TnRiver46

A lot of the flies we order at work from umpqua are barbless. Don’t know about bass stuff, the bass flies usually have a meat hook with a big barb

They got rid of Nathan peterman so that’s a step in the right direction!

I always start with the “go to” instead of reaching for it when all else fails

My buddy brings one of those every time he goes fishing. The first time he telescoped it I about fell out of the boat laughing. Pretty awesome, I had just never seen that

If you can get you own shiners and fish the kicker trails you might be able to figure it out yourself

@12poundbass beat me to it. “Oh lawd, shtuck in Lodi ah-gain....”

I was thinking the same thing. They must have consulted Minnesota and California for advice..... the Florida strain/northern hybrid, especially the F1 generation, is nothing but big and fun

They don’t make anything like they used to, my truck is manual transmission locks and windows with a single cab, had to look around for it but Carmax is a wonderful thing. If it’s not a stick shift I won’t own it, and don’t EVEN get me started on a push button ignition. It must be so hard to turn a key.......

First off, I love your choice in fishing reels. Just reading the OP again made me want to cast mine, but alas I’m on a non fishing trip in Ohio...... about to go out into Lake Erie and not fish....... sad face. But back on topic, I ALWAYS bury the hook point in a worm, never texpose. Maybe because I live in the land off current, logs and rocks, I don’t know. There is basically no clean bottom and no vegetation, just a bunch of stuff to get hung on. You may have just had a bad stretch of luck but I would definitely try setting the hook harder to penetrate the plastic and subsequently the fish .

“Trailers??? We don’t need no stinking trailers!!”

I always liked watching luck throw and run but him retiring will be fairly similar to when he was still working

I’ve fished for them a couple times, not really my cup o tea. They seem to be treated like Hindu cows

Never for me. I like to eat fish

Sometimes you can find old topo maps if you look hard enough

A mans got to eat, that’s how!

Fish are crazy! You could go there tomorrow and it could be the exact opposite

I had an early motor guide wireless trolling motor and I wore out the plastic gears quickly, got them rebuilt for like $200 bucks and wore them out again. The Trolling motor repair man took me back into his shop and he had a dozen of the same ones opened up re building the gears. I went back to hand steer and cable steer after I saw that

DO NOT spray Berkley gulp if your girlfriend is downwind in the back of the boat. Although I just felt like I got revenge for all the spray sunscreen and OFF I have ingested over the years

My buddy threw one of mine in that way in the middle of the night in lake fork.... Didn't bother swimming for that one, gone - er. Jumped in an rescued them most other times. Vertical rod holders are a nightmare for me. My buddies put their rods in their first thing when they jump in my boat against my advice. Then they hook them on back cast or saw them in half with side arm cast. They don't fly out of the holder but it's always something

If you got a 7 this year I say keep doing what you're doing

Done it a few times before and several times with a cast net

Ah fly fishing........ started off as fun for me, and still is. I usually like to stick to fly fishing for fish that are actively eating bugs, mainly tailwater and smoky mountain trout. I have caught bass and other larger fish casting bigger stuff but it’s not a method I enjoy as much as a baitcaster or spinning rod. Also I like fishing 15-25 feet deep which is laborious with fly gear. I started working as a fly fishing guide in ‘08 and still do it on weekends. The last decade has burned me out on fly fishing somewhat but not completely. Also my girlfriend loves all things fly fishing and trout so that helps me enjoy it and keep the skills sharp. @Scott F, I also paddled some of your fellow Illinois smallmouth alliance fly guys down the French broad river in a complete deluge on a guided trip a few years ago (not Jeff). I can’t remember their names but the guy in the back of the boat had me laughing the whole way down, I think his name might have been Mickey? Very short older guy. The two guys in my boat knew way more about fly fishing for smallmouth than I did, they had done it all over the country, whereas I reach for a round bait caster and a pop R when chasing smallies. They just had a big group and needed an extra drift boat captain, and I learned a lot from them. I don’t think I was their ideal fishing guide that day but I had a boat and got them down the river anyhow haha.

Sounds like a tricky situation, maybe try hopping around to different spots and talking to fellow anglers at access points and see what they are catching

It's better than not making it to the championship game for 12 years straight! Haha

Go Vols! I'll be at the first two games