Blue Raider Bob

Totally gorgeous lake! Thanks for sharing! We as fishermen get to view the most beautiful places on earth regularly. What a blessing we do what we do!

I got to agree...that's the biggest 1-2 lb bass ever! Dwight your scale is way light! Use mine.....it shows everything 5 plus! Meant SoCal but regardless, i'll take those 1-2 lb anyday!

Thanks Dwight! Went back yesterday and caught lots more dinks. Went with Chris Catignani from this site. Took him to where I caught my big one and durn if he didn't hook a pig! He had trouble getting it up and finally she left the bottom for the bright skies. She jumped a couple times and .......well we all know what happens when they jump.....she was gone! She was over four pounds easy. He lost a real good green fish later that crushed his buzzbait, and I lost another quality brown one that jumped. Hate it when they do that! The little spots were crushing his 1/8 oz buzzbait he tossed along the rock walls. They seemed real mad at it! We still managed over 50. Had a ball.

No, Caught along a rock bluff wall in eight feet of water in 1.6 MPH current. Tossed a ned rig Zman Ticklr against rock wall and pulled off with drift. The water has real good clarity. Lots of hang ups with the rocks, current, and exposed hook, but lots of fish as well. Lost one just as big that went airborne! The river current smashes against this rock wall. It is hard to fish but usually holds fish. Going back Wednesday. Can't hep it! Yeah I know....missing link right? I've heard it all. If I would have had one more arm I would have put my shirt on. I was born looking like a gorilla! I started shaving in day care.

Also love that pick up truck! Had a 64' once in my youth. Gas tank right behind the seat. How much sense did that make? Took me on many a fishin' trip!

Forgot to add description....durn these Smallies can mess with your head! Caught my PB and first documented 4 pounder on the Cumberland River yesterday near Nashville. weighed on my new Rapala digital scale. 4 lb 7 oz and 21-1/2 inches long. The little ones were biting like sharks and caught tons of dinks but only three quality fish. Now I'm really ruint! Thanks A-Jay! Funny thing about this was when she hit and dove deep, I assumed it was a big drum so I did not get overly excited. I just drifted down the river leisurely applying pressure. When I got tired of fooling with the "drum" I pulled her up and saw brown! Dang!!! Then I panicked. First off I fish medium light spinning gear so there was no dragging that fish to the boat. Second she came up and wrapped my trolling motor so I was in a real bad way. She freed herself and hauled buns down the side of my boat right into my net! Hooyah! My new PB. Appreciate all you guys for teaching me how to get where I am! I lost one just as big a couple hours later in the SAME Spot. Evidently there was a school. The one I lost went airborne and that was that!

Forgot to add description....durn these Smallies can mess with your head! Caught my PB and first documented 4 pounder on the Cumberland River yesterday near Nashville. weighed on my new Rapala digital scale. 4 lb 7 oz and 21-1/2 inches long. The little ones were biting like sharks and caught tons of dinks but only three quality fish. Now I'm really ruint!

I just try to weight the ones that may be a PB. Almost all others get back in the water quickly. This one was special and very fat. I'm recovering from Covid and the Tennessee River is a great place to quarantine. Just wish I felt better and could have stayed longer. It poured down all day.

Dang!!! I got it to work! I had to shrink my beauty to fit. Wish there were more of her and less of me. She may have been a four pounder but even if she were, it would only mean I need to catch a five. Caught on a Zoom Speedcraw in 12 FOW.

Thanks guys, I have tried. Dont' have the options on my computer. It's a shame because I have posted pictures here before. Just Don't know why this one is 1.58 and allowable is 1.46

Can't get my picture to load but here's the story regardless. After a bunch of nice Smallies since I got hooked on this thing, the elusive four pounder seemed out of reach. However yesterday on The Tennessee River at Bridgeport Ala. I hooked what I thought was my prize. She weighed 4-10 on my scales and I was smiling so wide my face was cracking. I put her in the lifewell to compose my thought for a moment and take pictures. When I took her out I weighed again to make sure and this time is showed 3-7. Hmm, I weighed her again and showed 3 even. I was afraid if I continued to weigh her i'd show a negative before long. The disappointment was great. I let her loose not knowing if I indeed joined elusive 4 pound club. I spent 60.00 on the scale and now I am shopping scales again. What do you guys use? Any idea on how to get a picture under 1.46? The picture on my avatar is my largest to date, unfortunatly also not weighed. Didn't have the scales with me that day, and this bass was fatter than that one.

It's so hot the hydrants are lookin' fer dogs! Sorry....too hot to fish but just right to laugh!

Is this a seasonal pattern for you or year round? I am going below Old Hickory Dam Sunday and give it a try. Also do you drift at current speed or do you slow drift with the trolling motor? Thanks!

No the tailwaters or Nickajack and Old Hickory have really good water clarity. What is the point of using a leader when you are using mono? I have been trying braid with a floro leader and it works for me but I don't like three knots between me and the fish and I don't like retying leaders when the rocks eat my jigs. With straight mono I eliminate those issues.

yes

So I'm understanding you fish clear leaders with hi-vis braid. Thanks, that's something I'm not doing but must begin to consider.

I know I'm burning you guys up with questions lately but you guys are making me a much better angler and I'm having a ball chasing these Smallies! I'm a life long pan-fisherman who has fallen for the Smallies over the past few years. I've used for some time a hi-vis yellow for the Crappie because I like to see my line. I also sometimes use a hi-vis yellow 8 lb. on my medium light spinning outfits for smallies. My question is........am I hurting my chances with the hi-vis or would I be better off loosing some of the ability to view my line in order to present a low-vis line on my offerings, or does it matter? Thanks everyone!

Thanks for responding! I will try it again when the hottest weather breaks. Sounds like you are Texas rigging the Rage Tail and dragging it close to the bottom. I haven't been below Pickwick or Wilson in many years but I assume I will have similar conditions. The high energy demand has Nickajack running multiple generators and creating quite a current

Thanks! I'm not much of a live bait fisherman. Are you finding your fish near the generators in strong currents or further downstream? Are you using a heavier weight to contact bottom or a lighter weight to drift your presentations? Thanks again!

Sounds like fun! I don't have shoal water. It's 15 to 20' river channel with gentle slope to bank. Might try some top water though!

Big Rick your post has fried my brains. I cooked in the Tennessee sun for hours yesterday and didn't catch one half as big as your smallest! Congrates on a terrific day!

Love those TicklrZ's!

Another tough day below Nickajack Dam on the Tennessee River yesterday. Surface temps 78 deg. Air temp. 92 in the PM. I was hoping that the moving water would concentrate the Smallies and the higher water temps would contribute to the need to feed but I could not catch em'. There was baitfish galore showing up on my Livescope. Where do they go in the summer? The usually faithfull Ned rigs didn't produce against the banks and the only way I caught fish was trolling small Shad Raps with the current and they were all small. Big fish 1.9 but really fat. I don't really like fishing that way because I had to troll at 2.5 MPH with the current just to get the cranks to wobble. When a little Spot or Smallie bites, he just kinda gets drug through the water and that's no good. Any kind of advise from you tailwater fishers would be greatly appreciated! Also every jet ski and cabin cruiser on the river was active yesterday as well.

Never thought of it that way and I can agree. Now I'll have a new attitude for the jumpers and newfound respect for the ones that " Earn Freedom"! I release everything anyway but I'm always chasing that new PB.

Dwight my PB smallie is 3lb 10 oz so every heavy hookset has the potential to be a new PB. Unfortunately I think I've seen numerous potential PB's jump and toss. That's why I have a mini-panic attack when I see that line rising! But then again like so many previous opinions, that's part of the fun of Smallie fishing.