TnRiver46

The ones in the newspaper here are always about a month behind what is actually occurring

Most of the time I just drag it like a shaky head but last night I was shaking it pretty wildly, water temp was 60 and I figured they should be active. I was trolling a crankbait 3 mph and getting bit so that was another clue they were active. Eagles are very abundant nowadays, my buddy got a great photo of one in downtown knoxville the other day. I camped on Norris not long ago and got my first ever skunk on that lake, they were blasting shad at daylight though

Fish were a little bit smaller yesterday. Got out after work and the river was much more stained and pretty fast downtown. Ran up to a tributary and it was crazy clear with no current. Trolled cranks through there and picked up some. I started seeing crazy ledge rock and grass clumps so I dropped trolling motor and caught a couple with a poor mans ned rig. Then trolled back halfway to the ramp in he dark before hitting the fast water and got the best one of the evening, maybe 16-17"

They look good but I wouldn't bet against bama in the sec champ game. I bet Vegas would have bama favored too

5 lb spot is mean as a d*^n rattlesnake. They will rival if not whoop a smallmouth as far as the fight

Turn it into a flipping/frogging stick? Or a broom to sweep the kitchen?

I was wondering why it was so expensive!

Worth a shot since it's already broken. If you can't get the insert to stay put just ooze some epoxy inside the rod and let it stick to the insert. Might throw off the weight of the rod if insert is heavier than original material

Mikes reel repair website always had what I needed

Got any other broken rods? Or a thin metal rod that will fit inside the blank? Insert an old piece of rod or thin metal and wrap with thread then epoxy. People used to fix any rod for 10 or $12, see if there is a local rod builder near you or just give it a try yourself

We only have gulls in the winter months, they haven't showed up quite yet. The lowrance and fishing lures are the only way I know to locate suspended fish. The problem I have is the fish are always around, they just bite sometimes and sometimes they don't. I was in friends boat one time and he had a diving mask and snorkel. After a long time of fishing shoals with no success, I jumped into the water to look around and there were smallmouth everywhere, some of them really big

Tried fixing it yet?

Smallmouth hate sunshine where I live

In cold weather, Blade baits work great for me. As well as spoons suspending jerkbaits finesse worms and tiny tube jigs. Float and fly has never boated me a smallmouth and it's not for lack of trying. I know it works but not for me, I usually outfish my float and fly buddies

Thanks! My girlfriends family gave me that as a joke but I wear it in the wind all the time haha

^whst he said. If you are fishing alone keep a tube on a second rod and drop it right Behind the hooked fish.

Sometimes you can tip a spoon or spinner with a tiny piece of live or scented bait

Nice job, took me darn near a week of "after work" work to do a transom in a jon boat. I figured it would take like 4 hrs. I also made a giant mess with fiberglass resin and wasted one tub of it that I soilidified in like 5 seconds somehow

Back at it today, had some sleet and lots of wind but overcast and 65 degree water. The bottom fish was healthy and fought like crazy, had to backreel a whole bunch. It came in just shy of 21". The Top fish was in rough shape and barely fought. We lost a few more of the same ilk

I take my rowdy friends fishing almost every time although I don't mind fishing alone. Some of them will show up with a handful of inline spinners and whip us all!

Got one about 20.5 inches flipping into brush with good current, water a little stained and 66 degrees

We have been patient for a decade!!! Hahaha. No other option but to keep waiting I suppose

College football is as far from great as it ever has been in my neck of the woods.

The season is Just getting started in East Tennessee. Still got some wake boarders though

Gotcha thanks. I think that is a hybrid Striper/white bass but not 100% sure either. and I bet it was a handful!!! It could be a giant size white bass but Striper are typically more torpedo shaped. You might have caught the state record white bass hahaha