Threadfin and gizzard shad complement the abundant skipjack herring to encourage the huge sizes in Cumberland cats.

The eight- to 10-mile stretch of river below Cheatham Dam on down to the Blow Lock Lee area is one of the hottest sections of the river, according to long-time angler Ervin Hutchens.

"I do pretty well in the summertime," Hutchens said. He remembers showing a wildlife officer his catch that included three cats weighing in at 15, 25 and 35 pounds. The young officer was more surprised the next weekend when Hutchens showed him a 40-pound flathead and three or four flatheads and blues weighing in at 15 pounds apiece, not to mention the smaller ones.

Hutchens puts a flat-bottomed boat in below the Cheatham Dam and then drift-fishes with a weighted line underneath the boat.

"Tie the hook on about 6 to 10 inches above the sinker so there's some slack on it," Hutchens said.

"I try to get out just far enough from the riprap to fish along the base of it. The cats like to lie at the bottom of the rocks. I use shad organs threaded onto the hook with a piece of shad meat behind them. The fish will take the organs quickly and then come back for the meat. Just drift along and bounce the bait off the bottom of the river."

Hutchens also jug-fishes while drifting just before sunset and on through the night.

"I use two-liter plastic bottles for jugs on this stretch of the river. One night we had 19 jugs out and had 18 catfish on. On a moonlit night, I fish 2 feet below the jugs and only 6 inches when it's dark. The cats will feed on top of the water. Just watch out for the barges."

Hutchens' home stretch of the Cumberland runs about 20 feet deep and is off Highway 12. The Blow Lock Lee area is a 30-mile drive from Nashville.

Call DNR Region II at (615)781-6622 for additional information on fishing the Cumberland River.

Urban catfishermen have excellent opportunities for big cats in waters close to home. As a matter of fact, some of the state's best fisheries are just a stone's throw away.

For more information on fishing Tennessee's impoundments, contact the TVA Division of Fisheries at (615)781-6575.