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 .

The bite on priest has gotten a little slower but the fish are still biting if your willing to spend a little time locating schools that will bite. Yesterday they were in 8 foot of water or less and even then the fish made you work hard for them. The fish out in deeper water were simply suspended and not willing to eat a bait. The Viverett creek area was the best location that could be found yesterday.

Well Normandy Lake is still my nemesis. The lake was more than a little choppy in yesterdays wind and the weather could not make up its mind about rain. We did manage to scratch out a limit of fish but it was only because we were versatile. The water temps in the main channel were 50.1 and in carol creek it was a bit warmer at 50.7. Fish we holding over deep water, as in 30-50 feet, at about 15 foot deep on the Lowrance . The fish all came on Kalins triple threat grubs presented vertically right into the school.

I don’t care what your political affiliation currently is, this bill is an outright attack on the environment that outdoors people love so much.

This bill was sponsored by Matt Gaetz (r), https://gaetz.house.gov  , of Florida. The EPA, much like the IRS, has a purpose and could use close scrutiny but does not need to be abolished. The good can out weigh the bad in the EPA. The clean water act is one of the things this bill will eliminate. The clean water act or US water Rule is one thing that has been refined, redefined, and adjusted to better the lives of everyone in America.

I encourage everyone to reach out to their political representatives and pose strong opposition to this bill. This bill, much like the withdrawn H.R. 621 will ruin decades of work by sportsman and sportsman’s groups.

How can America be great again when we eliminate the only thing that keeps big business from polluting our natural resources?

The lake is still in good shape. If we can avoid 42 inches of rain, soon we will be in prime crappie season. Today the water was stained but not muddy at all. Water temps in the main lake were 47.1 and 49.3 in the creek channel.

We trolled with Driftmaster trolling rigs, Mr crappie 12 foot crappie rods and Kalins triple threat grubs. The morning started out slow but quickly picked up when the sun came out. Fish were holding tight to the drop off into the channel in 10-12 feet of water. They would not move much to take a bait so you had to put it right in their face.

We took a lunch break and decided to check out Hoppys Grill in the fate sanders marina. I must say they have really made this place nice and the food was great!

The day ended with 20 crappies, a few hybrids, and several largemouth.