TENNESSEE NEWSOME

If there were a secret formula to know exactly when fish were feeding most, we'd all be out on the same day. But it seems there are better days than others. I like a barometer that has been steady for several hours, moderate wind, water temp in the low to mid 70's, air temp in the 70's, and some cloud cover. I don't like a falling barometer, although I've caught fish on those days. And I like fishing at night when there's some moonlight. I'm not sure which of those conditions is most important, but lately, I've been trying to advance my game by really following the barometer. I log every trip and try to analyze what conditions are best to fish in.

I'm not completely clear on the purpose of pegging. To keep it from hanging up? I fish very, very rocky cover often. Should I be pegging?

I use big plastic tubes T-rigged. I love draggin tubes off rocky ledges and over points. If crawfish are primary food sources on the lake you fish, give it a try. I use Berkley worms in shallower water. But my confidence is in fat tubes where I fish.

1/4 Blue Rooster tail. I was about 9 or 10 when my dad taught me how to use it.

Dang! Am I too late? :'(

I agree with the post above. I like the mini fluke, smokin shad. Use a 1/0 Gamagatzu. Hook it through the nose as you would if you were dropshotting. Berkley also makes something similar, but I can't think of the name. I use no weight or at the most a very small splitshot against the hook. If he's feeding on top, throw it out and bring it back to you with a retrieve so fast that it keeps the fluke on top of the water. When the feeding slows, slow the retrieve down and let the bait fall before jerking in 6" sweeps. Also, an F-7 Rapala might do the trick. Even a HJ-10. Hope this helps.

While fishing at night once, I threw my bait up on the bank to let it fall back off the rocky shelf and a coon grabbed it. Of course I wasn't gonna real him in only to get eaten alive. I ended up having to cut the line as close as I could to the critter. I've always wondered if he was able to get unhooked.

Great advice from everyone. Thanks!

I see the pros do it on television all the time, but when I try it, they jump & splash to high heaven. I'm scared to death to get hooked at the same time they start jumping. That would rip a guy's finger in half. I don't have a large net and really don't want to buy one if I can learn how to bring the big boys into the boat.

I agree with several of the others who've said he's probably over his limit. I also keep the authority's # programmed into my phone. Your state probably has a number specifically for poaching/illegal harvest. I don't think you went over the line at all. I personally know people in my family who were just stubborn to admit they're wrong about depleting the resource. After a few butt-kickings (like the one you handed out), they get the picture. Do be careful though.

First, I'll cut the line right at the hook if I think there's any chance the fish will die. I have in the past taken a hook out by putting my needlenose through the gills (instead of through the top of the mouth). Gives a better angle to get the hook. Sometimes, they come out pretty easy..amazingly.

Thanks for the good info guys. I'm back home in TN now. Caught a lot of fish down there, but none at Rodman surprisingly. Just one trip there though. Didn't go to Louise based on the recommendation. No big fellas to be caught. Caught a few 17 inchers. Had a great time with my dad though.

Haven't heard of Rodman? Lochloosa is next to Orange Lake. Kerr is in Marion county. Louise is in volusia (small). If there are others I should be trying, I'm open to change.

Flying out tomorrow and we're going to start on Lake Kerr (I feel like a kid the night before Christmas). Probably will hit Lochloosa and then our last stop will be either Rodman or Louisa. I'm staying until Friday. I fish in Middle TN where I live and know very little about these lakes. If anyone has any good info how to make my trip with my Dad a memorable one, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks for any help!!! FYI: My dad has some experience on Louisa and Kerr, but not the other two. We were recommended to fish Rodman and Lochloosa.

This may sound like a dumb question, but I've never used a scale before. But doesn't the hook/grip hurt the fish? The cheap ones for sure...it seems like you'd have to poke a hole in the fish's lip to make sure he doesn't flop off.

Does someone have a real picture of a spotted basses mouth? I look on the inside of the mouths of the ones I've been catching, and I don't think they have tooth patches. I'm clearly clueless these tooth patches! :-/

I am either catching nothing but Largemouths or I don't know how to tell the difference between the two. I've caught over 50 bass this year, it's hard to imagine that all have been LM. I fish J. Percy Priest Reservoir in Nashville. Supposedly, from what I've read, the spotted bass has a tooth patch. But I'm having a hard time telling what a tooth patch actually is. When I catch smallies and white bass, both which have tooth patches, I can't tell any difference between their patch and a Largemouth (which has no toothpatch). I've researched the difference between the two (shallow notch vs. deep notch dorsal fin), more or less spots, mouth extended past the eye, etc... But I just can't tell the difference. In the drawn pictures I've seen, you'd think it would be easy, but in person it's another story. Maybe I'm just not catching any spots??

I fish J Percy Priest in Nashville often. I fish 10-20 feet of water often and rarely pick up a 20" bass. I catch a lot of 15-17 inch fish though. So, I'm in deep water. I fish worms and tubes T-Rig off rock ledges. I stay close to very deep channels (25-40 feet of water). Why am I not finding them? Is it possible there just aren't many? I usually catch 2-3 a year.

I'm with most of these answers, except it seems we all probably over-analyze what color works best. There are other more important things to consider...in my opinion. Most of us agree that dark is better at night. Pumpkinseed is my favorite, but that's because I have the most faith in it. Therefore, I catch more fish with it. I use plastics/jigs almost entirely at night. The most important thing is locating where feeding fish are. Day or night. If you can find an area where there's a lot of light at a dock, then obviously there's a spot. Chances are you'll have quantity, not quality. For bigger fish, I absolutely depend on areas where deep water is nearby. Finding structure in deep water, or nearby deep water is my go-to approach. Maybe the most important thing is safety. Be sure others can clearly see you. Seems like simple advice, but it can't be said enough. Hope you do well.

I live in Tennessee and have been bass fishing here for quite awhile. My folks live in Florida and I was there last week doing some fishing. I couldn't believe how much wider the Florida bass were compared to the bass I catch here. Over and over, I thought the fish I was reeling in were 16 or 17 inch bass when in fact they were 12 to 14 inches. Anyone else ever notice the difference? The largemouth there were definately bigger fighters. No disrespect to the great state of Tennessee (cuz we of course have the best Smallmouth fishing! ).

I caught a four pound walleye on liver when I was 14. Caught it below the salamonie dam in Indiana. Nobody fishing that day actually believed me or my uncle who witnessed it.

Trev and the other guys hit it on the head. Look at the pictures in the links and you'll see how to rig it. There is no other bait, for me here in TN, that works better than a 3.5 in or 4 inch tube. I t-rig it with a 1/8 oz weight identical to the t-rig pic that's linked in Trev's post above. I especially like throwing this bait into shallow water (3-5') and working it off steep rocky bluffs that drop to 20-25 feet. Use the sharpest hook you can find. I use a 3/0 for the 3.5 and a 4.0 for the 4 inch tubes. With the T-rig, they won't hang on long, so you have to be quick to react when they bump it. I use a garlic spray which seems to help; but I'm convinced there must be something that's even better given what I've read here. For me, if I don't feel structure when I'm fishing any plastic, I have little confidence. Try to keep your bait on the bottom while at the same time on top of the rocks/structure. If you're not getting hung up every now and then, there's a good chance the fish are somewhere else. The only way to really learn your own technique with any bait is to just get out and do it. But give it a chance. Throw it a few dozen times in the same spots where you have caught bass already and you'll see why tubes are the go-to bait for a lot of fisherman. Good luck!

Welcome...I'm pretty new myself!

Definitely better than 1/150, and you probably do better than that too. It depends on what kind of bait I'm using. I do better with plastics or jigs than I do crank baits. With plastic, I'd say 1/35 at least.

Fillet, fillet, fillet. Just like the picture he posted above. I catch and release only, but many years ago when I fished with my Dad, he would always keep a few to eat. They tasted just fine..definitely not boney or oily. I've never tasted a smallmouth.