TnRiver46

I used to fish for trout all winter until I learned to catch bass in cold water. If you are limited to only trout, the stocked ones bite way better in the cold than the wild ones

No but I was guessing not much over 4 lbs as snakey as it was (it hit a buzzbait in rapids!) I think the one my buddy had that same day pictured above was a good bit heavier. The fish in my avatar was also very close to 23” but again no weight. I would guess 5

I just remembered two more river monsters from the same day about 10 years ago. In a $60 inflatable kayak on a 10 mile float ....... The bottom fish was tied for my longest smallmouth ever at 23" (skinny though) and my buddy got a replica mount of the top fish

I agree, and saying there’s a definite line where one ends and the other starts is impossible. This is the upper end of lake Cumberland, I’d call it a river ...... this is also very similar to what the upper end of fort Loudoun lake, Norris lake, Douglas lake, Cherokee lake, watauga lake, south Holston lake, Boone lake, and several others all look like. There’s even some portions of water that flow into the famous chickamauga lake that are class 5 whitewater

The upper end of Several TVA impoundments are miles of shoals and rapids. You would just have to see it all to fully understand. I’ve caught hundreds of smallies all throughout dozens of rivers in Tennessee but if you go downstream far enough there’s always a dam. I would also consider fishing a tail water right below a dam a river but if that’s crazy oh well. The water is super fast and its a narrow meandering channel so I think it fits.

I’m too scared/cheap to buy x raps! And even if I do buy them, I’m afraid to throw them. Then they just swell up and explode in my tackle box......... but I bought a couple husky jerk the other day and man do they have good action and suspend perfectly. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pull the trigger on a Megabass but I may find one in a tree one of these days.......

Bass are always hungry, even when they arent! I’ve caught them when they were barfing and pooping Shad everywhere. I caught one with a plastic worm that barfed up a bullfrog on the way in. But, they have to rest just like anything else. You can catch a resting fish but it’s not easy, actively feeding bass are gluttons. If you are seeing osprey this time of year, then you must be down pretty far south or close to the ocean. Our ospreys have already left for winter, now we just have eagles and ring billed gulls. Have you tried a plastic worm with no sinker? Also I firmly believe bass can be line shy, there’s a reason every single pro uses 4-6 lb test during winter tournaments around here on the smallmouth water. The way a smallie fights, they would all be using 50 lb braid if they could

Prayers sent.

Well i guess i have never caught a river smallie according to this thread so my new answer is 0 lbs 0 ozs. In a state without natural lakes nonetheless.... Every drop of water in the whole state is behind a dam, some just further upstream than others

Do tailwaters count? So you are referring free stone streams only ? The dam also alters the river below

I swear sometimes I would rather mix it up with interstate rush hour traffic than I would drive down a country backroad with does all around. Those things are drawn to passing cars like metal to a magnet! Narrowly avoided 2 this morning update: 2 dead ones on the shoulder today where I avoided them yesterday..... hopefully the humans are ok

Last time I checked the river runs right through the dam on a reservoir....... guntersville, pickwick, and chickamauga are still the Tennessee River. The delineation is not even close to cut and dry

You fish a chatter bait with 8 lb line??? Maybe that’s why you catch all the big ones......

Bullet and Allison boats are both made pretty close to my house, Hillbillies love horsepower!!!

Still all 50s and 60s here..... Fear and loathing in Knoxville......... Someone saw a wooly worm........

Well, rivers and lakes are one and the same in TN...... the bottom fish is one of the biggest i have caught in the rapids, the top one was in fast current but like 19 feet deep where its more of a reservoir

And so it begins...... (Queue the maniacal laughter)

I use black/blue most of the time, maybe a green or brown in super clear water. 10-15 feet is fairly shallow so you could throw any weight, I would downsize for clear water and go a little heavier for muddy water. Trailers are flappy like rage craw in muddy water, back half of worms and grubs in clear water.

Indeed! I tried to warn him

Pflueger medalist

Lasts forever on baitcast and about 10-15 minutes on spinning

My buddy brought a pack of TRDs and a pack of shroomz hooks fishing with me on the river. Said he had been slaying them in the pond. Before noon, he had lost all TRDs and all the jig headz. And he said he felt bad for me because i spent all morning trying to get his hooks back with the trolling motor and not fishing. Z man sure does sell a lot of packs of those worms that supposedly last forever

Ive only been to texas once and i took a jon boat with nothing but a trolling motor. Camped on lake fork and gibbons creek reservoir, caught a 6 lb and an 8 lb in just over a week. I didnt know jack going into the trip, just dragged a plastic worm all over the place. Locals said i had to use bigger worms and the two large bass ate small finesse worms . Best tip for catching monsters: go fishing more than anyone else and stay longer than anyone else. Your odds go up the longer your hook is in the water and the rest will fall into place

Hes not the only one.......

Plastic worms!!!