What a fun 4 hours on Old Hickory today with good friend Ken Jenkins catching and releasing at least 75 Blue Gill with many as big as your hand. (What you see in the net is 50) which we released and then we kept count on the remainder.  Ken knew exactly where to look and before I got rigged he had 3 or 4 in the boat. These fish wouldn’t hit a float rig so we used the drop shot method which kept our baits up out of the snags . VMC makes a great drop shot hook called the “Spin Shot” in sizes #8 to 2/0  and Tungsten Drop Shot Ball Weights from 1/8ounce to 1/2 ounce.  www.vmchooks.com . We used nibbles and red worms for bait and truthfully they both worked well. Combine this set up with 4lb or 6lb test Sufix mono www.sufix.com and a ultra light rod and you are in for some great battles.  Thanks Ken for a lot of fun-by the way by 10:30 in was already HOT in capital letters-be  careful on the water-it was 10 years ago that I had a heat stroke on Old Hickory and I have never been the same when it come to heat. Stay in the shad-drink liquids and there is always another day….Rick www.tennesseebassguides.com

I have been on vacation over the past week or more and this was my first trip out since I got back. Ronnie and I fished Tim’s today and kept busy most of the 6 hours that new were there. We caught fish on a Terminator Spinner Bait www.terminator.com a Rapala #12 Husky Jerk a Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com and soft plastics rigged on a VMC 1/4ounce Shaky Head Jig. Ronnie and I both use Sufix mono and braid depending on what technique we are using www.sufix.com We caught 15 and lost 8 or 10. That’s it for this week, thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I fished Center Hill today with good friend Ken Jenkins . Ken and I had been talking about doing a top water trip there for several weeks-and we tried but just couldn’t get them to come up in the areas that we fished-BUT they would hit a crankbait. The Rapala DT6 Silver/Blue  www.rapala.com was the best for me and when they hit it there was no mistake. We also had a couple other smaller bass, one big gar that has a X Rap of mine still in his mouth (broke off while I was trying to get the hooks out) and a 15lb Drum………..everything except the kitchen sink.  Ken has been a long time Sufix user as well using a variety of mono test sizes. www.sufix.com If your headed to the Hill and don’t already have something figured out-Throw a Silver/Blue DT6-I believe you will get bit to…..Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassgides.com

I met long time friend Terry Hicks in Manchester at 6am and headed to Nick A Jack. For those of you that live in Tennessee I don’t have to tell you about that deep cold front that settled in on us last night. It was 41 degrees by my truck thermometer this morning and the wind got up to 25mph out of the NW. We struggled around for a while but finally put a pattern together and caught 15 Largemouth with the 9 above being our best.  Rapala X Rap www.rapala.com and a crankbait did the trick today for us.  Terry and I both use Sufix mono & Braid on our spinning and bait casting reels for different applications – Here comes the broken record-YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH SUFIX-folks this is dynamite lines that is processed with what is called a G2 winding system that all but eliminates memory-has fantastic knot strength-super strong and handles better than any line I have ever used through the years. Try iy I guarantee that you will love Sufix. Thanks for visiting my site Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I fished Normandy this morning until the lighting made me put the boat on the trailer and caught 15 Largemouth. Several about the size of the smaller one. I did manage to put a few good ones in the boat as well on something new that Rapala is going to unveil soon (which I cant talk about now) but you will like it. Sufix mono 8lb test www.sufix.com. Sorry I have to be evasive …..Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Ken and I made a quick trip to Nick A jack this morning and managed to put 25-30 (lost count) Largemouth in the boat with the ones above being our best of the bunch.  Swim baits and shallow running crankbaits like the Rapala DT4’s did the trick. www.rapala.com The great thing about the DT series is they are made of Balsa Wood  which gives them a side to side wobble that is not found in plastic baits. They also have an internal rattle and VMC  super sharp hooks. I threw the swim baits on 10lb test Sufix mono and Ken was using either 10 or 12lb Sufix on his bait casters.  That’s it for the week-Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Good friend Terry Hicks and I fished Normandy this morning for 4 hours for Crappie and had 30 with 11 keepers that weighed in at 13lbs 7oz  a 1lb 1/4 avg. Same techniques and same baits as yesterday. Normandy Crappie will explode over the next couple weeks and this would be a great time to put a few in the freezer. TriggerX www.triggerx.com  VMC Jig Heads www.vmchhoks.com and Sufix 10/4 high vis yellow Performance Braid-Great combination that works. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I met Ronnie at the ramp ay 6:00am this morning to Crappie fish and things got started out a little slowly until we figured out what they were doing, and when we did—–you see the results above.  We had to have caught near 50 total Crappie today with the 24 keepers weighing  25lbs 2oz.  If I’m ciphering right that’s  over a pound apiece even here in Cannon County.  1/6th ounce jigs and small plastic baits like the Trigger X Nymph or the Wingding did the trick. www.triggerx.com  I also like using the Sufix  10/4 High Vis Yellow Performance Braid www.sufix.com  Great day with a good friend….Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Last Friday I fished out of  Kens boat on Old Hickory and caught 20-30  Largemouth but the 3 on the top row was our best for the day. If you fish Old Hickory I need to give you this tip. The Largemouth there love no let me say LOVE the  SMS05 Storm #611 Rainbow Smelt Smash Shad for some reason. www.stormlures.com I ran up on this last year and it worked again last Friday,  This little bait will run 6 to 8 feet on 6lb Sufix Mono www.sufix.com and over 20 of them smashed it Friday-we threw a variety on other crankbaits including a #5 and #7 Shad Raps and the Smash Shad out paced them hands down. Today 4-19-2016 I fished out of my boat on Nick A Jack for 4 1/2 hours only caught 1 of the 25 on a crankbait but they would nail a swim bait rigged on a VMC 1/8oz Dater Head jig. www.vmchooks.com and 8lb test Sufix mono.   I could have taken more pics each day but this will give you a good idea of what happened. No real big fish either day but a bunch of them—–if you can’t have fun doing this something is wrong with you.  More hopefully yet this week. Maybe even some Crappie pictures. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

The above is the best of a combination of the last 3 trips.  I have been on several fish just  haven’t been able to stay on good ones. Example today Ronnie and I had 3 Walleye-1 Rock Fish-3 Smallmouth and 4 Largemouth but only 3 keepers. It’s been like that for me lately-IT WILL GET BETTER! Now  for the good News!!!!  They will smash the new Rapala Shadow Rap Shad www.rapala.com with a vengeance. It has to be the way it backs ups and turns when you stop-it just seems to create a vicious strike.  Sufix Mono and Braid as always-this is some tough line that comes off the spool like silk and has little to no memory  in every weight range that I use. www.sufix.com.  The full variety of the new Shadow Rap Shads should be in your local tackle stores-check them out  you will be happy you did. More the end of the week-Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com