Percy Priest lake has been a hot ticket this past week. My bunch has been catching limits of crappies pretty much every trip out. The fish are in a pre-spawn pattern and holding tight in 10 to 12 feet of water. Trolling jigs has proved to be the most efficient method for this early-season bite. The bass are being found shallow off rocky main lake points and windy days have been the best. Square billed crankbaits in citrus shad and 4-inch swimbaits have been the common theme for the past week.

Normandy lake has been slower, but still producing those big crappies for which it is famous. Finding them is the challenge. We fished it Sunday and found good numbers of keeper fish way up in the creeks. Carol Creek is where we found them and they were shallow, in 4 to 6 feet of water holding tight to standing timber. Spider rigs with minnows were the only thing we could get them to bite that day. Bass have been slow, but there are a few coming off the secondary lake points.

The Elk River and Duck River tail waters are both producing good numbers of trout still. Small jigs, flies, and micro crankbaits are all working equally well.

Old Hickory is also fishing well. We went to see if the Tilapia bite was still going on, but it’s not. Seems the mild weather has let the lake warm up enough they are not stacked on the steam plant like when it was cold. However, the crappie and bass bite is picking up and will get better with the warmer forecast for next week.

Troy Basso is a freelance writer and fishing guide from Chapel Hill, Tenn. He can be reached at 931-639-7468 or through www.troybassooutdoors.com.