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Archived Fishing Reports.
Please see the Home page for the latest report. The following
reports are in most current order.
 
50 INCHER
I fished Saturday with
Hugh Cutrell on the Collins River and finally hooked and landed
my first 50 inch Muskie. This girl has been a long time coming
as I have had a few on but had never landed. This fish was in
extremely shallow water and I never saw her until she came
crashing out of the weeds and enhaled my soft plastic jerk
bait. The fish jumped four times before Hugh slid the net under
her. The Muskie in the Collins can reach 50 inch class size if
catch and release is practiced. Early and late is the time to
get em on the Collins and trolling is the best way for a monster
on Great Falls. Dwayne Hickey
 
Tim's Ford 6-26-2008
TBG Guide Jon
Simmons sent in the two pictures above of 2 great Largemouth that
he and his father Carl caught on Tim's throwing a big swim bait.
Jon said these two beauties nailed the swim bait almost as soon as
it hit the water......Great fish. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory 6-24-2008
 I spent the
day with a good friend Mr. Ken Jenkins on Old Hickory Lake. We
fished out of Ken's boat and was the first time I have been back
on OH in a couple years. Ken and I
had 25 total Largemouth with 7 of the 25 being good solid fish
like the one that Ken is holding . Best estimate was 5 that
would go in the 12lb range. Rapala DT 6's
www.rapala.com and Prowler
Soft Shad & Worms
www.prowlerlures.com worked the best for me. Just a great day.
My boat is out of the shop I'll be back on the water and will be
posting Tim's trips on the home page beginning the end of this
week. Good day with a very good friend.....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Old Hickory 6-13/15-08
 I was
fortunate to fish on Friday and Sunday this week. I had great
company on the lake. Friday I fished with Lynda Gessner and Robbie
Hartline of Missouri. Sunday was with Michelle Armstrong of North
Carolina. These ladies will be fishing the women's Bassmasters
this week the 19th-21st. Let me tell you,
these gals can fish. Their skills are sharp and they know their
stuff. Friday we fished on the lower end of the lake finding many
active fish. I didn’t get any pictures of the small keepers we
caught thinking we would land some bigger fish. Most of the
keepers came off scattered wood or rocky banks. We caught numbers,
but could not find that big bite. Sunday was a different story. We
fished the river and had a limit in about 20 minutes. Everything
we fished produced keepers. Wood, rock, grass, you name it. These
fish were so aggressive that in one picture you can see it ate 2
baits. Michelle and her husband flipped in, she set the hook and
caught this hungry fish that had both their baits in its mouth.
The bigger fish came on top and off lay downs. It was the perfect
day. I’ll take 16-18lbs in 20 minutes any day. I wish the best for
these gals this week. If you get a chance check out their weigh
ins. Saunders ferry park ramp. Thanks for 2 great days ladies.
Matt Crabill www.tennesseebassguides.com
Middle Tennessee Stream
Up Date June 2008
 The last few weeks our Middle
TN streams have put out great numbers of quality stream Rock
bass and Smallies. My Clients, Doug Markham( put together a film
to be shown late July) and I have caught several 15 to 17
inchers but Camera Malfunctions have hindered getting them
online. Today Doug Stewart and I were on the water by 6:15 and
off by 3. We threw Plastics early and thru mid day. Plastic
Crawfish landed this 19 incher ( Doug's biggest stream fish to
date) I threw Case Jacks worm and Sliders. We picked up fish all
day long with it slowing down around noon. So we threw big
Creekminnows which yielded me a nice 17 incher. We had 20 plus
chunky Rock bass and 25 or more nice fiesty stream smallies.
Thanks Doug for another great trip and the next outing will be
for your largest Shellcracker and Largemouth. If you are
interested in learning the most economical way to fish and catch
quality fish give me a call. Mike Dial Stream Smallmouth Guide
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old
Hickory 6-9-08
I slipped out of work a little early today and took my son fishing
with me. We spent 4 hours and managed to catch some good keepers
and numerous small fish. The one in the picture was the biggest of
the bunch. It brought me great pleasure to spend quality time with
my boy. We need to work on his hookset but he will sure be a
fisherman in time. He never complains and does not want to leave.
I can’t ask for more than that at this point. As far as the
afternoon of fishing, I checked some drops on the lower end and
had no luck. Most of the fish were caught on points in the creeks.
Close to deep water was the best bet for me. I know there are
plenty of fish shallow, but I like to drop back and fish 8-12ft
this time of year. I caught some on crank baits, but most came on
jigs. Hope this helps a little. Good fishing Matt. Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old Hickory 6-02-08
 Today
I fished with Ronnie and Louie Richards. Louie was a little tired
due to lack of sleep but he woke up quickly. Today was one of
those days when the fish just ate everything. We caught fish right
off the bat. The top water bite was just great. By saying top
water I mean every kind of bait. After that bite died we started
c-rigging secondary points. The fish we’re there and not afraid to
bite. Louie even did the impossible, catching a fish by a nearby
fish attracter bouy marker. Who would have thought that the fish
really do use those things. As the sun burned across the feet of
Ronnie I thought we should try the docks. Low and behold the fish
even bit there. We had around 12lbs in our best 5 today and were
able to catch a couple limits, alone with too many short fish.
All I can say is today was text book fishing. Ambush points in the
morning, travel routes for those fish on the Old Hickory highway
and docks for those in between fish. So here are a few pictures of
the guys and some fish, also I saw Jon Simmons out today. Here is
Angel with one of their catch. Talking with him, his day was just
as good if not a little better. His only thought for the day is
how do I get my phone out of 20 ft of water? Now is a great time
to hit the lake. The fishing is good and you can catch numbers.
Just keep your phone in your pocket and keep casting. Thanks for a
good day guys and good fishing, Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old
Hickory 5-29-08
Today I had the
pleasure of fishing with Wayne and John Westmoreland. They had
purchased the trip in a silent auction for fellowship of Christian
athletes. We had a great time. The bite was good early and John
had a great smallmouth in the boat pretty quick. Our best fish
were caught off main lake wood and rock. Also some main lake
points produced well. Like I said the early bite was great. We
caught one after another til about 10:30, then had to work for
them. Most of the fish came on texas rigged lizards and some on
c-rigs. Overall it was good. Our 2 best fish are pictured and we
had another largemouth that went about 2 lbs, then a bunch of
keepers. Of course we had the 20 or so short fish. The fish are
making their way to summer haunts, hopefully this will be a more
productive summer. Thanks for a great day on the water guys. Maybe
we’ll get out again sometime. Good fishing, Matt Crabill www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old
Hickory 5-21-08
Today I fished with Steve Swiantek and
Kevin Rollins. We started out fishing in the river than went to
mid-lake. Our fish in the morning came on plastics. Mostly
casting or flipping different cover. Most of our fish in the
mid-lake area were caught on a rig today. I managed a few on
crankbaits, but a lizard was the way to go. A few places had a lot
of fish stacked up, but most were scattered. Bigger fish were few
and far between. We did manage a few good ones and a mess of
keepers. These post spawn fish can be tough. The bigger fish
should be showing up in deeper water soon. I had a great time out
today, looking forward to the next trip together. Be back on the
water Saturday. Good Fishing Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old Hickory 5-16-08
I
spent the day fishing with Jeremy Donaldson. He had won a trip
through a drawing at Bass Pro Shops. We spent most of the day on
the lower end of the lake. Water temps were in the mid-60’s.
After spending time going through different baits we narrowed it
down . The best fish came on plastics. We fished boat docks most
of the time. Most of the fish came from 4-6 ft of water. If they
didn’t hit it on the fall, just pop the rod tip let it fall again
and there they were. We managed a few on crankbaits, and fishing
the grass. But, over all the docks produced. Not any monsters but
respectable keepers. I look for the grass bite to come on very
soon. Watch for the bait, if you see bait the keepers are not far
behind. Here are a few pictures. Jeremy, I had a great time. Maybe
we can get out again. Matt
 
Great Falls Muskie
I fished April 13th with
two of my muskie "buds" Mr. Wayne Bomar and Danny Kurtilla on
Great Falls Lake. We decided to devote most of our time
trolling, which is a good way to find Muskies in the river
system. We stayed with it all day, covering water that ranged
from 58 degrees to 74 degrees. Late in the day our patience was
rewarded as Danny landed this nice 42 incher while trolling a
white-knuckle double jointed perch. Wayne also had two more
"rips" but did not hook up. These new lures will be a big part
of my casting and trolling arsenal this summer as they are
proving to trigger strikes, and that's what it's all about!
Check em out at whiteknucklelures.com Great Falls is THE place
to catch trophy Muske this summer, and it all starts now. Give
Rick a call, Dwayne Hickey
 
Collins Muskies
I fished Friday and Part
of Saturday with Randy Wong from Maryland. Randy is no stranger
to fishing for big fish and some of his catches have been
published in Magazines such as In-fisherman, just to name one.
We started Friday with a nice 36.5 incher right off the bat and
had many more follows. Later in the day I landed a Muskie that
went exactly 36.5 inches. (The brother to Randy's fish). We
had another good hit but missed the hook-up, and as I said,
several follows. Saturday evening we hit the river again and
the fish were moving some, as the follows kept coming, and Randy
landed a feisty 30 inch fish on a suspending Rapala Husky Jerk.
Later in the evening, a 33 incher would come straight up from 8
feet of water and inhale a "pull bait". I'd have to say the
fishing was a little tough for the weekend with many follows, a
few hits and four fish landed. From now through summer there
will be action on most every trip, and the larger fish will
start showing up more often. I had a great time fishing with
Randy and only wish he could have got that big' un, but it will
happen as we plan to do it again this summer. One of my
favorite times of year to fish is when toothie critters are
coming off beds, and that's now! Give Rick a call and see what
all the "fuss" is about! Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old Hickory 5/8-10/08
I got out
on t he
lake 3 times this we ek
in preparing for a tournament. Thursday I fished for about 4
hours in the river. It rained the whole time. I was able to
catch a 5 keeper limit that was just that. The fish didn't have
much size to them. Water temp in the creeks was in the mid 60's.
I caught them on spinner baits, Buzz baits and prowler soft
shad. Most of them came off new grass growth and rock. Fairly
shallow, but close to deep water. Friday was a different story.
My buddy Dan and I had a pretty good day. We fished mid-lake to
the lower end. The main lake is in the 60's and the creeks are
in the low 70's. Most of our fish came on plastics. Watermelon
colored baby brush hogs caught most of the fish. A jig and craw
combo and crank bait got the biggest fish. We found most of the
fish around chunk rock points. It took a slow presentation, but
they were there. We had plenty of keepers and numerous short
fish. 2 of the better fish were over 21 and 3/4 inches long. Too
bad they were spawned out. For Saturday's tourney I didn't fair
too well. I had a 3.72 early then had some technical
difficulties. I managed to stay around fish all day. We caught
so many small fish. Every time I would hook a good fish it
popped off at the boat. So, I think I have figured out the
problem the other day. If your interested in a trip I have some
open dates available. I think I can put you on fish right now,
we just have to get them in the boat. Looking forward to serving
you this season, Matt
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Collins Muskie Action
I fished with Gary
Pazdzior from Atlanta on April 30th on the Collins river hoping to
get into some post spawn Muskies. This was one of those days
Muskies fishermen dream of as we found active fish between 9:30
a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (which both of us missed our chances) and again
between 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. The river had good color which made
our glide baits very affective when worked fast accross logs and
blow-downs. Gary's second fish of the day "crushed" his glider
and after a good fight, we had a 30 pound Muskie in the net! A
few short minutes later I had a good' un and then it was Gary's
turn again. I put my pole down and let Gary enjoy one of the best
feeding frenzies I've seen in a long time. All in all, we boated
six fish and missed hook-ups on at least five more, with follows I
lost count of. The Muskies are off bed and if you stay with it,
there will be times during the day to catch big fish as these pics
indicate. Great job Gary and I look forward to fishing with you
again in May. Now's the time for you to catch a Muskie to
remember, give Rick a call. Dwayne Hickey
Old Hickory
5-2-08
I managed to get
on the lake today for 3 hours before the storm moved in. It was a
pretty tough bite. The fish wanted a moving bait. I caught some on
cranks and a prowler soft shad. I did not have any good picture fish
just some of the old hickory specials, 14 inch cookie cutters. My
best fish broke off my $20 bait. So if your lucky someone will get a
good crank. The small fish are getting aggressive so beware, you may
have to cull through them to get a limit. The secondary points in
the creeks held my fish today. Also, just subtle depth changes. Good
luck, Thanks, Matt www.tennesseebassguides.com
ALL PRO ROD COMPANY
GREAT FALLS MUSKIE TOURNAMENT
June 14,2008 from 6:00am until
4:00pm. $20.00 per person plus $5.00 big fish pot. 1st place 60%
payout plus an All Pro APX Rod ($280.00 value) 2nd Place 40% payout
plus a $25.00 Mapco Gas Card..3rd Place Interstate Deep Cycle
Battery. All Pro also is putting in $50.00 for big fish pot. Door
prizes given away at the end of the tournament. Sponsors. All
Pro Rods...Tennessee Bass Guides...Drifter Tackle...Interstate
Batteries...Mapco...Doug Markham Out Doors. For additional
Information call 931-273-7937 or 706-483-4224.
Pickwick 4-7-2008
All Pro Rods VP Billy Campbell took a day off to
fish Pickwick and did he ever score. Billy being a man of few
words didn't give me much information other than it was a great
lipless crankbait bite. Nice!!!!!!!!! Fish Billy.
Old Hickory 4-8-2008
Today I
fished with a super nice client that will go un named. We st arted
out looking for staging fish in suspected areas. It was not long
before we had a keeper. This was fairly easy
to duplicate through most of the day. Points coming
off channel swings held most of the fish.
Some did come in shallow cuts or backwaters. Water temperatures
varied from 65degrees in mid-lake creeks to 55degrees toward the
lower end. We managed to catch them on crank baits, spinner baits
and plastic. It was really an awesome day.
Our best 5 weighed 14.25 lbs and if we would not have lost a few
we would have had about 17lbs. The fish this season are very
healthy overall. They are just stuffed full of bait. Here are some
pictures of the fish caught. If your out there watch for floating
debris. The lake is at summer pool, but who knows what the rains
this week will bring. Thanks for spending a great day on the lake
with me stranger and good fishing to all. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Muskie Action
I
fished with Jason Barry and Paul Dudley March 14th on the Collins
with water conditions just about right. We started off slow but
soon were getting fish follows, with Paul missing a small Muskie
on a Bionic Bucktail. It seemed like all the fish wanted was to
follow our lures as we had a total of nine follows for the day,
but late in the afternoon the fish "turned on" as Jason had a good
solid strike. That fish managed to shake loose but the next one
was hooked solid and after a good fight, the fat Muskie was in the
net. One nice fish landed, a 40.5 incher that weighed in at 20
pounds. Good fishing with you guys, and thanks for showing
patience as it payed off. Look forward to fishing with you again
soon. The female Muskies are at there fattest now just before
spawn. There's still time for some heavy fish to be caught!
Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory
3-14-08
 Today I had the
pleasure of fishing with Mark Thompson from Laverne. We headed out
at sun up to a warm rainy morning. We started fishing around the
steam plant to take in some warm water. It’s in the 60’s right
now. We caught a few short fish and left. We started our way
toward the lower end to see what the creeks and cuts had to offer.
The water temperature on the river was 49 degrees. Some of the
creeks varied from 50 – 54 degrees. The fish in the picture was the
best one we caught today. We had another one measure and one we
should have put on the board. Other than that we caught a bunch of
short fish. The crankbait bite was off today. If I had to go
tomorrow I would throw a jig and pig and plastic. Slow and steady.
There may be a few big females up now, but wait til the water warms
another week. Mark, I had a great time today thanks. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old Hickory
3-7-08
 I
made it to the lake today before the snow started flying. I just
wanted to get out and check the water temp and a few places on the
lake. It was 41 degrees launching the boat and dropped to 35, by the
time I came home. The main channel held 48 degrees. The steam plant
area was in the low 60’s. If we could get some consistent warm
weather these fish would move up. The fish are ready, but the global
warming trend has not started here yet. Either way, Spring is coming
and there will be some good ones to catch this season. In the mean
time watch your water temperature, once we get some consistent mid
50 degree water these fish will go crazy. Here are a few pictures
of what Marty and I caught today. I just wanted to slip in this
picture from Percy Priest last week. The water temperature there has
been between the low 40’s and mid 50’s. The fish have moved pretty
shallow although the cold weather keeps many more from committing to
shallow. Once this weather gets straight you will see many more
good fish like this one, getting caught. This is my buddy James in
the picture with the best fish of the day. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Muskie Action Collins River
I had a recent trip in late
February with Mr. Will Hardy from Minnesota. Will Has 2000
Muskies caught during his lifetime and it was a good trip and a
learning experience for me as well. We caught 4 Muskies on this
trip, the largest at 42 inches. Too bad the cameraman (me) forgot
to take the cap of the camera on the big fish, so there is no
picture. Will and I do have a great picture in our head of that
big fish hitting at the boat on a figure "8" and the fight that
followed. Great fishing with you Will and hope you catch many more
fish this year. The Muskies are going shallow now and will be
looking for spawning areas soon. But there's a "bite" before the
spawn, and heavy fish! Thanks, Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Dale Hollow 2-28-29 &3-1-2008
 On Thursday and
part of Friday morning I had the pleasure of fishing with Joe
Crosby of Swarming Hornet Lures. Joe was trying to see if the
smallmouth would hit the fish head spin in the cold water. The
water was to cold for this lure to work at this time, but you can
bet it is going to be a killer as the water warms and they move
up. We went to the yellow jig and ended up with twelve good fish.
On Saturday I fished again with Jason and his friend Kyle. The
fish were real finicky. The fish did not hit and they did not
move the line at all. When you went to pick up your tip it felt
like you had a blade of grass and you had better the hook. We
had a total of 10 with none being under four pounds. They were
beautiful fish. We would have had eleven if Jason had not lost
the 71/2 pound Smallmouth. David DuVall
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Old Hickory
Lake 2-13-2008
Today I had the
pleasure of fishing with Dave and Don Herber of Oregon. That’s right
today! It was 24degrees when I put the boat in the water. As we
launched on our journey the snow started to fly and continued most
of the day. Other than a few short visits from the sun it was pretty
chilly. Who says the fish don’t bite in that kind of weather. It
started out a little slow, but got better. The first fish of the day
was a drum. Then, the nice stripe in the picture. Throughout the
day we caught white bass and largemouth. Jigs and crank baits
fished slowly did the trick. Let me say that a good rod helps on a
soft bite. I have been using the AllPro APX series rods
www.allprorods.com for
awhile now and they are amazing. You want sensitive, they got it.
Light in the hand, that too. These rods are top notch. We had five
keepers that weighed in the 10lb. range. Don’t let the snow and cold
discourage your fishing fix. These are just some of the fish waiting
to be caught on Old Hickory. Dave and Don, thanks for a great day
on the water. Hope to see you again. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Old
Hickory 2-2-2008
Today I had the pleasure
of fishing with Todd Dowling and Ed Campbell. They were in town for a
convention and just wanted to catch some fish. Since
they only had 4 hours to fish and the main lake was 41 degrees, I opted to
take them to the steam plant area. The mid 50 degree water was full of fish
beginning to be caught. We threw crank baits most of the time and did pretty
well. We managed to catch over 50 fish. Everything from skipjack to bass,
some nice stripe and one good walleye. Fishing points, bluffs and channel
swung banks has been some slow going. The fish are there it just takes time. I
think we made the best of our 4 hours. I had a great time guys. I look forward
to getting back out in the spring when your in town. Thanks, Matt
  
Muskie Action, Collins River
This was an exciting week as I chased Muskies with Adam
Glickman (Muskie Hunter Magazine) and his girlfriend Nicole, both from
Northern Minnesota. Both took the long drive to the Volunteer State to
chase some Tennessee tootie critters. The season up north closes the last
of November and Adam needed to "scratch the itch" and escape frigid temps.
We fished the 21st, 22nd, and the 23rd and let me tell you that it was
Cold! Water temps never reached above 38 degrees, but the Muskies didn't
seem to mind as Adam caught and released a total of 13 solid fish. The
largest were two that went 40 inches, and the rest from 32 to 39 inches.
Four fish were taken on glide baits, three on suckers, and 6 nice fish taken
on the Rapala X-Rap. The X-Rap was an excellent lure to "throw back" when
Mr. Muskie would blow up on the glider. Time after time, the fish would
"inhale" the X-Rap on the next cast. The Muskie action will continue
through the winter months, and although we did not raise any big fish this
trip, winter is THE time to catch the fish of a lifetime. Adam and Nicloe,
I had a great time fishing with you guys and hope the film footage turns out
to be good for your new website. Pictured are 3 of the 13 fish taken.
Dress warm, and let's chase some Muskies!!! Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebassguides.com
   
Tim's Ford 1-11-2008
First let me say I
apologize for the wrong date on the pictures-I'm not
sure why the old digital jumped backwards. All
pictures were shot today. I fished Tim's Ford today
with Mr. John Elliott from McMinnville Tennessee.
This is the second time that John and I have fished
together and we have another trip scheduled for
February. With the holidays, a bout with the flu
and having my boat wrapped out of the way, it was
great to be back on the water. We struggled early
until we figured out a slow but decent pattern. We
managed 4 Smallmouth and 3 Largemouth for the day on
crank baits. The fish were in the 8 to 10 foot range
and would attack the bait. Everyone has their own
comfort zone when it comes to line size when
throwing crank baits and mine is always 6lb test P-Pline
www.pline.com
with baits that will run as deep as the Rapala DT14.
www.rapala.com
I will occasionally opt for 4 lb test when throwing
a #5 Rapala Shad Rap and 10lb test when using baits
that run deeper than 14 feet. Rod of choice is
either a All Pro APX 7' Med Tennessee Handle
spinning rod or a 7'6" AllPro Atlantis Med Light
www.allprorods.com on the real small baits. The
smaller diameter line give these baits a greater
freedom and the sensitivity of the rods are
unbelievable. More to come next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
     
Dale Hollow 1-3-2008 &
1-4-2008
TGBI Guides Billy Campbell and
David DuVall braved the 9 degree start time
temperatures on the Hollow this past week to put
more than 30 brown fish in the boat. With the
deep cold weather we lad last week the water
temps are running 46 to 47 degrees. Best bait by
far was the yellow jig with a few being caught
on a float n fly. Billy and David both were
throwing the jig on 6lb test line and on a All
Pro 7'6" Altantis Med/Light spinning rod. The
extra lenght of the rods make a big difference
in getting a good hook set when fish are deep
plus it gives you an extra advantage when you
get a good fish to the boat. Great fish
guys....For Billy and David....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
12-29-07 MUSKIE ACTION
 
Today
was a good day to stay home, nice and warm and
just watch
it rain, but I decided to step out of the
comfort zone and go Muskie fishing with Hugh
Cutrell and Tom Kelly on the Collins. We
stopped by a local creek and caught a couple
decent creek minnows and hit the water around
8:00 a.m. with on and off rain showers all day.
The only action recently has been on minnows or
jig-minnow combinations and today was no
different with low clear water. We spotted fish
all day (when it wasn't raining) and was able to
catch and release this 33 and 42 incher and also
missed two fish. Muskies are still not wanting
to charge anything yet, but will take a
jig-minnow(or soft plastic) combo. worked VERY
slowly! Hey, I'll take em' any way I can get
em'! Some "hot" winter action is coming soon,
and I've got my eye on a big girl (over
50inches) if Tom or Hugh don't get her first!
Tight Lines, Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebasguides.com
 
   
Dale hollow
December 24 & 25-2007
TBGI Guide and All Pro Rods Vice President Billy
Campbell sent me a slew of great pictures of
Smallmouth that was caught using a Float N Fly on
Dale Hollow this past week. Billy-Jason (Billy's
Son) and Gary Gibbs have a long standing tradition
of fishing the Hollow on Christmas Day and each year
Santa seems to be good to them. There are several
ways to fish the FNF "But" it's much easier when you
are using the right equipment including a high
quality rod made for specifically for that
technique. check them out at
www.allprorods.com Great fish guy's.......For
Billy Campbell....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
   
Percy Priest
12-20-2007
I
met Pastor Ron Kairdolf at fate Sanders Marina at
6:45am this morning. We went to our first stop and
Ron caught one in either the first or second cast.
Next stop much the same thing. We moved down lake
near Pool Knob where we caught another 5
Largemouth. The rain kicked in about that time so
we hit a couple more spots on our way back toward
the marina and caught 4 more Largemouth. All off out
fish were caught on a Rapala #5 Shad Rap Crawfish
color.
www.rapalalures.com With light line and the
All Pro APX Rods we had a great time.
www.allprorods.com Pastor Ron has been fishing
with Rick and I on and off all year and we have more
trips planned on both Priest and Tim's. 11 Total
Largemouth for the day plus just a great time with a
great guy. I'm going to take some time off to visit
family for Christmas but I'll be back on the water
as soon as I get back and will keep you posted.
Merry Christmas and I hope you will have a great new
year in 2008. Terry Hicks
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Collins River 12-19-2007
After a long layoff (due to
starting my own business) it was back on the
Muskie Hunt with Brad Welch from Nashville.
Brad's an avid fisherman and wanted to try his
hand at Fly fishing for toothie critters and I
was all for it. I brought along some
big minnows as a backup, knowing with clear, low
water the Muskies would be hard to fool. We hit
the water around 8:00 and fished hard till dark
and early on Brad did fool a 32 inch fish and
the fight was on. Folks, fly fishing for
Muskies is a blast. He almost tricked a 40
incher into taking his fly. It was a great day
on the Collins although we could only get
follows on our crank baits, (super shad raps,
stalkers) we were able to catch and release
(unharmed) six Muskies, all on live minnows.
Pictured is Brad's fly rod catch, a nice 40
incher, and this REAL NICE 47.5 inch bruiser!
I had a great time fishing with Brad and look
forward to another trip in the near future. I
have more open dates now that I have opened my
own business. The Muskies are out there waiting
on you!!! Have a safe and wonderful Holiday
season, God bless, Dwayne Hickey
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford
12-17-2007
I f ished
Tim's Ford this morning with Pastor Ron Kairdolf
from Murfreesboro. We put in at 8:00am and fished
the upper end of Tim's and never ran much more than
a mile or so either way from the ramp. Air
temperature was 29 degrees when we put the boat in
the water and the water temp was 51.7. We had a
little color and the fish that we caught were
holding in the 8 to 10 foot range. We threw a
variety of baits but everything we caught was on a
crank bait in including a Rapala #5
 Shad
rap.
www.rapalalures.com It's hard to beat that
little bait and especially when the fish are shallow
and finicky like they have been. I like to throw
these baits on a AllPro Atlantis 7'6" Medium Light
Spinning Rod
www.allprorods.com and either 6lb or 4lb PLine.
www.pline.com The
small diameter of the line and the sensitivity of
the rods are fantastic. Ron is holding the largest
of the 6 total that we caught in the 5 1/2 hours
that we fished. I plan on fishing one more time this
week and then will take the week between Christmas
and New Years off to visit relatives. Take a look at
these 2 huge Crappie that good friend Roy Armisteads
caught on Dale Hollow on the 14th. Roy has been
catching several like these plus numerous Smallmouth
almost every trip. I hope to be able to fish with
Roy after the first of the year. I appreciate
everyone that had visited the site this year and
wish you and your families a blessed and safe
holiday season. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory
12-14-2007
This will probably be my last post for this year. I
will be gone over the holidays, but I wish you all
the best. Friday Marty and I braved the 40 degree
weather on Old Hickory. Water temp was 53.3 degrees.
We fished some of the bluffs on the main river
channel and missed several fish. We made our way to
the steam plan area and found 68 degree water. This
is certainly the place to go when the water chills.
We managed to catch a little bit of everything.
Bass-Stripe-Drum and even Shad. All were a tug on
the line and that was about it. Speaking of tug. Let
me tell you about my new All Pro APX Rods.
www.allprorods.com These rods are phenomenal you
can feel everything. Try them you will love them.
Not to late to drop a hint to your spouse for
Christmas. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Dale Hollow
12-14-2007
I
had an invitation to go to Dale Hollow yesterday and
fish with Mr. Ken Jenkins and I gladly obliged. Ken
was there practicing for a Smallmouth tournament
that he is fishing today and tomorrow and it was
nice to sit in the back of the boat for a change and
let someone else worry about finding fish. The two
fish above was our largest and over all things was
slow for us. We talked to several other boats and
got the same story from them as well. Just one
observation on my part. We only tried artificial
bait because of the tournament rules that Ken will
be fishing under. Some of the best strings of
Smallmouth (That I Know Of) that have been caught on
the Hollow this winter so far has either been
fishing big tuffy's on a minnow/jig combo or big
shiner or creek minnows fished on a hook and split
shot rig. Sometimes live bait "WILL" make a big
difference and I believe it would have yesterday.
Ken marked several good schools of fish that just
wouldn't hit anything we offered-But I do believe
they would have gladly ran off with a 4 inch creek
minnow dropped in the laps. Worth a try if your
headed that way. Ken as always I had a great time
fishing with you and look forward to our Tim's trip
in a couple weeks. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
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Percy Priest
12-12-2007
Met Mr. Charles
Teasley at Fate Sanders Marina at 6:45 AM, went to
our first spot. We caught four fish in four casts.
The largest being three pounds. I should say Charles
caught four fish!! Charles likes using his new
AllPro APX spinning rods
www.allprorods.com and the silver black back
Rapala crank bait I had given him. I thought man we
are in for one of those days!! But it two more spots
and three hours before we caught our next group of
fish. We caught six more bass in eight or nine casts
using the same No. 5 Rapala Shad Rap in shad color.
www.rapalalures.com Charles works the night
shift so we called it a day at 11:00 am. Thanks
Charles we will do it again soon!! It felt good
getting back on the water. Since Doc got my knees
back in working order!! Keep your line tight Terry
Hicks
www.tennesseebassguides.com
   
Combo Report
Dale Hollow 12-7-8-9-2007
 T his
is a combo report that covers Friday and Saturdaya
and Sunday of this past week. Top pictures and
Report from TBGI Guide Jon Simmons: What a great
time was had by all on a weekend trip to Dale
Hollow. Brian
Durdin, Lee Pearsall and TBGI Jon Simmons had a
wonderful trip to the Hollow this past weekend.
These are some of the best of the fish that we
caught on a two day outing to Dale Hollow. All fish
were caught from 10-40 feet on a mixture of jigs and
live creek minnows. Fish Saturday were shallow and
very
 reluctant
to bite. Sunday the fish were deeper but seemed more
in the mood to take our offerings. We had a great
weekend, most fish came from main lake points and
cuts. What a great fishery!!! We will all be back
soon. Fish ranged from 2 pounds up to the beautiful
4lb. 15 oz beauty in the bottom picture. God Bless
hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Jon Simmons
www.tennesseebassguides.com. Report From 2 good
friends Roy Armisteads and Jerry Williams..The 3
pictures in the body of this post was caught on
Friday. Everything we caught was on a small hair fly
on 4 lb and 6 lb test. Most of our fish were dee.
Along with several Smallmouth we had 14 big crappie
that weighed up to 2 1/2lbs each.....Great day and a
ton of fun. Jerry Williams AllPro Rod Company
www.allprorods.com
Tim's Ford
12-7-2007
 Not
much new to tell about Tim's. It was another tough
day with one keeper that we caught on a Rapala DT
10. Water temperatures remain in the 53 to 53.8
range just about every where we were today. We have
a good wind-clouds-everything you want except
willing smallmouth. I know I keep saying this but
it's true. IT WILL GET BETTER! Yesterday I took
time to look back over my records and pictures from
last year and we had a real strong last of December
and it stayed good all the way through until early
summer. I'm sure it will be the same scenario this
year. The lake has yet to turn over and that surely
will be happening soon with the water temps falling
the way that they have. All ramps that I have used
in the past month or more are still in good
shape-State Park-Holiday-Turkey Creek and Devils
Step. The Bass Club ramp is ify.......might rethink
putting in there. The gentleman with me is Mr. Roger
Barnes, he loves to go even when things are as slow
as they have been......I'll do a make up trip for
him in a couple weeks.......I know there's not much
good news at this point but there will be. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford
12-4-2007
Tim's Ford remains tough to say the least. I fished
the upper end of the lake today by myself and
struggled all day-no keepers. Water temperature was
53-54 degrees with some color. I threw everything
except my cell phone and maybe I should have tried
that.....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory
11-29-07
Today I got on
the lake for 5 hours. I was curious what the water
temp would be and the mood of the fish. I fished a
mile on either side of the steam plant and found
temps from 56.5 to 65.5. I was pretty surprised and
expected active fish. Water was fairly clear and the
bite was ok. I managed to catch a stripe and spot on
a rapala dt7. The rest of the day I fished a shaky
head worm around bluff walls and boated 4 more
spots. Managing to catch 5 keepers is always a goal
even if they didn’t weigh much. I think if I had
more time the fish were warming up. This next cold
spell should bring the temp down a little more. Most
of the fish came in 60 degree water, I look for the
bite to stay steady. There are a lot of people
enjoying the warm late fall days and the fish are
there to be caught. Give us a call if you would like
to catch some fish or book for the spring. Thanks
Matt Carbill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Tim's Ford
11-26-2007
Well the 3 week break is over and I'm back at it on
Tim's Ford. I fished with Mr. Roger Barnes today and
had a so so day. We decided just to fish crank baits
only and cover as much territory as possible. We
caught several on a DT10 with 3 of our better fish
pictured above. Water temperature was 56.7 when we
put in and stayed just about right there all day. We
have to be ever so close to things breaking
loose.....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
JUST TAKING A
BREAK
 I
have had several e-mails asking me if we have
stopped fishing....NO.... I just decided to take a
little break since Tim's Ford has been so extremely
tough for the past 3 weeks. I'm not going to take
clients just to take them, so I have rescheduled
several trips and a video with the Rapala people for
December and January and will be back on Tim's this
coming week......Just seemed like a good time to
catch up on last minute late fall house projects,
spend more time with my family and save that $3.00
per gallon gasoline. David Duvall has been catching
some fish on Dale Hollow and will be sending me his
pictures and reports Monday or Tuesday. The rest of
the guys will be sending reports and pictures is as
well.. I appreciate the e-mails and we are going to
have a great winter.....Rick McFerrin Owner
Tennessee Bass Guides LLC. P.S. Hope you enjoy the
picture of the Nov 8-2007 Tim's Sun Rise. Fantastic.
  
Old Hickory
11-09-2007
Today I fished with Brent Shelton and his daughter
Missy. Other than slow fishing, we had a great
day. The water temp was 57.4 in the morning and
came up to 59.8 at days end. I expected it to be
pretty slow early so we fished finesse worms,
landing a few small fish. It was tough all day and
the bass did not start rounding up the bait until
late. I had a spot that got hot late in the day. We
were able to finally land some keepers. In all we
only caught about 10 bass, 5 lbs. of keepers. We
did catch one big stripe and had a great time. I
look forward to fishing with Brent again in the
spring. Good luck on your next trips coming up
Brent. Thanks for a good day on the water. I have
more open dates right now, and the bass are on the
bait. It is a good time to catch some good keepers
if the weather will cooperate. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
   
Tim's Ford
11-07-2007 & 11-08-2007
This is a 2 day report for Tim's Ford. Water
temperature continue to drop into the low 60's and
water levels are dropping slowly as well. At least
at this point you won't have any problems with ramps
from Devils Step back toward the main portion of the
lake. As you well no if you live here in Tennessee,
we just went through the deepest cold front of the
year this week. Low temperatures for the past 2 day
was in the mid 20's and high in the 50',s Wednesday
David DuVall and I had a 2 boat corporate trip with
Pro Marketing from Spartanburg SC. It was 24
degrees when we put in and we battled a high
pressure system all day long. Between the 2 boats we
managed 15 total Smallmouth, Largemouth, Spots and
Hybrid. All fish were caught on live tuffy's and a
white hair fly. The top 2 pictures 2 the right was
from today. I fished with Mr. Ken Jenkins and the
day was just as tough as it was yesterday although
we did manage a couple good fish. These were caught
on soft plastic jerk baits. It will get better,
there are multiple signs pointing in the right
direction. To book your late fall, winter trips just
give me a call at 615-308-9936 or e-mail me at
rickm@dtccom.net
Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory
11-02-07
 Today
I got on the water and fished for about five hours.
I took Marty Blakely along for the day. We found
water temps to be around 62 and clarity slightly
stained. Since the water had cooled 10 degrees from
last week, I did not know what to expect. We
immediately started catching fish on docks with
6-8ft of water under them. Using a finesse worm
slowly, the fish would pickup and slowly swim off.
As the sun warmed the backwaters I could see bait
everywhere. Upon investigation we started catching
fish on random casts with different baits. The bass
were running the bait like cattle. Looking for some
bigger fish we flipped docks and wood close to
channel swings. It paid off. For the day we had
our limit weighing about 10#s. No big fish but not
bad for right now. The jig and shaky head worm bite
is good. The fishing is pretty good. I look for
some bigger fish to show up soon. If you would like
a trip give us a call. Thanks Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Tim's Ford 11-2-2007
This has been one of
the tougher and more frustrating weeks that I have
ever had on Tim's. The bite has been slow to say
the least. I fished today with Mr. George Schwab who
won a consumer contest that was sponsored by
Anheuser Busch. Much like earlier trips this week we
had some early top water action on a Prowler Soft
Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and then it was hunt and
peck. "BUT" Near the end of the trip either the fish
turned on a little or I had finally figured
something out. We had 4 of our fish in a 45 minute
period on a DT14 Craw colored crank bait
www.rapalalures.com No big fish today but
welcomed ones taking everything into consideration.
George has played in several movies and video's
through the years including The Green Mile with Tom
Hanks and was a pleasure to fish with all day long.
George and Mrs. Schwab will be fishing with me again
in April of 08 and I look forward to that trip.
Water temperature was 66 degrees at daylight and
never warmed much through out the day. Action will
heat up soon on Tim's and I have some scattered
dates open. We also have our new
CHRISTMAS GIFT CERTIFICATES
available. Give us a call at 615-308-9936
or e-mail at
rickm@dtccom.net Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Tim's Ford 10-30-2007
I'm not sure how many
ways you can "TOUGH" but I think today qualified for
all of them. I fished Tim's today with Mr. Danny
Clem from Murfreesboro. We started out with 38
degree air temperature and thick fog that kept us
from leaving the ramp until almost 7:30am.
Truthfully when the fog lifted we had crystal blue
bird sky's and nowind and we struggled all day.
Early we had 8 or 10 Spots flash at a Prowler Soft
Shad
www.prowlerlures.com but just wouldn't grab
them. We did finally catch some Spots and Smallmouth
on the Soft Shad and Crankbait. We also caught one
on a Jig and Prowler Chunk. I will up date you on my
trips the rest of the week. Danny is coming back in
January to do some "Live Bait" Smallmouth fishing
with me and I will look forward to that. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Tim's Ford 10-26-2007
It was fantastic to
get back on the water today after the crazy week
that I have had. The last time I did the Doug's Show
with him, we gave away a trip which Mr. Clay Styles
won. Water is in great shape and the temp has
dropped to 68 degrees. We were a little short on
numbers (9 total) but long on quality today. The
Largemouth top left weighed 4lbs 1oz. The center
fish 3lbs and the Largemouth top right 5lbs 10oz.
All were caught on windy banks with a crank bait.
Clay, Doug and I had a great time....More to come
next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Tim's Ford 10-20-2007
Sorry for this late
report. My computer crashed last Saturday 10-20-2007
the day I fished with Mr. Jay Szarek and his father.
We caught and released several Smallmouth and
Largemouth early in the day on Crank Baits-Spinner
Baits and Jig/Chunk combos. Most of our fish would
nail the bait and you sure didn't have to wonder if
you have a hit. Like I said I'm sorry for the late
report I just got my new computer back late
yesterday (Thursday) plus Daniel my youngest son is
on break and he has had mid day basketball practice
every day this week which kept us from going to the
lake. I will have more and better info on Tim's
this next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
 
Old Hickory Lake Oct. 17 and
19
I was able to
get out a couple days this week and see what the
fish are doing. Water temp is 71.5 . Tuesday I
fished for 3 hours and caught a dozen or so.
The biggest 2 came off, of course. Both were
keepers, the rest of the fish were a little
short. I found them relating close to shallow
water but at the drop off. The bite was strong
and I think with more time, could be real good.
Cory Sutton, a friend of mine joined me on
Friday. After the storms past last night the
bite got a little slow. The fish were not quite
as aggressive as Tues.. But they were relating
to the same flats, breaks and structure. We
managed to catch about twenty with some mixed
keepers. Cory caught the biggest in the pics.
I'll say there are bait fish everywhere. This
can be tough but don't get discouraged. Crank
baits have been good, plus they help cover
water. Jigs have been great for me. Just be
through when flipping cover. Also, don't rule
out the shaky head. Take your time be patient
and cover water. As the water cools things
should get better. Matt Crabill
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Tim's Ford 10-18-2007
This was my second
trip this week with Mr. Roger Barnes and it was much
tougher than it was on Tuesday. Right at daylight
Roger caught a Smallmouth and then we went almost 4
hours or more before we had another hit. I finally
found an area holding fish on a short stretch of
channel bank and we caught another 11 from it and
lost 2 nice Smallmouth that came off at the boat.
All our fish were caught on either a spinner bait or
a DT 10 in a Parrott color. I'll be back on Tim's
this Saturday with another client and will update
you then. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
     
Tim's Ford 10-16-2007
I fished with Mr.
Roger Barnes again today on Tim's Ford. As I
explained in past posts, Roger moved here from
Florida a couple years ago. Roger was a full time
captain and salt water guide in Florida but had very
little experience fishing deep fresh water lakes
like Tim's. We hooked up a year or more ago and have
fished together multiple times since. Roger is a
good fisherman and a great person. We have another
trip booked on Tim's for later this week...(He like
those All Pro APX Rods) as well as 2 or 3 more for
this winter. 16 total today all released unharmed.
Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
  
Michael's First Fishing Trip
Percy Priest 10-15-2007
I had a absolute
great time with the father and son team of Gary and
Michael Hackle today on Priest. We received a call
from Gary explaining that he wanted to take his son
on a fishing trip, but neither of them had ever
fished before. As Gary said, we don't have any gear
and we need someone to teach us the basic's. With
that in mind we met at Priest today and started out
by explaining what we were going to do and what
tackle we were going to use. It wasn't long before
Michael was making great casts and pulling those
Bluegill in. Gary and Michael caught 20 or more
today and for Michael's first trip he looked like a
pro. Gary you have a very polite and courteous son-I
really enjoyed my time with you both. Terry Hicks
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Editors Note: Here at
Tennessee Bass Guides we pride ourselves in being
able to meet your individual fishing needs. From
those that have never even held a rod in their hands
to those that are pre-fishing for tournaments and
everything in between. Single boats to large
corporate events-artificial to live bait. Give us a
call and let us help you plan your next (OR) first
fishing trip. Rick McFerrin Owner Tennessee Bass
Guides LLC. 615-765-7303
 
Tim's Ford 10-13-2007
 Back
to clear sky's and no wind today but the water
temperature has dropped another full degree on Tim's
in two days to 73.3. It didn't take Mr. Steve
Maxwell and I to put our first Smallmouth in the
boat and then number two then a Largemouth then a
good fish lost and then by 9:30am it slowed way down
and we picked up a fish here and there. Prowler
Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com Crank Baits and Secret
Weapon Spinner Baits
www.secretweaponlures.com was the lures of
choice for us today. Truthfully I lost count on the
total numbers (Senior Moment)-but I will tell you
that they are still banging the crank bait when you
get bit....Steve I'll call you to set our return
trip soon. Thanks for a good day on the water. Jon
Simmons sent me the picture bottom left of a great
Largemouth that was caught with him Saturday as
well. Jon fished with Gary and Steve Hinkle and
experienced a good jig and chunk bite. Nice fish
guy's. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
   
  
Tim's Ford 10-10-11-2007
What a difference a
day makes. Yesterday 10-10-2007 I fished with Mr.
Jack Speak and his grandson. We struggled from the
beginning. It was the first day after a major front
blew through and we were faced with mile high
sky's-high barometric pressure and little to no
activity at all. We did manage the 7lb 4oz Flat Head
Cat in the picture above along with 10-12 smaller
Smallmouth and Spots. Just a tuff day. But today I
fished with Mr. Warren Smith and had a fantastic
day. The air temp was 49 degrees when we got to the
lake and the water temp was 74.6 degrees. The wind
blew 15-20 at times and we stayed on the windy banks
all day. Warren and I caught and released 25 total
today. 20 Smallmouth and 5 Largemouth. We had
several fish back to back and they would slam a
crank bait and a spinner bait. I also stuck
something "big" that we never saw but it's swimming
around with a spinner bait that belongs to me.
Warren I'm looking forward to our next trip with you
and Connor in the next couple weeks. By the way I
see I set the date one day off on my camera----I'm
digitally challenged Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
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