[TN-CATFISHER]

Does anyone have any advice on fishing the steam plant for both skips and cats? Are the skips generally in the warm water discharge area or what? Also do the cats like the discharge area or do they stay out near the main channel? Thanks!

 

[RonH]

You can catch all the skipjacks you want at what I like to call the mouth of the discharge. It's the area where the canal first begins to spread out onto the adjacent flats. Sometimes they will be all over the flats on both sides (easy days), other times they will concentrate around the channel (14 feet deep and @ 40 feet wide) and you will have to let your rig sink to near the bottom to catch them (hard days).
For the cats I have always caught way more and bigger cats in the main river channel - not the steamplant canal. Thats not to say I haven't caught them in there because I have, but I have fished the place enough to know that most of them are smaller than what I'm after and you really can't (get on them) in there like you can out in the river. They are on the move if they are in there and you have to wait on one to comes by whereas out in the main channel I've found lots of "holes" where it becomes difficult to fish with more than 1 rod at times. Old Hickory lake is full of channel cats. Plus I like to avoid the idiot crowds and the spinnerbait/worm slingers so I generally catch my bait and get the hell out of there. Hope this helps.

 

[blazerjet]

Real good in the morning look for the gulls. Anchor at the point in the mouth or half way to the island.. Fish with crappie jigs white is what i like. Lots of channels on ballons rigs in the mouth too as u catch skippy .. IF u strippers fish go early and troll to the boils dont run big engine to the boils. YEay

 

[cumberlandcat]

I have tried for bait but it's almost always a waste of my time for bait if I catch 10 skips I am happy but for cats I head down stream from the bridge. I haven't caught much around the steam plant, but from the bridge to the dam I have had some really good days.

 

[TN-CATFISHER]

I have tried for bait but it's almost always a waste of my time for bait if I catch 10 skips I am happy but for cats I head down stream from the bridge. I haven't caught much around the steam plant, but from the bridge to the dam I have had some really good days.

Well that doesn't sound very promising for skipjack. In the past I've been able to pick them up at Nickajack or Cordell Hull dams, but those places haven't been productive for me this winter. Does anyone know of any other decent places to try them in middle TN?

 

[blazerjet]

I caught over 400 skip last time i was there they got to still be there. Not to sure y it would be hard to caught them now that was a month ago and it still cold. Go to the plant u will bust a ton of skip.

 

[TN-CATFISHER]

Well, if you drive there from Indiana, it must be worth it. oooh: and I'm complaining about the 2 hour drive for me!

 

[john catfish young]

I've fished the steamplant for more than 25yrs. I can usually catch enough bait to fish for as long as I want. I always fished for stripers at the mouth of the discharge at night. If I were after big cats..........I would try the area around the skimmer wall. You know where that is ???????? There are some deep holes around there and I have caught some good cats there in the years gone by. Flatheads...blues and Large channels too.:wink:

 

[TN-CATFISHER]

I've fished the steamplant for more than 25yrs. I can usually catch enough bait to fish for as long as I want. I always fished for stripers at the mouth of the discharge at night. If I were after big cats..........I would try the area around the skimmer wall. You know where that is ???????? There are some deep holes around there and I have caught some good cats there in the years gone by. Flatheads...blues and Large channels too.:wink:

Thanks man. I don't know where those spots are since I haven't been there yet, but those are the kind of pointers I was looking for. I just hope I can find the skips so I CAN do some catfishing there. I've had terrible luck getting bait.

 

[john catfish young]

Sometimes you can tear up the skipjacks and other times you can't buy one. If you try at the discharge...(warm water ) and dont catch them you can always go to the intake area...( skimmer-wall)..cold water and catch them even in the winter. They are always there , but you have to fish your jigs slowly and deeply this is on the inside of the wall about half way down into the intake channel. I've caught big stripers and big cats there too.:crazy:

 

[blazerjet]

All the skips are in the mouth and the big stripers bit at night up in the boils. Fish with skip heads or cut skip. ON bottom or under ballons up in the boils. Skip runs really hard in the morning and from 3pm on tell dark. The intake is a good place too it up river from the discharge boout 1/2 or mile. Look for the gulls they no where skip is.. Ohh yea last time i was there in the morning in the boils throw a big crank bait my bro was caught 12 and a 14lb striper on it. nice place go.

 

[john catfish young]

In the 80's and 90's when the fishing was fantastic at the Gallatin steamplant. I caught over fifty stripers that weighed over 20 lbs. My largest was 45 lbs. Members of my family caught bigger ones even up to 58 lbs. all at the discharge and mostly at night. Most of my big ones were caught at the mouth of the channel at night. Over in the intake channel in October of 92, I caught one that weighed 42 lbs and lost one the same night that might have went 60+. It was the largest striper I have ever seen. We've caught some monster cats over there as well. Just beyond the skimmer wall is a rock that sits out in the water all by itself and is on the left side just pass the skimmer wall. There have been Flatheads caught there that you just wouldn't believe. So I wont even say any more about that. It is called the Devils-teatable . It has a reputation for producing large flatheads even before the lake was made and there was only a river channel there. Anyone that would like to truly catch a monster flat...you shoul give the rock a try . You will need heavy equipment.:crazy:

 

[petersoutcats]

Sometimes you can tear up the skipjacks and other times you can't buy one. If you try at the discharge...(warm water ) and dont catch them you can always go to the intake area...( skimmer-wall)..cold water and catch them even in the winter. They are always there , but you have to fish your jigs slowly and deeply this is on the inside of the wall about half way down into the intake channel. I've caught big stripers and big cats there too.:crazy:

John are you saying you walked in to the intake canel past the wall?

 

[petersoutcats]

In the 80's and 90's when the fishing was fantastic at the Gallatin steamplant. I caught over fifty stripers that weighed over 20 lbs. My largest was 45 lbs. Members of my family caught bigger ones even up to 58 lbs. all at the discharge and mostly at night. Most of my big ones were caught at the mouth of the channel at night. Over in the intake channel in October of 92, I caught one that weighed 42 lbs and lost one the same night that might have went 60+. It was the largest striper I have ever seen. We've caught some monster cats over there as well. Just beyond the skimmer wall is a rock that sits out in the water all by itself and is on the left side just pass the skimmer wall. There have been Flatheads caught there that you just wouldn't believe. So I wont even say any more about that. It is called the Devils-teatable . It has a reputation for producing large flatheads even before the lake was made and there was only a river channel there. Anyone that would like to truly catch a monster flat...you shoul give the rock a try . You will need heavy equipment.:crazy:

Is this rock exposed next to the bank, and it it on the left going upstream from the wall
I don't remember seeing it when I was there
Thanks for the great info brother I'm fairly new to the area and can use all the help i can get:wink:

 

[john catfish young]

John are you saying you walked in to the intake canel past the wall?

We used to be able to drive to the skimmer wall. We would walk across the skimmer wall and walk up the bank towards the steamplant. About half way up the channel there is a bend and it begins to narrow down . This is the spot to try for skipjacks and fish for monster stripers and Cats. I would sit there and fish with cut skipjack heads or strips of cutbait. I started fishing there because of all the idiots up at the discharge and I quickly started fishing there all the time. The fish come and go under the skimmer wall at will. Sometimes they are in there thick and sometimes not so thick, but I wouldn't give up on it no matter what. I know you can't drive in there anymore, but you can tie up to the skimmer wall and get out and walk in a bit. Just dont leave anything in your boat worth stealing that isn't chained and locked in. There are some theives out there. You should give this a try from now to mid-summer it can be a silent producer of giant fish!:big_smile:

 

[john catfish young]

Is this rock exposed next to the bank, and it it on the left going upstream from the wall
I don't remember seeing it when I was there
Thanks for the great info brother I'm fairly new to the area and can use all the help i can get:wink:

The Devils tea table is on the left just pass the skimmer wall. It is close to the bank with trees around it. The water is really deep around it and it holds some bigguns. You might have to go slow to see it. It has been a while since I was there and fished it, but it is there. I'm not sure how close it is to the skimmer wall but its not too far. It is between the skimmer wall and the boat ramp on steamplant road. Fresh cut bait and live bluegils= big Flatheads in the spring and summer months. We fished it mainly at night.:crazy:

 

[petersoutcats]

Is this it?

 

[john catfish young]

No thats not it. I think it is a bit further up river but not too far.The rock stands out of the water quite a ways and is as big around as a bedroom . Can you pull up another picture?? That was cool. How high is the water right now??

 

[petersoutcats]

I have not been to Old Hic for a couple weeks but it seemed was normal then, with a lot of garbage floating. It should be clearing up by now maybe, we had a lot of rain the other day?

 

[petersoutcats]

Here is a larger plat