Reports (With Clients)

May 12, 2008 - Old Hickory
Today I fished with Bruce and Shelia Boyd, from Murfreesboro. Today was Bruce's birthday, so he decided what better way to spend his day fishing with is wife, away from work, enjoying God's creations. Fishing for crappie, we had a slow first few hours, a few here and there. With most of the crappie out of the shallows and the water temperature still were into the 80's (were we need it to be), the deep pattern I like to fish all summer has not yet kicked in. The fish are in transition, and it is difficult to find active fish. After we fished for crappie for a while we trolled with crankbaits for anything, finding a few nice bass. For the last hour of the day we tried a few shallow trees with minnows and caught 3-4 keepers. Thanks for a great trip guys, Happy Birthday Bruce!

May 8, 2008 - Old Hickory
All last week I brim, and cat fished with Harry Michaels from PA. On Thursday we had a few nice catfish fishing the Gallatin steam plant. We also caught a bunch of big bluegills on minnows as well, perfect eating size. Thanks for a fun week Harry, I will see you next year!

May 5, 2008 - Old Hickory
Today I fished with Harry Michaels, from PA. Fishing for bass, we caught 20 fish in deep, and shallow water on worms, jigs, and spinnerbaits. Thanks for a great time Harry, look forward to our next trip!

May 4, 2008 - Old Hickory and Percy Priest
Today I had two trips! My first trip was at Old Hickory with John Seale. I have been teaching John, bass techniques for two years now, and he is becoming quite the angler. Fishing in 3-6ft with soft plastic, John and I boated 17 bass! Thanks for another great trip John, I look forward to our next trip in June....be prepared for deep fishing!


My next trip was at Percy Priest with Gary and Tyler Thompson, from Franklin, TN. We started the afternoon trolling for crappie and hybrid. After our first hour we had a few fish, including a 3lb hybrid and a nice crappie. After trolling, we headed to some of my crappie spots and boated 4 more keepers and a handful of short ones. Thanks for a great trip guys. You did a great job Tyler!

May 3, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Yesterday I fished with Bob, Robby and Bill Good From Franklin, TN. This was there second time out this year. We started the day fishing for crappie, but after an hour, the bite was too slow and the wind was high, so we decided to head up lake where we have caught some fish trolling crankbaits. Once we arrived we caught a fish on our first pass, and then stayed there for 3 hours. We probably caught 15-20 hybrids, white bass, largemouths and one drum and crappie. Our best fish were the hybrids, we had half a dozen weighing in at 3lb and 5lbs. Thanks for a great time guys, you did an awesome job! Hope you hands feel better today:)

May 2, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with 7 high school friends from Chicago. Fishing in three boats with guides, Billy Harris, Jimmy Scott and myself, we headed out for a fun competitive day. The fishing was good, in between banking the boats from the storm! We fished for 6 hours and caught around 40 bass between us. Multiple good keepers were caught and tons of fish between 1-2lbs. At the dock, it appeared that many lures worked. Most came on soft plastic and jigs but my boat caught a few on crankbaits and topwater. Thanks for a great trip guys! I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Nashville and come see us again. Thanks again, from the BCGS team!

May 1, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I had two trips. My first trip was with Gary Hamman (song writer for country music stars), Ron Harbin Sr. (country music writer) and son, Ron Harbin Jr (does production for television). With the HIGH winds, we had limited fishing areas, but we still managed to catch fish throughout the day. In the morning we started crappie fishing, catching a few here and there, but not many and not much size, halfway through the day we started trolling for crappie and got into a bunch of feeding fish....hybrids, bass and crappie. Guys, I had a great time with you and wish you the best of luck on Music Row!

My second trip was with Nancy and Bob from Ohio. Fishing for bass we had a great evening, catching 21 bass with a few keepers. All fish were caught on soft plastic, jigs, crankbaits and topwater. Thanks for wonderful evening and safe travel home!

April 29, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Paul Hunter and friend Patrick from Nashville. Fishing for bass we had a great day, even thought the morning was freezing with high winds. For the day we caught 20 bass, but we had fours keepers, two of them being TOADS. The first toad came on a crankbait in deep water and the other toad was on a jig (which almost all of the fish came off of). Below is Paul and Andrew with a 6.10lb and a 4lb! Thanks for a GREAT trip guys, I had a blast and look forward to getting out with you next month!

April 28, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Fished today with Drew and Mason Hlava from Davie, FL. Starting the day for crappie, we had a slow start with the cold north west wind, so after a few hours and a dozen fish, we switched over to bass. As we started fishing for bass the bites started coming in! We had 20 - 25 with a few keepers. All fish were caught on worms, jigs, flukes and crankbaits. We were also able to see tons of bass spawning and tons of beds that have already spawned out. Thanks for a great trip guys, I look forward to our next trip!

April 24, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Jerry Haglage and friend Andrew from work. Fished for crappie and "we tore them up". We fished from 8:30am - 2pm and had 29 keepers! The bite was better than yesterday and the fish were bigger!
We had one of the most memorable trips ever. Thanks for a great time everyone and I hope you enjoy the fish Andrew!!

April 23, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today BCGS had two reports, one I did with Tim and Adam from Shepardsville Kentucky and the other Ryan Davis did with Tim Gelok from Passaic, NJ.

For my trip, we fished for crappie all day. We caught a lot of fish including these two big hybrids but only had 11 keepers out of 50 crappie. The weather was beautiful and the bite was consistent, just not much size! Thanks for a great trip guys, hope to see you next year!!


Ryan had a half day bass trip with Tim Gelok. The morning was slow, fishing topwater and crankbaits, a few here and there with not much size. But, that last couple hours of the day, they got into some good bass in the 3.5lb and 4lb+ range on crankbaits. Hope you enjoyed your trip Tim, let us know when your coming back down!

April 22, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Today I fish with Maynard Jr. and Sr. from Newport, PA. Fishing for bass we had a good day with 20 fish, including 3 keepers!  The first few hours in the morning we only had two little fish, but as the day went on we started fishing deeper, and had better results. All of our fish were caught on crankbaits, worms and jigs. I had a great time with you guys and look forward to fishing with you next time you come back down to Tennessee!
  

April 20 & 21, 2008 - Old Hickory Lake 
Sunday and Monday I fished with Pete and Beth Thevenot. Fishing for bass we had a good two days. The first day we caught around 12, with a few keepers (our best around 3lb) and the rest in the 1lb - 2lb range. All fish were caught on worms and jigs in shallow water. Monday, we caught 14, including two keepers. Below is Beth with here 3lb beauty!

April 18, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Yesterday I fished a full day with 98 UT national champion linebacker Austin Kemp and father, 67 UT national champion Brantley Kemp. Fishing for crappie will had a great day. The crappie bite has been back into swing, but the wind has still made fishing difficult. We caught fish all day on minnows, fishing in 2-8ft of water. For the day we caught 50 or so with 26 keepers! On of the keepers Brantley caught was near 14", and weighed in at 1.8oz! Thanks for a great trip guys, I look forward to our next trip!  Don't tell anyone that I jumped in the lake after my phone, I'm trying to keep that in the down low.
  

April 17, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Thursday I fished with Bob and Brad Wiltz. Bob was visiting from Wisconsin and Brad lives in Hendersonville. Fishing for bass we had a good evening with 10-12 fish. Most of our bass were 1-2lbs, but we did get a 2.5lb in and lost a 3 pounder.....you'll get him next time Brad. We enjoyed a bunch of bites on topwater at the end of the day and also had a few nice stripes. Thanks for a great time guys, I look forward to our next trip!
  

April 16, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Wednesday I fished with Robert Lanford from Gallatin, TN. Fishing or crappie, we had a descent day. The freezing temp. morning shut down a lot of my shallow spots. We caught a few here and there, but the concentration of active fish (and size) was not there.  Around 11am, we went in for lunch with 10 keepers. After lunch, we went back out and tried trolling in pocket with chunck rock and gravel.  The next few hours we caught 15 crappie, with 9 keepers. For the day, we had 19 keepers. The bite was slower, but the weather made up for it. What a beautiful day God gave us...just perfect!

April 11, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Today I fished with John and Mike Payne. Fishing for crappie and bass, we landed 13 keepers, tons of small fish, and 6 bass. One of the bass was a fat 2+.  Both species were shallow, the crappie were caught on minnows and grubs and the bass on crankbaits, except  a 6 pounder that was lost at the boat. The rain was on and off, I thought it was going to be worse, but we still found ourselves under a bridge for an hour. Thanks for a great trip guys, look forward to getting out again!
  

April 10, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake 
Yesturday I fished with Troy and Michelle Noltkamper. The morning started off good with 11 keepers fishing shallow, and we ended the day in a new area with 20 keepers!Our last couple keepers came out of 5-6ft of crystal clear water, you could count the every fish in the area....hundreds of crappie and spawning bass. Yes, I said it, spawning. There were probably 2 dozen bass on beds from    1-6lbs. I had one half way to the boat around 4lbs before it jumped and shook the hook.  We extend our trip a little to enjoy the sight fishing, and what a blast it was. Thanks for a great trip guys, I think I've seem enough of the air show for the next couple years, hahaha.

April 5, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Here is a report from BCGS guide from last week.  "Overall it was a tough afternoon once the cold front started pushing through.  We caught a handful of bass, 1 Ky Spot, a few crappie, 6 yellow bass, 2 bluegills with one of them a pretty good one, a stripe, and yes even a 2lb channel catfish. Fate sanders area produced the crappie and the rest of the fish came behind wind breaks on minnows and lipless cranks around the 4-corners area.  It was a pleasure fishing with Bob, Robbie and Bill. Great kids that really like to fish and are pretty good anglers" .....BCGS guide Billy Harris.
   

April 8, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Randy Wiggs, from Franklin, TN. Fishing for crappie, we had a pretty good day. The wind was tough, but we still managed to catch half a dozen keepers, including this 13inch, 1.5lb crappie. The funny part of the day was that we kept catching bass on our minnows, we must have caught 12 bass in the 1-1.5lb range! Thanks for a great morning Randy, I look forward to getting out with you again!
 

April 7, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake (Two Trips)
Today I fished with Mark and Nick Carney from Noblesville, IN. Fishing for crappie,it was a still a little slower than it has been due to the high water and muddy water. We started in deep water down lake with 8 or so keepers after a few hours and then decided to try shallow. Some of my shallow spots have cleared up a little, allowing us to catch 13 more keepers the remaining of the day. The sun, temperature and low winds made it a perfect day. I had a great time with you guys and hope you enjoy the fish!

Old Hickory Lake
Mike Haggerty had another trip today on Old Hickory Lake with Doug Lepper and his son. Fishing for bass, they caught 12-15 with a couple good ones. All fish were caught on rattle traps, senkos and crankbaits. The water was very muddy on the lake but should be clearing up soon. Hope you guys had a great time and we'll see you next time!

April 5, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake (Two Trips)
Today I fished with Steve and Steve Sharrer with friend Cody from Shepardsville, IN again. After our trip the other day, they wanted to come out for some more action! Unfortunately, the rain flooded, and muddied up our fishing hole. After an hour of trying to catch'em diffrent ways, we decided to head down lake where the water was a little clear. There, we managed to catch some here and there, but overall it was a tough day. For the the 3hours we fished, we caught around 15 fish with 6 keepers. Thanks for another great trip guys!

My second trip was with Kyle, Allen and Eric, fromChicago and Knoxville. Fishing for crappie the first half of the day, we headed down futher on the lake to try some shallow spots. After 4 different places, we took out bobbers off, went out into 20-25ft and started getting a lot of bites. We had 8 keepers, a hanful of smaller fish, and one huge hybrid. After the crappie fishing we picked up our bass rods for the remaining of the day. At our first point we caught a nice largemouth on a crankbait and decided to try some more points. At our second point, Allen caught a 4.5lb smallmouth, and then 5 cast later a 4.5lb largemouth. Both fish put on a nice show, jumping multiple times out of the water. The remaining of the day, we caught 6-8 more bass in the 1-2lb range. Thanks for a GREAT trip guys, see you next time!

April 3, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Steve and Steve Sharrer with friend Cody from Shepardsville, IN. When I got up this morning I knew that it was going to be wet and cool, but I did not know that I would be making history. Today we broke the crappie record for the BCGS boat. The previous record of 43 keepers, was shattered with 51 keepers caught between 7:30am and 3:15pm. All fish were caught now minnows in 2ft-6ft of water. Thanks for a great, memorable trip guys. I look forward to fishing with you again, next year! Now is the time to tae advantage of these shallow crappie while it last!

March 29, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Marion and Jake Rutherford from Lebanon. Jake is a English teacher in China and was visiting for a couple weeks. Fishing from 7:30-11:30am we caught around 20 fish with 8 keepers! It was nice fishing with you guys, I had a great time. Have a safe trip to China Jake!

March 28, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
This morning I did a half day with Jay and Eric Morris from Indiana. Fishing for crappie and bass we caught half a dozen keepers along with a bunch of little fish, but the main catch was the birthday boy's 3.5lb largemouth, way to go Eric! I had a great time with you guys and look forward to our trip in June!


My second trip was in the afternoon with Martin and Darian Stephens from Detroit. Fishing for crappie we caught over 30 fish, with 14 keepers, including half a dozen giants. I had a great time with you guys and look forward to getting out again next time you come to Tennessee! Great job today Darian!

March 27, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Gary, Luke and Lance Lemke from MN. We decided to start with crappie and then switch over to bass in the day. The crappie fishing was good in the morning, with tons of bites the first hour. The next few hours were consistent, but not as active as the first hour. After lunch, we went out for bass and had little luck. We caught around 4 bass around 1lb-2lbs. At the end of the day we went back to for more crappie and caught a few big ones. For the day we ended up with 12 keepers! Thanks for a great time guys, have a safe trip home!

March 26, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Jack and Debbie White from Sidell, IL. With the warmer temperature I forecasted a more active fishing day than the last couple. In the morning, it was a little cool, but definitely warmer than yesterday morning. We pulled up to our first deep tree and caught 6 keepers right off the bat. For the next few hours we fished more deep trees with a few keepers here and there, but a lot slower. As the day warmed up we headed to shallow water and found that the sun pushed them shallow. For the day we had 50-60 fish with 23 keepers, a big largemouth and hybrid. Thanks for a great trips guys, you were very nice and I hope to see you again!

March 25, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished fish Teresa, Gray, Cody and Marina Pickney from Mount Juliet. Fishing with minnows we caught a handful of crappie, bass, bluegills, and one drum. The weather was beautiful with the exception of high winds. I had a wonderful time with you guys and hope you enjoy the rest of your spring break!!

March 24, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Ron Larimer from OH, and Robert Larimer from Hendersonville. Fishing for crappie, we had a tough day. The air temperature was freezing the night before and the day temps. were not much higher with snowflakes during the day. I wish I could say the cold was the worst part but it wasn't, the wind was much harder to bare. For the day we probably caught around 20 fish with 8 keepers. The ladder part of the week will be better as the temperature rises. Considering the weather, we still had a great time, thanks guys, see you in a couple months!

March 21, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Friday I fished with Tim and Wayne from MO and East TN. We had a great day with 29 keepers, setting the 2008 season record thus far. Thanks for a great time guys!

March 20, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Ken Harris from Murfreesboro, TN. Fishing for bass we caught around 10 for the day with a handful of keepers. All fish were caught on rattle traps and crankbaits in shallow water were there was bait. Here is Ken with his biggest fish! Thanks for a great time Ken.

March 18, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Yesterday I fished with Neil, Taylor and Drew Collins from Nashville. This was our second time out, and after this trip, it looks like there will be a third. We knew that it was going to be REALLY windy, but I told them I think that we can stay out of the worst of it, and still catch fish. We headed to our first spot and it was breezy, but manageable. The crappie started coming in and the day begun! We caught fish on and off all day, but the exciting part was that most of the crappie were really big! Our best four crappie were 13.5", 13.5", 12" and 12"! In addition to that, Drew caught 2 nice bass on a rattle trip. We are going to have to watch this kid, he is a GREAT bass fisherman at a early age, I was very impressed with his skills. Thanks for another great trip guys, see you in a few months!

March 17, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with my crappie client, Jerry Haglage. This was our first warm day on the water, and we enjoyed every moment of it. The wind was blowing 15-20mph all day, so after a few hours, and a handful of keepers, we decided to try shallow banks. The shallow bite was not great, but better than Saturday, leaving us with a total of 17 keepers for the day. All fish were caught on minnows and jigs. Thanks for a another great trip Jerry, those 40-60 keeper days are right around the corner!

March 15, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today BCGS had two trips! Our first trip was with Mark Ballard and friend Pete. Fishing for crappie, we had pretty good day considering it poured almost all day,  our hands were frozen, and we were being blown all over the lake. Our shallow bite died down  as the temperature dropped, forcing us to head to deeper water. For the day we caught 40-50 crappie with 15 keepers! Thanks for a great time guys.

Our second trip was with three guys from Middle TN. Fishing for multiple species, they caught crappie, bass, hybrids! Here is the son with his winning catch! Thanks for a great time guys! Billy Harris

March 14, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Mark Ballard from Chicago. Fishing for crappie we had our first great day of the year. The first half of the day we fished in deep water with 25 crappie (8 keepers). In the second part of the day we moved up shallow and got double the bites, with most of them being BIGGER fish (12"-13.5"). For the day we caught around 50 crappie, with 21 keepers. Now is the time to book your trip and jump on these spring crappie! Thanks for another great trip Mark, see you tomorrow!

March 12, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Wednesday I fish with Arron, and Amy Harvey, from Minnesota. Fishing for the whole day, we started after crappie, and then switched over to bass in the afternoon. The crappie bite was pretty good, we caught 25 - 30 crappie with around 10 keepers. The bass bite was a little tough, we caught a handful of little bass, and a few big hybrid and white bass.  If everyone is this nice and friendly in Minnesota, I hope I get more clients from there. I hope you had as good of a time as I did. Thanks guys!

March 10, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Yesterday I fished with seven friends, from all over the country, that have not seen each other in 30 years! We took three boats out and fished for bass. The fishing was tough, but we were able to get a few good ones in the boat and  a handful of smaller ones. It appeared that some of the guys were so excited in catching up with each other, fishing was not their main focus, I hope that can have that kind of relationship with my friends in 30 years that these guys did. What a great group of guys, I hope they had a great time and safe travels home. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and I hope to see you down the road.

March 6, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Greg Tidwell from Murfreesboro. The bite was a little tougher, but after the sun warmed the water up, the fish became more active. For the day we caught 20 bass (our best three around 10lbs) and around  10 big white bass and hybrids.  Thanks for a great trip Greg, I look forward to our next trip!

March 5, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Ryan Davis from 12:30pm - 5:30pm. Fishing in 4ft-8ft, we caught around 25 fish with four keepers! All were caught on crankbaits, jerkbaits and rattle traps, spring is here!

February 25, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Yesterday I fished with my main crappie man Jerry Haglage. The morning was cool, but after lunch the sun came out and it was beautiful! The crappie bite was a little slow, but we were able to catch around 25, with half a dozen keepers. Most were caught deep, but a few shallow, I think we could have gone a little deeper and had more success. With the temps in low 50's, just a couple more warm days and the shallow bite will be out of control! Thanks for another great trip Jerry!

February 19, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished good friend, and guide assistant, Ryan Davis. We fished for bass from 8am - 3pm, and caught 9 fish on crank baits! The fish are starting to move, it won't be long before fishing is great again. Here are our best four, around 12lbs (we also lost a good one at the boat).

February 14, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished with Mike Barnard, from Turlock CA. With the temperatures forecasted in the 50's, we had high hopes for the day (especially me after fishing in the snow and freezing temps yesterday).  Fishing from 8am - 4pm, and had 6 fish in the boat, and maybe 10 bites. Our best four were 2lb, 3lb, 3.5lb and 5lb!  Spring is almost here!

February 13, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I woke up, looked outside, and thought "I know people are going to think I'm crazy, but that snow and wind isn't going to stop me from fishing today." I packed up the boat, grabbed an extra pair of clothes, and hit the road.  I fished from 9:30am until 12:30pm, I would  have fished longer but I was tired of knocking the ice out of my rod eyes.  For the day I caught three including this nice 3.5 pounder! All fish were caught on a jig in deep water!

February 11, 2008 - Percy Priest Lake
Today I fished for about 4 hours on Priest. The air temp was cold but the sun warm things up quick when out of the wind. For the day I caught 4, including these nice largemouth's that weight 3.5 and 3lbs. The fish are beginning to move shallow and the there a couple different patterns working from cranks to jigs.Now is the time to get your spring trip reserved!!

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129
615-278-6311 
Brian Carper's Fishing Guide Service: 
        Tennessee Lakes = Percy Priest Lake, Old Hickory Lake
        Featuring Tennessee Bass, Crappie

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