Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Old Hickory Lake lies in Sumner County, Tennessee. This is pine and hardwood country. Surface area runs to some 22.6 sq miles, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. Long inlets mean the far ends can be calm while the main body is rough. By size it stands out even at Tennessee level. Nearest place of any size is Hendersonville, 3.2 miles away. Shackle Island follows at 5.5 miles, then Green Hill at 5.6 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Old Hickory Lake

  95 ft is what our records show. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Open biodiversity records for Sumner County list slabrock darter, cumberland snubnose darter, fantail darter and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. Old Hickory Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 79°F at the top of summer and 36°F at the bottom of winter. It fishes twelve months of the year. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. On Old Hickory Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public land surrounds it, and access follows the standard rules. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Crutcher Lake is 5 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Old Hickory Lake for certain.