Tennessee Boy

According to the presentation, congress appropriated $25 million to the Corps of Engineers but they have not received it yet. The project they're proposing will cost some serious money. I've heard from different sources that Asian Carp are not spawning in the Tennessee River so that means they all came through the Kentucky and Barkley locks. I realize they're big locks and they open several times a day but it's still hard to believe that many fish have moved through them.

Here's a link to a report and online presentation of TVA's plan for dealing with the Asian Carp problem in the Tennessee River system. I found both the report and the presentation very informative and interesting. Some will find it a little dry. In summary, they're looking to congress to fund several sound and light barriers at the locks to discourage the carp from moving through the locks. Kentucky dam will also have a CO2 system. They do not believe there's much if any spawning happening in the Tennessee river. They did find some young of the year asian carp in 2015 so spawning is possible. Asian carp need strong current to keep their eggs suspended before they hatch. The Tennessee river does not provide much of this habitat. So the plan is to stop the flow of new fish entering the system and remove as many as possible of the fish that are already here. It seems like a reasonable plan but it also sounds like it might take a while to implement. There's a button on the page where you can submit comments until Aug 5th. https://www.tva.com/environment/environmental-stewardship/environmental-reviews/nepa-detail/asian-carp-mitigation

Once all your dignity is gone you can start enjoying the best fishing shoes ever made.

I learned a lesson in 1992 that I will never forget. I visited the new Tennessee Aquarium and they had a three story tank of Tennessee River habitat. On the top level they had a lay down that was loaded with bass. The biggest bass was at the base of the tree in the deepest part of the cover. The bass were organized perfectly by size with the largest in the best cover and they got smaller moving out from the base of the tree. There were small active fish swimming around near the top of the tree. The lesson I learned, the big ones usually require the most difficult cast you can make. Every time I fish a lay down, I think about that lay down in the aquarium.

Humminbird Helix and Solix units have this capability. They call it Autochart Live. I think some of the older Helix models require the purchase of a Zero Line SD card. I think all of the current models come with everything you need. All Solix models has the capability built in.

Making a Trickworm is easy. What's hard is getting every tackle store in the country to devote a wall to your products. That's what Ed Chambers accomplished with Zoom. If Ed Jr can't handle managing the family business, there are plenty of companies that will pay top dollar for Zoom. Everybody wants that wall.

I really enjoyed watching him in the college finals a few years ago when he lost by less than a pound. He's a talented guy. I hope he continues to do well.

Very interesting article @TnRiver46. Thanks for posting it. One line from it that sums it up nicely. “Populations that have low natural mortality rates and high fishing pressure have the greatest chance for improvement.” There’s clearly not a simple answer for every fishery. Every body of water is different and the dynamics are complex. That’s why I let the experts figure it out. A fishery is not gonna be fished out in a single season. When the experts get it wrong they can adjust the rules over time. All I have to do is follow the rules.

@TnRiver46 I’ve been to eat at the Apple Barn a few times. The creek that runs by it always calls out to me while I’m there. Lot of great looking water around Gatlinburg. I’ve never fished any of it.

Your fish finder needs depend on how you fish. Many people buy units with features they never use. It might be best to learn how to use what you have to the fullest and that will give you a better understanding of what you want in a new one. One option for mapping is to use your phone or even better a tablet if you have one. The Hummingbird FishSmart app will allow you to purchase high quality individual LakeMaster maps for $10 - $30. You can also get Navionics maps and some free maps that are pretty good. Whenever you end up buying there will always be something better the next year you will wish you had waited for. I hope you get to enjoy a lot of time fishing with your Dad. That’s one thing you can’t buy more of.

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Can you give me permission to fish below Pickwick dam? As I understand the rules, all the people who find a spot are co owners of that spot and you cannot fish the spot once you see one of the owners fishing it unless they or another owner give you permission. I drove over Pickwick dam with my parents when I was a kid and saw someone fishing the tail waters so I have never fished it because I didn’t want to steal their spot.?

It was 20 years ago. I was 38. 8 lbs 8 oz off a dock on Guntersville. It beat my previous PB that I caught off the same dock when I was about 4 minutes younger.

I’ll admit it. I joined a bass club in 1990. There were guys that got upset every time someone brought a dead bass to the weight in. They said that fishing was going to be ruined by tournaments. 30 years later tournaments are as popular as ever and there are still fish to be caught. When we buy a license we pay people to manage our fisheries. I trust them to do their job and adjust the size and creel limits as necessary. If there’s evidence that a lake is being damaged by tournaments then they can ban or limit tournaments there. I will always do my part by following the rules. Bass are a renewable resource so any damaged fishery will recover if managed correctly.

So let me ask a hypothetical question. You’re fishing a spot when another boat starts fishing another spot within earshot of you. Soon you start hearing “get the net” and “it’s a big one” coming from the boat over and over. I think we all agree it’s not cool to move over and start fishing the spot while they’re there. What’s the ethical thing to do concerning the spot they’re fishing? 1) Never fish the spot because you didn’t find it. 2) It’s okay to fish it as soon as they leave. 3) It’s okay to fish it at a later date?

Maybe I'm different than most people but I enjoy figuring the fish out as much or more than catching them. I've never had much interest in hiring a guide for that reason. Now part of figuring them out is watching what's happening around you. What are the birds doing? Are there bait fish around? I'm not going to ignore the other fishermen. Now I will never pull up on a spot while someone is fishing it or immediately after they leave. Seeing someone else catch a fish gives me some important information but it's just part of the puzzle. It's been my experience that to catch fish you need the right place, the right time, and the right technique. Many times the place is not just some structure but the spot on the structure. The best I can get from watching someone else is the general place. Maybe if I brought some binoculars I could see what lure they are using and some ideas about how they are fishing but I have better things to do than to put that much effort into trying to fish like someone else. We all have different skills and you'll never be great trying to be someone else. That doesn't mean you can't learn from them. All that said, my fishing journal is full of things I've observed other fishermen doing. Things like "Saw lots of boats fishing shallow early. They were all gone by 9:00AM". I'll also note that I saw a boat sit on one spot for 3 hours. That doesn't mean I'm gonna rush to that spot the next time I'm in the area but I may try it at some point just because of what I observed. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person. ?

constant swarm of drunk yellow jackets.

I live out in the country and we take our trash to a county solid waste center that has dumpsters for trash, large items, and recycling. I noticed last time I was there that the aluminum can recycling dumpster had an enormous number of bees, wasp and other stinging insect in and around it. They really like sugar water.

Wow, that’s pretty crazy. That guy’s future is bright. I could see a lot of kids getting coerced into bad deals that could hurt them in the long run.

They're pretty smart. I tried to take one out with a hand gun once just because it's was all I had on me. He just laughed at me. We both knew I couldn't make the shot. ?

How does a ground hog know to duck back into the hole just before I squeeze the trigger?

I'm glad everything's okay Eddie but I'm running out of Lizards man! I've got maybe 2000 left.

I agree it is a scientific fact that water temperature affects a fishes metabolism. How an angler should adjust to this change is open to debate. It's a good question but I can't put the list in any order. It varies by body of water and time of year. Also when something on the list if far from the norm it can be the most important thing to consider. For example if the water clarity is like chocolate milk then it would be at or near the top of the list. Like the other Tennesseans have already mentioned, on reservoirs, the guy at the dam that controls the current is VERY important.

I have no idea how to catch fish from the bank in a So Cal pond. I do like that you are focusing on mastering technique instead of throwing everything in the tackle store at them. Good luck and stick with it. The fish will come eventually.

I understand that college kids complain. I know I complained about the food in college. The president of the NCAA makes $4 million a year. The commissioners of the major conferences make between $2-$5 million a year. College sports are big business. There's a story in the book I mentioned above about a kid who had a half track scholarship. He was home for Christmas and went with some friends to a basketball game. He was selected to take a shot at halftime to win a car. He hit the shot and won the car. The NCAA found out and told him he had to give the car back or he would loose his eligibility. They go after athletes for very stupid violations of the rules when everyone knows there are major violations happening everywhere that go unpunished. Who knows what's going on with boosters? It's a problem that needs to be stopped but how do you stop it? If I give a Tennessee football player $100 and he accepts it, is that the schools fault? John Wooden is revered for his basketball success at UCLA. We now know a booster was providing all kinds of payments and benefits to players and recruits. That came out years later. Who knows if Wooden was aware of it or not. Similar situation happened with Miami football. How many other things big and small are happening with boosters that no one knows about? I don't think rules should exist if they can't be enforced. Most of the NCAA's rules are not or cannot be enforced. Personally, I'm ready for an above board bidding war for top players. The schools and fans that are willing to pay the price will win. Some players will get rich. There will be a lot less money left over for coaches, conference commissioners, and gaudy athletic facilities. It will be a big mess. Then maybe someone will figure out how to fix it. In the mean time, I think I'm gonna start going to some games at Cumberland University. I doubt if any of the players will be signing deals with Nike. The stadium is 10 miles from house and tickets are $8 with my senior discount. ?