roadwarrior

Fat Ika, weightless and weedless. If there are any bass in your lake, you will catch a few.

Lure class: Suspending Jerkbaits 1. Lucky Craft Pointer 128 (you may prefer the 100 or 78), American Shad 2. Rapala Husky Jerk, Silver & blue, orange belly 3. Smithwick Rogue, Green 4. Rapala X-Rap, new for me Equipment 1. Lamiglas SR705R, heavy power/ slow action glass rod (a medium or medium-heavy power/ moderate action rod will work) 2. Shimano CTE200GT 3. #12 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft Ideal conditions 1. Clear or relatively clear water 2. Rocky points, fished over structure in deep or very near deep water 3. Water temperature, at least 45 degrees Technique 1. Cadence varies, the colder the water, the longer the pause. Start with consecutive long sweeps and an extended pause, working up to a faster jerk-jerk, short pause. This is just a suggested path to find the right pattern. Once you find a pattern, stick with it. Remember: The pause must be complete and on slack line, not moving the lure forward. The majority of strikes, especially with bigger fish, will occur on the pause. 2. Don't exaggerate the hook set, maintain steady and constant pressure and reel. Treble hooks set themselves during the fight.

I fish both the Tennesse and White Rivers. Water release is controlled and when the authorities reduce the flow and the water starts to drop, the fishing is over on these rivers. The only option is to pull the boat out and move to the lakes above the dams, but that is entirely different fishing.

No, there is no thermocline in the Tennessee River system. The river and reserviors of the system have too much flow to allow for this to develop. Thermocline is a result of differential temperatures within a water body. The Tennessee River system is too shallow for this to occur. Some of the reserviors are unique, like Guntersville and Wilson which support vegetation in shalllow water. With the exception of some major arms, Pickwick has no vegetation, only structure. Although I rarely fish the lake, I still catch smallmouth on structure in the lake, not cover. The lake produces Kentucky bass, largemouth and some smallmouth, but the monster smallmouth are caught in the upper portion of the lake where it is really a river. I fish below the dam. Smallmouth are attracted to structure and current. Their lazy cousins generally stay in the slack water, whether it is the lake or the river. Although we often catch catch largemouth when fishing for smallmouth, you rarely (never) catch bronzeback fishing for largemouth.

Send a PM to avid, he fishes from a canoe.

Not. But good luck anyhow. I hope you catch a couple of 4 lb smallmouth.

Squid, Smallmouth are generally schooling fish and I have heard stories of multiple big fish being caught on isolated humps and current breaks, but that has never happen to me. When I have found one of these spots the action has been awesome, but the smallmouth have always been 2-3 lbs. Nice fish and lots of fun, but they are always exactly the same size or year class. Big smallmouth, at least every one I have ever caught, have been isolated. That is not to say that several big bass will not occupy the same area, and they might even be relating to the same general structure, but I have never found them schooled up.

Well, the main lake points is where I would focus my efforts. Live minnows on a split shot rig would be my #1 choice of baits, but if you are set on artificials, here are a couple of other suggestions: 3 1/2" Gitzit, traditional rig (inserted jig head). If you get hung up too much, T-rigged weedless with a bead, weight unpegged. My most successful color has always been baby diaper yellow (Mizmo calls this color squash green or Kent's Classic). On this same set up you might also try GYCB Single Tail Grubs and Hula Grubs. It may be too early for lizards, but give them a try either on a split shot rig or C-rigged. I haven't had success with vertically fishing hair jigs or spoons, but other guys do. Line diameter is very important when you are fishing for smallmouth. I recommend #4 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft, but whatever you choose, the diameter should be no greater than standard 8 lb test line and I think 4 or 6 is better. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Go to the BassResource.com Library (Fishing Articles at the top), there is a wealth of information on seasonal fishing. Slug-Gos, hard jerkbaits and lizards are deadly in the spring.

Stop it! Unless it is a World Record there is NO REASON to mount a fish in 2006. Today, replicas are better than the real thing. There is NO REASON to mount your PB, you might catch a better one someday. NEVER kill a big bass.

All right guys, he said "UNCLE", give him a break. That's enough. BTW, Upnorth, great research. I have been following this story, too.

Most of my biggest bass have been caught between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

Basically yes, with a couple of significant differences: 1. Spots are almost always in schools, catch one and there are many more in the same area; 2. They are often found in open water, unlike their lazy largemouth cousins, they will follow schools of shad all over the lake; 3. Schools of Kentucky sometimes stage in very deep water, 50-65' is not uncommon during certain times of the year. A recent report I read from Bull Shoals said Kentucky bass were being caught vertically jigging spoons off primary points at 65'; 4. When schools come up chasing shad they will sometimes mix with white bass, move back down deep, then resurface for hours, sometimes all day. If you are ever lucky enough to be there at the right time, man it is a feeding frenzy! I don't know how spotted bass stack up around the rest of the country, but I think they are the predominate bass in terms of numbers in the Tennessee River system and the White River system. In the early 60's, when Table Rock was brand new and purple worms were today's Senko, my brother, my dad and I caught what we thought were largemouth drifting worms with the wind on a split shot rig. It was the first "Greatest Day Fishing" of my life.

Triton_Mike guides for spots, ReelMech hunts for the Kansas State Record. I'm sure they will have some very good advice when they SPOT this post. I rarely target Kentucky bass, but I catch a lot of them on standard bass lures. Smallmouth, largemouth and spots are all attracted to soft plastics, jerkbaits, crankbaits and blades. I don't recall catching them on topwater except when the are up chasing shad and then I think they would hit anything. Often you will find them schooled in deep water and vertical spooning, Silver Buddy, Little George and white jigs are very effective. Oh! Did I mention shiners? Spotted bass like them a lot, too.

I don't know the answer, but it's not "deep water". Most Kentucky bass have red eyes while some do not. Spots and smallmouth are the most closely related in the bass family, maybe the common genetics have something to do with it.

Avid, You catch too many quality fish not to have caught some bigger fish, but for most fishermen consistantly catchingd 5 lb+ bass would be a treat. I question whether there are actually bigger bass in your lake. Ten years is relatively new and perhaps the lake was not stocked until the second or third year, which would make 6lbs or so somewhat in line with what you might expect. Otherwise, it has to be location, as RoLo suggested. However, as much as you fish, you would think you would have caught a bigger bass, if there are any, even if you are not in exactly the right spot. You have everything going for you as a fisherman, it just doesn't make sense to me that you wouldn't catch a bigger bass, at least once in awhile. Maybe you need to fish those other 115 days, what do you think?

Lipless cranks, Silver Buddy or spoon. Something that the bass think resembles a shad. I like the deep presentations because you can fish them fast near the surface or let them drop through the schooling baitfish. Also, when you are chasing baitfish it always seems that they surface just a little out of casting range. With the lures I suggested, you have a much better chance of reaching your target with a long cast.

As RoLo pointed out, Guntersville is THE largemouth lake on the Tennessee River, and in the Mid South for that matter. Bassmaster's recent ranking of the Top Ten Rivers is what surprised me. For all around fishing, the Cumberland might be number one, big smallmouth and HUGE stripers, muskie, walley and catfish. For smallmouth specifically, the Tennessee River should be included, but probably not number one unless you want to talk about size. The Tennessee offers the best opportunity for catching a trophy bronzeback, but it never produces the numbers that other rivers churn out. Back to lakes. Well, the focus is obviously largemouth, but if they were ranking lakes for "bass", which would include smallmouth, how could Dale Hollow be overlooked? Right now they are reporting incredible "numbers" at Dale, but that is not what makes the lake special. Of the four or five certified smallmouth over 10 lbs that have ever been caught, three have been caught at this lake, including "both" World Records!

Congratulations! LC Rick Clunn series are on sale for $10.99. I haven't fished them, but I just ordered a couple of the 2.5 & 3.5 yesterday.

Don't know, but caught my PB smallmouth 1/15/05 and PB largemouth 9/05/05. I also caught my PB brown trout and walley in 2005. Those four fish made my year. I don't plan on catching more fish this year, but I am trying to catch bigger bass, brown trout and walley.

You da man! I pay attention to how you catch BIG bass. Floating Rogues and jigs are what I'm focused on for 2006. Thank you for sharing your secrets. I know for sure, the bass on the Secret Pond have never seen either!

I catch them sometimes, too. I have been told it's from feeding in freshwater clam beds and aggressively hunting crawdads. It's the clam shells and the rocks. However, I like the "getting pretty for spawn" theory better!

Coach, I know YOU catch lots of BIG bass on floating Rogues and jigs, that's why I'm staying focused. I can't get better and learn more tricks without building some confidence in a broader range of techniques and lures. I look forward to the day that a jig is my go to bait, but it's not today.

I don't think that is the case at all. If there is a problem with the blank, Reel Mech has commented that they try to sell them to custom builders!

Well, right now I'm personally trying to stay away from soft platics, it's too easy! No kidding buddy, if you fished nothing but 6" Senkos and Fat Ika, you'll catch more and bigger bass during cold fronts, or under any conditions over the next several months than everything else combined. I'm not going to do that, but I promise you they work. I'm going to fish your persomnal favorite, the floating Rogue, jigs, tubes and suspending jerkbaits. But if I were actually trying to catch bass, well...I've already said that... BTW, I NEVER downsize. Go big or go home. Unless you are fishing a tournament, who cares about little bass?