Super User roadwarrior Posted December 1, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 1, 2006 Being technically challenged, my pictures for this thread didn't work out. So, just as a disclaimer, the pics posted are from my very best outing 1/08/05. The trip I am writing about was two weeks ago 11/18/06, but the smallmouth were comparable to the photos I'm attaching. Dateline: Tennessee River 11/18/06 This outing was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We had the perfect weather and more importantly, the perfect water (76,000 cfs). My partner (Speedy Madewell) and I arrived at the boat ramp around 7:30, but we had a guest to pick up at 8:30. So, What to do? We didn't really want to start down the river without our guest so we spent a few minutes trolling some new line to get set for the day. We still had about forty-five minutes to kill as we returned back, near the ramp. Normally a wing dam protects the ramp, but in high water the dam is submerged creating a small rapid and diverting water out into the main river, then swirling backwards to create a current along the bank flowing upstream. The net result is a neutral current about fifty to severty-five yards offshore. That's where we stopped to wait, in what might appear to be out in the middle of the river. Although we were pretty excited in general, we tossed out a couple of minnows without much enthusiasm. Low and behold, I hooked up with what felt like a nice bass right off the bat, a minute later my partner hooked up with some size, but he was sure it was just a big drum. Well, it wasn't! As I'm fighting with my fish, Speedy's fish came boiling up and jumped, drum don't jump. I promise you, I thought this was the new World Record. I put my rod in a holder with the fish still on so I could help my partner land his pig. After a second run and the third jump, I finally netted the monster. As it turned out, this brown fish hadn't had breakfast and was a little skinny. Still, it weighed in at just under 8 lbs. Our guest showed up on time and we took some pictures of the fish, then we released it. Now it was "time to fish." On the first drift I started out with two in a row, but neither smallmouth made it to 5 lbs. The third bass was caught by Mike, our guest...6 1/2 lbs, his new PB! Pretty good start. We ended up with nineteen smallmouth bass, four over 5 lbs. Additionally, we caught just about every other species in the river including three flatheads and a couple of sauger which we kept (probably 30-40 lbs of fish). We never went fifteen minutes all day without someone yelling, "Fish On!" BTW, That first "brown fish" I caught, turned into a drum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Grey Wolf Posted December 1, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 1, 2006 Awesome day RW ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassinfreak2 Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Just under 8 lbs?!?! Thats a HAWG! Sounds like you guys had a good day on the water. You said the water was high. Was it very muddy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avid Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 If I didn't see the color I would swear those were LMB's Nice fatty largemouths to be exact. Outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Catt Posted December 1, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 1, 2006 Outstanding ;D I like that hat It didn't by any chance come from academy? Tan color, black mesh sown into the bill with the word bass on the right side and a embroider bass on the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User senile1 Posted December 1, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 1, 2006 Good story, RW. Those drum can pull pretty hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Nice stringer RW! 8-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VekolBass Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Fantastic!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyBasser Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 These are the days that can never be erased from our memory! Great job RW!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassasin12 Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 cool, too bad the real pics didnt work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New 2 Bass Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Nice! I can picture it, great story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigarlover 1 Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Awesome day out! I'd be happy with an 8lb LM much less a SM. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippin4it. Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 RW, I'm glad to here of your success. Days like that can be few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithscatch Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 That sounds like an incredibly productive, fun day. Just under 8lbs is a giant bass but a Smallie that is a trophy. Good job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justtrying Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Congratulations RW, those are the kind of days that make us forget the "tough times." glad you got 'em. Hope you have some more of those kind of days in the very near future. Best Wishes ronnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Gatorbassman Posted December 3, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 3, 2006 Outstanding RW. Those are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyron Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Congrats RW ,very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User RoLo Posted December 3, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 3, 2006 Remarkable, and a good read. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User K_Mac Posted December 4, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 4, 2006 What a day! You do a fine job in the telling. If you could just figure out the piture thing... Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User roadwarrior Posted December 5, 2006 Author Super User Share Posted December 5, 2006 As a side note, this was two years to the day (Saturday before Thanksgiving) when my friend Speedy caught the only 10 lb smallmouth I have ever seen. I netted and weighed the monster, he released her. As far as we know, that was the only 10 lb bass that has ever been caught on the Tennessee River. When his fish went airborne, I thought is was bigger than the one he landed two years ago. It was HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User RoLo Posted December 6, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 6, 2006 Roadwarrior, I just want you to know that I'm taking notes According to your valuable input it's the Tennessee River just below Pickwick Lake, it's sometime during December & January and it's "Live Minnows". I just know that you'll be out there in force next month, looking to beat 8 pounds. Here's hoping that you pull it off Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BD Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 A 10 lb smallie? Why isn't that guy submitting those photos to bass master!!! That's a huge bass, much less large or small type..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User roadwarrior Posted December 8, 2006 Author Super User Share Posted December 8, 2006 That was the last trip I have had without a camera! I netted and weighed the monster. The third member of our party, Buddy Cotton, had caught a 5 1/2 earlier, which was his PB. Buddy held the fish while I was CAREFULLY hooking up my Shimano spring scales. The first weight was a whopping 13 lbs! This big girl was wild and I knew that reading couldn't be right. It took three tries to get her down to just over 10. No pics, just memories. BTW, Thanks Roger. Speedy and I will be on the Tennessee River tomorrow. That might be it for 2006, but I am looking forward to January and February. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User SPEEDBEAD. Posted December 8, 2006 Super User Share Posted December 8, 2006 Those fish are freakin' awesome!! Does the Tennessee River flow anywhere around Knoxville? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User roadwarrior Posted December 8, 2006 Author Super User Share Posted December 8, 2006 That Tennessee River runs through downtown Knoxville and by Neyland Stadium. On the east side of the state the river flows south into Alabama, then turns north nicking Mississippi, running through Tennessee and Kentucky before it empties into the Ohio River. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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