Another reason that Lawrence likes March on the Cheatham tailrace is consistent action from other species than largemouth and smallmouth bass. He said, "There is a great white bass fishery here, so while you're hoping that a nice largemouth takes the bait, the whites can keep you from getting bored and lazy. There's also a good chance that a striper will take a whack at that grub you're fishing and that can really add some excitement to your day. Cheatham has a super-good striper population and I sometimes get distracted and a bass trip turns into a striper trip."

Noted Tennessee fishing writer Vernon Summerlin echoes that, adding, "In March, you're never sure what's going to hit next. A jig might hook most anything, and when conditions are mild or close to it, you can get the job done working small to medium-sized crankbaits along the riprapped banks. A stop-and-go retrieve that keeps the lure diving as close to the rocks as possible is preferable, and either a shad or crawfish pattern can be good. Most bass fishermen prefer to cast quartering upstream from the boat to stay with the bank's slope as much as possible."

Lawrence added, "Because the different generation levels result in differing water levels, the actual shoreline changes appearances regularly. You can drift the productive (rocky) area early in the day, and by the time you finish your drift and come back upstream, it looks totally different. Because of this, you need to make mental notes of where you see riffles, eddies and other current breaks at the lower water levels. They'll still be there when the water comes up but can be hard to identify. By knowing where they are you have a lot better chance of knowing where the bass will be holding."

PICKWICK TAILRACE
"March means that you'll probably find me fishing from the bank because I can pay more attention to my fishing and less to boat control," said Tim Stevens of Counce. Since he only lives five minutes from Pickwick Dam, he has that option.

"The really good spots to find quality fish consistently aren't that big and the shoreline angler has an advantage; he can stay in water known to be productive at the present water level instead of casting and hoping that something happens."

Stevens uses the public TVA launching ramp at the campground below the dam as a starting reference point.

"Immediately upstream is a gradually tapering gravel bottom with occasional big chunk rocks scattered around. Shad move in and out, plus there are some crawfish, so bass feed here but don't tend to congregate. At the upper end of the gravel is a chunk rock point complete with boulders, and the entire edge of the point that forms here has real bass potential. You'll notice that the eddy is huge, so don't think that the water close to shore is all that you need to consider. It's snag infested, but that makes it better for the bass, plus you'll hit an occasional crappie or sauger, and there are usually white bass hanging around, so it's not a boring place to fish."

Below the ramp is a continuation of the rather flat gravel slope. As it comes to an end, there is another finger of big rocks that juts out into the river, and when the water is anywhere above minimum generation, the only way you can spot it is from the narrow eddy that forms. You can't let a jig get too deep on you here, but an in-line spinner is a good bass enticer and doesn't require such a slow, precise presentation.