building that had nothing to do with the outdoors but, they do have to sell that floor space to someone. Overall the show appeared to be a good one. Even the vendors were saying they were having a great show. Let’s all hope we can see this keep getting better like in the good old days.

Percy Priest lake has been a hot ticket this past week. My bunch has been catching limits of crappies pretty much every trip out. The fish are in a pre-spawn pattern and holding tight in 10-12 feet of water. Trolling jigs has proved to be the most efficient method for this early season bite. The bass are being found shallow off rocky main lake points and windy days have been the best. Square billed crankbaits in citrus shad and 4 inch swimbaits have been the common theme for the past week.

Normandy lake has been slower but still producing those big crappies that its famous for. Here finding them is the challenge. We fished it Sunday and found good numbers of keeper fish way up in the creeks. Carol Creek is where we found them and they were shallow. 4-6 feet of water holding tight to standing timber. Spider rigs with Minnows were the only thing we could get them to bite that day. Bass have been slow but there are a few coming off the secondary lake points.

The Elk and Duck river tail waters are both putting out good numbers of trout still. Small jigs, flies, and micro crankbaits are all working equally well.

Old Hickory is also fishing well. We went to see if the Tilapia bit was still going on, well it’s not. Seems the mild weather has let the lake warm up enough they are not stacked on the steam plant like when it was cold. However, the crappie and bass bite is picking up and will get better with the warmer forecast for next week.

Troy Basso is a freelance writer and fishing guide from Chapel Hill, Tennessee. HE can be reached at 931-639-7468 or through www.troybassooutdoors.com .