JoePhish

I second what fishindad said. I throw Helsinki Shad the most and Fire Tiger after that.

When I lived down in Palm Beach Country this guy who lived in my condo complex claimed he caught a Smallie out of one of the ponds. Then he showed me the picture which turned out to be of a Warmouth.

50 mile radius gives you a lot choices. You might want to check out Watts Bar.

Zerek Sabre Dance - change out the hooks to a bigger size and it rises slowly.

The Producto Tournament Worm isn't talked about or fished much by most people outside of Florida. It was one of my go to worms when I lived there. I've had some recent tournament success with them here in Tennessee.

Welcome.

I've won tournaments fishing out of a sub $500 yak using a $10 rod with a $20 reel rigged with a $4/bag soft plastic. Don't be intimidated by the guys in their $3000 yaks. Just fish what you fish. As for pre-fishing, I like to get to know a little bit about where I'm fishing so I tend to scout out areas before tournament day.

Welcome from another East Tennessee fisherman.

Hello and welcome!

Check out Dicks and Academy Sports too. Right now there are some kayak sales going on. Though I do agree that the best deals will be on a used one. I also recommend that you join some local kayak pages on Facebook and see if any of the guys there have a boat they may want to sell. Try Clinch Mountain Kayak Anglers and East Tennessee Kayak Angers. The guys on those pages are a load of help in many regards. Maybe I'll see you on the water someday or even at one of our tournaments.

I like the the Scum Frog Trophy Series. Like the way it casts and how it sits with its back end down in the water. It's also very soft which leads to better hook ups. The downside to it being so soft is that it doesn't last that long. However, they're not as expensive as most of the other frogs on the market.

Welcome to Bass Resource!

Pedal will help you hold position better, especially in the wind and in water too deep to anchor. Also leaves your hands free to do other things while covering water. So, from a time management standpoint it's an advantage. Then there's the ability to troll. I'm waiting for Jackson's offerings to hit the market before I decide which one I want. To answer the tourney question; human power only.

Welcome to town and to this site. Wish I could help you but my boat isn't running right now and I just tourney fish from my kayak. I would suggest joining some local bass Facebook groups and maybe you can latch on that way. I know one page is Wednesday Night Lunker Tournament. It starts up again on 3/15. They usually launch out of the Canal which is up by Tellico Dam by Lenoir City. Also, maybe give kayak fishing a whirl. It's the most affordable way to get on the water. There are several tourney trails in the area. Good luck.

I have a kayak tournament there next weekend. Does anyone have a map to the general area the leaders are catching fish? I'm trying to figure out which ramp to launch from.

Texas rigged Strike King Shim-E-Stick in Smokey Shad. Not sure of the weight but she was around 21 inches long.

We did go through a major drought which contributed to the rash of wild fires the region has recently endured. However, there is a seasonal drawdown on Fort Loudon Lake on November 1. The TVA does this because there is a higher risk of flooding during the winter months. It's actually a great opportunity to take note as to what's there so that when the water rises you can fish accordingly. There isn't much cover as far as weeds and such go. It's mainly rock but there are stumps, laydowns and brush piles as well as docks that hold fish. A lot of guys fish points and ledges too.

Welcome to Knoxville. I moved here a little more than 2 years ago from South Florida. I went through what you're gong through now. I spent a lot of time researching maps looking for parks and public shoreline. I did some bank fishing but eventually I came to the conclusion that I needed to get on the water. I found that a kayak was one of the most affordable ways to do this. I liked and joined a few kayak fishing pages on Facebook to help me out, East Tennessee Kayak Anglers was one of them. I decided to show up at one of their weeknight tournaments. They have been very welcoming and have since helped me progress in figuring out bass fishing in this region as well as exposing me to new waters.

I have a silver Zerek Sabre Dance 85 that I've caught so many fish on. It's deadly when they are popping shad on the surface. Now I only break it out for tournaments because I can't find them in the US anymore and shipping is an arm and a leg from Asia, where the company is located. A seller on Ebay has them but only in gold. If anyone here has it in silver I'll be happy to buy it off you.

Welcome from yet another East Tennessean (for the last 2 years).

I take about 10 lbs of soft plastics with me every trip. In reality I should just take 4 or 5 bags. I caught most of my fish this year on basically 3 baits Texas rigged. 3" Berkley Chigger Craw in Black/Red Fleck Strike King Shim-E-Stick in Smokey Shad Reaction Innovations Little Dipper in both Bad Shad Green and Guntersville Shad. However, one of my tourney wins this year came on a weightless Zoom Trick Worm in Black.

Makes me appreciate the young man who asked me for permission to look at my kayak the other day at the ramp. I slayed them that day but he and his buddy caught nothing. I shared what I caught them on. Tomorrow is another day and what they are biting on may change too.

I used to live in that area. Pretty much any puddle holds bass down there. There's a pretty cool body of water on the Northeast corner of Donald Ross and Military Trail. It's been a few years since I fished it so I don't know how over grown it is. Just keep an eye out for snakes though. Also, in Palm Beach Gardens (next town over) on Gardens Way (the road behind the Gardens Mall and The Downtown) there are a bunch of condo complexes that have ponds. San Matera is the best of these. You can also try Pelican Lake in Juno Beach on Ocean Dr. (A1A). Like I said though, any body of water holds bass, even those ponds behind stores in strip malls.

Seen crawfish in the water that ranged between Green Pumpkin to Brown. Locals may suggest putting a dot of orange on the claw but not too much or a few strands of orange in the jig skirt. Personally, I've done best with black/red glitter but I know some good fishermen that fish green pumpkin year round.

Shad Raps, Jerk Baits and Jigs.