Tennessee Boy

I know there are people on BR that have been a marshal. I would love to know more about what their role and responsibilities are. For example, if a guy pulls up close to a dam and starts to take is life jacket off. Is it okay for the marshal to remind him that is illegal? Is the marshal suppose to report him if he takes if off?

You can always do what I'm doing right now. Sitting in an air-conditioned room, reading BR, waiting for cooler weather.

I think this is a good move. There is one thing in the announcement that I found very odd. "Marshals will be eligible for a top cash award of $2,500 at each regular-season FLW Tour stop based on the combined weight of the pros they are randomly paired with." Isn't the marshal in the boat to keep the Angler honest? Does it make sense to reward the marshal based on the angler's performance? I don't think cheating is a problem at this level and $2,500 to the top marshal is not a lot of money but still I don't get it.

I don't know if I can be much help with bank fishing spots. I've been fishing out of a bass boat for the last 35 years. When I was a teenager, I fished a lot of creeks west of Nashville and always caught fish wading. My favorite lure was a Rebel Teeny Wee-Crawfish crankbait. I was fishing on private property and people didn't seem to mind in those days. I'm don't think that's an option anymore. If you can get access to creeks in public lands it's a fun way to catch a lot of small fish. Renting a canoe on the Buffalo River or Harpeth River might be an option for you. I've been down the Buffalo many times but that was years ago. It used to be very popular and I'm sure it still is. The Buffalo is a nice river to canoe and it's full of bass. Here is one rental company I found on the web, I'm sure there are other companies you could use. http://www.canoethebuffaloriver.com/canoeing.html The area State Parks have lots of options from the bank or in rented boats. Long Hunter State Park is near you and has a lake where I've seen people fishing from the bank and from rental boats. You can also fish Percy Priest lake in this park. Check the Tennessee State Parks web site to see all of the fishing options in these parks. The most important thing I can tell you about fishing in Tennessee is that the fish will not bite unless you are listening to Rocky Top while you're fishing. I've had my best luck with the original Osborne Brother version in winter and spring and with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band version in the Summer and Fall. ? Good luck and welcome to Tennessee.

I think it's just one more factor that you need to figure out. Sometimes the splash might trigger a strike, other times it might spook a fish. I tend to worry more about being quiet when the bass are under a lot pressure. I think flippin is the new pitching. What are sold as flippin rods today would never work for what used to be known as flippin. A old fashion Flippin rod was more like an ultra lite telephone pole than a heavy action fishing rod.

I get your point. I enjoy watching the pros on TV and that wouldn't be possible without all the money companies put into the sport. I think it's helpful that the pros put the names of their sponsors on their shirts. That makes it easy for me when they recommend a product. I just look at their shirt and if I see the manufacturer of the product, I ignore the recommendation. I don't think I have ever heard a recommendation for the HydroWave by someone that didn't have TH Marine on their shirt.

I saw a product recently that you put your lures in before you go fishing and it puts some kind of magical electric charge on the lures that attracts fish.... I thought of the HydroWave.

Welcome

Never known a guy who's dad took him fishing that turned out bad.

Welcome to BR. Growing up I waded small creeks. I caught fish all summer long. Rarely, caught anything over a pound. Sometime when the tough Summer fishing get's me down, I'll drive my aluminum bass boat as far up a creek as I can go. I can usually catch a few small bass on UL tackle to lift my spirits.

When I retire I hope to fish the upper end of the Tennessee. I've never fished above Nickajack.

You get the funnest post of the day award?

Welcome!

Don't get me wrong, I love KY lake. But when the water temp is approaching 90, all the good fish are on the main river ledges. If they're pulling current, I can catch em. If there's no current, it's tough.

Wow!! It might be worth a 4 hour drive to find some cooler water. Never been that far up the Tennessee River. I had no idea the water would be that cold. Kentucky lake was 86 last time I checked.

You can thank me for this. I'm sure Minn Kota has been holding this for years waiting for me to buy an Ultrex without this feature. I bought it in May so now they can release it. Seriously, I would love to have it as an option but I'm not sure I would use it that much. I spend most of my time looking at 360 imaging in the front of the boat.

Great video A-Jay. I purchased a new Ranger RT188 this spring. I liked what I read on the web about Lund Renegade but decided not to look at it because I was 100 miles from the nearest dealer. I regret at least not taking a look at it in person. I've heard nothing but good things about Lund.

I have this one. Same one that they use on Major League Fishing. Accuracy is +/- 0.4% and it cost $75. Make me feel like I'm on TV ? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008JG0ZLG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't care to swim with anything that might eat me. I don't think there are too many dangerous animals in the Tennessee River. Probably the worst would be a Cottonmouth Snake. I don't know if they would bite a diver.

I have bought a few used reels and many used rods on ebay. Never really had a bad experience. A few times the condition of a reel was not as good as I expected but nothing I would consider fraudulent. If a seller does not have at least a 99% rating, I don't buy from them.

With this kind of fame, J Francho deserve a raise.

A jig is usually my go to bait. I feel like I catch more big fish on it. I have to remind myself that four of my top five were caught on plastics.

I saw a mussel diver recently for the first time in years. It used to be a common site on the Tennessee River. I don’t know if this happens anywhere else in the country. I know it’s illegal in many places. These guys are an interesting breed. They dive down and collect mussels shells that they sell. The shells are used in the cultured pearl industry as I understand it. They usually don’t have a lot invested in their equipment. You will see an empty boat with a diver flag and a gas powered air compressor will be running. They dive with just an air hose connected to the compressor. Many times I’ve noticed that the compressor will sound like it’s on it’s last leg. I remember once seeing a boat surrounded by a cloud of thick blue smoke from the air compressor and I was amazed that the guy could breath with all the smoke. It has to take a lot of nerve to dive down in zero visibility and feel around the bottom for shells. I can imagine they have a lot of stories to tell. I’m wondering if any of you ever see this in the waters you fish?

and this fisherman.

I used to fish with my grandfather in his 16ft Jon boat with one 12v battery and a 45lb thrust motor. We never ran out of juice. I'm not saying it can't happen but you will probably be fine with one battery and you can always buy a second one if you need it.