Photo by Ron Sinfelt

The largemouth bass spawn can come late or it can come early, but come what may, you'll want to be on Old Hickory Lake. The best news as far as timing goes is that the majority of the best pre-spawn fishing action on this nationally recognized lake occurs in May. That means you still have time to take advantage of some fast bass action by getting on the water.

This lake's largemouth reputation is so good there's no secret about it. Forget the word overlooked or this just being a local favorite. Despite the pressure, the opportunities to catch big largemouths are real. And the full reality is May is the merriest month to be on its waters.

BIOLOGICALLY SOUND
Todd St. John is the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Region II reservoir biologist, and you could say this lake is his playground when it comes to knowing largemouth bass. The factors that keep Old Hickory consistently among the top largemouth destinations in the state are simple, according to St. John.

"Ultimately, the success of any fishery is determined by the frequency in which strong year-classes are produced," he explained. "Recruitment patterns in most Tennessee reservoirs are inconsistent and have been correlated to unstable environmental variables."

In recent years, however, Old Hickory's largemouth bass population has consistently produced strong year-classes, providing a high abundance of fish. St. John said for example, four consecutive strong year-classes occurred from 1999-2002. These strong spawns are currently providing an excellent fishery in terms of catch rate and size structure. That doesn't mean the lake doesn't experience what St. John calls "boom-and-bust" cycles. As recently as the late 1990s, bass fishing was below average here. For now, however, and for the next few years at least, there are high numbers of bass in the lake.

There's no doubt Old Hickory Lake is a top largemouth destination, as it had the highest number of targeted largemouth bass trips among Tennessee reservoirs in 2003 and is frequented by many major bass tournaments.

Good year-classes may be the key to the lake's current success, but a strong forage base also plays a major role. St. John said gizzard shad are abundant and the primary food source for bass. The TWRA has noticed recent declines in threadfin shad abundance, which is cyclic. However, the largemouths in the reservoir have remained in good condition, suggesting they're finding adequate forage.

When asked if the future is still bright for Old Hickory largemouth anglers, St. John answered with a resounding, "Yes! This reservoir has a long-term history of providing an excellent largemouth bass fishery, which is a good indicator for future success."

But the experienced biologist is quick to add that the great fishery anglers have experienced in recent years will not continue forever. Unfortunately, all fisheries cycle with periods producing lower angler catch rates due to weaker year-classes.

For example, 2003 and 2004 were wetter years (more rainfall) compared to the previous four. More rain resulted in more turbid or muddier water conditions and milfoil was much less abundant due to less sunlight penetrating the water column. St. John indicated TWRA personnel have documented weaker largemouth year-classes during these recent years.

The bass population will slightly decline and angler catch rate will be affected as well when bass from these relatively weak spawning years mature. But the strong 1999-2002 year-classes will continue to provide a good fishery. St. John also credited the 14-inch minimum length limit as conserving fish and dampening the effect of weaker year-classes.