• Q:  What Rules and Regulations govern Old Hickory Lake? 
  
  A:  Rules and Regulations governing the use of Corps of Engineers water resource projects are contained in Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations. State and Local Laws also apply on all portions of the project. A copy of Title 36 CFR is available at the Old Hickory Lake Resource Manager’s Office. An on-line version is also available at the Government Printing Office’s Website.
  
   

• Q:  When was the dam built? 
  
  A:  Construction of the dam started in 1952. The dam became operational in 1957.
   

• Q:  How big is Old Hickory Lake? 
  
  A:  Old Hickory Lake is 22,500 acres of water at normal pool, 9,134 acres of fee property and 3,651 acres of easement.
   

• Q:  What is the normal elevation of Old Hickory Lake? 
  
  A:  Normal pool is 445 above sea level.
  
   

• Q:  Can I camp on the Islands? 
  
  A:  No. Camping is not allowed on any island on Old Hickory Lake.
  
   

• Q:  How do I apply for a lake record fish?
  
  A:  Records are kept at the Old Hickory Lake Resource Manager’s Office. Anglers applying for a lake record fish should request an application, have the fish weighed on a certified scale and have two witnesses present. Contact the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to verify the species and weight of the fish. Click here to see the Old Hickory Lake record fish.
  
   

• Q:  How do I qualify for a private boat dock on Old Hickory Lake? 
  
  A:  Generally, you must own land directly adjoining public property on Old Hickory Lake. The land must qualify for a residential building permit, be in an area open for private boat docks, and have a minimum of 65 feet of water frontage. The Resource Manager must approve all requests for private docks.
  
   

• Q:  I am thinking about buying a house on Old Hickory Lake, will I be able to have a boat dock? 
  
  A:  Contact the Resource Manager's office and a Ranger will assist you in determining if the property is eligible for a dock.
  
   

• Q:  I own property adjacent to Old Hickory Lake. Can I cut trees on public property? 
  
  A:  No. If you have a tree that is dead or is a hazard, contact the Resource Manager's office and a Ranger will determine if the tree can be removed. 
  
   

• Q:  Why are some areas open for boat docks and others aren't? 
  
  A:  In spite of increasing residential development of private property adjoining Old Hickory Lake and increasing recreational demand, the total amount of public land and water remains unchanged. Balanced, sound management is essential to ensure continuing quality use of the lake for present and future enjoyment by the general public.
  
   

• Q:  How do I make a reservation for a campsite or picnic shelter? 
  
  A:  Reservations for campsites may be made up to 180 days in advance and reservations for picnic shelters may be made 360 days in advance by calling toll free 1-877-444-6777 or over the Internet at http://www.recreation.gov/. Reservations for the Rockland shelters are made at the Old Hickory Lake Resource Manager's office by calling (615) 822-4846 or (615) 847-2395.
  
   

• Q:  Are there any trails on Old Hickory Lake? 
  
  A:  Yes. The Old Hickory Nature Trail is part of the National Trails System. It is located near the south side of Old Hickory Dam.
  
   

• Q:  When do the campgrounds open? 
  
  A:  Cages Bend and Cedar Creek usually open in early April and close in early November.
  
   

• Q:  I have a houseboat that I keep at a marina: Can I live on my boat. 
  
  A:  No. Title 36 Rules and Regulations prohibits occupancy of vessels for full or part time residence.
  
   

• Q:  I want to have a fishing tournament on Old Hickory Lake. Do I need a permit? 
  
  A:  Special Event Permits are required for many activities that are likely to impact normal use of a particular area: Contact the Resource Manager's Office for more information.

By Doug Grassian
BASS Communications
Archive

Boater Standings | Non-Boater Standings  

Larry TowellCheryl Bowden, (leader, 11-0)

MADISON, Tenn. — Cheryl Bowden said the bite Thursday on Old Hickory Lake was light, but she landed enough timid bass to end up with 11 pounds, 0 ounces, and the first-day lead at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women's Tour.

A pro from Plano, Texas, Bowden was two pounds in front of Heather Broom of Sylva, N.C., who was second with 9-0 on the first day of the competition that rounds out the WBT's regular season.

"The bite was light, you could hardly feel it," said Bowden, who declined to give many details on her pattern this early in the game.

She did say she worked a Gambler Mega Daddy most of the day in five areas she had pinpointed in practice. The soft craw produced most of her five-fish limit, which were all largemouth bass.

"I had a great practice," said Bowden, "and once I found my fish, I left them alone, didn't go back to them. Today, I kept thinking, 'are they going to be there,' and they were."

Unlike most other competitors, Bowden said she did not spend her time measuring fish to adhere to the length limits of 12 inches for spotted bass, 14 inches for largemouths and 18 inches for smallmouth bass.

"I hardly caught any short fish" said Bowden. "Almost all the fish I hooked were big fish." 

Larry TowellHeather Broom (2nd, 9-0)

Broom said she used two types of lures to get her limit, and stayed in one area, having faith the bite would turn on again after a lull.

"I fished all day for five fish," she said, adding that her fifth fish for a limit went into the livewell at about 1:30 p.m., 45 minutes before check-in with tournament officials.

Third after Day One with 7-14 was Judy Wong, the Many, La., pro who won the WBT Championship in February 2008 on South Carolina's Lake Keowee. Wong managed three fish, all largemouths.

"I was fortunate to get the big bite, I just couldn't get my limit, but I caught big numbers," she said.

Wong pulled in front of Emily Shaffer of Mount Juliet, Tenn., who considers Old Hickory one of her home lakes. Shaffer had 7-7.

Much is at stake for all the competitors in the pro division. They are competing for money and prizes — the first prize is $1,000 cash and a boat rig valued at $55,000 — and for enough points to qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

Only the top 20 in the points standings after Old Hickory will advance to the championship, where the newly crowned Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year will claim her qualification for the 2010 Classic. She'll follow pioneer Kim Bain-Moore, who as the 2008 AOY was the first woman to qualify for a Classic.

Besides a Classic qualification, the new AOY will score a 2010 Toyota Tundra.

Leading this year's race is Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., who had 850 points going into Old Hickory. The full standings can be found on Bassmaster.com. Just nine points behind is Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas. Martin-Wells was 23rd place after the first day of the Tennessee tournament with 3-14. Robinson was fifth with 7-2.

In the co-angler division, where the first prize is $500 and a boat rig valued at $25,000, Monica Altman of Angier, N.C., picked up the Day One lead with 6 pounds, 8 ounces. In second place was Colleen McKay of Worcester, Mass., with 6-7. Third was Jada Tidmore of Union Grove, Ala., who bagged 6 pounds, 0 ounces.

Co-anglers are competing for qualifying points for the championship as well. Only the top 20 will go to the Louisiana event.

The Old Hickory competition will resume Friday at 6:15 a.m. CT, when the full field launches from Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Road in Hendersonville, Tenn. The weigh-in is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. CT at the Academy Sports + Outdoors store, 2350 Gallatin Pike N., Madison.

All WBT events are free and open to the public.

The local sponsor is Sumner County Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sumnercvb.com).

Media Contact: Doug Grassian; doug.grassian@espn.com; 407-566-2216.

Click here to JOIN BASS!

Thanks for your time and God bless you.

And remember  . . . Don’t spend a PENNY ‘til you call JENNY!

CONTACT JENNY

CELL:

615-812-4174 (Fastest)

 

Editor's Note: Due to technical difficulties, the Real-Time Leaderboard and Live Weigh-in will not be available for this tournament.

For some anglers, the Sept. 10-12 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women's Bassmaster Tour event on Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tenn., will close the door on the 2009 season. For others, Old Hickory will open up new opportunities. For at least one pro, the gate to glory will swing wide open.

Here's how it all plays out: Points anglers earn at Old Hickory will count toward determination of the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers of the season. Those anglers will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. — the same venue where fan attendance records were shattered at the Bassmaster Classic last February.

Pros and co-anglers will compete in separate divisions, and a season champion in each will be determined. But in the pro division, there's an extra twist, and it's a big one: One pro will earn enough points to become the 2009 Toyota Tundra Women's Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. The award rolls into one package the circuit's most coveted prizes: the AOY title and trophy, a new Toyota Tundra, and a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.

When that pro is named 2009 AOY, she will become the second woman in history to qualify for a Classic. Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first when she won the 2008 AOY race, then competed in the 2009 Classic.

This season, Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., leads the points race going into Old Hickory. Just nine points behind her is Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas. Other close contenders for the title include Georgia pro Laura Gober, Tammy Richardson of Arkansas, Texan Janet Parker, and the 2007 AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla. The full points standings can be found below.

"To me that's the highlight, the AOY award that leads to the Classic," said Glasgow, the 2007 AOY, the year before the Classic qualification was added to the women's tour. "The Classic is as high as we can go. Just one of us can be Angler of the Year, so it's not easy. We're all fighting for it. The Classic spot is a dream come true for the circuit, no matter who wins it.

"I don't know if I can pull that rabbit out of the hat. I might be too far down on the totem pole. But, as always, I'll go in with the attitude of trying to win the (Old Hickory) tournament, do the best I can, then see how everybody else did."

Besides vying for points, the pros at Old Hickory will compete for a first-place prize of $1,000 plus a boat rig worth $55,000. Co-anglers will be fishing to take home $500 cash and a boat-and-motor rig valued at $25,000.

The Tennessee WBT event marks the seventh time BASS has come to the Cumberland River impoundment for a pro-level competition. The WBT was there in June 2008, when Dianna Clark of Bumpus Mills, Tenn., took home the WBT trophy after bagging 36 pounds, 5 ounces, over three days.

Old Hickory snakes for 100 river miles across northern Tennessee. In places it fishes like a lake, in others like a river, said Clark, who does not consider Hickory to be her home lake — that honor falls to Kentucky and Barkley lakes farther south.

"You've got a lake portion and a river portion, like many impoundments," the defending champion said. "Hickory is the same, where one end of the fishery can be different than the other. In a nutshell, it fishes more like a river. And it's unreliable — you can't count on fish being where they were the day before.

"There's a lot of little fish, and kickers are few and far between," she added. "I'm not going to take the lake for granted, it's not that consistent. The lake's had a lot of rain this year, and colder conditions in spring and through summer."

Clark is a three-time WBT event champion and winner of the WBT's inaugural AOY title, in 2006. She is eighth in the 2009 points race heading into Old Hickory.

Fans can watch the WBT's fourth competition of the season unfold at www.Bassmaster.com. The site will present streaming video and real-time leaderboards of the Thursday-Saturday weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT. Daily photo galleries, reports and standings will also be available.

The public is invited to watch the launch at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Road in Hendersonville, Thursday-Saturday at 6:15 a.m. CT.

The action shifts to Madison, Tenn., for the weigh-ins at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 2350 Gallatin Pike N. Weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. CT.

Sept. 9, that Academy store will host a Meet and Greet, an opportunity for fans to chat with the pros and get their autographs.

All WBT events are free and open to the public.

The local sponsor is Sumner County Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sumnercvb.com).

Click here to JOIN BASS!

Thanks for your time and God bless you.

And remember  . . . Don’t spend a PENNY ‘til you call JENNY

CONTACT JENNY

CELL:

615-812-4174 (Fastest)