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Thursday Night tournament is growing




Barry Steele landed these two 6-pounders during a Thursday Night Tournament.Submitted

Barry Steele landed these two 6-pounders during a Thursday Night Tournament.Submitted

The Thursday Night Tournament (TNT) fished out of Long Hunter State Park is in its 18th year, making it probably the area’s longest-running bass fishing tournament, and it’s still growing.

“Participation is increasing,” says TNT founder and tournament director Andy Jennette who is assisted by wife Mary. “We’ve been having good turnouts all year.”

Most of the TNT tournaments have 20-25 boats with two fishermen per boat.

The entry fee is $40 per boat, with payouts based on the number of entries.

Jennette says the concept of having a night tournament is based on the fact that most of the fishermen are “working folks” with little free time during the day. For them, nighttime is the best time, plus, its cooler during the summer, with no water skiers and pleasure boaters. Fishing on Thursdays frees up the weekends.

TNT earlier this year installed lights at the Long Hunter boat ramp and parking lot, and is in the process of adding more. Club members funded the project and did the construction.

“We needed the lighting for our night tournaments,” Jennette says, “and it is also a service for other fishermen who use the ramp.”

Jennette says Long Hunter is ideal for the tournament, but some access roads could use some work and welcomes state and local assistance.

He says this year’s bass fishing on Percy Priest Lake “has been up and down.”

“Some nights we’ll have good weigh-ins, other nights are slow,” Jennette says, echoing similar reports from Old Hickory and other hard-fished area lakes. “But overall, we’re having a good year, with some good fish being caught.”

A typical weigh-in is the one made in a recent tournament by Brian Miller and Tim Jones. They won it with 18.02 pounds, and Miller took big-fish honors with a 7.64-pounder. Chad Fulghum and Dwayne Wardlaw came in second with 9.11 pounds and Wardlaw checked in a 3.11-pound smallmouth.

In another of the 15 tournaments held so far this year, Chad Jones and Danny Crockett came in first with 16.17 pounds. Jennette and Brian Walker took second with 11.37 and Scott McGuire and Barry Steele third with 10.36. Steele, in another tournament, brought in two six-pounders.

“There are a lot of good fishermen in this area,” Jennette says, “and the competition is tough. But that’s what makes it fun.”

Winners, schedules and other information is posted on TNT’s Facebook page. Information is also available by contacting Jennette at (615) 972-0735.

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