Terri Clark seems to have a little issue on her hands. Well, at least that’s what her band believes.
The country music legend has taken her love for fishing to a new level, practicing fishing knots right on her tour bus. This has raised a few eyebrows among her bandmates.
“My band says, ‘You can get therapy for this. There’s a problem,'” Clark joked during a recent chat with OutKick Outdoors.
She thinks social media is to blame. Every time she scrolls through Instagram, she seems to stumble upon another video promising to show her a new, incredibly strong fishing knot. Naturally, she feels compelled to give it a try.
If her fishing obsession truly requires help, she’ll soon find herself in good company.
This Sunday, she’ll take part in The Champions Celebrity Pro-Am on Old Hickory Lake, near Nashville, which pairs her with one of the world’s top professional bass anglers.
The Pro-Am follows a three-day championship featuring 60 of the best anglers competing for a prize pot of $3.25 million.
Clark, who has honed her skills on Lake Erie for years, is eager to see how her fishing know-how compares to those of the pros.
“Everyone thinks I’m such a great fisherwoman,” she said. “But they don’t realize the level at which these guys operate. I mean, they’re professionals. They make a living doing this.”
She noted that while she knows her local waters intimately, professionals have to tackle unfamiliar lakes, study underwater topography, and adjust to the ever-changing conditions they face.
“I’m going to be taking a master class in bass fishing, which will be super fun,” she said.
Clark expressed curiosity about fishing electronics, mentioning she owns a Humminbird MEGA Live 2 system but hasn’t set it up on her boat — mainly because she doesn’t want to spend all day staring at a screen.
However, she does see the value in the tech. And if her fishing excursion reveals some productive spots on Old Hickory Lake, she would definitely consider that a bonus.
“I live in Nashville, so maybe I should mark all the spots we find so I can revisit them with my kayak later,” she quipped.
The one that got away… for now
While Clark is excited to learn from bass fishing experts, there’s another fish that’s been on her mind quite a bit lately.
A musky. Ideally, one stretching over 50 inches.
She just returned from a fall fishing trip to Lake Erie, hoping to finally catch one of these elusive fish. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.
Strong easterly winds kept her off the water for much of her trip, and unusually warm lake temperatures seemed to delay the muskies’ typical movements this season.
But Clark is undeterred: “I’m going to get one. I’m going to get one.”
She’s even thinking about pursuing muskies on Tennessee’s Caney Fork River, which is closer to home.
In the meantime, she’s got a lot of other fishing opportunities ahead of her.
One of the things she loves about Lake Erie is its multi-species fishing. On any given day, she could reel in bass, northern pike, or walleye — sometimes even on the same lure.
And she’s had some impressive catches, like a 16-pound northern pike in 2022, which was so memorable that she made a replica to hang on her wall after releasing it.
But one of her favorite recent fishing moments belongs to another person.
This past summer, she took comedian Kathleen Madigan out on Lake Erie, where Madigan caught her personal-best bass at five-and-a-half pounds.
“The fish was bigger than Kathleen,” Clark laughed.
Seeing her friend’s excitement brought her just as much joy as catching a giant fish herself.
“When they land something big and get all excited, it feels just as thrilling as if I caught it myself.”
Coincidentally, Madigan will also be competing in the Pro-Am on Sunday.
Not your average relaxing hobby
For someone who describes fishing as almost meditative, Clark certainly has an intense approach.
“I’ll dehydrate myself because I’m so focused that I won’t even stop to drink water,” she admitted. “I’m just so zoned in.”
She’s experienced pike launching themselves out of the water for lures right beside her boat, and she’s even cut her hands badly enough to require bandaging while fishing. Her extensive knowledge of Lake Erie has led her to keep several weather apps handy for safety.
Even when she’s on tour, the fishing urge follows her.
On her days off, she often hires a guide or finds someone willing to take her out on a nearby lake. Just not on show days; the stress of a potential boat breakdown keeping her from soundcheck isn’t a risk she’s willing to take.
But it’s not strictly about catching fish for her.
“It’s not just about fishing; it’s about being in nature,” she explained.
Having spent over three decades in a career filled with bright lights, loud crowds, and constant travel, Clark finds a different kind of solace on the water.
She recalled an early morning at Lake Erie, watching the sunrise over the still water, and being so moved by its beauty that she found herself in tears.
“It’s like you’re part of nature’s heartbeat at that moment, and I can’t really describe it any better than that.”
She hopes that more women and young girls get to experience this for themselves.
“We definitely need more female anglers out there,” she said.
Her advice for beginners? Keep it simple. Find someone experienced to learn from, start small with basic gear, and build your skills gradually. And don’t overlook the effectiveness of the humble wacky rig, which she insists consistently catches bass.
As for Clark, she’s still in pursuit of bigger fish and making plans for her next outdoor adventure.
She dreams of headlining at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and, of course, catching that elusive musky over 50 inches.
When asked which of those aspirations she’d pick if forced to choose, Clark made her feelings pretty clear.
“Don’t make me choose between Red Rocks and the musky. Just don’t.”
