This time of year most anglers find it difficult to fish in the high temperatures and humidity, but for whatever reason the weather has been more like May than July. Fishing all day without breaking a sweat is something that I could get use to. The cooler temperature has not only made fishing more comfortable for the angler, but the fish enjoy it as well.

Throughout July both crappie and bass have been extremely active. The water temperature that was in the 90s in June has lowered into the upper 70s, to mid 80s. At Old Hickory Lake you can find concentrations of largemouth bass on main lake points, ledges and shallow flats. The bass on shallow flats are schooling, and can be caught on fast retrieve baits such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and rattle traps. The bass out deeper on main lake points and ledges, are biting well on plastic worms and jigs.

Only 25 minutes away on Percy Priest Lake, the crappie have been biting as well as they do in the spring. We have had numerous catches from 40 – 80 crappie a day, including 20 – 40 keepers (10” or bigger)! They have been feeding heavily in depths from 10-18’ of water, in submerged wood and brushplies. Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency has planted dozens of fish attractor buoys throughout the lake indicating where they have sunken trees for the public to fish; these are great places to try. I recommend using live minnows reeled several turns off the bottom of the lake to lure the crappie in.

As August arrives I am preparing for 100-degree days with high humidity, but I have to admit, I am praying that it stays cool. The fishing is good and my shirt does not weigh 10 extra pounds at the end of the day from sweat. So my advice is to get out and enjoy these beautiful cool days while the fish are biting. A day on the lake with a child or friend is never time wasted, and there is no better time than the present.

Show us your catch. E-mail your fishing photos to

murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com or brian@briancarper.com