Any other bass fishermen here? Tournaments, fun fishing, pond hoppers? Smallmouth are on fire right now.
Bass Fishing
- Thread starter Blue_2_the_bone_rivals
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Like to fish the canals and ponds in our area. Plan on getting a kayak when we get back home after Christmas so I can access more places without walking through snake and gator territory.
Just planned a smallmouth trip to Dale Hollow for January. Hoping to get one in February too, will be down at LBL in March and April.
Good luck. I used to be on that lake all the time. Had kids, life got busy and sold my boat. That was 30 years ago. Never really got back into it except stream and pond fishing. Dale Hollow is a pretty place to be.
January is my favorite month to smallmouth fish. Never fished Dale Hollow in the winter though. Do you drop on them like we do at Laurel and Cumberland?
I don’t blame you there. Cottonmouths ain’t no joke. Kayaks are perfect to get into tough places.
You ever smallmouth fish the upper Holston river in East TN and the North Fork of the Holston in Southwest VA? Both are excellent for floating and wading on the shoals.
My Hope's is to get them on the float n fly that time of year. Nothing quite like fighting a 6 lb smallmouth on lite action gear.
If that isn't getting them we will use jigs, swimbaits/a-rig, or if it's a really slow bite we will get some shiners but that is last resort.
Dale Hollow in the winter is incredible. We usually see more bald eagles than we do other boats and it's easily the best time of year to catch the big ones.
Thank you. I've got two kids now, but fishing is one of the things that helps me maintain my sanity.
I’ve fished the upper Holston in Kingsport. Excellent smallmouth river but has good largemouth too. My favorite in that area is the Clinch River right at the VA/TN line. We’ve caught some absolute tanks out of there.
It's a little nerve wracking sometimes, especially if you're in a place where there's water behind you, like in the Indrio Preserve where I fish a lot and have to keep looking back over my shoulder every couple of casts, as well as keep an eye in front of me.
Haven’t seen the float n fly in a few years. We used to fish it on Norris until we learned to tight-line. 6lb test as well. 1/8 oz ball head jig and a Berkeley gulp minnow. Catches smallmouth all winter.
The water on DH is too clear for tight lining unless they are over 40ft deep, in which case we have had success dropping spoons down.
Pretty wild fishing when you can see the bottom in 20ft of water.
When we fish clear water with tightline we don’t drop on them. We cast and with a steady retrieve just ticking the rocks we continuously quiver the rod. The gulp or Damiki looks like a dying shad and catches suspended fish.
Floated the Clinch many times. That's good water to float. Have to be really careful wading though, especially between St. Paul and Speers Ferry in VA. You can go from knee deep to over your head in one step if you're not paying attention. Also, the Powell river from Lee Co. VA down to Arthur, TN used to have some good smallmouth. I caught a 4.5 pounder on topwater with 6 lb test in the Dryden, VA area. I threw a Heddon Crazy Crawler into an eddy where a large tree was uprooted and it was like a small explosive charge was set off. I don't know how many times that thing went airborne, but to this day I've never caught another fish that gave me an experience like that.
I’ve never fished the VA side but there are a few places down river on the TN side like that as well. I love it there. Always see bald eagles and deer along the river. Even a bear once.
I’ve fished the Powell on the TN side some close to Heavy’s BBQ all the way down the the bridge on 25. Caught my first sauger when I was a kid there. Now with all the tube and kayak float businesses there the river is packed but there’s not much fishing.
Hard to do that when you're chasing fish suspended in 20 ft of water over 80 ft of water. That crazy stuff is part of what makes Dale Hollow so amazing IMHO though.
Yep. They get like that on Laurel. We still do that because of the equipment and use a bigger jig head with the Garmin Live Scope. If you don’t have the right type of graph you can’t use that method. I’ve fished the float n fly but I usually throw a Megabass dark sleeper swimbait since you can get them down there easier without counting down and guessing. You have more patience than me. Hope y’all catch a bunch.
Try using a Strike King Red Eye Shad chrome with black on sunny days and gold on overcast ones on 4-6 lb test. Plenty of water depth to take your time and enjoy the fight on lite tackle.
I only use a handful of lures in the winter and catch the biggest bass then. Hardest thing to do is to fish slow except for the Red Eye Shad.
I only use a handful of lures in the winter and catch the biggest bass then. Hardest thing to do is to fish slow except for the Red Eye Shad.
Red River in my state is the place to be, but so many BASS/FLW tournaments make it kinda tough, most run to Venice but the hurricanes have destroyed most of the vegetation and restructured the bars and canal access areas.
The mid to north areas of the river are loaded with sweet gum lay downs, cypress, and willows which are perfect for skinny water pitchin and flippin bites . Typical wildcat tournaments you’ll need 20-25 lbs to cash a check
The mid to north areas of the river are loaded with sweet gum lay downs, cypress, and willows which are perfect for skinny water pitchin and flippin bites . Typical wildcat tournaments you’ll need 20-25 lbs to cash a check
That’s some stout weight. That’s a completely different kind of river fishing than I’m used to. Sounds amazing, except maybe the gators. lol. Up here in East TN 16-19lbs will get you in the top 3 usually depending on time of year except on Chickamagua. You’ll need a boatload there all year. Place is a different beast. Fishing the BFL there next month. Should be interesting.Red River in my state is the place to be, but so many BASS/FLW tournaments make it kinda tough, most run to Venice but the hurricanes have destroyed most of the vegetation and restructured the bars and canal access areas.
The mid to north areas of the river are loaded with sweet gum lay downs, cypress, and willows which are perfect for skinny water pitchin and flippin bites . Typical wildcat tournaments you’ll need 20-25 lbs to cash a check
Always hear great things about the Chick ! Massive milfoil mats and creek arms off the main river, you have a great place there B2B !
Best to you in the BFL event
It’s an amazing fishery. Very diverse. Fished well all year, even in the summer when they pull water. Thanks. I appreciate it.Always hear great things about the Chick ! Massive milfoil mats and creek arms off the main river, you have a great place there B2B !
Best to you in the BFL event
That’s the great thing about those TVA lakes, even when it’s 100* and they pull to generate for all those air conditioners going those fish will pull up on those ledges and you can smoke em if you get the right school
Go smoke em B2B and let me know how you do
'Tis Silver Buddy and FnF Season!
Pond hopper here, and go two to three times a week during the peek season. Below are just a few of many I have caught in the last 2 years.
Great fish Warrior. I love pond fishing. There’s a few I hit here all summer frog fishing.Pond hopper here, and go two to three times a week during the peek season. Below are just a few of many I have caught in the last 2 years.
Retired 1 September (unless I need to go back financially, should be good) and I am fishing every other day during the week. Go out with wife and daughter on the weekends but the other days fish and teach martial arts 2 or three days a week.
That’s awesome! You’re making me look forward to retirement even more. lol. I have 10 years until I leave the workforce. Hoping to love lakeside somewhere in Tennessee.
Congratulations! I've been retired for 4 years and highly recommend it. I had some part time jobs at first, including at the company I retired from, then we moved to Florida after 2 years and I haven't considered one since.
Yeah, my wife was a bit worried about the amount of money lost but, I told her less taxes and less spending would pretty much take care of the lower income for me. She still makes more than I did so, we are good. I was looking at a part time but now she sees I was serious about the less spending and better budgeting and has said that I really did not have to if I did not want to.
Just dont get a boat, or you're screwed
Yep. Boats, guns, bowling balls, golf clubs, tree stands, and even hunting dogs. Leading causes of divorce. Hell, they can beat the crap out of another woman, but a bass boat? That’s a bonfire waiting to happen.