Old Hickory/Cumberland River Walleyes

[TNBronzeback]

Being from michigan (i apologize in advance....lol) i have a constant hankering to put some marble eyes in the boat. Ive bass fished the cumberland below old hickory and plucked a small one here and there but cant seem to put any pattern together to pin point them. Northern walleyes school up tight when the weather gets hot but im having a hard time putting that same pattern together down here. Ive flung jigs in november thru january from the rocks below old hickory l, elbow to elbow with other guys but ive gotta believe the river has more to offer.
Im not looking for gps coordinates, but some some starter info. Any good walleye/sauger fishing in the cumberland (below old hickory dam-close to the house) that can be done in the dog days of summer? Day or night? Im all for finding my own fish, but a "hey dummy, there arent enough walleyes in the river to fool with" ahead of time would be greatly appreciated! lol.
Thanks for any info or slap in the back of the head with a sarcastic laugh in advance! lol

[cat-tales]

I know EXACTLY what you're saying ! Just got back from a 2 week trip to Sag Bay, Grindstone City, boated over 300 Walleyes , cleaned about 160. I lived up there 56 years, Marysville area, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair.
Some of the best fishing in the country.

We moved here 8 years ago ( lots of family here) , quickly learned the fishing is different. The lakes down here don't have the populations that Erie, St. Clair, and Lk. Huron have.

On the bright side, we can fish down here in January without having to cut a hole in the ice!! LOL

I'll go back & fish in the Summer, but my truck will not take a "northernly heading" after Oct. 15 th.

[TNBronzeback]

Lake St. Claire is where i spent my time, mainly on the canadian side. Deeper water and alot less boat traffic. Im not knocking the fishing here in Tennessee, ive had some awesome fishing from big stripers and fiesty cats, but it just dont hold a candle to the great lakes. I need to make more trips up there. Lol.
its intimidating on the cumberland....its a long river and im thinking alot of it is dead water in regards to fish holding structure. Ive read some good articles regarding walleyes but they are all pretty dated and all lean towards the notion that walleyes in the river have been on a decline. Im dieing to try some of my yankee tactics on these fish down here.
Im gonna have to consult google maps and see if anything catches my eye for a starting place. High hopes here! lol

[Buccaneer]

Hey dummy, there aren't enough walleyes in the river to fool with. Maybe Sauger, and maybe at specific times during the year, but for my money below Old Hickory I'm chasing smallmouth. If I've got the Walleye Jones I'm headed to Leach Lake MN. As for the Yankee tactics they will work for the sauger I assure you. I sense from your post you are boatless or otherwise choose to fish from the bank so I'll break this to you the easy way, get a boat and your options below Old Hickory just multiplied exponentially. Additionally, you can head for Dale Hollow or Lake Cumberland Kentucky which by the way may be one of the best Walleye lakes below the Mason Dixon. Keep at it, don't get discouraged. I have caught truck loads of 4.5lb smallies between the Dam and downtown Nashville.

[TNBronzeback]

LOL, thanks for the honest response Buc!
I have actually recently bought a boat, just need to get the motor worked on.
Yeah i have heard that both Dale Hollow and Center Hill have pretty good walleye fishing, and now that i have a boat, i know my locations and options have greatly increased. Im glad somebody let me know on the walleye situation though. I will still go and give it a shot and hope to tweak my knowledge for saugers, they are close enough! HA.
as my walleye and sauger encounters go down, i will keep everybody informed incase anybody else is interested. as it stands now though, with the motor situation, im hoping to have it ready by the fall sauger bite below O.H.
Thanks again!

[txnative]

Add the cumberland below Cordell Hull Dam to your list of options once your boat is up and running. Trolling cranks is a good technique.


Chris

[Alphahawk]

Being from michigan (i apologize in advance....lol) i have a constant hankering to put some marble eyes in the boat. Ive bass fished the cumberland below old hickory and plucked a small one here and there but cant seem to put any pattern together to pin point them. Northern walleyes school up tight when the weather gets hot but im having a hard time putting that same pattern together down here. Ive flung jigs in november thru january from the rocks below old hickory l, elbow to elbow with other guys but ive gotta believe the river has more to offer.
Im not looking for gps coordinates, but some some starter info. Any good walleye/sauger fishing in the cumberland (below old hickory dam-close to the house) that can be done in the dog days of summer? Day or night? Im all for finding my own fish, but a "hey dummy, there arent enough walleyes in the river to fool with" ahead of time would be greatly appreciated! lol.
Thanks for any info or slap in the back of the head with a sarcastic laugh in advance! lol



This is not OH or Cordell Hull....but is a reasonable drive and you don't need a boat. I am not a walleye fisherman so you should be able to kill them. If this is what you are wanting to catch PM me and I will give you details.


Regards

[OAS_5150]

Wonderful topic! One that can be difficult to get alot of responses. I'm from Nebraska we never had it like you guys clear up there where you're from but it would get fun at times if you knew the right places at the right time in the great plains. I do think they are here though and the right ones, you know what I'm talking about. They're just not a very popular fish down here so if you find them (which I havn't had much luck until this past week just from watching a guy do the complete opposite of what I would back home) you might be impressed. Alphahawk does know his stuff and has more than likely received a couple of dozen pm's by now after sharing those pics lol

[hogdawg]

I had heard the TWRA were going to stop/slow down on their sauger stockings and were going to start stocking alot more walleye because they were easier to raise. Has anyone else heard this?

[CreekWalker]

Don't feel bad I'm also from the north and haven't done too well sauger fishing with jigs below Old Hickory dam! I do have a boat now so will be able to hit more water vertically this winter which I think will help.

I hear good things about walleye fishing at Center Hill which I'm going to check out later in the summer.

[TNBronzeback]

LOL, well i have actually done pretty fair from the bank below old hickory considering the amount of people that pack into the mouth of that creek. Ive found walleyes/saugers in a few different locations below the dam but before the boat ramp on both sides of the river, but limited shore access is just a tease. But im with you, now that i have a boat, im going to dedicate some serious hours to putting some fish in the boat. Below the dam is a great starter place cause we know they are there in the fall/winter months so its just a matter of fine tuning it and ripping some lips (hopefully) ha ha!