On Outdoors South TV this week: Guide Bob Latendresse shows you how to catch Kentucky Lake crappie in Birdsong Creek. He will show you how to tie a special loop knot that makes your jig and tube or grub look more natural.

On Radio This Week: Bill Dance will join guest host Billy Stanton while I fish the Murfreesboro Outdoor open tournament. I’ll call in from Fate Sanders to check in on Billy and give him a Priest update.

-The fishing is good all over. This weekend I’m scheduled to fish Tims Ford on Friday, Percy Priest on Saturday, and Center Hill on Sunday. Everyone I have talked to about all three lakes say that something is biting and biting hard. For Tims Ford, its hybrids in the mornings and bass after that early morning feed fest. I’ll let you know more about that next week. For Priest, it’s bass all day long and catfish starting to get around rocks and spawn time. For Old Hickory, it’s largemouth starting whenever you get on the lake and find willow grass. And, it’s bluegill moving in and shellcracker somewhere nearby. And Kentucky Lake, go see the fish reports on it. Lots of bass and bluegill and shellcracker and other fish. It’s the same just about everywhere and if you are no finding time to catch fish now, you won’t find a better time of the year to catch something. We will have hot days and good runs of fish, but 60 and 70-degree water bring out the best in just about everything. Makes me feel good, too.

-If you fish Priest this week consider Carolina Rigging humps and ledges where largemouth gather in large schools. If you consider fishing Center Hill: Take along Shaky Head jigs and finesse worms, jerkbaits, and Pop Rs., and if you fish Tims Ford: Take Jerkbaits, spinnerbaits (Secret Weapon), and a variety of crankbaits (I’ll let you know more about those, too. I’m fishing with a Rapala rep. Friday)

-Next week TWRA will join other agencies when it begins a “Wear It” campaign on Percy Priest Lake. If all goes well, this campaign will spread across the state and most of you—ALL of you—will wear your life jackets almost all the time. I believe in life jackets like I believe in seat belts, although I notice that in a vehicle I never take off my belt, but on the water I find comfort areas where I remove my jacket. You know, shallow water, calm water, idling speed, short runs, etc. So, do I really believe in the life jacket like I believe in the seat belt? Do you? We should wear our life jackets more than we do. I try to video folks wearing their life jackets when a boat is running across a lake or is floating below a dam. But, I notice that there are many shots in during the calm, shallow, etc. waters where neither my guest(s) nor I are wearing jackets. I will say that I fish with many careful anglers who won’t allow you not to have a jacket on when the throttle is down, but with very few who keep a jacket on (outside of winter) when the boat is at idle speed or less. Jackets will save your lives. I’m sure of that. And I hope everyone of you force your kids to wear them. Pay attention to the “Wear It” campaign. The folks in charge of it know the statistics well on who lives and who dies and who was and who wasn’t wearing a jacket. Just like seat belts, not every life is saved with a jacket on. But just like seat belts, far more lives are saved with the straps and buckles intact.

-I ran a list last week of places where you can take your youngsters (born after Jan. 1, 1989) to take a boating test. If you missed it, that list is available from TWRA’s website. And, that website is updated frequently.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission is meeting May 22-23 in Nashville to set this year’s hunting regulations. I will let you know what happens. This should not be a year of big changes. None that would make you rush to Nashville have been discussed. Still, usually something of interest comes out of this annual meeting. Look for the new regulations to be posted on TWRA’s website—www.tnwildlife.org long before they are in paper form.

My website is undergoing a few more changes thanks to the excellent work of Webmaster Jack Bradley. I want it to get easier for you to find your way around it and to the shows that I do. I believe my shows will help make you a better sportsmen in our area because my guests are fantastic!

See you next week.