PLTL joined the Ridgetop Station Park this weekend and mingled with a couple hundred spectators to invite them to "Come To Play With Us."

Bassmaster Team Championship relocates to Tennessee’s Kentucky Lake

 Oct. 25, 2024

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, which will grant the winner the year’s final berth into the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, was originally scheduled to take place on Louisiana’s Ouachita River. However, due to critical, unforeseen repair work being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Columbia Lock and Dam just south of Monroe, La., the Team Championship is relocating to Tennessee’s Kentucky Lake.

The emergency work has caused significant disruptions to normal river operations, impacting water levels and navigability which would directly affect both the safety and overall experience of the anglers. As a result, the decision was made to move the championship to an alternate location to ensure the event can proceed without compromising the quality of competition or the experience for participants.

In consideration of the local resources and the challenges created by the dam repairs, B.A.S.S. officials have selected Tennessee’s Kentucky Lake as the new venue for the final B.A.S.S. tournament of 2024. The 160,000-acre reservoir, located on the Tennessee River, has hosted numerous B.A.S.S. events over the years and most recently hosted the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Kentucky Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops in April of this year. The event dates will remain the same beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 4 and concluding Saturday, Dec. 7. The off-limits period and the no-information rule will go into effect on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Registration will remain open to qualified teams until Friday, Nov. 15. Updated information will be relayed to all official Bassmaster Team Trails; please check with your trail director for updated information.

The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship is being hosted by the Paris, TN-Henry County Tourism Authority.

What's Happening?

 

Blossomway Garden Club has been awarded a $1000 Grant from the Endowment Trust Fund of Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., for a community beautification project on property owned by AMVET Post 45 on Hwy 79N.   Blossomway will be installing a raised bed garden on  a 50’x 22’ concrete pad in front of a building that previously housed a burger joint and is currently used by the AMVETS for storage.

So far, we have installed six 8’ x 4’ raised beds and are in the process of filling them with cardboard, compost, rotting logs, topsoil and mulch. These beds will be planted with evergreens and seasonal flowers and may include some holiday decor. We will also be planting ground covers like ajuga and creeping thyme in the cracks of the concrete; small flowering trees such as crepe myrtle and rose of Sharon around the edges; and bulbs for Spring blooms.  The windows on the front of the building will be decorated in a garden theme.

By August 2025 there will be a total of 9 raised beds.  Some will contain special gardens such as succulents, herbs, and hummingbirds, etc.  We will be using native plants where possible such as cone flowers and daises for color and visibility from the highway.

The garden will serve as a place for our club members to experience the joys and camaraderie of gardening.  A place where people in our community can meet, learn more about plants, have gatherings or just sit and have a peaceful moment.  We also hope it will inspire others in our community to plant more trees, shrubs, and flowers along the highway. 

You can help:

Donations: Monetary or gift cards to places like Lowes, Walmart, Homestead Garden and Gifts, Woffords for plants and supplies.  Mail to: Blossomway Garden Club Special Projects, 139 Winding Way, Paris, TN 38242

Join our club:  We meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm at Antioch Methodist Church at 3116 W Antioch Rd, Springville, TN 38256

Follow us on Facebook at: Blossomway Garden Club | Facebook You can follow without joining. 

Volunteer to help: Sometimes we just need some strong backs and stamina to move things around. 

Contact:  Lee Owenby by email at leeowenby39@gmail.com

Fall Market Day This Saturday

 

Lunch & Learn At the Heritage Center

 October 25

ANGLERS RIDING THE TEMP ROLLER COASTER

Kentucky Lake - 10-16-24

By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

Never a bad time to be out on the lake but the next few weeks will put anglers in a front row seat to fall’s colorful parade. Colors are fast changing and should reach their peak as late October rolls and around and November sneaks in the door.

Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has been riding the temperature roller coaster lately. After a dramatic cool spell that brought talk of the season’s first frost and had anglers donning overcoats and coveralls, it appears warm days will return by this weekend. Time to dig the short sleeve shirts back out as temps are forecast to be in the low to mid 70’s next by this weekend. Warmer than that next week.

Lake levels this week were up a few inches from last week with readings in the 355.8 range. At midweek the reservoir crested. Watercolor is clear in the Big Sandy and West Sandy sectors and sporting a good color around the Paris Landing sector with some stain out in the main Tennessee River channel area.

Surface temperatures have cooled a bit since the start of the week when cold nights and chilly days entered the fishing scene. Breezy northwest winds delivered a few whitecaps some days, but the water cooled down to the 69-to-71-degree range.

Tennessee Valley Authority had diminished discharge rates earlier in the week but has since increased them to 40,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through Kentucky Dam at midweek. A feel of fall definitely filled the air this week when temps dipped below normal a few days.

Crappie fishing has been fair and should show some improvement for anglers seeking more activity in shallow areas. Not many nice stringers have been taken in the 4-to-8-foot depth range this fall as high surface temps likely had a negative impact on the shallow bite. Watch for that to improve quickly as more crappie should move up in the aftermath of the cool front. Those shallow stake beds and brush piles up on shallow main lake areas or in the backs of some bays that haven’t been producing should start paying off.

Most of the crappie lately have been taken deeper in 12 to 15 feet with some coming from 17 to 20 at times. That deeper bite has been more productive for anglers vertical fishing jigs and minnows. Some anglers prefer casting jigs in the deeper venues. They’ve had success with jig skirt colors such as Bobby Garland’s Monkey’s Milk, Mayfly, Threadfin shiner and purple/chartreuse just to name a few.

It’s always a good idea to keep an arsenal of colors in your tackle box and experiment from time to time. Live minnows have been producing too. Not a bad idea to keep that minnow bucket handy during fall outings and let me fish tell you what they prefer. It’s past time for the shallow bite to turn on. Casting a minnow or jig over shallow structure with a slip bobber is another technique that normally works well during the fall months.

Catfishing out on the main Tennessee River channel should be showing improvement as TVA has been pushing enough water lately to stimulate the bite. The rate of discharge should enhance the catfish to move about and feed on the roaming schools of shad.

Bass fishermen are still slugging it out on main lake ledges and some secondary flats where bass are chasing schools of shad. Tossing chrome/blue Rattle Traps and similar lure variations has produced as have swim baits, crankbaits in black/chartreuse, chrome, chartreuse/black and shad variations.

Watch for increased shad activity and surface feeding sprees now as both white bass and largemouth should start busting the surface on calm days. Those shallow sandbars can be productive.

PLTL At Work

Paris Landing Tourism League spent the past weekend honoring the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Belmont.

We had on display a period laundry site household items hand tools, artifacts and nurses' station.

Handed out brochures and let guest know what Paris Landing and Henry Co. has to offer.