BackOnTheWater

I lipped this 4-9 LM Saturday...caught on a spook jr...2 trebles...one hook in my thumb, but not serious...so it hurts...I just LOVE pulling 'em out of the water!

Love the spook! I've finally (after WAY too many lures have gone zinging by my head!) learned to ignore the top-water explosion and wait until I feel the fish to set the hooks. All I do is crank a time or two to take up the slack. If they get it, your rod will bend and then you pull back to set the hook, just like you would a crankbait. With the excitement of a top-water hit, it's not easy to wait...but if they miss the lure is still in the strike zone. Stay at it...you just can't beat an attack on a top-water lure!

Oh yeah...as always, all fish were released alive and well, ready to fight another day...

I got out Saturday morning about 9 am, just as the heavy fog was lifting. The air temp was 42, so it was a bit chilly but there was no wind to speak of. The water temp was 64. I caught my first fish on a c-rig 15 ft deep, a nice little keeper LM just under 2 lbs. The bite was tough from there on. I only caught 4 LM and one spot (1-8) all day, but one of them was nice! I was on a large flat next to the river, sitting in 4 FOW throwing a spook jr. at a long hump that was about a foot under water. On my 3rd cast BAM! One EXPLODED on the spook, and landed in the water with a THUMP. "That's a decent fish" I thought to myself. I waited for the tug telling me that he had gotten the spook, then I tugged back..."this one's solid" I thought, so I gave him another tug for good measure and then locked down on him. He immediately came out of the shallow water..."OMG. That's a 5 pounder!" I said out loud. Too bad there wasn't another boat in sight! I change his mind when he goes for his 2nd jump...whew...he's still in the water and still hooked. His 3rd jump snuck up on me...SPLOOSH! That IS a 5 pounder! I changed his mind again on his 4th jump attempt, and carefully worked him to the boat. I went down for the lip-lock. Crap! I got 2 trebles looking me in the face! I manage to get a grip and pull him out of the water, one hook digging into my thumb. I got the lure clear before much damage, but he almost nailed me good. He was not quite a 5 pounder, but was my 2nd largest LM ever at 4-9. I was flying solo, so a bad cam-phone pic is below. I got out Sunday with my friend Rick, and we started up-river to my favorite slough. We did not see much action until we got to the back of the slough, and then the water started boiling. He threw a hard jerkbait and I threw the trusty spook. He ended up with 4 LM and I caught 7. The largest was 2-2. We went to a couple of other sloughs, and I caught a 13-14" dink on a c-rig in each spot. All-in-all, not a bad weekend on old Lake Chickamauga. A little windy, but sunny both days and 60-70 deg. temps once the morning chill left the air...BEEEAUTIFUL!

I keep a net in my boat for the accidental catfish, drum, gar, etc...but I NEVER use my net on bass. Yes, I've lost a few big ones at the boat, but NOT because I didn't use the net. And I don't use live bait, troll, or use spinning tackle, either. As someone said, man-up and stick that thumb in there...and I HAVE had to clip barbs off of treble hooks to get them out of my finger or thumb. Hey, that's the bass' only shot at you...look what you did to HIM! You gotta give him a shot to get even! haha And it DOES get easier and easier...but you gotta get him good with the first try or he WILL get you or get off.

As with so many of my "Southern Brethren", I can fish year-round. This past winter, other than a couple of times I had to put the boat in the shop, I had it out at least once a week. I also hit the bank at least once a week.

I live in SE TN, and we have quite a few reservoirs in the area. Each res tends to have different sizes and numbers of the different species. I fish Lake Chickamauga more than anywhere else. A lot of the tourneys here have a big fish pot, and as a general rule the "big fish" must be at least: LM- 8 SM- 6 Spot-5 My PB: LM- 7, SM- 4, Spot- 4. I have seen local photos of LM 8-10 lbs, SM 5-7 lbs, and 4-5 lb spots. We have a zillion LM 2-3 lb, you catch them all day long. And below the dam in the river, (technically Lake Nickajack) we are eat up with KY spots ...so many that there is no minimum length to "keep" and next spring there will be no quantity limit either...we want to get rid of all those little buggars...I rarely take fish home for the neighbors, but I hear that dem spots is good eatin'!

Finally! A game that wasn't a squeaker! Roll Tide! I believe that your problem was the fronts that rolled through Friday and Sunday. The bite was tough up here as well, with Sunday being the toughest. I caught 8 LM on Saturday and only 2 dinks Sunday. Bluebird skies suck! I HATE pretty days! Good weekend to be there!

And there ya have it...I still say it's a goggle-eye...

I totally agree w/ Raul. I could also say "neither"...haha. I get out 2 or 3 days a week, so I stumble across enough small bass (3 lb or less) to make my answer "lunker". I set out for quantity over quality, but if I can only catch 1 bass all day, I want a big 'un!

Good question, Tyrius. Surface water temps mean something to me. It is but one factor that I use when looking for LMB. There is a range of temps at which LMB are most comfortable, and at which oxygen levels are to their liking. While I monitor surface temps, I know that the temp that's important might be 10 or 20 feet deep. What the surface temp tells me is twofold. 1- if ST is relatively high, I look for bass deeper...if ST is low, I'll work the shallower waters first. 2- In the winter, I can find the warmer waters to fish. Once again, these are not the only factor that I use to determine where or what to fish. But it IS good to know that one area warms up quickly on a sunny day. From the bank, that's a good thing to know! Happy hunting!

Welcome, Jim. I lived in Tuscaloosa for a while back in the '70s...went to school there...ROLL TIDE! A spinnerbait works anytime...or so I hear...I rarely use them. I would toss a Pop-R or a shallow-running crankbait...they require no expertise to work and they catch the heck outta LMB! AND they are a lot more fun to fish with, IMHO. The good news is that, starting now and for the next few weeks, you could throw a tin can out there and a couple of LMB would hit at it! Have fun and let us know how you did...take a tape measure or scale and a camera!

Geez! 2 weeks? Better get it wet or it WILL fall apart soon!

That looks like what we call a "goggle-eye" here. I've never caught one, but have seen pics and hear of them often. They are mainly caught in our river waters, not the calm waters of the lakes. Shedd Aquarium has them listed as a "Rock Bass". Google Rock Bass and see if that's not what you got there. Odd looking critters, but not deformed.

I have 2- Tennessee (resident) and Alabama From my home lake (TVA reservoir) of Chickamauga, the next res. down the Tennessee river is Nickajack, then you have the AL reservoirs...Guntersville (world class LM), Wheeler, and Wilson (both tremendous SM waters).

Beeeeeeauuuutiful! The fish ain't bad, either!

What Zel said... If YOU catching fish looks like fun, they'll try it. I would go after panfish rather than bass, though...much easier to find in numbers thereby increasing the activity level. I don't know what kind of panfish you might have in the great Northwest, but down here we have crappie, bluegill, white and yellow sandbass, etc. These can really put up a fight on light tackle...oh, yeah, they'll love it... Once again, like Zel said, make it an outing, not a fishing trip...let your daughter (and friends) dictate the day...and ENJOY!

Oh heck yeah they work. But IMHO, you could use the extra noise and flash in the daytime in choppy stained water. Bass see better at night...darker colors might work better then, and less noise is required to get their attention as well. I see these as mid-day, blue-bird sky, windy day lures. Just my $.02...but it sure is pretty!

Rule # 1...do not be in a hurry. Study, study, experiment, study, experiment some more. Heck yes, you can catch fish from the bank. Get a bottom contour map of the water in your area and try to locate some places where you can access deep and/ or shallow water depending on the variety of factors involved. From the bank, in Texas, this time of year, I would start with top-water lures and shallow crankbaits, maybe a t-rig (they call it a TEXAS rig for a reason, ya know!). Be patient and learn something every time out...I do!

Water temps have dropped quite a bit up here (Chatt, TN) over the past few days, but the front that came through made the bite tough yesterday. I would think that if the fish are not on the edges of weed beds or other shallow cover, I would back off to the next drop into deeper water and vertically jig a spoon. I would NOT go too far from the shallow cover...6-10 feet deep water, just as it starts to get deeper. As the effects of the front wear off, the bass will begin tearing up top-water baits. You might be a day behind us on the frontal situation...it came through here yesterday. For me, tomorrow, "way" up here...spooks around grass...yeah, THAT'S the ticket! Maybe the occasional spoon or t-rig over the other side of the boat. Go get 'em!

There is only one lake between my home lake and the big G. I'll be there. In fact, just yesterday a guy from the Chattanooga Fishing Forum and I set up an 8-hour guided fishing trip on the G for early November. This will be my first trip down that far. I just got my boat last July, and have just now gotten it capable of making a road trip. I should have time to get down there several times between now and then. It's HUGE! Get a map! 5 pounders all day long...a "WORLD CLASS" LMB fishery! A place DD dreams come true! I can be on Guntersville waters in 45 minutes from the house...1 to 1-1/2 hours to the prime fishing areas. teeheehee...hope ya'll don't get too tired to fish!

Tennessee: RESIDENTS: Annual HUNTING and Fishing licenses are $28. Ages 13-15 are $8. One-day passes are $5.50 Annual Trout Stamps are an extra $18. Other types are also available. NON-RESIDENTS: Annual fishing licenses are $41, with other types and permits available.

Read, study maps, practice, then repeat...as often as possible! Try starting with the no-brainer lures like a Pop-R, crankbait, spinnerbait, stickbait. Be careful with the top-water lures, because if you don't let the fish take it down, it can become a 6-hook missile headed straight for your face. It's hard to NOT get excited, but that's what you have to do. Top-water action is unbelievably exciting! The others mentioned above will, more often than not, stop SUDDENLY when a fish hits. Give 'em a pop to set the hook and real 'em in. Worm fishing requires more of a feel for the hit...tap-tap BAM! Set the hook with all you've got and hang on! With practice, you'll get it. The hit on a t-rig is, to me, almost as exciting as a top-water hit. But the t-rig (or c-rig) is my favorite way to fish...you become deadly on them after a while...throw a worm or critter EVERY time out...more time in the water = more bites = better at it. Stay after 'em and don't give up on any lure...you'll need to learn how to work them all eventually. And I don't care how much you read or how many people tell you how to detect subtile hits (it does help), you have to experience them and learn on your own.

Trust me...they are still in the same general areas where you've had success in the past. First, drop away from the edges of weed beds to the next ledge or cover towards deeper water. They will tend to move off of their favorite shallow feeding areas during these transitions. Second, stick with finesse baits and work slowly. If you get nothing on bottom, try vertically jigging spoons a foot or two (or more, depending...try different depths) off the bottom around the structure near the weed beds. As the days get shorter, they WILL gorge on the available forage, and will tend to corral them into the backs of coves or shallow areas.

4 pound fish w/ a 5 pound belly...I say 5...