crappie fishing in new johnsonville tennessee
the pumping station has anyone ever fished there lately
here is an article about it
Spring Slabs at the Pumping Station
by Vernon Summerlin
"You may not catch as many crappie here as they do on the river, but the
size of these crappie more than makes up the difference," says Mr. T. C.
Bailey, a local angler. The "here" Mr. Bailey refers to is the New
Johnsonville Pumping Station, a 1210-acre impoundment in the Big Bottoms at
the western edge of the Tennessee National Migratory Wildlife Refuge. The
"river" is the Tennessee River, just the width of a levee away.
The Secrets
"The secret of this place," Bailey continues, "is you don't catch ice
chests full like they do on the river, but from here it only takes half as
many crappie to fill a chest." Bailey lives nearby and fishes frequently at
the pumping station. He never has a crappie less than 1/2-pound and he
always has some slabs. "Most people just want to catch a lot, size doesn't
matter to them. But now that the limit is thirty, size makes a difference
to me."
The secret is size. Big. Another secret is, it's never crowded. Bailey
says most anglers fish the pumping station in the spring. On a crowded day
you can count all the boats on the fingers of three hands.
Bank anglers walk along the rock levy and have access to excellent
fishing. In addition to fishing the stumps and trees in the impoundment,
they can fish in the river on the other side of the levy. The pumping
station itself has walkways on two sides where bank anglers can reach the
deepest part of the impoundment right in front of the pump house.
The Refuge closes the first part of November, or when ever the migratory
birds arrive, and it re-opens about mid-March when the birds leave. This is
sanctuary for wintering waterfowl and other birds. Even when the pumping
station is open to fishing there may be parts of it closed to anglers
because of nesting eagles and osprey. These restricted areas don't include
the best fishing spots that are south of the launch site.
This area, called Big Bottoms, was once the largest cornfield in the
world. Forty three thousand acres of this rich bottomland was cultivated.
"TVA made the levee for vector control and to reduce the mosquito
population," says Mark Musaus, Assistant Refuge Manager in Paris. The levee
acts as a dam to hold the water from the creeks and flood this bottomland.
"In 1945 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took over and began developing
the area as a wildlife refuge and we encourage the public to come and
appreciate it." That includes crappie.
The features that make this water such a great place for crappie are the
forests of stumps, cypress trees growing through out the impoundment and
the shallow water. At low water you can see the thousands of stumps and
logs that attract crappie. During times of high water, which rises and
falls with the river, the stump tops are just below the surface. This
shallow water warms rapidly in the spring sunshine and is one of the first
big bodies of water to have spawning crappie.
There are two relatively deep channels that lead away from the launch, one
to the west and the other to the south. Anglers who know this water can run
their bass boats at top speed over these old creek beds. Every once in a
while you can hear a "thwock" followed by the whine of an over revving
engine. Most boaters are courteous and keep their wake to a minimum around
other anglers.
There are no guides for the impoundment. Talking to other anglers like Mr.
Bailey is the best way to learn the water. But during the spring there
seems to be a crappie at every stump and tree, so you don't need a guide.
Big Bottom Techniques
The prominent method for catching these slabs is with a minnow about eight
inches below a bobber attached to a 10-foot crappie pole or a fly rod. The
minnow is lifted and plunked down next to stump after stump. Most boats are
in constant motion weaving among the stumps and cypress trees.
Because of these stumps and trees, canoes and johnboats are the best
choices for this water. Some anglers use bass boats but they are limited in
the places they can get to and maneuvering these big boats can be a chore.
Dancing a jig under a bobber is another excellent technique. Different
anglers swear by different colors and styles of plastic bodies. My
impression is that just about anything will work if you put it in front of
the fish. Using the jig and bobber method is very effective, especially if
there is any wind. The wave action will make your jig dance. Usually you
would cast beyond a stump and work your bait back. This impoundment is so
rich in stumps that you cast and hope it doesn't snag before a crappie gets
it.
Use a thin wire hook. It will straighten and save you time and the effort
of re-tying. You can heat your jig hook with a match or lighter to remove
some of its temper so it can be pulled off the inevitable snag. Using
12-pound test line will help save your hooks too. The crappie don't seem to
mind heavy line.
You can sometimes double your crappie action by using the safety pin
shaped wire from a small spinnerbait rigged with a jig and a curly-tail
grub on the bottom and a number one hook and grub placed on the top wire.
This gives a new meaning to "double your pleasure." This rig works well for
schooling fish and is very challenging when used on ultralight gear.
My first trip to the pumping station was on a calm spring day with my wife
Cathy. We were less than 50 yards from the launch when she caught a
crappie. It was the first crappie I had ever seen that weighed over two
pounds. We soon caught enough for several dinners, proving what Mr. Bailey
said, "you may not catch as many as they do on the river but the size of
these crappie more than makes up the difference."
Although crappie are the main attraction at the pumping station, there are
plenty of bass caught here. They are usually a bonus to crappie anglers.
The impoundment is rich in fish besides crappie and bass, there are
catfish, stripe, bream, gar and even a rare sauger.
Directions to Big Bottoms
To get to the pumping station, turn south off Highway 70 West on Long
Street. Turn right at the stop sign. Turn left 0.7 miles, then veer to the
right when the road forks. Just over the rise is the Tennessee River with
the pumping station to left of the parking lot.
The community of New Johnsonville is right on the edge on the Tennessee
River, where you can find places to eat, camp grounds, a motel and bait.
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