Blue Raider Bob

Looks like a male BG in his courting livery.

Double WOW! I'd frame that. Actually if you don't mind, I will.

Yep! She's either full of eggs, or full of Shad, or maybe like the angler....full of something!

Finally caught something worth showing. My first spot of the year and while she may not be the biggest, she sho is healthy! Just right for Tim's Muskie Bait!

Paradise! That's got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Lake Normandy in middle Tennessee. Normandy is a hill land Corp of engineer lake of about 3300 acres. This lake in this picture is shown winter pool. Beautiful lake during the week, not so much weekend.

Thanks Goodness you got back. 👀

Katie, when I started reading this, the first thing I thought of was, "Your fishing partner on this trip has got to be a guy"! Even before you described him, I just knew. This is sooo guy stuff. We always jump before we look, step before we depth check, talk before we listen, and act before we plan. That's why girls outlive guys. Girls plan the next move. Guys plan how to fix what they just broke! That makes you, me, and AJ so far. I had just bought a new rope for mine. Tied it on the anchor and slung it overboard, only to watch the end of the new rope follow! Real rocket science moment that! I'll need to start a new thread for this one!

This one may be the "WINNER"!

My theory is we need to swap jobs!

Just a small update concerning the lack of appetite the last shad release........went by Stones river yesterday and caught a couple dozen. Wind was terrible and there was little boat control so I didn't catch gobs of them. Pulled up to the pond and as soon as the net was emptied, the LM moved in to attack. What a difference three days make. Sunday they wouldn't sniff a Shad, and yesterday, the Shad stood no chance. Why? Why is this possible? This forum contains anglers that enjoy catching Bass, enjoy learning about Bass, and enjoy understanding the different moods, reactions, and complexities of Bass. Will we ever understand them to the point where we can predict ahead of time? For me, not likely, but for others on this forum.....I think you are already there. Nevertheless, the constant hunger for behavioral education drives the bulk of us. Hope some of these observations help you as much as it helps me. This is where we are at the pond, last week of February in middle Tennessee. Smaller Bass and BG schooling together in north coves. South coves and banks fishless. The Bass and BG are at the top of water column and scatter when I move. The larger Bass in my pond, (up to 3lb.) do not school with the smaller bass, but school together offshore in deeper water. They certainly make their presence know when Shad are released, but do not normally come close to the bank. Air temps were in the low 70's yesterday and falling but water temps rising. More later.

Being in Lascassas, your best and closest area lake would be Center Hill. It is a deep, hill land lake that is difficult for me to fish but it has loads of bass. Percy Priest is also within a reasonable driving distance and is also full of Bass. Both lakes get crowded in the warm seasons. To escape the crowds, try Cordell Hull. It will be a pretty good drive but at least you can fish without the crowd.

Thanks TnRiver, you put him on some great spots. I'll add Cumberland river at Nashville, Tennessee River at Nickajack. PM me John, if you'd like more details.

I would sooo love to make that trip. My magical week would be with my dad fishing anywhere. I wouldn't care if it was in the back yard. Just to have more time with him would be all the magic I could stand. We would head for the old river oxbows in eastern Arkansas and drop crickets on a snelled hook under a quill bobber by a willow tree. The cicadas would be calling, the Bullfrogs would be pleading, the breeze would be moving the Willow leaves ever so slightly. The beavers would be busy. Turtles, snakes, and muskrats would be disturbing the still water. We would be hot and sweaty, but dad would have brought along Dr. Pepper in the old 10-2-4 bottles and we would have a treat. The bottles would reek of fish as they were in the same ice as the Bluegills but we would wipe off the film and enjoy.. It would be getting dark and I would beg to stay. The mosquitos would be deafening along with the swamp creatures of the night. We would drag the boat up the bank to the old trailer and head for home, already dreaming of next trip.

This brings tears to my eyes! How true and how much sought after!