roadwarrior

Thanks again cedar1, I'll follow-up with you. I usually make the trek for parents weekend in October and will try to arrange a trip with you then. We'll talk later. So, back to the "Best smallmouth Fishin' in the USA", I'm on my way to the Tennessee River this afternoon for a day and a-half trip. TVA cut our water off last Saturday so I didn't really fish. We probably only have this weekend and next before our smallmouth are in full spawn, I'm sure many are already there. If the new world record is going to be caught this year, it should be tomorrow! Hope to post a picture of that 12 lb fish on Monday. Good luck to everyone and Happy Easter!

Germantown, Tennessee. The Great Lakes are a destination for me, they're not on the way to anywhere. I was thinking maybe sometime in the fall. How long into autumn do you fish?

Thanks for the invite cedar1, my son is in college at Kenyon College in Gambrier, Ohio, near Columbus. How far is that from you?

cedar1, Maybe that's the problem, I have never fished Lake Erie only Lake Michigan out of Door County (Green Bay side). The guy I fish with likes catching lots of fish so maybe we aren't fishing the right area for bigger fish. I still have fun, but just haven't caught any monsters up there. p.s. Thanks for the post, fishrman, you are correct.

My recommendation is NOT an EWG, rather the Round Bend Offset Shank Hook which has a straight shaft. With the hook exposed, or partially exposed, you DON'T have to drive the hook through the fluke. I think it works better.

As long as they're big, I like them all! I think smallmouth are more challenging, but a 10 lb largemouth certainly gets your heart pumping. We're lucky here in the Midsouth where all three species live in our rivers and lakes.

Gotcha Wormy, We need to make adjustments for different situations. My post was for the general set-up. I fish light line under most conditions, lily pads would be a major exception and that's a type of cover where flukes excel.

Here's my take: Brand: Slug-Go Hook: Gamakatsu #4/0, Round Bend Offset Shank Hook Line: Yo-Zuri Hybrid, 6 lb test Knot: Palomar knot, direct tie, no swivel Rod & reel: Fenwick Techna AVS70MM, Shimano Sustain Technique: Twitch the fluke a couple of times, let it sit, repeat Hookset: Set the hook AFTER the fish has loaded up on the rod. A moderate action rod will help prevent pulling the hook away and out of the fish's mouth. I think what's happening to you is that you are attempting to set the hook on the initial strike and simply pulling the lure away from the fish.

The harder you work, the luckier you get. Pay attention to the details, it's not just how much time you spend on the water, it's also what you are doing to improve your chances of catching more and better quality fish.

I NEVER intentionally fish spawning beds. All bass do not spawn at exactly the same time and as I have stated numerous times on this forum, the big girls are staging in deeper water just off the flats. Maybe taking fish off their beds doesn't effect the overall population, but it eliminates the eggs in that nest. It's legal and I'm not trying to tell anyone what they can or cannot do. I choose not to fish bedding fish.

I mostly fish the Tennessee River below Pickwick Dam, but we sometimes have too much water when the TVA opens the flood gates! Then you might find me on the lake. Because Pickwick is truely a river/lake there are numerous creeks and streams that feed the system and now provide both small and large arms as well as countless channels. bluffs and points. I'll describe a couple of productive structures that you will find on similar systems. My favorite is a relatively shallow flat, immediately adjacent to the main channel and what was once a large feeder creek. The point defines the old creek, but some might describe the shallow flat as a hump. This structure is approximately four hundred yards long and one hundred yards wide, 8-12 ft deep with an immemdiate drop to 35-50+ ft. Talk about the ideal place to fish deep diving cranks, this is it. I never catch LITTLE smallmouth in this area. Spot #2: This may have been a ridge before the river became a lake, it kinda defines a shallow swimming cove at Pickwick State Park. The point is relatively shallow (5-10 ft) and extends more than one hundred yards out into the lake, less than a quarter mile from the dam. Now the water at the dam is deep, d**n deep! The water surrounding the point and the water at the end of the point is deeeeeeeeep. Shallow cranks (Bagley BII) and medium dept lures (Rat-L Trap, CV 500) are very productive, but so is topwater! I had the largest smallmouth I have ever not caught, hook-up on a Zara Spook. Since I didn't get it in, it must have weighed at least 10 lbs. That being said, I still have better luck with a baby diaper yellow Gitzit, traditional rig, and Carolina rigged lizards.

Fish them all, they generally hold fish. After a while you may discover a pattern and that might reduce the time spent fishing unproductive structure. For example, if you are picking up a few fish on the inside cut, just fish the inside cut on the other points that day. Sometimes bass seem to have a preference for secondary points, on other days primary points on the main lake. Sometimes it's the relatively shallow water, other times it's the break between shallow water and a steep drop. I promise you, it varies. But on any given day, a pattern may emerge.

Stripers have a firm texture which makes them perfect for grilling. People who don't like them probably haven't dressed them properly. There is a red line that MUST be removed, it's not tricky, it's quite obvious. We catch lots of small fish on the Tennessee River and keeping a few 10 lb stripers has absolutely no impact on the population. A 10 lb fish will yield about 2 lbs of fillets. Hybrids probably are the same, but we don't catch many of them.

"Smallmouth" In-Fisherman series.

Successful river fishing is far less dependent on weather patterns, high pressure or even sunny days. The level of activity is determined mostly by current, the exception is clarity. I find it difficult to catch fish in muddy water. My recommendation is to target rivers in your area when the weather is tuff. One more observation, the weather is unstable everywhere in the spring, not just in the south. Even though the fishing has been great so far this year, I always suggest to people planning a big trip to the Tennessee River, come down in the fall when the weather is more dependable.

Now, come on...That was funny. AOY, you had me hooked...Thanks for the quick release...

The Tennessee River is maintained for commercial barge traffic. Navigation buoys define the channel and by definition a ledge that runs the entire length of the river. This time of year,right now, the big female smallmouths are staging in a pre-spawn pattern. On every inside bend on the river, the buoys also define massive flats that will soon be used by these same bass. We are drifting either side of the transition and picking up a few of these big girls. The smaller males sometimes come into play, but for the most part they are already searching the flats for suitable nesting sites. If you fish a similar river, move out towards the middle, that's where the big girls hang. You can probably catch a few on jigs, grubs and tubes, but I catch a lot on shiners.

I am in agreement with Raul, treble hooks rarely cause injury but single hooks sometimes get swallowed, especially with Senkos. I'll do everything possible to remove a hook if I can do so without killing the fish. I want to believe that the few I can't remove will dissolve in a short time, but I've caught lots of fish that still have a hook in their mouth. I'm particulary concerned about smallmouth on my river. I fish live bait on #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hooks, they are very effective. The circle hook slides up the side of the mouth and hooks the fish in the jaw or upper lip 99% of the time. I'm not saying I have never had to cut a line, but it is extremely rare. Additionally, the #6 are relatively small hooks which I believe allows the bass to continue to feed during the time it takes for the hook to dissolve.

Try a Gitzit. If there are fish on or near the structure, tubes usually get their attention.

That's great, Glenn. Congratulations! Let's celebrate with free tournament shirts & hats!

Skeeter6598, If you want to catch a 10 lb smallmouth on Texoma one day, you need to release the big girls. We don't kept bronzebacks.

Wormy, I fish deep structure because that's where the big fish live. No doubt they come into the shallows occasionally and that's when guys catch them, but I believe they spend most of the time suspended near or on structure in deeper water. I suggest you throw tubes, Carolina rigged lizards and Texas rigged worms.

I cast with both hands, left retrieve for spinning reels, right retrieve for baitcasting rigs. I'm ambidextrous, so I 've never really thought much about it. I seems that most spinning reels can be switched from left to right retrieve and I think the casting reels I use can be ordered with left hand retrieve if that's your preference. Don't make it so complicated, use the retrieve you're comfortable with.

I'm going to commit a great deal of time to becoming a better jig fisherman. I believe JT, ew77 and others, jigs are a big fish lure and big fish thrill me.

Deeper water, bigger baits and a slower presentation. I'm not as comfortable as other guys with jigs, but I think everyone agrees, that's a big fish lure. For me it's 6" Senkos & Fat Ikas.