Blue Raider Bob

Seems eye trouble go hand in hand with boats loads of big bass! @BaronandSwampyshocancatchem!Eveniftheycan'tseeum!

Hopefully it's a blessing in disguise and you will maintain a healthy water level.

Obviously your doctor doesn't fish! No way you're following those orders. My money is on one week at best! @FreakinquackeyedoctorletKatiefish!

Yep....the big ones win often. Keep pluggin'!

I just took all my unused rod and reels to work and gave them away. Smiles are payment enough for me. Had to clear out space in case Santa shows up this year!

Yep....I had to think about this for awhile but Al catches a 5lb bass every week! Dang!! Living the good life and I'm glad for you!

Thanks Scott! Is there a point where the current is too much to fish weightless? If so, what is that point? I have rigged a pole just for this type of fishing and I am eager to give it a try!

I am reading a book from the author Tim Holschag about fishing Smallmouth in rivers. He has a section all about topwater and he highly recommends the Heddon Tiny Torpedo. What is so interesting to me is his approach to fishing in current. He suggests anchoring above targets and bringing the lure past the target against the current. This is contrary to all I have read before about moving the bait downstream because the smallies are facing upstream, and the perception that anything approaching from behind is unnatural and likely to spook fish. This begs two questions from this novice.......what are your thoughts and techniques for the Tiny Torpedo, and what are your thoughts and techniques for anchoring and fishing against the current? I am fishing the Cumberland which is a pretty big, deep river with current from 1 to 2 MPH. The Cumberland is full of laydowns and rocks of all sizes. thanks is advance.

Scott, did you drift it weedless or hook exposed? I fish the Cumberland in Tennessee with an average 1.5 MPH.

I still get Mepps catalogs every year, and the last page is an add to send them squirrel tails. Count me in as an Aglia addict.

Thanks again Katie! Every time I fish, I go with the hope I can catch a bass big enough to put in my pond. When the Gitzit got this one, naturally I was thrilled with the prospect of bringing her home....alas, it was not to be. She was very old and her jaw look like it had been broken before. Her tail and body were in poor condition and she only weighed 4-7. I would have liked to have seen her in her prime! That, and the fact that she is a river fish and had lived her entire life in the Tennessee river current, I just didn't want to remove her from her natal home. Also, she would have moved from 84deg. river temp, over an hour transport, then dumped into 92deg pond water. Reluctantly, I put her back. I was in such a hurry to release that I forgot to measure, but she was certainly one of the longest in my fishing journeys. One really big disappointment was the total eel grass coverage on the river these days. It started showing up a few years ago, and now the entire river below the dam has eel grass mats from the bank to 30' out, growing in as deep as 12' water. My fishing preference does not allow for this. I enjoy tossing to the bank and drifting with the current. Those days are gone. So long Tennessee river. My favorite place since moving to middle Tennessee so many years ago. 😞 Another disappointment was what I witnessed at the dam. I went to try to catch shad for the pond, and there was an older couple fishing the wingwall between the spillway and generators. The guy was tossing live bait against the wingwall and catching bass on every cast. Many of the bass were deeply hooked and he had to use long pliers to remove hooks time and time again. He would catch a bass, pose for a picture, then toss the bass back. I watched this in agony until I had to leave. I get live bait fishing for meat fishermen, but what is the point for catch and release? There are no sporting qualities what so ever. Nothing but a couple dozen damaged bass with a high mortality rate.

I catch a few smallies below Nickajack dam, the headwaters of Guntersville, so they are found throughout the entire TVA chain of lakes. Pickwick is worlds famous for them. Keep hitting the TVA lakes where there is current in the first few miles below the dams and you will for sure catch one eventually. I do not want to start a scuffle, but In my opinion, from experience, smallies have another gear that the LM does not. While the largies hit like a truck, and fight like a rodeo bull, the smallies hit like a missile and fight like a bronco! Also in my humble opinion, the Spotted bass fall somewhere in between.

Ha! Thanks Katie but I'm not sure the BR crowd was ready for that big, grey, mass of ugly behind the bass but it was HOT! Please fellas, leave off the "missing link" comments. I've already heard them all. Even from my mom! I started shaving in pre-school! 😁

Sent Katie a picture of it so she will vouch for me........I think.......😶

Got to slip away from work Thursday to try the same area of river as before. Conditions were different. Either an abundance of rain, or more generation demand from Old Hickory dam had three generators running, causing higher water levels and stronger current. The current was moving my boat at 2mph or better and the fishing was tough. Caught about a dozen smallies around a pound, along with a big drum and a small mouth buffalo, However my last fish was a river monster smallie at 19-3/4 inches and pulled like a rocket. Picture only wants to load sideways so you will have to take a fishermans word for it. Too inept to figure out how to post pictures.

That double rig looks like the best idea ever! Can't wait to give it a try! Those are some serious largies!

Just one caveat to mention regarding well meant advise. Some may not be aware that Swampy made a career out of teaching children. That means dealing with all types of personalities AND their parents! I can tell you from experience as an all-sport athlete in school, then an all-sports coach for my kids, that if you can deal with school age children's parents, you can deal with most fishermen. All of us youth coaches have had to bite our tongue's when listening to parents question why little Johnny doesn't get to play the whole game, every game, even when he doesn't listen, try, or behave. You guys know just what I'm talking about. My guess is Swampy could handle most customers, and fire the ones she doesn't enjoy. After all, it would be a part time employment to support the Tackle monkey addiction. If anyone really gave her a hard time, there would be dozens of BR family heading northeast with an attitude! 😬

May I be the first in line to second that! Thank you BB!

That's me too Jar!

😌Thanks Katie!

Lake Lucy, Christiana Tennessee

Does anyone know of a good place to send surplus rod, reels, tackle boxes ect. That will put to good use? I have gobs of stuff to donate but just looking for the right place.

Katie, that is so scary. Wish you carried something stronger than pepper spray, like a Glock. Glad you got to fish though. Hope that insane creep gets caught soon. What a devil.

Good on ya mate!

Tried to load pictures but they kept loading sideways. Between scorching sun where I hid under an umbrella, to dark clouds and thunderbursts that challenged my courage, I managed to gets lots of smallies. There is a two mile stretch of the Cumberland river a few miles below the Old Hickory dam that is my go-to. The current is usually about 1-1.5 mph and that is perfect for my style of fishing. I toss a soft plastic (Ned Rig) on the rocks, and bounce the lure as close as I can to the bottom on the retrieve, as I drift with the current. I hang up often but I have learned to deal with this in a fun way. When I have to troll against the current, towards the banks to retrieve the hang up, I toss a Gitzit swim bait parallel to the shore. This is a killer, as the smallies just can't pass it up. The combination of the current dragging Ned, and the stationary tossing of the Gitszit made for a memorable float. Caught about thirty yesterday afternoon until Mother Nature intervened and ran me off the river. They were still biting as the lightning inched closer, and the wind picked up. Rain I can stand, electrocution I cannot!