Anybody been done there lately? Havn't heard much buzz lately. Going to need to start going down there more because I have a tournament down there in Feb.

Sauger are starting to bite......caught 7 keepers on Dec. 23rd.  Talked to some guys fishing the river with live bait for smallies but the didn't do any good.......they shut down generating at about 10:00am.  Water temp was 44 then....I would bet its at least 41 or 42 by now.

The next few days they are going to be pumping some good water....over 100,000 average per day.  If the shad kill hasn't started I may have to try and take of Wed or Thur and go.

When should the conditions change for me to go up there for LM to practice.

I would go now with the lake level at 410 and dropping.  Scan the banks and mark spots that will likely be under water by the time you have your tournament.  Be carefull there can be some treats for a lower unit and prop this time of year.

If you have never been on Pickwick with the water low you would really be surprised at the small under water points (gravel bars) and stumps that are usually 5-10 ft under water during the "fishing season"........

Good Luck

Thanks for the help. I've only been there during late spring and just in a few areas. Need to learn to fish open water spots and points. I'm too used to fishing shallow brush piles and banks.

Three weeks ago we were killin' 'em on jerkbaits, but I haven't

been back since.

8-)

Trying to get there sometime this month. Hard to find a boater since dad can't go cause of work and won't go cause he is in duck hunting mode.

Pickwick as of today....no shad kill yet (this may happen after this cold snap this weekend).

Spilling until further notice....projected average outflow for Sat. 91,483.

Great current, mid to low 40s water temps.....May be the last good weekend before the shad kill......Let's all meet below the dam and scare the hell out those sauger fishermen.  (of course if the sauger are biting I will have a sauger jig tied on).  Beech will have to wait until another weekend.

See ya on the river.

Trying to get there sometime this month. Hard to find a boater since dad can't go cause of work and won't go cause he is in duck hunting mode.

When fishing a tournament on pickwick do you know if you have to lock through the dam to fish the river or can you put in on the  river side?

Trying to get there sometime this month. Hard to find a boater since dad can't go cause of work and won't go cause he is in duck hunting mode.

When fishing a tournament on pickwick do you know if you have to lock through the dam to fish the river or can you put in on the river side?

Idk With what I'm doing, we just put in at different ramps depending the tournament. First tournament is JP Coleman which is Indain Creek. I guess I've never really fished the river if I've only have fished Indian and Yellow

Bryand82487,

Most tournaments that I know of you have to lock thru to get to the other side.....(no taking out and putting back in), but I'm sure it all depends on the tournament and tournament rules.  I know plenty of folks that have put in at JP Coleman and locked thru to the river.

Bryand82487,

Most tournaments that I know of you have to lock thru to get to the other side.....(no taking out and putting back in), but I'm sure it all depends on the tournament and tournament rules. I know plenty of folks that have put in at JP Coleman and locked thru to the river.

Then you got the gutsy people who gun it all the way to Bay Springs and win tournaments. If you guys know what I'm talking about

Hey fellow Pickwick Anglers! I'm thinking of taking a couple days off work soon to hit the water. Any thoughts on tactics? Heard the shad kill has occurred... I'll probably hunt for smallies below the Pickwick Dam. Any thoughts that you might have would be appreciated!

I'll see what I can find out about the shad situation,

but I tried it last year during the kill and couldn't buy

a bite! I'll talk with some friends and report back later

today.

-Kent

Couldn't find anyone who has been down the last two weeks.

:-[

Talked to a buddy yesterday who went to Pickwick on Saturday and put in at the dam.  He went mostly to graph some offshore structure and mark some things during the low water period for later on when the lake is at summer pool.  Said he did manage to catch a couple of fish deep on a jigging spoon in the mouths of creeks near the dam. Didn't mention anything about a shad kill though.  I'll get back with him and find out. 

Planning to hit the river and maybe the lake

tomorrow. Anybody have a recent report?

I got one and it ain't good.  RW and I fished the lake yesterday and there is a major shad kill on, we caught one bass in 5-6 hours of fishing and based on conversations w/ other fisherman (from above and below the dam) we were ahead of the game, lol.  BTW, his stomach looked like it had a baseball in it from eating Shad. 

If you're a Bass or a Seagull, Pickwick is awesome right now, if you're a fisherman or a Shad, not so much....

I figured.  I went to Beach lake yesterday to play with all my toys I've bought over winter and didn't get a single bite.  The water temp was 41.

My son and I went down to Bay Springs yesterday temps 41-45. We did as much looking around as we did fishing. Didn't see any dead Shad, but didn't see but one bass in 5 hours. It followed my spinnerbait back to the boat.....

Forget about Pickwick and the Tennessee River until

the shad kill has run its course. The fish are scavenging

the dying threadfin. We (but not me) only had one bite

Saturday.

:-X

p.s. Don't think "they should have tried ___."

We threw everything including the kitchen sink! 

Good info, I'll just have to wait a little longer to bass fish. Gonna try to head to Lake View this weekend to crappie fish since it just opened today. I'll hit up Pickwick next month.

I was down there on the lake Sunday, major shad die off, every seagull in the southeast seemed to be there !  As many have said, the fishing will be tough until the shad are eaten or flushed out.  Should be good for the fishing this spring as they should be fat !

have fun launching your boat with the best and the brightest of memphis at lakeview....hahaha

have fun launching your boat with the best and the brightest of memphis at lakeview....hahaha

Launching isn't the bad part, leaving is where it gets sort of "interesting". Over the years that I've been there I have seen 2 trucks role in the water, very nice Triton being just dropped on the ramp pushed off and dragged by a rope back on, and my favorite some dumb*** gunning it out and swamping a game warden.