Dale Hollow, Pickwick, St. Claire, Erie, Mille Lacs, Sturgeon Bay

Id probably come to @TnRiver46 “s neck of the woods and see what E Tennessee has to offer ( esp. catching smallmouth)

Alternative would be my favorite lakes in the N Florida area: George’s Lake, Santa Fe lake, Rodman , and Sampson/ Rowell Lakes. Kingsley if I had access. These lakes are fairly close to each other so could do 2 a day if I wanted…

Another alternate is camping in Ocala forest and fishing some of the ponds/lakes  in there. Of course, trot lines would be run every night for catfish! 

Spring for the time in Florida.

Fall in Tn.

However far south I'd have to go in February for my son's birthday

2 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

However far south I'd have to go in February for my son's birthday

That’s typically weather dependent, you could have driven to the Gulf of Mexico and found iced over coves in February last year 

2 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

Id probably come to @TnRiver46 “s neck of the woods and see what E Tennessee has to offer ( esp. catching smallmouth)

Alternative would be my favorite lakes in the N Florida area: George’s Lake, Santa Fe lake, Rodman , and Sampson/ Rowell Lakes. Kingsley if I had access. These lakes are fairly close to each other so could do 2 a day if I wanted…

Another alternate is camping in Ocala forest and fishing some of the ponds/lakes  in there. Of course, trot lines would be run every night for catfish! 

Spring for the time in Florida.

Fall in Tn.

Smallmouth is one thing we’ve got in surplus, it seems to be the most common game fish around . 

Take a look at the International forums lake Baccarat Lodge.

You want big LMB go now!

Tom 

On 11/21/2021 at 7:46 PM, Catt said:

Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn anytime of the year!

 

Mid November & @Bass_Fanatic is knocking down 100+ day!

What stage are the fish on those lakes in around the beginning of February?  Is it one of the better times of the year to fish there?  Thanks.  

6 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

What stage are the fish on those lakes in around the beginning of February?  Is it one of the better times of the year to fish there?  Thanks.  

 

Depending on weather patterns early pre-spawn can start on both lakes in late January.

 

Definitely by February 

 

Both lakes are very capable of kicking out double digit bass year round.

 

Rayburn has been fishing better than Toledo Bend.

 

I'm heading north to the Boundary Waters and to Quitico.

If it was me I would be heading to Tennessee in March or April and fish Chick, I know the guys down there say that it gets pounded and always crowded.  But I am guessing they never fished anything in Ohio.  haha.  Went down there in May of this year and hired a guide, he was complaining about all the boats and people fishing too close, I was thinking to myself you haven't seen anything.  haha

I may be a little biased both from the standpoint we have been going for 20 years straight and the fact that we now know the lake pretty well which allows us to consistently find fish but my vote will be for Lake St Clair in May.  “If” and that’s a big “if” you time it right, it can be the trip of a lifetime.  No matter what, you are pretty much guaranteed a fantastic time.  Last May we hit it perfect and had 100+ fish days EACH!  3 to 5lb smallmouth with the occasional bigger fish.  For comparison, we also go to Florida in February and have been to Kissimmee and Okeechobee.  While both were fun and we caught fish, St Clair is my favorite.

 

7 hours ago, FishinBuck07 said:

If it was me I would be heading to Tennessee in March or April and fish Chick, I know the guys down there say that it gets pounded and always crowded.  But I am guessing they never fished anything in Ohio.  haha.  Went down there in May of this year and hired a guide, he was complaining about all the boats and people fishing too close, I was thinking to myself you haven't seen anything.  haha

Hahaha! All I’ve seen in Ohio was round cow ponds and frozen rivers but Erie looked nice! Chickamauga has been on a downward trend for about 4 years now, a lot of guys that live right next to it travel elsewhere to fish 

Rayburn when the water is rising can be a hell of a time... unfortunately, that can mean that you're dodging storms too...

 

Other than that, I really enjoy using those longer trips to fish new water. A couple of days to figure them out and a couple of days to catch them. Good thing that lakes like Rayburn can offer enough "new water" to fill quite a few trips!

I’d go sometime in the summer to a lake that had plenty of coontail and milfoil. Between now and then I’d be doing research. 

Secret river in northern WI wading for 5lb smallies and big Muskie. No one else on the river and camp all 4 days.

Florida is the best place in the country for fishing. You can catch big bass, exotic fish, and some of the best saltwater fishing in the World. 

Clear Lake in April with either a full or new moon assuming they have a decent winter. Get a VRBO/AirBnB on the lake and you don't have to bother with launching every day, you have convenient 24 hour access to the water if you want to night fish, and you can likely pick off some nice fish around your own dock at your convenience. 

On 12/2/2021 at 5:12 PM, JWall14 said:

Secret river in northern WI wading for 5lb smallies and big Muskie. No one else on the river and camp all 4 days.

Sounds like a fun place to fish. Muskie are one of my favorite freshwater fish to catch.

On 11/23/2021 at 11:47 AM, TOXIC said:

I may be a little biased both from the standpoint we have been going for 20 years straight and the fact that we now know the lake pretty well which allows us to consistently find fish but my vote will be for Lake St Clair in May.  “If” and that’s a big “if” you time it right, it can be the trip of a lifetime.  No matter what, you are pretty much guaranteed a fantastic time.  Last May we hit it perfect and had 100+ fish days EACH!  3 to 5lb smallmouth with the occasional bigger fish.  For comparison, we also go to Florida in February and have been to Kissimmee and Okeechobee.  While both were fun and we caught fish, St Clair is my favorite.

 

Haven't fished St. Clair. Maybe when I get the new rig. 

 

Yeh st clair is definitely up there on my list!