This week on Radio: Billy Stanton will join me for fish talk. And, we’ll learn about what makes a good pair of fishing/shooting/hunting glasses. See What’s on this week above for more information.

This week on TV: Eric Anderson and Matt Brian prove that you can bag a turkey in the afternoon—not one but two on an exceptionally well done turkey hunting video. See what’s on this week above for times and stations. Please tell your friends about the show.

Fan casting for crappie: I had a great time working with Rick Smethers a week or so ago on Percy Priest. We taped a very good show about how he fan casts for Percy Priest crappie this time of year. All you need is spinning gear, a bobber, and your favorite plastic bait. Rick is a Yum fan—has been for years because of its live bait technology (the stuff that makes it smell good to fish). If you know where a stump field or old fence line is on Priest, or other submerged structure, you probably have this week and maybe another one to cast and catch crappie. Almost everything we caught the other day would have measured. We threw everything back because I had taken home a pretty good mess of fish the day before after heading over to Ky Lake. Rick was on radio last Saturday to discuss this, but will be featured later this month on Outdoors South TV. I’ll let you know which week. If you want to learn about crappie fishing, Rick is an excellent teacher. He and I are already planning a catfish trip on Priest to catch bedding fish in shallow water. I will be taping that, too.

This week’s top photo is of a family that Rick Smethers took fishing. They caught lots of crappie fan casting. Note from Rick: Attached is a snapshot of the Schotts family (from Brentwood TN) that I took out on St Patrick's day to catch a few crappies on Percy Priest.  Included in the picture are Marvin Schotts (the Dad), Sydney Schotts (little girl), Rex Schotts (older boy) and Preston 'P-Dawg' Schotts (younger boy).  We brought home 48 keepers while catching around 80 in a short 5 hour trip.  Our best 10 weighed in at 17 pounds!!!.

I also had Jim McKinley on air with me last Saturday. Jim owns Outfitter Satellites in Nashville (near Donelson). I learned a lot about the satellite technology, but what I learned most is that this once out-of-touch technology for most of us is now very affordable and easily rented for wherever you want to travel. Jim is gong to allow me to give away a coupon this weekend on my radio show (also did this last week) for a 10-day rental and one-hour free use of a phone. You can now use satellite phones to transmit about anything, even stuff on your computer. Imagine being in Africa or India and sending not missing a beat a work. What I like most is that you never have to lose contact with your family when your on the road or the water----no matter where.

TWRA Biologist Todd St. John told me a couple of days ago that he and the fish crew on Old Hickory Lake shocked up an average of 196 bass per hour on Old Hickory Lake. That might not mean much to most of you, but Todd explained to me that there is not another lake in Tennessee that will come close to that average. Almost 200 bass per hour is fantastic. Anglers are also reporting a great spring on Old Hickory. Todd knows—because he has great fishing equipment—that the bass are very shallow right now. Real Shallow. I will let you know what I see on Cheatham Lake. I’m gong to ride around with the guys one day this week and Cheatham is the lake they are studying right now. We’ll see how good it is.

Turkey season is almost done. Hunters have until Sunday, May 11 to get a bird. I think we will have a record year. Lots of turkeys taken this year, and apparently a lot missed. I’ve heard some great stories.

If you see this before Saturday, May 3, don’t forget that a big Percy Priest cleanup is taking place on Saturday. Call the Percy Priest Corps of Engineers Resource Office for more info. I owe a big cleanup somewhere at sometime. It won’t be this weekend, but I have had enough stuff blow out of the back of  my truck through the years that I need a day to pay back. I never intend for stuff to blow out—it’s a pet peeve in fact—but I find I’m guilty of it more than I should be.

The Lion’s Club did a very good job last Saturday on Percy Priest holding its annual tournament for eyesight conservation. It took about 19 pounds to win, but anglers got checks down to 20 places. I fished this tournament—my first ever—and I did rather poorly. My partner on that day—Gary Clouse—did well and that was having to wait on me to get there after my radio show. Gary was catching fish on a Carolina rig. Fun to watch. He and I are scheduled to fish the Murfreesboro Outdoors Tournament on May 17. Now that I have experience, watch out! I know I have a chance with Gary in the boat. For more information on that tournament, visit Randy Bolin’s newly designed website at www.mbrooutdoors.com

Articles below include: A Middle Tennessee man who got in big trouble over keeping 30 sauger below the size limit. I don ‘t like printing these stories, but I think many of you would like to know that there are folks out there watching for this and that there are judges willing to punish the crime rather severely. Also, changes proposed for the coming hunt season. Most the changes are minor, but one or two will make life easier for you. The seasons will be set later this month by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.

The Fish Report page is updated.

See you next week.