naturalnbama

I started out with my abu garcia 5500C the silver one on a 6 1/2' mh/h casting rod. the flipping was going ok the problem came when I went to deeper water and wanted to go beyond the original flip and have the ika take the extra line so that it fell straigt down the rock wall as much as possible. maybe my "antique" bait caster as my son calls it isnt right for the job. can some of you guys tell me what baitcasting reels your using?? At least I can see Im not the lone ranger with my spinning gear. I would love to learn to pitch with a baitcaster if I could learn to avoid the backlash. Natural

This maybe should be in a different part of the forum under tackle tips or tactics but I fish primarily for smallmouth so here goes. I posted yesterday about my new experience with the fat ika and it got me thinking about pitching / flipping with spinning gear. I practiced some today in the yard and again was amazed how well the spinning gear shot the bait out with no backlash issues at distances. With spinning gear the rod is alredy in the right hand and with the added feel of being able to hold the line with my index finger it just seems sooooo natural to pitch this way. I was pitching along a rock wall in 10-14 feet of water so the normal flip with my baitcasting gear was either too short or if I tried to give extra line I got a bad backlash. What am I missing? why doesnt everyone pitch/flip this way?? or do they and its just a well kept secret?? I know I cant be the first to try this method and love it. Lets talk about it and share some thhoughts and tips on flipping and pitching with both spinning and baitcasting geat. Natural

Ok, I got my new order of fat ikas in this week and got out to the river this afternoon to try them for the first time. I first rigged them backwards on my casting rig. abu garcia reel rod combo that i usually worm fish with. casted ok but I was casting at a distance like worm fishing. no bites no luck at all. Then I tried it on my flippin rod also with casting reel. That just didnt feel right and I couldnt get the hang of it at all. Then finally I tied it on my spnning reel. 6' quantum rod 8lb line. I first started just casting but then I got closer and tried sorta pitching/flippin underhand and just letting the weight of the lure take the extra line off the reel. WOW worked great. I loved the extra feel that I got when I could grab the line with my finger and feel the fish hit it on the fall. I found a little rock island and just pitched/flipped the fat ika into every little nook and cranny I could find. I caught two little smallmouth and had one swim withh it that I couldnt get hooked up. He was swimmin straight at the boat. Once I got the hang of the underhand flip/pitch deal with the fat ika I was amazed how well I could control exactly where it landed. plus the underhand flip gave it a nice soft entry too. If your fishing your fat ika on your bait casting rig you should try the pitch/flip with a spinning rig and see how much more control you have even at a pretty good distance. Plus being able to hold the line in your index finger tip to feel bites is a HUGE plus. I cant wait to get another try soon. Natural

RW and others have convinced me to try this fat ida bait. I have ordered some in a few different colors and have also ordered some of the palm tree version from kinami also. I cant wait to try them hopefully this weekend. can some of you guys and gals who have had good luck with the fat ika help out with when, where and how to be effective with the fat ika to catch small mouth. Can I t-rig it and drift it below the dam RW??

I have recently tried fishing the tubes I have read so much about on here. I guess its because the jig head is tucked inside the tube or something but even with a heaver head 3/8 oz. I just cant really get a good feel for the bottom. I thought about trying it behind a Carolina rig with just the hook in the tube but I was afraid it would have a negative effect on the action of the tube itself. please give me some suggestions on how to use the tube to be effective on smallmouth. I usually fish on the Tennessee River either above or below Wheeler Dam.

RW? How are you doing your striper fishing. what are you using and which end of the lake are you on??? Im headed below Wheeler tomorrow and would try the stripers if I had some idea what to try? for years we have caught them on top water just below the tower but never really caught the really big ones. Could you pass along some tips and tactics.

Maybe things are different in your area but I have always been told that smallmouth will not flourish in water that has no movement or current. Depending on the size of the pond your talking about this may be your problem. Are you positive that its small mouth fingerrlings that your seeing?? I know that several years ago I put a few small mouth in a pond nearby and have never seen them since. I have fished it regularly for several years. never seen another sign of the smallmouth.

Does anyone know what the current water temps are on below Wheeler or Wilson?? what does the water temp need to get to for things to really get crankin for the smallmouth. Im gonna try to get back below Wheeler this weekend. Thinking about the hump next to the island if the current is right. Natural

getting ready for some fall smallmouth fishing on Wilson lake. I have been looking at my map trying to locate some new spots to try. I was wondering which works best in the fall, humps or depressions. I have located a couple of each one. I guess i could just ride over each area and look for fish on the fishfinder but what is the consensus on which is better for smallmouth in the fall???

The weather is getting perfect. Friday morning I could feel that little chill in the morning that tells me the smallmouth are about to get cranked up. Havnt been able to get there to try em out yet. Have any of the guys who have been there had any change in luck yet??? if so please let us know what your seeing and whats working. Natural

We are gonna try to get below Wheeler again this afternoon. I was wondering if the cooler weather had made any impact on the fishing yet. Any ideas on what might work today. Natural

Well we did get to catch something..... lol. Son caught about a 5lb catfish on a rattletrap. a couple of shad.. there was no water running at alll . one of those days when you cut the moter off and actually drift toward the dam instead of away from it. I know its too early but we enjoyed just being out on the water. our trolling motor went out so we had to skull around the island after we couldnt get a good drift. Living proof that there is really no such thing as a bad day fishin. We have a farm pond here at the house with catfish and largemouth and he has been fishing since he could walk good but still I just cant wait for his first smallmouth. Chris

My son and I are gonna give it a try below Wheeler this evening. I know its still a little early. Has anyone been having any luck there in the last few days?? If so what worked??. I havnt gotten to fish much in the past couple of years due to kids and sports events but now my son who is 13 has caught the fever to bass fish. He hasnt caught a smallmouth yet and I cant wait for his first. I have fished below Wheeler and Wilson all my life but I have been out of the loop for a few years. Chris