TnRiver46

And you get 11 mpg instead of 15. Don’t ask me how I know. Also, it’s a whole lot easier to replace the hubs than to replace bearing and it doesn’t cost that much more

Come down with us next year! I could use some pointers

Nice work. I’m pretty much 0 for lifetime night fishing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2dJW2GFf4TS5NTSQ9 Maybe this will work if anyone wants to see more pics. For those who don’t think largemouth is tasty, we took a plate of it to the campground attendant. She said she only eats seafood and that was some of the best fish she had ever eaten

Well I just got back last night, I guess here would be as good a place as any to leave my report as this thread has gained popularity haha. Zero drops of rain for the entire week and hot and sunny. We have no idea what the temps were because there's minimal cell phone service and zero internet down there but it was a "sizzler" for sure. Water temp was 83-86 in the mornings and around 90-92 in the afternoons. This is a big family/friends camping and fishing trip that dates back over 50 years! I think this was my 21st or 22nd, I've been going every year since about 7th grade. We camp on the shore of the Alabama river on the William b dannely reservoir. The guys consistently caught bass, mostly in and around grass beds with spinner baits and plastic worms. I struggled the first 3 days we were there only catching one or two tiny bass per outing. I finally had a decent evening on Thursday evening I believe it was tossing a weightless worm around Cypress stumps, catching 6 decent ones in 2 hours. I also got on a decent bladed jig bite at the advice of a father and son that were only able to fish a session or two with us. They were fishing an island that is up against the old river channel where the water goes from 1 ft grass beds to 27 feet in about the Length of your boat. Anywhere the grass or a bush stuck out to a point there would be a bass. I used@Bluebasser86's bait to catch these fish on Friday and Saturday. We were also able to net a few shad after wearing ourselves out throwing and throwing and I got a nice 19" largemouth with a large gizzard, my biggest of the trip (looked like a solid 3 lb) . For the group, I would say 4-4.5 lb was the biggest fish. My buddy's 7 year old caught a 3 lb on a frog and a couple bowfin, this kid may be on the pro tour one day!! As far as the food, we ate like kings. Breakfast consists of bacon, sausage, fried eggs, grits, and biscuits with homemade fig preserves. For supper we had fried bologna sandwiches, steak burgers, two big fish fry's (fish tacos one night, traditonal with hush puppies and fried potatoes the other) and slaw dogs with bacon and grilled onions our last night. All in all a great trip, the best week of the year every year. I have many more photos but I think it cut me off.....

My favorite color bandit has always been splatterback but the older I get the more I think crankbait color is moot. I’m sure it matters sometimes but I troll them 2.5 mph and it sure seems like reaction strikes that I get. I painted some crankbaits all white once with a paintbrush and they worked just as well as before. Hand painting crankbaits is absolutely huge in East Tennessee, and they want a pretty penny for them. With all the gadgets people will buy to catch a bass, I’m thinking it’s one of those things to catch a fisherman by the wallet

That looks like a weapon of bass destruction for sure

For those tricky suspended 15-18 ft fish, try dead sticking a weightless fluke down to them. It’s all kinds of boring but they will eat it, just like a dead shad sinking down past them. I use hand poured ones that float so with the correct hook choice you can make them fall painfully slow and the bass just can’t hardly stand it. You can achieve the same effect with lots of plastic worms, just not the heavy senko or stick o. I love both of those worms but not for this application. Sloooooooow sink is key

Islamorada is awesome, you will love it. Be sure to swing by Robbie’s marina and watch the tarpon get fed. They are like 6 feet long

Ole large head

^what he said! Those ones appear to have been back through the buffet line a few times too many. Reminds me of me.......

Holy smokes , I don’t like the sounds of that trade

I would guess around 80-85 surface temps fairly good visibility and not a ton of current. I haven't been there this year so that's just a guess. It has been very dry and hot for a couple weeks

You got it!!! Hahaha

Better odds in Massachusetts than Tennessee? Hmmm

I caught a 30 plus pound with a 7' medium heavy and 12 lb mono a month or so ago, it just depends on how you fight them and how strong the current is

∆check out the tympanum on that one!!! He must work out.......

Hahaha you probably put it near the chainsaw since you knew you'd be hunting it next

Absolutely! Although it may have to be when I return. Cell service is spotty at best down there where time stopped 60 years ago

I’d say you would know better than me, I just thought it looked like the pattern of a leopard (cat) . I don’t know anymore specifics, certainly not male/female. I can’t believe it ate a jig!

Yes sir will do! We usually fish until about 9 am and don’t go back out until 4-5. Lots of sunscreen and bug spray, then there’s all the poison ivy and fire ants and world record alligators......... literally........ 15’9” and 1100 lbs. That thing would run @Kozright out of Hilton head!

Beauties. Looks like an awesome trip

I want to say that’s a PB leopard frog as opposed to bull frog, which is Even more impressive to land with a jig

I wouldn’t call it a backlash but a fairy wand can tangle up with the best of them