Blue Raider Bob

One more silly remembrance from yesteryear. Was leaving the farm with my son when he was a youngster and a septic tank truck pulled out on the road in front of me. Well the septic truck had been driving in the mud and mud was all over it's tires. The septic truck (Al & Ralph's Septic Service) sped up and started slinging mud in the air, and all over my windshield. I hollered at my son Rob, " Rob, that's the sh..... Truck !!!! He's slinging sh.... all over us!" A horrified little boy starts hollering "Get it off daddy! Get it off!" Meanwhile I've got the washer/wipers going and making a real mess while Rob is nearly in tears! I was in tears myself but of a totally different kind. Parents don't reprimand me for this. It was not child cruelty, it was retribution!

OK so you forced me to keep gabbing and avoid work! Several years ago when my son was mid teens (he's 31 now), we had a coop robber. I set the trap using a chicken egg for bait! Well it worked and next morning we had a big-ol'e buck racoon who was not at all pleased. I put the trap in the back of my truck while my son was admiring the growling, lunging coon. I told him to hop in and we'll take him down to the Stones River to let him go. The Middle Fork Stones is about 2-1/2 miles from our place. Along the way we were discussing the damage an adult coon could do to someone and my son was in awe. Just before we got to the river my son asked how I was going to get him out. I said that I wasn't, that he could jump back there and let him out since I was driving. Silence followed. Finally he said in a soft voice, "How do I let him out dad?" I said all you have to do is stick your arm in there and hold the door open while he runs out and he probably won't stop to bite you! More silence.........followed by a very soft, stuttering voice that squeaked, ddad, I I ddon't think I can ddo that. I was fighting back tears of laughter as my poor boy struggled with measuring up to dad and a terrible fear of the snarling animal in the truck bed. I finally said "I'm not going to let you do that!" I laughed all the way home.......he didn't.

Excellent advise and will incorporate!

Moving a skunk takes a degree of courage that is difficult for me to muster! Here is how it is done. Hold an old blanket out in front of you and slowly approach trap. Skunks tend to be docile in my experience. When upon trap, slowly lay blanket over the trap and feel through blanket for the trap handle. Gently lift and set in the bed of your truck. If you do not have a truck.......don't do this! Drive to a safe location for the animal and let down tailgate and set trap on the ground. Remove blanket from door and lift door. Pray like hell there is no lingering animosity! I have found raccoons to be the most difficult. The big males are not especially friendly and make their feeling quite clear. When a large, angry buck is lunging at you while you are carrying him is an experienced not soon forgotten. When lifting the door for release there is always a moment when you are vulnerable due to the fact that you have to use one hand to hold open door. Fortunately without exception, they have always bolted into the woods, to my intense relief. Couple times I have caught lactating females, and when this happens, I just let them go where they were caught. I'm not killing a bunch of babies just because I get tied of cleaning up coon droppings from my dock. I have a funny story about my son accompanying me on a release when he was younger but it may bore everyone to tears. Maybe later.

Do you use the silver Flashbacks? I am going to get some and be content to troll for a while until I can heal up. Thanks

Rained Saturday Night but Sunday dawned clear and a bit windy. Hooked up and went to the Cumberland. The water was super low, with little current and covered with leaves. Real tough fishing conditions for me. I busted my butt last Monday night (more on that later), and I couldn't hold a rod, so I tried trolling a Scrounger that Alabama Spothunter recommended. The Scrounger just spun in circles so I went back to trolling cranks with no success and only leaves for my efforts. Finally went to the Ned rig and caught five before having to leave due to pain. The water is so low that the rock shelf where I caught a 5.3 couple months ago is 3ft out of the water. Last Monday night I was working on a tractor in one of the barn bays. Left the bay to retrieve a tool from another barn. The night was dark but since I knew the way to my own barn in the dark it was no big deal........only my wife had moved an animal trap off the drive and placed against the barn. We use a humane animal trap to catch and release farm varmits who become problems.........coons, possums, and skunks. They get in our animal feed and krap on my dock! I take them deeper into the country and release. Anyway my long legs are moving pretty quickly in the pitch black night, and I trip over the animal trap and faceplant! My wrist is now in a brace and when I tried to set a hook, the pain was too much. Shortest fishing trip of the year.....but no skunk, I caught five. BTW......wife feigns innocence and suggests maybe I had a senior moment and sniped myself?

I'm so fortunate in this regard, if the weather is too ugly to fish, I still can enjoy being outdoors, pulling down hay for the goats, watching the two orphan fawns that live behind the barn, or sitting on the covered dock. No Television for me anymore.....life's too short!

Thanks, I will. Tried to troll one yesterday because I hurt my hand and couldn't fish any other way. The durn thing just spun and spun.

I can't get a scrounger to swim correctly. The heads I have all just spin in circles.

I have an eagle story as well. On the river a few weeks back and this Osprey pinned this big fish against the rip rap in a slight cove area very close to me. The Osprey finally got a good hold of the fish and fought hard to get airborne. Just as it was laboring in flight just above me, an Eagle attacks it and forces it to drop it's prize! The big fish hits the water and right away the Eagle pounces on it. The fish was so big the Eagle struggled for a moment to lift and fly. The Osprey went back to it's perch on a dead snag and cried for 10 minutes. I'm still mad at that Eagle! Big durn lazy critter! Autopsies are reserved for humans. Necropsies are used for animals. We live on a farm and raise livestock. Necropsies are done to determine livestock loss.......just sayin'....lol

Absolute monsters! That's also an awesome rock formation and great photo. Thanks for sharing!

Yes I was thrilled! Ended up loosing my Rapala DT6, Bomber Fat Free Shad, and a Bandit 300 to submerged trees in the river. Lost a spinning combo and Bomber lure last week. It's hard to get them back in the depths and current. This is an expensive pastime (addiction) we have , but luckily I still have plenty of my kids inheritance to burn through before it's over! What was really fun was the Smallie got wrapped around my prop, (well maybe that was not fun), but she came loose and found the net! That was fun! Ended with 39 fish including a big Bluegill that tried to eat a crankbait and a monster Drum. Never know what you will hang in the river. Monsters live there for sure! The most fun of all was group texting all my childhood friends back home on a Friday afternoon while I was on the river and they were at work! HA!

Wish I was too! Extremely beautiful picture! Looks how I assume paradise will look if'in I make it!

Looks like same fish. I broke off a plastic craw in a bass I visually saw by an old railroad pier. I fish this same pier everytime I go to this water just hoping I can remove that craw from his mouth. Bothers me to no end. This big largie was just under the surface looking confused with the jig in the side of his mouth. No doubt. That is not the smartest bass in the pond, but that's the kind we fish for! The dummies!

The fish are on a crash fish diet. Everyone looks plump as a pumpkin and hongry as sharks!

Always love to view places around the country to fish. Here is a group of pictures taken from the South Pittsburg TN boat ramp on the Tennessee River a few miles downriver from the Nickajack Dam. From left to right is upriver to downriver. Long Island is visible in the last picture and the Alabama state line is just past the head of Long Island. Current is about 1.5 MPH at this water stage. The bridge in the picture is the Hwy 156 Bridge over the River at South Pittsburg. The dilapidated dock is my water gauge. When the water is below the platform go fishing. When the water is roaring over the top of the platform, I do not! All three species of Bass are found here with Spots being prominent, and Smallies fairly abundant as well. Note all the boats on the water......that's right! I often have the river to myself, shared with Ospreys, Bald Eagles, and an occasional barge!

Booyah Teaser Rig, which is a miniature A-Rig with four small arms with no hooks and a central hook which I used a swimbait. Caught a 3-3 Smallie a few minutes later. The Smallie ate a DT6. This has been a great year and we are still having terrific weather to continue this pursuit. Thanks A-Jay! I didn't finish my post before I hit the wrong button. These Bass keep me tore-up! Durn that first picture is last weeks Smallie. I can't get this High Tech stuff down at all. Last picture is my PB Spot. Maybe I should have my gran-kids do this computer stuff!

Got my PB Spotted (Kentucky) Bass Friday on the Big T near South Pittsburg TN. She was 19" Long and weighed 3 lb. 3 oz. She ate the Booyah

An 18" Smallie is a good fish anywhere! I drive long distances bi-weekly to seek them out, but rarely ever come across one.

May sound strange but lately I have been using low vis green straight braid with no leader. Don't know if it affects the bite but I seem to be catching as many as usual. I am more comfortable eliminating the extra knots as we all know that they are the weak link. BTW I strictly river fish so the current may have some effect on the fish being less line shy. I use the braid for finesse 1/16 oz Ned as well as larger lures such as cranks.

Will certainly give your suggestion a try! Going to the river tomorrow! Thanks!

Lately I have been catching a few trolling crankbaits in deeper water away from the river bank. I do this because The water on the Tennessee is low and clear, and I can't catch anything pounding the bank. Trolling crankbaits ( Bomber Fat Free Fingerling, and Rapala DT6 ), in about 12 FOW has been consistently producing the past couple weeks but here lies the problem. My fingers look and feel like pincushions due to the constant removal of cranks from the mouths of flailing bass. Sometimes it seems we both get hooked with each fish! Not to mention the PITA hook removal from nets if the fish are large enough. I'm thinking of trying swimbaits and wanted your thoughts. The fish are definitely on a fish diet because not only am I catching lots but several are throwing up fish when boated, and they are all fat as pumpkins! I have done poorly trolling swimbaits in the past but perhaps I am doing something wrong. Thanks in advance! BTW.....I'm thinking swimbaits because of the one hook. May be easier on me and the fish! Looking forward to some rain to raise water levels and create current to push these Smallies to the banks.

No, I've begun the healing process. I lost a Mitchell Combo on the Cumberland earlier this year when I had two lines out and one got hung. I laid the hung one down in the boat to reel in the other when the current tightened the line and pulled her in. That one hurt as well because it was the last 7' rod that came with the Mitchell combos. The rest of mine are 6'6 but I like the 7' better. This pursuit of ours sure gets expensive......fortunately I still have plenty of my kids inheritance to burn through before it's over! Your right about that! The Tennessee is not the same as some smaller bodies of water where recovery is an option!

My productive fishing event yesterday was marred by an unfortunate event. I had my Mitchell 300 in a rod holder with my pearl Fat Free Shad Bomber tied on. As I was heading back up river to re-fish a particular productive stretch, I turned sharply towards the bank and the rod side dipped to the water to allow the bomber to submerge and grab water. The ensuing resistance pulled my 300 combo out of holder and into the river. After failing on a desperate lunge to grab the combo, (all I did was soak myself up to the shoulders), I sadly watched the combo sink from site in 14' of 1.5 MPH current. Not only did I lose my combo, I lost the lure that got this Smallmouth addiction started! As a lifelong pan fisherman, I fished the tailwaters of Nickajack many times for White Bass in the winter. On a whim I went down river and tossed the Pearl Bomber into an eddy former by the current, against rip rap. I hooked and landed a 3 lb 10 oz. Smallie after a thorough drag test! That was four years ago and I haven't panfished since! Now I fish for smallies yearlong and as often as twice a week to satiate my addiction. But now sadly, this immortal Bomber rests at the bottom of the Big T, just yards from where it all started! Durn!

Not the biggest fish ever but just look at that belly! She is not having a bit of trouble finding supper!