We have survived July and August, and I don’t have to tell you how brutal the heat was this year. It reminds me of a time when I was cleaning a mess of fish with a friend, as he reached in the cooler and pulled out the last Crappie he said, “That’s the one I was looking for!” meaning the last one in the box. I have been waiting on the last day of summer for some time now, because means the end of the following:
 The heat
 Jet-skis
 Yachts (for the most part)
 Crowded conditions
 Bugs
 Tough fishing!
Every year here on Pickwick and I imagine on other lakes as well. The fish will get as lethargic as we do during the “Dog Days” of summer. They have seen every lure imaginable and except for a few hours during the day are inactive for the most part. Water temps have been hovering in the low to mid 80’s for a couple of months now and neared 90 for a for a few weeks. Unless we have a lot of current flow the oxygen levels in the lake go down. Ordinarily, we have aquatic vegetation to help provide oxygen and cover during this time of year. The grass also attracts every specie on the lower end of the food chain as well. This year was sort of an anomaly (I wrote about this in a spring edition of MSHFN) and Pickwick did not have the vast stretches of green milfoil and hydrilla we’ve had in past years. The absence of which, has made the summer fishing tough at times. Because of this, the bass and other predatory fish have had to roam more to find a meal, comfortable oxygen levels and cover.
The next 3 or 4 months here at Pickwick are arguably the best months to fish for Largemouth and Smallmouth bass, Whitebass, Crappie and Catfish. The shad have had a good spawn in spite of the absence of grass. There are thousands of schools of small (1”-2”) shad on the lake with hundreds of thousands of shad in them. The game fish are just beginning to school up and begin chasing the shad actively. This activity will peak in mid to late October as a general rule. We were still catching good numbers and quality of fish as late as mid December last year because of the mild weather.
Look for schooling fish on shallow flats adjacent to deeper water especially in the major creeks Bear, Indian and Yellow Creek are the major creeks that feed Pickwick. Baits of choice for the fall are Spinner baits in white, white and chartreuse or sexy shad colors. Strike Kings Premier Pro model in double willow ½ or 3/8 oz is a good choice. Poppers, soft plastic jerkbaits and lipless baits like the Red Eye Shad will do the job as well. Carry a good assortment of spoons and tailspinners like the SKL Sand Blaster in case you happen upon a school of white bass, they can be a lot of fun to catch.
As I mentioned earlier we are on the upswing right now as far as fishing and conditions go. Things are only going to get better. If you have never experienced the Tennessee River in the fall you are doing yourself and family a great disservice. The scenery on the lake when the leaves are changing is amazing. There are also many historically significant places along the river to visit and learn about. The Riverton community, Colbert Canal, The Trail of Tears and the Battle of Iuka to name a few.