Spring Stripers on Old Hickory

Stripers are growing in Popularity on Old Hickory... The Giant Striper waters continues to expand !!Old Hickory requires heavy tackle, especially when fishing near shoreline structure of wood and rock ... We are talking River here.... Heavy structure and cover !! I recommend a Minimum of a 7 foot med/heavy to 8.5 foot downrigger rod when using planer boards for proper rod control....Reels, use bait caster's with Berkley "Big Game" 40 to 50 pound test line.

The Magnet here is the Gallatin Steam Plant in November. It raises the Mean Temperature of the river from 8 to 12 degrees for about a 2 mile flume down stream..... What happens here is a bait drawing reaction which in turns brings in the big boys!! After the first of April, the stripers move upstream from the warm waters of the steam plant to cooler waters of the discharge of Cordell Hull and the Caney Fork River. You want to concentrate on the edges of shallow bars and steep banks, where stripers hold, waiting to attack schools of shad. Heads of Island in this 60 mile stretch is a good pattern. During the periods of generation from the upstream dams, you will find the stripers near the surface and near the shallow water, especially during low light of the morning and evening.

Remember the use of heavy tackle is very important here because you are dealing with submerged structure....You need to use heavy tackle in these areas.... You have to be able to control 40 to 50 pound fish out of submerged trees and rock, get them to the boat, and hopefully be able to revive them to return to the river with vibrant life.

TK Walker
Fishing Tennesse, Inc.