Blue Raider Bob

Dang!!!! That monster could eat everything I caught last year! Wish you would have had a GoPro! then we all could have been on the floor drowning in laughter! That might be Alex's motor?

I have a pond on my property and I can tell you what I have done in regards to non-fish forage. I use several hand made crawfish traps at local small streams to catch crawfish. I bait with floating catfish pellets that sink after they become waterlogged and they work well. I have released hundreds of crawfish into my pond. I also release most types of fish I catch as well but this is my private pond I am talking about, not a public pond like you are using. I also like to go "critter hunting" with a net and catch lots of aquatic insects, tadpoles, crawfish, salamanders ect. With that said, this time of year when the water is clear and cold, I see very few bluegill and none of my introduced forage. In my opinion you should follow the previous replies and leave it alone since it is illegal to introduce fish into public waters. Bluebasser86's idea about shiners and fatheads is good but it is can be expensive and you will not be the only person benefiting from the introduction. Also the property owners may have an objection to your efforts, although it would not hurt to last. I can get fatheads (Tuffies) locally for about 11.00 per pound so for a couple hundred dollars I can load the pond up. Unfortunately they do not last long with the LM population. One other thing....bluegill are prolific. If there are any adults at all, they will spawn several times a year. My pond has swarms of bluegill fry constantly all summer long.

You guys are making me nervous. I'm going Sunday and already I think I smell something coming from my boat! I'll take a deep breath before I board I hope I can get it out!

My water temp was 46 on the Cumberland Sunday. Don't know is it was just me or the fish were chilly but I only caught two dinks before I headed home. Slowest day for me in years.

Just my opinion but if you remove your trolling motor top cover you may be able to allow the electrical parts to dry out. It is probably just a short caused by wetness. The only part that can be affected is the switch unless water got into the shaft and filled up the motor. In that case you still should be able to remove motor and air dry.

Those pictures scream "Total solitude"! Or maybe these picture "Whisper total solitude". That may be more fitting. I think the only scream you will hear there is a loon, or me and Alex, if you take us along! What a beautiful place. We sure get to visit some of natures finest as we chase them ol'e brown bass.

Thank you for the ride!

This is an older photo. The umbrella in the photo now resides at the bottom of the Cumberland river. I was fishing just below Old Hickory Dam last year when a surprisingly strong wind came up and snapped my metal umbrella pole. The umbrella fell in the water with the current trying to take it away. I was pulling on the pole and the current was pulling on the umbrella. The current was winning as I was being pulled overboard so I finally gave up and let go! I have a new triple canopy umbrella that is 15' long! I stay completely out of the rain and sun, (unless the wind is blowing), so I can fish when I want to. The new umbrella has a stout pole put I do bring it in when the wind blows. Not sure how the Tiki bar will affect boat performance but I'm always willing to consider new ideas. My friends laugh at my rig but when the August sun is frying their brains, I'm the one smiling then!

Tennessee River. I don't mind a bit if it rains!

I would say that most do get excited at BPS aquariums. They just try to act "cool" and uninterested. Behind the blank expression is a tortured, exploding, inner tantrum,&@(!&^@!!! Katy, you and I would scream "d**n, that's a big-un"! And be quietly led out of the store. My wife doesn't go to aquariums with me anymore. It powers a solar well pump located directly under the panel frame. I knew water quality would be an issue so I had the well dug shortly after installing the liner. I turn it off in the winter so the pipes don't freeze, but it runs all summer long bringing limestone groundwater from 60' deep and tumbling over rocks into the pond. I'll try to find an outlet picture my daughter took when our pet goose lived here.

I'm there! Right outside my door is "Lake Lucy", named after my daughters dog. It is not very big but it's mine and I built it myself. I get to study it almost daily for all four seasons each year. I learn new things constantly and that's what make me happy! Also I am centrally located in Tennessee so I can fish numerous rivers and lakes year round.

You would not want to start catching them because you would have built a bond/trust relationship. I enjoy watching/studying them but I do not want to catch them. They are my buddies now!

sounds like what i need to learn to do myself. thanks

Another vote for going straight braid. I just use a smaller diameter low-vis green braid and tie directly to lure. Don't know if it makes me catch less but I eliminate two knots from my setup and that makes me more confident I can land what I do hook.

Welcome Les! Send that one on down the river to Nashville so I can catchem'!

Very true! Can't wait to go again. Best day for numbers last year was 75 on the Cumberland but big fish was only 17". It has truly spoiled me from lake fishing where I don't catch many. Going to try the Cumberland again Sunday if the weather allows. I just slow drift down the river tossing a 1/16th oz Ned rig. Get hung up alot but the fast action makes it worth it. There is also the possibility of catching White Bass, hybrids, and Rockfish in the Cumberland, so its always fun!

Thanks Alex but it was a really slow bite. Usually an afternoon on the Cumberland will get at least thirty. A good day will be fifty plus. But also you have to remember that these are not big fish but for sheer numbers they are a blast with the occasional big fish thrown in.

Great idea! I will glue the baits. I have lots to use up before I buy a better brand. Also the Mad Bites dull easily and are hard to get sharp.

Drifting down rivers cause me to hang up often. I do like the thin wire hooks that allow me to straighten them out but I see your point about the big fish. I always keep a very light drag.

I have been using jig heads by Madbite/Kastking because they are cheaper than anyone else. They have a bait keeper though that will not consistently hold my Zman plastics. Yesterday was the last straw. Constantly pushing my Ned plastic back up the hook shaft. What brand jig heads work best for you? Thanks Bob

After the ice melted off the pond last week I observed bass behavior that might be helpful to someone. As everyone is aware we had unseasonable winter weather across the country with middle Tennessee lows reaching -2 with temps below 32 for four days straight. The pond had a heavy cover of ice during this time. Fast forward to Dec. 31 and ice is gone with bright sunshine and no wind. The bass were stacked up on the northernmost cove at the very top of the water column. They were easy to see and I was easy to see for them. They were very skittish and seemed to be trying to warm in the upper layer. They were bunched with no regard to size except the very largest bass in the pond were no where to be found. Walking around the pond made it possible to spot an occasional large fish but they did not school with the adolescents. Don't know if the larger ones are better able to withstand colder temps without trying to use the suns rays (passive solar heating), or if the larger ones are just more careful. This tells me to head straight for the northernmost cove in whatever lake I try and approach carefully if the sun is out. Doesn't help me at all with the bigger fish though. One other thing, ever wonder what becomes of turtles in the winter? The answer is nothing. They do what they always do except very slowly. I could see one under the ice moving around on the pond floor. It was moving very, very, slowly but moving just the same. I have read they can absorb very small amounts of oxygen through their skin and with the ability to slow down metabolism, they can survive long periods under the ice. Saw several on logs on the Tennessee yesterday with water temps at 46.6.

Tried the jerkbait in the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers the last two days. No luck. The rivers are low so there is not a lot of current to form eddys. I will keep trying. Thanks

Real nice Spot. I'm green with envy! That one could has eaten all the Spots I caught the past couple days!

Started a similar post on the Smallmouth Forum. Wished I had seen yours first so as not to doubledown.

Slow bite on the Cumberland Sunday. Water temps 46 deg. Tossed my new Mega Bass 110 JR. that Santa brought me and came up empty. Finally went to the Zman TicklrZ and caught my first Smallie of 2023. Then caught a nice one four fish later. 19-3/4 ". Ended with fourteen mixed bag of Spots and Smallies. Monday was even slower on the Tennessee River. Same water temps but much slower bite. Tried the jerkbait again but no takers. Went to the Ned and caught eight. Did see a couple of Eagles standing watch over a Cormorant rookery.