16 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

My money has always been on those three lakes in N Alabama, however the Erie monster made me less sure.      A 5-6lb class fish below those dams fishing threadfins is like the easy button to getting your SM PB ?

There's a few sleepers in that system. Below Nickajack is rumored to hold absolute giants, but I cannot corroborate this. I, desperately, want to fish the TN River system for smallies.

4 minutes ago, Drew03cmc said:

There's a few sleepers in that system. Below Nickajack is rumored to hold absolute giants, but I cannot corroborate this. I, desperately, want to fish the TN River system for smallies.

I did it yesterday and caught a drum and a crappie…….. with live threadfin haha

5 minutes ago, Drew03cmc said:

There's a few sleepers in that system. Below Nickajack is rumored to hold absolute giants, but I cannot corroborate this. I, desperately, want to fish the TN River system for smallies.

I wish I lived a bit closer so I could be a "SM guy", but fishing below those dams, especially Wheeler in the Fall with threadfins feels like cheating at times.   

 

Sure hope you get the opportunity to fish the river system one day.   I want to see the pics ?

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I did it yesterday and caught a drum and a crappie…….. with live threadfin haha

Even on the days when we were catching one toad after the next, we still caught so many of those darn Drum.     

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I wish I lived a bit closer so I could be a "SM guy", but fishing below those dams, especially Wheeler in the Fall with threadfins feels like cheating at times.   

 

Sure hope you get the opportunity to fish the river system one day.   I want to see the pics ?

Even on the days when we were catching one toad after the next, we still caught so many of those darn Drum.     

When the opportunity arises, there will be copious amounts of pictures. 

2 hours ago, Drew03cmc said:

There's a few sleepers in that system. Below Nickajack is rumored to hold absolute giants, but I cannot corroborate this. I, desperately, want to fish the TN River system for smallies.

I have fished below Nickajack many, many times, and caught lots of bass but nothing half as big as a record. Lord willing i'll be there again Sunday!

38 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

I have fished below Nickajack many, many times, and caught lots of bass but nothing half as big as a record. Lord willing i'll be there again Sunday!

It’s roaring , with more coming 

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s roaring , with more coming 

Just saw the generation schedule. Changed my mind.

8 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Just saw the generation schedule. Changed my mind.

There are 5 out of 14 flood gates open in lenoir city, I would imagine nickajack is darn near wide open. You can still catch ‘em tho! 

Yes, the record will be broken this year but the guy who will catch it did not realize it was a world record and he let it go without either weighing it or taking a photo.

The Dams giveth and taketh away.   Closest I've ever been to being potentially seriously injured or killed fishing was below Wheeler.  

 

They were running like 2-3, and we were all the way in the corner quite some ways from the open ones.    They rang the alarm and my mentor's essentially new Skeeter outboard wouldn't crank, I was doing everything I could on the 70lb TM to keep us in place as a 14/15 yr old, and not drifting back 25yds into an L shaped concrete abutment of the Dam construction.   I don't how much time went by, but it seemed quick.....and before we knew it a generator near us was released and it overwhelmed the TM and carried that new Skeeter right into the concrete abutment.    We hit center mass, and I was holding on to the front lean post for my life.     

 

Amazingly no structural damage to the boat, just some spiderweb cracks in the gelcoat.    

 

I was almost in a worse place this last summer below Smith Dam on the Sipsey River for stupid stocked Trout.     They generated power off schedule, and some flyfishing guide came running down to me and put a fire into me.   It had been years since I was there when they generated power, the speed and enormity of the water is mind blowing. 

 

I'm surprised more people aren't killed below dams, maybe they are and I'm unaware of the figures.  

28 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

There are 5 out of 14 flood gates open in lenoir city, I would imagine nickajack is darn near wide open. You can still catch ‘em tho! 

Jet boat FTW ?

12 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

The Dams giveth and taketh away.   Closest I've ever been to being potentially seriously injured or killed fishing was below Wheeler.  

 

They were running like 2-3, and we were all the way in the corner quite some ways from the open ones.    They rang the alarm and my mentor's essentially new Skeeter outboard wouldn't crank, I was doing everything I could on the 70lb TM to keep us in place as a 14/15 yr old, and not drifting back 25yds into an L shaped concrete abutment of the Dam construction.   I don't how much time went by, but it seemed quick.....and before we knew it a generator near us was released and it overwhelmed the TM and carried that new Skeeter right into the concrete abutment.    We hit center mass, and I was holding on to the front lean post for my life.     

 

Amazingly no structural damage to the boat, just some spiderweb cracks in the gelcoat.    

 

I was almost in a worse place this last summer below Smith Dam on the Sipsey River for stupid stocked Trout.     They generated power off schedule, and some flyfishing guide came running down to me and put a fire into me.   It had been years since I was there when they generated power, the speed and enormity of the water is mind blowing. 

 

I'm surprised more people aren't killed below dams, maybe they are and I'm unaware of the figures.  

Jet boat FTW ?

A few folks drown at fort loudoun dam nearly every year. And weirdly most of them are striped bass fishermen from NC 

44 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

A few folks drown at fort loudoun dam nearly every year. And weirdly most of them are striped bass fishermen from NC 

I don't doubt it, sucks for their families.   

There may be sleeper lakes around the country that get little pressure. A known big LMB guy who catches giant largemouth (O H Ivie guy) made a trip to a reservoir very few people know of and caught several over 8 last summer. They're documented on his Facebook page. He was not there at the optimum time.

 

Having said that it's not easy. I've caught hundreds over 5 pound and 50 over 6 and a handful over 7. I lost one well over 9 one year because I didn't get a good hook set — as soon as I set the hook, she pulled me on my float tube about 5 feet. One jump and she was off. 

33 minutes ago, basseditor said:

There may be sleeper lakes around the country that get little pressure. A known big LMB guy who catches giant largemouth (O H Ivie guy) made a trip to a reservoir very few people know of and caught several over 8 last summer. They're documented on his Facebook page. He was not there at the optimum time.

 

Having said that it's not easy. I've caught hundreds over 5 pound and 50 over 6 and a handful over 7. I lost one well over 9 one year because I didn't get a good hook set — as soon as I set the hook, she pulled me on my float tube about 5 feet. One jump and she was off. 

The lake has amazing bathrooms ?

"I lost one well over 9 one year because I didn't get a good hook set"

 

Well, at least you got to weigh it.

 

                                                

Yes, From Idaho on the Snake River.

It will be broken - somewhere in the middle south with big alewive and small baitfish populations.

On 3/3/2023 at 4:58 PM, king fisher said:

Yes, From Idaho on the Snake River.

I like your thinking.  I'm voting for a tributary of the Snake.

 

I think the record will fall in the next few years at Dworshak.  It probably has already, but no one is talking.