Even an angler who does not really know the lake can find plenty of action by simply working along the bank and fishing a cricket or a worm under a bobber or tight-lining the bait just off the bottom and using a long pole to place it close to cover. A float, when used, should be set to suspend the bait just barely off the bottom and be sufficiently slender to ensure that every bite of any size is recognized.

Anglers fishing Reelfoot Lake need a Reelfoot Preservation Permit in addition to a Tennessee fishing license. Permits are $3.50 daily or $17 annually. The shellcracker limit on Reelfoot is 20 fish. There is no limit for bluegills or other sunfish. For fishing reports and information on lodge, boat rentals and guided fishing, call (877) 258-3226, or visit www.bluebankresort.com.

HATCHIE RIVER MIX
Twisting endlessly as it flows lazily toward the Mighty Mississippi, the Hatchie River is a West Tennessee gem. Free flowing throughout its course, the Hatchie cuts through a broad floodplain of tupelos, cypress and river birch. Much of the wetland area bordering the river is part of the Hatchie or Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge or is protected from development by The Nature Conservancy.

As unaltered and strikingly scenic as the Hatchie is, however, it is fairly accessible to boating anglers. Several access points scattered along the river provide not only boating access but also places where shoreline anglers can fish. Much of the river can be run in a johnboat at most water levels, but many anglers use canoes to access the upper Hatchie, floating from one access point to another.

Fishing pressure on the Hatchie is light overall, and anglers who do fish the river most commonly target either catfish or largemouth and spotted bass. Bluegills and assorted other sunfish species get very little targeted effort, so an angler who opts to fish the river's edges with miniature offerings can have the river's mixed bag of panfish pretty much to himself.

Some of the best fishing will usually be just off the main channel in backwaters or pockets that allow the fish direct access to the main river but also afford them a break from holding in the current. Because specific types of areas that yield best vary enormously by water level and from one type of sunfish to another, it's important that an angler fish a lot of different types of areas and pay attention to details any time the cork darts under. The amount of current, the bottom depth, the kind of cover and the location relative to a bend in the river can all be important clues for patterning panfish.

The Hatchie River falls under statewide regulations for bream, with a 20-fish limit applying to shellcrackers only and no limit or minimum size for bluegills or other sunfish.