Observations on the river
Jim B. is right, cold seems to be the thing on the Chick. I've been fishing it for over 30 years and I have learned a few things. The primary effect of cold water is to finally convince the bait and the gamefish to completely abandon the shallows. Even at that, they will return to the deep flats with the smallest rise in water temperature. This makes the fish easier to locate. It also makes it easier to choose a proper presentation. When the water is just over 32 the crappie will be glued to the bottom in the channel. When the water is warm, as it is now, they will just remain loosely schooled and follow the bait.
The hydrilla which has taken over the flats in the last 15 years acts to keep the bait up on the flats longer into the season, delaying the time when the crappie and bass move out to the channel. There is still a lot of thick hydrilla on the flats and it will remain until the water gets much colder.
Looking forward, the largest bass are out in the channel or along the edges of the deep drops. I am talking about 5 to 8 lb. specimens. They will move up on the flats to forage under the right conditions, but are mostly feeeding on moving shad on the outgoing tide from now through January.
Although they are not often fished, the large crappie are usually around deep creek mouths, deep outside bends, and deeper wood structure.
