Nashville Outdoors

Old Hickory lake produces some huge Large Mouth Bass & Summer can be a very good time for catching these lunkers. Try fishing a big black topwater weedless frog in the tops of vegetation in the afternoons & evenings. Use a large jig or plastic worm around thick debris in high sunlight, as these fish will be looking for shade. I always keep a 4" topwater skipping minnow handy for when they are visibly feeding on schooled shad in the morning & late afternoon. Big Largemouth Bass have different feeding habits than the smaller ones and wont be chasing the small shad. Crayfish & crayfish lures often work well, as does free swimming shiners & shad. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it a picture of your lunker!

Mill Creek runs through south Nashville and dumps into the Cumberland River on the edge of Donelson. There are several access points and shallows good for wading on this creek. There are also some deep holes so beware. Fly fishing Mill Creek can be quite an adventure. There are plenty of Red Eyes, Blue Gill, Perch, Rock Bass, Large mouth and Small mouth bass. I have seen some big catfish and gar in there also. My best catch on Mill Creek was with a June Bug Fly that I got at a yard sale in a box full of goodies I bought for $20. The sale included a copper fly rod and reel. Anyway, somewhere between Murfreesboro Rd. and Elm Hill Pike, I spotted a fallen tree in a bend in the creek. The water was about 4 feet deep and it looked like the perfect place. I knew if there was a nice bass around, this would be where it would hang out. I approached quietly and set up for a roll cast, as the trees were thick along the bank behind me. First cast and I put that June Bug right next to the tree. BOOM! BASS ON! It was a monster small mouth. She was right at 4 pounds and fought like she was 8. There was a smaller male following her throughout the fight, until he eyed me and disappeared. I landed her after a 30 second fight, checked her out and released her. She looked really healthy, even though fish in this creek are reported to have toxins in them. (There is a sign at the end of Mill Creek warning not to eat the fish.) I always release them anyway. If you get the chance, give mill creek a try. It is a great place for a quick fishing trip.