A highly fertile impoundment of the Stones River that lies along the eastern edge of the Nashville metro area, Percy Priest offers flatheads, channels and blues, and all three species grow to big sizes. Despite the quality of its whiskerfish offerings, this lake has remained somewhat of a sleeper for cats. Summer nights will draw some jug-fishermen and a few rod-and-reel catfishermen, but most folks launching boats on this lake will be doing so with bass, hybrids or crappie in mind.

Though as in other catfish waters, Percy Priest cats can be caught by day, but some of the best action will occur at night. Flatheads, especially, get more active on summer nights.

Anglers seeking flatheads should focus on the edges of Stones River channel, especially in the upper half of the lake. Flatheads will be near bends in the old channel or creek confluences, especially if there are rockpiles (which abound in Priest) or tangles of timber nearby. They will also hang along bluffs. Live fish and heavy tackle are keys to catching flatheads.

Anglers who are more interested in action than numbers can fish flats adjacent to points in creek arms and bait everything with cut shad or livers for channel catfish. An excellent "best of both worlds" strategy for night-fishing on Priest is to put out one a "big rod" for flatheads and rig other rods with chicken livers or pieces of cut shad for channel cats.

By day or night, something worth remembering on Percy Priest is that the lake gets very solidly stratified by midsummer and the fish will not spend much time below the thermocline because of low dissolved oxygen levels. Because catfish are very bottom-oriented, most fishing will take place in waters that are less than 20 or so feet deep.

Lake Marrowbone
Finally, Nashville-area anglers should not overlook Lake Marrowbone as a catfishing destination. Part of the TWRA's Family Fishing Lakes program, Lake Marrowbone is regularly stocked with catchable-sized channels, and at times it has also been stocked with blue catfish. While Marrowbone will not produce many big catfish, intensive fish management and excellent access make this lake an ideal destination for families seeking catfishing action and some fish to take home for dinner.

Lake Marrowbone, which covers 60 acres, is located about 15 miles north of Nashville. Along with the excellent bank access that is typical of the Family Fishing Lakes, the lake's offerings include a fishing pier, boat rentals and fishing tackle. Markham suggests the boating approach. The rental boats are inexpensive and boating provides access to a lot more good waters, he noted. There is also a launch ramp for private boats; however, gas-powered motors may not be operated on the lake.

"Lake Marrowbone has a lot of downed trees around it," Markham said, "and you will catch a lot of catfish from around those trees."

For summer cats, it's tough to beat fishing chicken livers on a fairly light bottom rig. Night crawlers also work nicely. The best way to find fish is simply to move from time to time, putting baits around treetops, off points and around other cover or structure. If the catfish are nearby, they typically will make themselves known in relatively short time.

The combined limit for blue and channel catfish on Marrowbone Lake is five fish, with no minimum size. A daily or annual permit is required in addition to a regular fishing license. The lake is open every day, with fishing permitted from a half hour before sunrise through a half hour after sunset.