Most of you know I have fished all my life. I moved here six years ago and found myself lost on the Chick and not catching much of any size. Since then with a lot of trips, several friends helping me out, this forum and a few other helpful sources I catch a few decent fish every now and then. emoSmile I get asked about this often and sometimes feel I am not an "expert" enough to answer that question. I thought I would put it on here for everyone to express their opinions and see just what came up. Here are my thoughts.
I think the biggest thing to overcome on the Chick is the lack of cover for the bass and the temptation to beat the banks. You go over the bottom with your depth finder and usually see nothing much of anything. This is one of the few lakes I have ever seen that you can take a silver buddy and fish the thing most of the day off the bottom without loosing one every ten minutes. When you do, it is usually hung up on some rocks that show to be not much most of the time.
In the winter the bass seem to travel more and look for shad schools. You can locate them by looking for shad on the depth finder and by watching for the birds to find shad. Often the birds are on the top and the bass are underneath. The bass also seem to congragate on drops and ledges. I believe this is their way of having a form of cover. Points serve the same function. It allows them to have something to orientate themselve to. Points with rocks, ledges with rock or outcropings and bluffs with the same. When you do find some wood it seems to hold them as well but wood in the chick that is deep is a premium. They seem to rome for shad and end up on one of these type of places when they are done.
Another winter pattern is creeks and ditches. This is just another form of a drop. The better ones I have found are those that are not seen by the eye but are those underneath, the old creeks and ditches before the river came up. You fish it the same way but have to use your depth finder to follow it so you can stay on it.
Spring is another whole story. The bass seem to migrate to the shallows but on the chick it is all about two main things, temp of the water and the depth when it happens. With the chick going up and down at the whim of the TVA according to weather and rain it is hard to pattern this event more then any lake I have ever fished. We all know it comes up starting in April usually but the bass seem to start sometimes in March if the weather is warm. As late as May if the winter was a cold one and the water yo-yo'd all spring. Once they do the chick is like any other lake to hit spawning bass in the shallows. Look for rock and gravel on the shallow flats and coves.
Summer...o dear summer.....time for the spook. emoBigsmile I find the post spawn to be a great time to locate bass shallow that are willing to hit top water. There are a few areas on the chick that the grass will start to come up and if the water is not too hot yet they will be there and hit top water. I love that time of year. I have notcied they seem to locate again to points, drops and structure but this time they are often shallower. I have noticed you can go into a cove and any kind of stick up, rock pile, dock, ex... will often have bass willing to hit a bait. It just doesn' last long enough. When the water starts to warm up I seem to loose them.
Mid-Summer and hot. I struggle this time of year. I have found them on the chick mostly deep. The same areas I found them in the winter and early spring. Since learning how to fish a swim bait I have found that to be a great search bait and a way to cover a lot of water deep in a short time to locate bass. The most productive has been the older creek edges out in the deeper water and fish parallel to the old banks that are underwater. Usually in the upper teens to twenties in depth. This time of year is also a good time to hit main lake humps and drops. The currents also seems to have a great effect on the bite. If you have some flow and shad in the area the bite is much better usually. emoThumbsup
Fall is I guess my second most favorite time on the chick. The bass seem to go shallow again as the water cools and the shad move up. Schooling is often seen and another great time for top water. The bass are more active and seem aggressive. Flats close to deeper water are often the most productive but the main thing I look for is the shad. Find the food and you will find the bass. This is also the best time to fish grass on the chick. The grass is at it's highest level and the bass will move into it looking for forage as the water cools. A buzz this time of year will work on the chick if you find good grass. Problem with this is it seems as soon as the TVA starts to drop the water the bass move out and leave these areas. emoAngry They are great until that happens.
Well now it is back to winter. emoScratch
This is my thoughts on the Chick. What other ideas, patterns, angles, ex...would any of you like to give up? emoConfused .
emoAngler Jmax
I think the biggest thing to overcome on the Chick is the lack of cover for the bass and the temptation to beat the banks. You go over the bottom with your depth finder and usually see nothing much of anything. This is one of the few lakes I have ever seen that you can take a silver buddy and fish the thing most of the day off the bottom without loosing one every ten minutes. When you do, it is usually hung up on some rocks that show to be not much most of the time.
In the winter the bass seem to travel more and look for shad schools. You can locate them by looking for shad on the depth finder and by watching for the birds to find shad. Often the birds are on the top and the bass are underneath. The bass also seem to congragate on drops and ledges. I believe this is their way of having a form of cover. Points serve the same function. It allows them to have something to orientate themselve to. Points with rocks, ledges with rock or outcropings and bluffs with the same. When you do find some wood it seems to hold them as well but wood in the chick that is deep is a premium. They seem to rome for shad and end up on one of these type of places when they are done.
Another winter pattern is creeks and ditches. This is just another form of a drop. The better ones I have found are those that are not seen by the eye but are those underneath, the old creeks and ditches before the river came up. You fish it the same way but have to use your depth finder to follow it so you can stay on it.
Spring is another whole story. The bass seem to migrate to the shallows but on the chick it is all about two main things, temp of the water and the depth when it happens. With the chick going up and down at the whim of the TVA according to weather and rain it is hard to pattern this event more then any lake I have ever fished. We all know it comes up starting in April usually but the bass seem to start sometimes in March if the weather is warm. As late as May if the winter was a cold one and the water yo-yo'd all spring. Once they do the chick is like any other lake to hit spawning bass in the shallows. Look for rock and gravel on the shallow flats and coves.
Summer...o dear summer.....time for the spook. emoBigsmile I find the post spawn to be a great time to locate bass shallow that are willing to hit top water. There are a few areas on the chick that the grass will start to come up and if the water is not too hot yet they will be there and hit top water. I love that time of year. I have notcied they seem to locate again to points, drops and structure but this time they are often shallower. I have noticed you can go into a cove and any kind of stick up, rock pile, dock, ex... will often have bass willing to hit a bait. It just doesn' last long enough. When the water starts to warm up I seem to loose them.
Mid-Summer and hot. I struggle this time of year. I have found them on the chick mostly deep. The same areas I found them in the winter and early spring. Since learning how to fish a swim bait I have found that to be a great search bait and a way to cover a lot of water deep in a short time to locate bass. The most productive has been the older creek edges out in the deeper water and fish parallel to the old banks that are underwater. Usually in the upper teens to twenties in depth. This time of year is also a good time to hit main lake humps and drops. The currents also seems to have a great effect on the bite. If you have some flow and shad in the area the bite is much better usually. emoThumbsup
Fall is I guess my second most favorite time on the chick. The bass seem to go shallow again as the water cools and the shad move up. Schooling is often seen and another great time for top water. The bass are more active and seem aggressive. Flats close to deeper water are often the most productive but the main thing I look for is the shad. Find the food and you will find the bass. This is also the best time to fish grass on the chick. The grass is at it's highest level and the bass will move into it looking for forage as the water cools. A buzz this time of year will work on the chick if you find good grass. Problem with this is it seems as soon as the TVA starts to drop the water the bass move out and leave these areas. emoAngry They are great until that happens.
Well now it is back to winter. emoScratch
This is my thoughts on the Chick. What other ideas, patterns, angles, ex...would any of you like to give up? emoConfused .
emoAngler Jmax
Anytime of the year. 
