roadwarrior

Chocolate milk never works for me. Maybe I just don't know how to fish it, but I'm a recreational fisherman so I just don't fish those days. As I stated earlier, I sometimes fish native minnnows (threadfin) because that is what everything in the river eats. I think we are more successful using commercially raised shiners because they stand out. And by the way, various species of shiners are native, too. These baits are just not as numerous. Here is another little secret I'll share: When the smallmouth we catch spit up minnows they are usually shiners. Now, I know for certain these baitfish are not the ones we are fishing with, the smallmouth don't steal that many and the river is too big for them to find a few of our dead ones. So, they demonstrate a high preference for shiners even though the predominate baitfish are yellowtail (threadfin minnows). Just another reason I like to fish commercially raised baits.

I do like the Fat Ika (watermelon w/ large black flakes #194J) in water <12'. Fish it on a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG Gamakatsu Offset Worm Hook, weightless with the skirt up. I fish it on light line like a Senko. Cast it out and let the lure fall on slack line. Let it sit for a minute then move it 6-12" with a horizontal sweep. Let it fall on slack line and sit for 10 or 15 seconds and repeat until you are out of the zone. Good luck.

Try using a circle hook, specifically a #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook. When you feel a bite just reel, never set the hook. I had good results using these hooks with a 6 1/2 " lizard. You may think they are too small, but I think you will be surprised how well they work. I haven't caught enough fish to have a good sample C-rigging this hook, but I haven't had a gut hook. I fish live shiners with this hook exclusively and estimate that 95% of the fish are hooked in the side of the jaw, the other 5% in the lip or roof of the mouth.

The TVA maintains a 21' channel and the river below Pickwick Dam is technically the upper portion of Kentucky Lake. There is always water in the river/lake. The water level varies greatly depending on the amount of electrical generation that is in play. Another factor is flood control and when all the gates are open we spill 2.4 million gallons of water per second! The required flow for smallmouth fishing is 20- 140 cfs, although we sometimes fish up to 240 cfs. Current is everything. Ideal water temperatures are something less than eighty degrees to the mid forties. Cooler water, combined with adequate current stimulate the smallmouth to feed. Abundant baitfish and the soft light of autumn and winter also come into play.

Jsutton6, I think a bobber might work, but I find the bigger bass very close to the bottom on the Tennessee River. Believe me, I get hung a lot. Fishing the river below the dam is far more productive around here than fishing on the lake for smallmouth bass. That would not be the case for largemouth. My driver is Kevin Harvick, but I like #20 and hope Tony Stewart wins the Nextel Cup Championship.

Although Kentucky bass look very similar to largemouth, they are genetically more closely related to smallmouth bass. Although you often find them in the same areas as largemouth, their preferred habitat is linked to that of it's cousin the smallmouth. Generally, spots are schooling fish, seem to prefer deeper, cooler water and hard bottoms and rocks. Although they tend to be smaller than largemouth, the only World Record bass ever caught in a professional tournament was a Kentucky bass landed by the Yamamoto team in California a couple of years ago (Senko #187). In the Mid South they are usually caught while fishing for other species except in the late spring and early summer when they are found in spawning concentrations. On the reserviors of the White River they are targeted, along with white bass feeding on huge schools of baitfish (generally shad minnows). Topwater action can be dramatic, but Siver Buddies, Rat-L-Traps, silver spoons, Rapalas , Pointers and just about anything white or silver seems to work. As the summer progresses, Kentucky bass will generally be found in deeper water, but continue to hound baitfish and will occasionally appear on top. Baits to use are standard bass baits. I have personally had tremendous success on rocky points fishing purple worms. The key is finding the fish, but once you do, stick with it. There are usually hundreds of fish in these schools

A big thank you to Glenn, Chris, Russ and all the members of BassResource.com. This a great site and I look forward to working with you all to insure that it continues to be the very best. Good luck to everyone and thanks again.

Thank you! Glenn, we all appreciate this site. And kudos LBH, very well done.

Drive south! I fished the White River in early March a few years ago. We started with light rain followed by heavier rain followed by sleet followed by 6" of snow during a shore lunch. It was time to head in and sip a little whiskey. If the guides start freezing, I'm outta there!

I think you will find KU_Bassmaster has a pretty good handle on this situation. Whip up some doughballs and you might still have some fun.

Then there is the downside: Although the TVA must maintain a minimum channel depth for commercial barge traffic and an adequate release schedule for power generation, that does not mean they have to provide water for recreational fishing. Last weekend the system produced an average of only 8,000 cfs with release in the afternoon and early evening. As a result, I didn't get to fish. Inadequate water means no fishing. We have a "0%" chance of precipitation in the region this week. It looks like next weekend will be another football/ NASCAR weekend.

Good for you L.D. That is a plan that keeps everyone happy and and has no detrimental effect on the fishery. There is nothing wrong with keeping fish and in many instances, keeping small bass would be very beneficial. If you fish the Tennessee River you can keep all the catfish, a legal limit of whitebass, largemouth and Kentucky bass. I would hope you release big largemouth, you'll probably catch plenty of fish. Now, even though it's legal to keep smallmouth, we don't like that unless it weighs 12 lbs!

River fishing is a little different. The commonality is the enormous quantity of baitfish which makes it extremely difficult to distinguish your lure presentation from the natural forage. Minnow immitations are the best solution to this challenge. A little different size, color or action would seem to be key. Crawdad immitations (grubs, Hula Grubs, tubes and jigs) appear to be less successful in early fall, but by winter come back into play. I fish live bait and the native yellowtail catch fish, every kind of fish in the river. Store bought shiners provide an edge, probably because they stand out in the crowd. Structure providing ambush points is where the smallmouth stage. There is just so much bait available, I do not think they chase the baitfish. I think smallmouth hide and wait on the prey to come by in current. Strikes are very aggressive in the fall, I believe they are all feeding strikes. Winter is interesting on the Tennessee River. The baitfish seem to disappear, maybe migrating downstream to deeper water. Many of the predators, especially catfish and drum follow and very few are caught in the winter. However, smallmouth do not seem to follow the bait. Perhaps there is enough residual prey to maintain the food base. Rather than heading to the deeper water of the lake, smallmouth feed in relatively shallow water and stage in deep water near gravel flats. It seems they spend December and January preparing for spawn in late February and March. Our best fishing is in November and January (December is probably great, but it is usually just too cold to fish). If you want to fish artificials, crankbaits and jerkbaits would be my recommendations. I watch a lot of guys throwing plastics with very little success. Jigs? Well, maybe a little later, but not now. If you want to catch big smallmouth, it's live shiners that work.

Largemouth: 27 1/4 inches, estimated weight ~12 lbs. I caught the bass at a public pond about ten minutes before sunrise, 9/04/05 on a Norman Fat Boy, bluegill pattern. This is also my personal best. Smallmouth: Just over 8 lbs. I caught this bass around 11:00, 1/15/05 on a live shiner on the Tennessee. An hour earlier I caught the other smallmouth in my avatar, it weighed just over 7 lbs and was my personal best at the time. Brown trout: Just under 10 lbs. I caught this trout on the White river, 6/11/05 on a sculpin.

sleemie, You wrote that you have only fished five times without much success. The bait I recommended is a consistant producer for me and I think it will work for you. If you fish with just this bait for awhile, I think it will help you concentrate on learning a little more about the feel of the equipment, structure and cover that you fish. This is not necessarily the best bait for you to fish and it's definitiely not the only lure to use. I just think it might be a good place to start. Maybe you should get a spinnerbait, too. If you are anxious to try topwater, get a Heddon Zara Puppy and/or Torpedo. These are all easy to use and a good start for most beginners.

No Yes They are the same bait (Fat Ika = Palm Tree), but the color might be important. I usually catch fish right off the bat, but 30 minutes isn't really much of a test for any lure. You know, "the right place at the right time". Keep fishing them, the Fat Ika has been my #1 producer for largemouth over 5 lbs for the last 18 months or so.

Nope. Concentrate on working this lure, it is very effective. If there are any bass in the lake, trust me, you will catch a couple.

Try a bag of Yamamoto Fat Ika in a dark, natural color (042J, 194J, 208, 286 or 297). Gamakatsu 3/0 Offset EWG hooks. Rig the Fat Ika weedless and weightless with the skirt up. This wil not hang up, or at least not often. Start by throwing it parallel to the brush or cover. Let the lure settle and sit for at least 30 seconds then move it 6-12" with a slow horizontal sweep. Let it settle on slack line and sit for at least 10 seconds. Repeat until you feel you are out of the zone. Move up 5-10 yards and cast again. Occassionally cast the Fat Ika right into the cover, let it sit and work it out. This will trigger a strike if there are bass in the grass. If you still have no luck, continue fishing parrallel to the shore, but out another 5-10 yards. Good luck!

I'll add another suggestion: Learn how to fish deeper water.

I hope everone has a suggestion. Here's mine: I constantly check my line and retie frequently, nearly every time I catch a decent fish. That sounds simple, and it is! I rarely (never) get broken off by a fish and have a much better chance of recovering from a hang-up. I always cut off some line and retie after being hung, too.

Jsutton6, The massive migration of mature baitfish is the reason every predator in the river is focused on "minnows" not crawdads. Although I fish the native bait a little, I prefer store bought shiners because they stand out. As the weather cools down the baitfish virtually disappear, so I guess they go back down river into deeper water. I technically fish the upper section of Kentucky Lake. I think most of the baitfish spend the winter down river in what would be called "the lake". Now, that being said you might think the smallmouth would follow the bait and go down river into the lake, too. But that is not the case. There must be enough bait remaining to feed the smallmouth population and the current remains strong near Pickwick Dam. The smallmouth, especially the big girls, stay put. Another aspect that may help hold big bass is the proximity of preferred breeding grounds. The fast current combined with vast pebble flats is ideal for the smallmouth spawn. They can spend their time in deeper water near these flats throughout the winter. That's why I fish deep, around structure all fall and winter.

Avid, My soft plastics rig is a St. Croix Legend Elite ES70MF saddled with a Shimano Sustain 2500 spinning reel. I generally fish 6 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, but on some of my ponds with heavy vegetation in the summer, I sometimes use 8 lb line.

Everyone has an opinion and I'm glad we all share the things that are working for us. I always fish big baits which may not work for you, but this time of year, I HIGHLY recommend bigger lures to everybody. Baitfish are bigger and big bass are looking for a big meal. You may not catch as many bass, but the one's you catch might be huge.

Up in the northern regions fishing season is probably just about to wrap up, but here in the Mid South it is just getting started. Softer light and cooler water stimulate the bass. Combine the changing seasons and the maturing baitfish and you have the makings of a smallmouth bonanza. Now is the right time to hit the water. Smallmouth fishing on a river is controlled by water flow. The other factors are structure and the availability of forage. On lakes the baitfish tend to move up the arms and congregate in the back of coves. On a river the tendency is to move up river in mass. On controlled rivers, like the Tennessee, the dams present insurmountable obstacles and this creates opportunity for the predators. Unlike their cousins the largemouth bass, bronzebacks prefer current. Unlike largemouth, smallmouth for the most part, care nothing about cover, only structure. The combination of structure and current is the formula for success. For the bass it is stealth, an ambush point that hides the predator and provides a natural flow of baitfish. For fishermen this combination is your target. All structure in current has potential. A single large boulder, a pile of rocks, a ledge, a drop-off, a deep pool, an outcropping, ramp or wing dam that redirects the river flow are all ambush points. Everything that changes the water flow, even just a little, is important. Flats come into play in late winter and spring, but they only act as transition points in fall. Sure a smallmouth might be moving across the area, but that is a random call. The chances of catching a bass there, this time of year, are small and really not worth your time. The fish, every species for that matter, are focused on baitfish. That does not mean they will not strike a crawdad imitation, but small fish represent the meal ticket. I see lots of guys fishing tubes, grubs and jigs this time of year, but I rarely see them catching smallmouth. Fishermen using artificials should focus on jerkbaits and crankbaits and surprisingly, topwater presentations at certain times. My M.O. is live bait. I fish wild yellowtail some, just because they are free, but the best baits are shiners. I fish the biggest baits I can buy on a split shot rig using the lightest line I can get away with. For me it is Gamakatsu #6 Octopus Circle Hooks rigged on 4 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft. I fish a spinning combination in five to fifteen feet of water, away from the bank. The fishing is great this time of year. Come on down! And be sure to loosen your drag. The next World Record smallmouth bass may be just one cast away. Unless it weighs 12 lbs, please be gentle and quickly release your prize. They grow big down here.

I fish a Bay Ranger 2180/ Yamaha 225. This is a great boat if you fish with a partner or a couple of guys on a regular basis. It's an excellent guide boat, but probably too big if you fish by yourself. The pros: 1. I fish for striper on a big river in the summer. The water is turbulant and usually very rough. The boat rides smooth, it's wide and heavy with over 2' of freeboard (inside), yet sleek on the water. 2. When you have a big fish on that you cannot control, you can walk around the boat easily. The center console design is very conducive to big fish, fishing. 3. Plenty of storage, seating and a live well for your convience. 4. For bass fishing, especially smallmouth on the river, we can fish up to four men. The boat holds a line in current very well. For largemouth on a lake, well, that's up to you. I don't think any boat fishes more than three with all those treble hooks flying around, but we've fished more before. Cons: 1. $45,000 fully rigged and you need a full size truck to pull it. 2. Too big for one guy to fish regularly. 3. The boat is slow, about 45 mph max. I have not fished the boat on the flats or in salt water at all, but that is EXACTLY what it is designed for. This Bay Ranger comes salt water equiped, including the trailer. For more information visit the Ranger website. BTW, this rig comes in a 23' model (2300) if you want a bigger boat. The 2300 can be saddled with a larger motor so it's probably a little faster.