smr913

I bought a few Carbonlite 2.0 rods and reels earlier this year as a way to save my budget. I've enjoyed them. I got the 7' medium, mh, and heavy. They have performed well. I even took them to Louisiana for redfish, just to give them a test. Wouldn't be the worst introductory BC rig.

I haven't used the one above, but I use a counterbalance I picked up from Mudhole on my iRod 744c. It was very tip heavy and the counterbalance made the setup balanced and it actually feels much lighter too.

I'm lucky to be at the very north of the water moccasin's territory and have never seen one in person. I encourage anyone to get out and wade. The numbers of fish I caught went up when I got off the bank and started wading. It went up again when I got a kayak. Moral of the story is the easiest accessed water will be the most pressured.

Try a weightless fluke, 4" grub on a 1/8 oz jig head, or a floating jerkbait. Those should all stay above the grass. Also, don't forget about topwater.

I was just fishing some really dirty water last week and had some hi vis yellow braid on one of my reels. I was surprised how well I could see my line in that mucky water. I had originally put the yellow line on because I thought it looked cool. Will probably get another spool of it next time I need one.

You could try using actual leader material. It is usually a bit stiffer than what you spool up. That could keep the hooks from fouling. Just a thought, no idea if it would help.

This is 90% of the fishing I do. Topwater- 1/8 buzzbait, Pop-R, Whopper Plopper Mid Column- Paddletail swimbait, 3-4" grub, spinnerbaits, small cranks Bottom- Ultravibe speedcraw on shakey head, bitsy bug w/ trailer

I catch a lot of smallmouth at the lake I fish on 6-10 ft diving crankbaits casting parallel to the bank and bouncing them off rocks. We have lots of shad so I go with those colors. If you have more bluegill, perch, or other baitfish you may try those colors.

Pit boss is an awesome short, stocky trailer. I use both the 3 and 4 inch depending on the jig. They are pretty cheap too.

I use a legend elite 7' light with a stradic ci4 1000 for ned rigs, small shakeyheads, rebel craw crankbaits, and small rapala minnows. It has become my go to setup for Creek smallmouth. If I could go back I'd go with a ML over the L so I could go with slightly larger baits. But it does an awesome job.

And if you are flying into Nashville then driving to Knoxville watch out for cops around Cookeville.

I use a 7 foot light legend elite for similar stuff. Have caught smallies up to 20 inches with it. Best way to fish rebel craws and smaller minnow baits I'm.

I'm in west Nashville and in the warmer months can be found almost daily on the Harpeth River. I sometimes go down to Tims Ford, but I am not quite as comfortable fishing from a kayak on a lake as I am a river. One of these days I'll pick up a used bass boat and get out on some new water.

@Further North What @TnRiver46 posted is pretty much exactly what I tie as well.

Of course. I wade fish 99% of the time these days so I don't mind getting (more) wet. As a kid my dad and his friends would pay me a buck to jump in and go retrieve lures.

I know your trip has already passed, but for future reference this guide keeps a report at: http://tennesseebassguides.com/?cat=2.

If you tie your own the easiest and most effective fly I have found is a bunny streamer. This is what the pattern is: 1. #2 Gamakatsu B10S 2. Gold Variant Rabbit strip 3. Gold Variant cross cut Rabbit 4. small lead eyes or some wraps of .020 lead on the shank 5. tie in the lead eyes close to the eye of the hook (you dont need to leave much room. 6. cut rabbit strip so the tail will be 1-1.5x the hook shank and tie in 7. tie in crosscut rabbit a the back of the fly and palmer up to the eyes. (make sure you wrap it so the hair lays toward the back.) that's it. You can strip it back like a minnow, drift it through current, or crawl it back like a craw. Also, check out Kelley Galloup on youtube. He ties big articulated flies for trout, but they work awesome for river smallies as well.

I've had luck by finding main points of the lake on a contour map then seeing where the closest optimal spawning spots will be. It usually goes main lake point>secondary point>spawning area. Then after spawn it reverses so I'll target the secondary points then main points as weather warms up. Figure out what the main forage is and that will give you a one up. Good luck.

I use braid and a FC or mono leader. I feel using a moderate rod and straight mono has too much give to get a solid hookset. See what works best for you.

I just picked up a Zodias 7' M on a warranty for my 6'8" Cumara. I have it paired with a Ci4 2500 and really like the setup so far. the rod is crisp and sensitive. I think it is going to be a winner.

I've been using a 3/16 ounce bitsy jig with a small craw trailer in similar water. I cast upstream at about a 45 then let it bounce down stream with the current keeping the line semi tight. I usually will let it swing all the way down stream.

Make sure to give it a good rinse. I had read at one point that the older Chronarch 50MG had a kind of coating on it to protect it. While it wasn't rated for saltwater, as long as the coating was not scratch it would withstand the salt. I have no idea how accurate this is, but maybe it will ease your mind. Either way I'd give it a good cleaning. On a side note, the guide I use in Louisiana for redfish has several of the MGs that he takes out and he didn't seem to have any issues.

I would probably not go with braid. If you get a backlash during the cast you run the risk of snapping the line and losing your lure. This is because the braid has no stretch. I'd consider 20-25# mono for stuff that big, but you'll need a reel that has a lot of line capacity.

Before and during the spawn I do better with minnow type baits. Once water hits in the 70s it seems to transition to a more crawfish diet. A lot of the fish I'm catching right now have craws in their throat. Despite the presentation I do best with natural colors. I hear a lot about firetiger, chartreuse, or pink but just don't have the confidence in it.

What kind of water are you fishing? You didn't ask any specific question, but if you're just trying to pump yourself up "You Got This!" I've been fishing a little river and been doing well with a Baby Rage Craw on a 1/8 shakeyhead, Teeny Wee Craws, and a 4" lizard on a split shot rig. Will be hitting the lake for the first time this year and am expecting them to be between main lake points and secondary points. Good luck.