Blue Raider Bob

Otter watch is happening as we speak! Wish I could send a video.

Dang! Now I'm feeling depressed. All I've got for lunch is a PBJ sandwich. I'll be eating my lunch, staring at this picture, and using lot's of imagination! Why didn't you also send the picture of potato salad, hush puppies, and cole slaw, so I could really suffer?

Spinning on everything. Caught one Tuesday on a jerkbait, my 2nd one ever.

Katy I know just how you feel. I had to go buy a bigger tackle bag for all the new stuff our BassResource friends keep suggesting. Now my new bag weighs more than I do! Now Alex is going to convince me I need a Blade Bait Box to go along with my new Jerk Bait Box. Still won't help me catch anything but it's fun to open that TW package that comes in the mail!

My trolling motor was useless against this current so when I hung up, I either pulled free or broke off. One time I broke off big-time. Snapped the rod in two. Small price to pay to get to go fishing!

Used a Pearl colored Zoom Fluke. Let it sink then retrieved with a jerk bait motion.

My guess is he gets permission to fish wherever he wants and doesn't have to ask twice!

Maybe shouldn't have gone because of high water conditions but just couldn't help it. Currents was raging and at certain areas was over 3 mph. Water temp. 46 deg. I was able to find some lower velocity places but boat control was a major problem all day. Ended up with ten Black bass including my first two 19" Smallies of the year. They are skinny river fish with big fish going 3 lb 10 oz. Caught on Neds, and flukes fished as a jerk bait. Had a couple strikes in one area and finally landed a White Bass. Changed lures to a Mepps Aglia and caught twelve more in quick succession. Talked to couple other anglers and they only had 4 little ones. I felt fortunate that I was able to catch what I did. The Nickajack Dam was releasing 70,000 FPS, more than double what I am comfortable with. All in all caught 23 fish and broke a pole. Got an excuse to call the tackle monkey!

That is incredibly beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

The staff must have weeded them out because, honestly, in the time I have enjoyed this site, I have not noticed the slightest hint of rudeness from anyone! Yea, sometimes we poke fun at each other, but we all know it's for laughs. I really like to effort by everyone to teach their fellow anglers to succeed. I'm still a novice at this but my confidence and knowledge have grown to the point that when I get in my boat, I KNOW I'm going to catch them!

Tom I love your posts but this time I think your pulling our legs!

That is a monster White Bass! Makes me think about targeting them at the Tennessee River Sunday. This time of year they head upriver to the dam.

Epic! If I wasn't already green with envy, I would be jealous! HA! Way to go!

On the other hand, nothing makes me happier than when a bass regurgitates a plastic lure. This has happened to me twice now. Get the bass in the boat and see something in its throat. Pulled two long creature baits from bass including one that must have been eight inches long. Only an inch or so was visible but I kept pulling until it was out. Very satisfying. The other was a Zoom speed craw that I still use! What you are describing is a bolus gun. It is nothing more that a plastic plunger to force unwilling livestock to take their medicine. I only know this because I live on a farm. Some livestock will knock you down trying to get their medication, while others will run from you for days. They are all different. Sounds like something I need in my boat, although the bass that Alex catches don't have enough room for another crammed shad. That last picture he showed looks like that bass ate a dock bumper!

Seen this several times myself. Sometimes following the hooked bass all the way to the boat without ever looking up.

They travel in family groups and as you have seen, are very territorial. I have had a family group claim my pond in the past and any intruder was not welcome. Don't know how they ever group into the larger size flocks that we see travelling since they can be so touchy. Alex this touches right on my point about fishing the northernmost areas in a lake. In my pond the southern areas are fishless this time of year but the northern coves have them stacked up. Epic Spot with a very full belly!

Very disappointing observation this weekend. Went to the pond Saturday morning and found lots of scat (otters use a dedicated area for a latrine). Found the lips of what was a large LM and found another partial LM carcass close by. Found one Bluegill head and lots of scales and fins. I have blocked all access to the underside of my floating dock in an effort to discourage otters but they still visit the pond in their wanderings. They must be coming and going at night because I am not seeing them when I am home during the day. I set my Hav-a-heart box trap last night and caught a possum. I have never caught an otter in the trap but I have caught some of everything else including a feral cat, gobs of coons and possums, skunks, and even my daughters dog! Wish I could get the otters.

OMG!

Couldn't find the picture my daughter took so I took one this weekend. The well pipe runs underground and under the rocks. It flows over the big flat rock into the pond. It is dead of winter so everything looks/is dead. It is quite a sight in the summer. We had a Canadian goose that dislocated her wing on some power lines nearby and couldn't leave when her flock left. She stayed here over two years. She would flap her wings and the lame one gradually got better to the point I think it snapped back in socket. She returned a month or so later with a boyfriend and raised a gosling. The three of them eventually left but returned every few weeks. They left again last fall and have not returned. I called her "Crash", but my wife thought that "blue-collar" of me so she named he Gigi. Well Gigi got pretty tame after awhile because she got fed grain when my daughter fed her goats. Still hoping she shows back up. My daughters picture showed Gigi standing on the rock with water flowing over her feet and lots of water lilies in the pond. Epic picture! Just for useless info the pond water has a Ph of 8.7 and the well water has a Ph of 7.7, this is caused by the ponds overabundance of algae which removes carbon dioxide and increases alkalinity. The more alkalinity, the more algae growth. Vicious cycle. Need less algae and more organisms that create carbon dioxide.

Yep! Nothing like a tail slap in the middle of the night when you are not expecting it to sober you up! Katy, if you built a 500 acre lake, you are never getting rid of me, Tim, and Alex. You would have to listen to "Oh God, Oh God, please stay hooked, please stay hooked....." daily! I give. You have us all beat for smallest bass. That looks like a mortal wound, but if it isn't, i'd stay away from that lake, and I durn sure wouldn't swim in it. Thems some mean big-mouths!

Another very slow bite on the Cumberland. This is my fourth smallie of the year but it was so fat it deserved a picture. I think it ate somebody's life jacket! Water temps 46 deg. Air temp-much colder. Fingers froze so I went home after three fish. Big fish was only 14" I took this sorry, headless picture because my fingers were too cold to press the button at the right time.

Sure they were panties? At that size they seem like a ski boat tube!

I reread your original questions and one option you questioned was whether or not you could net forage from the lower pond to transport to the upper pond. This changes the legal question somewhat because the ponds are attached by the spillway. I don't see why you could not do this although it may be a waste of time from a forage standpoint, it might be enjoyable from a physical, and emotional standpoint. I enjoy catching wild forage to introduce into my pond. One other question for you; Is there an abundance of aquatic plants and algae? If so, the clear water gives baitfish a place to retreat rapidly when they see you. Often they will see you and flee before you see them. In my pond, I will see the small bluegill dart into the Chara as I walk the bank.

Thanks for the link. Excellent info and I moved the link to my desktop for future use.