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22,500-acre reservoir near Hendersonville. The lake tops out around 60 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
There are 237.5 miles of drawn shoreline to work, with 19 islands in the mix. An index of 13.7 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 85% of this chart, as modeled. The basin spans about 19.4 mi end to end and 8.2 mi across at its widest. Sumner County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, J. Percy Priest Lake, is 17 mi to the south.
Spring largemouth bass on Old Hickory Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (27 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Old creek channel first on the milk run — a creek channel near 30 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Old creek channel (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Tiny spoon |
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Cumberland River inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring striped bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Cumberland River inflow (6 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (51 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Old creek channel (30 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Early season white bass & hybrids use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Cumberland River inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Cumberland River inflow (6 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (30 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Spring channel catfish on Old Hickory Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Cumberland River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Cumberland River inflow (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (30 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (30 ft) |
Old Hickory Lake also holds blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 40 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 51 ft.
Access data: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Tennessee waters are set by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — and special regulations can apply to Old Hickory Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Tennessee fishing regulations →
Old Hickory Lake is about 60 ft (18 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, striped bass, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, longnose gar, common carp, sauger on Old Hickory Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Old Hickory Lake is regulated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Check the official Tennessee regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
J. Percy Priest Lake 17 mi · Marrowbone Lake 24 mi · West Fork Drakes Creek Reservoir 28 mi, KY · Harpeth River 34 mi · Caney Fork River 35 mi · Cordell Hull Lake 40 mi · Jesse W. Thornton Lake 42 mi, KY · Barren River Lake 47 mi, KY · Center Hill Lake 47 mi · Mill Creek Lake 51 mi, KY · Duck River 54 mi · Whippoorwill Lake 57 mi
See how Old Hickory Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Tennessee · best sauger lakes in Tennessee · best crappie lakes in Tennessee · best bluegill lakes in Tennessee
Browse all Tennessee fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.