Blue Raider Bob

There seem to be two mindsets regarding the way Bass jump when hooked. One camp loves the way they rise and go airborne and then there's me. After a hookset and a solid rod bend, I totally hate seeing that line rise. Even when jamming my rod down in the water they still get airborne! The moment between the rising line and the inevitable lure sling has got to be the most nerve wracking part of smallie fishing. One again the little ones were biting like sharks in the Cumberland. Caught 48 yesterday but big fish was only 16". Don't mind the little ones jumping and coming off 'cause it just saves me the trouble, but I had two I really would have been proud of if only they would not have made me witness the crankbait leap and headshake! Another profundity, why can't Drum and Catfish come off crankbaits as easily. When those fish bite, they stay bit!

That is some pond! Sounds like a great day on the water. I use Mepps Aglia's often myself.

I fished for several hours yesterday post frontal conditions and I could not catch anything to brag about. Caught four small Smallies on Ned rig after all else failed. If you have not Ned Rig fished may I suggest you try. I've never caught size using the Ned but I've caught numbers and it is very easy to learn. And if the Bass are not willing, the Bluegill will keep you awake!

Me Too!

Water clarity in the Buffalo River of Tennessee is much better than in the Duck River of Tennessee. That said, the Duck sometimes clears up quite nicely. I have a cabin on the Duck and fish it often. Unfortunately it rises suddenly with rainfall and fishing is impossible for days at a time. That's when the Rocks of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers eat my jigs!

We have a Buffalo in Middle Tennessee as well as the one you are thinking of in Arkansas. I catch a few out of the Duck River as well.

Not a pond but since you are new to the area, just north of you is a place called Cold Creek. There is a public boat ramp and when you enter the creek it is a short boat ride until you emerge unto the old river oxbow. The lake rises and falls with the river but does provide outstanding fishing at times. This lake is near Fort Pillow and is knows as "Cold Creek" but is actually and old oxbow of the Mississippi. I used to fish there as a kid when I was living in Memphis. Tons of Bluegill and Crappie. I'm sure it is loaded with Bass as well.

The Hale's Bar generator house and lock are still there. Only the dam itself has been removed. It is a really spookey place. The river comes up to within a few feet of the tops of the lock.

If you google earth the Nickajack Dam, you will see the active lock. Right beside the active lock is an inactive lock know as the "dead lock". It was constructed with the thought that if river traffic ever increased and overwhelmed the main lock, then it could be opened and used. It has never been opened but it provides an extra area of water that is protected from current and stays full of baitfish. This might be the riprap wall your friend has described. The wall between the deadlock and what I call the "Basin", which is a large lake-like area protected from current that includes the boat ramp. My PB Largemouth, Walleye, and White Bass all came from the basin. The water depth is anywhere from 10' to 17' most of the time and it is teeming with fish. I'll be there again Sunday! Lord Willing!

What areas below the dams do you fish? The spillways, generators, or other? I fish below Nickajack dam but I haven't been able to catch much close to the dam. I usually catch a few several hundred yards to a couple miles away from the dam where the current softens.

Who won the "land" part? I see you won the water part. I have caught several river 3 pound plus smallies but have yet to get a four. I'm trying again Wednesday. I would use my biggest for my Avatar but I don't know how to create it? I know, I'm about as sorry a techie as I am a Smallie fisherman! This one may be a four but I didn't have a scale.

Here's your big ol Flathead! Caught on a TRD Ned Rig in the Tennessee River using medium light spinning tackle. This brute is 42" long. I just drifted down river trying to gain more line than she took. I won in the end and she got weighed and measured then released!

Not just cats but durn near everything that swims will eat bass lures. This Carp ate a Z-Man Worm! Nearly every trip to the Tennessee River produces something other than bass. Most often its Drum.

The big ones sure ignored mine Saturday. Small ones came to play!

When I use them in current, I Ned rig them the same way I use other soft Plastics. I toss towards shore and gently drag them back while controlling my drift with my trolling motor. I do not use enough weight to keep them in place for two reasons.....the first is I want a natural drift that the Bass expect, and the second reason is the rivers I fish (Tennessee, Cumberland, and the Duck) and the spots I have the most confidence in have rocky bottoms. The exposed hook on my Ned Rigs will hang everytime if they make constant contact with the bottom. I understand your question about keeping in place because in a natural setting, a Hellgramite is going to cling to structure instead of drifting. However I believe you will have more success with a moving bait.

Good luck and I hope my personal views on fishing the River this time of year doesn't discourage you. The area below Pickwick dam is full of fish anytime of year. In my experience below Nickajack and Old Hickory, they are a little more aggressive when there are at least a couple of generators going. If you toss up on the rocks and drag off slowly as you drift you will surely hang a few!

Thanks.....I am trying to eliminate some of the hang ups as I also fish the big river like you do. Is that a Zoom Dead Ringer? I used to fish them and I have forgotten how effective they are. The Texas rigs sure reduce the hang ups in current but I just can't get an acceptable hook percentage.

Having a hard time getting an acceptable hook up percentage fishing plastic worms. I'm 50% or less. What types of worms, hooks, and weights are you the most satisfied with? Yesterday was no exception. Set the hook on several and lost most. Sometimes the hook did not even penetrate the worm. I have been using a fatter Senko type because I am getting bites but should I expect more success with a narrower worm or should I continue with what is being eaten? Lastly when Texas rigging do you like a free weight or one that is built into the eye of the hook? Thanks everyone!

Dwight I caught eighteen yesterday that would not weigh all together as much as that big girl! What a beautiful beast! And I think my little river smallies fight. Could not imagine that tussle!

This is no secret but for those that may be interested....the record came off Trooper Island just where the power lines meet the shore. If you Google Dale Hollow and search Trooper Island you can zoom in. This was told to me last week by a lifelong guide on DH as we passed site. This guide also knew Billy Westmoreland well and was privy to locations of Mr. Westmorelands monsters. He honestly doesn't think the record will be broken at DH due to the tremendous pressure the lake now receives. He fishes up to 260 days a year and says he considers a 7 lb fish a trophy (so would I!). I was hoping to break my modest 3lb 10oz PB but it was not to be, although I did get what would have been my best to the top for a couple of jumps. The last jump did it and my heart was broken and she was gone! I crammed my rod as far in the water as I could and still she got airborne.....Durn!!!

I fish below Nickajack dam and several miles downstream into Alabama often and I can tell you that this time of year there is very little current below the TVA dams (at least Nickajack). Usually one or maybe two generators are going and the current is so slow it is almost unrecognizable. This causes the fish to scatter and not hold to breaks and eddy's. I really have to work for them this time of year and the average size is much smaller than in the cooler months when currents are faster. Caught twenty four yesterday with big fish 14". If I may suggest, get generation info before you go. These fisheries are amazing but not when the water is low and slow.

The spots I catch aren't very big either but that is Spotted Bass. Don't know why the eyes are different colors in different bodies of water. Sounds like an important enough question to avoid work for a while and research!

Came away empty again except for two short fish....durn.... sunny skies and 30 mph wind with 40 mph gusts. Three strikes for me at the " Holly Grail" of Smallmouth Lakes. Couldn't keep the boat on a spot and the wind would grab our line and take it elsewhere. Beautiful Lake and if you have never been there make it a bucket list! Mr. Gentry showed me the exact spot of the record. He also knows where Billy Westmorland caught his 10+ pounders.

The area I was fishing was narrow and the barges really stir up the river. There was mud and trash everywhere after it passed. It takes several minutes for the water to calm down and smooth out. Actually the little ones I was catching needed no stimulant. They were eating like sharks! caught 45 in four hours but biggest were still just shy of 15" but what a blast!

I was catching Smallies and Spots on the Cumberland River yesterday. A barge went by and the bite completely stopped for at least thirty minutes.