Fishing Reports
1397 Fishing Reports
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
73°
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Crankbaits 7'-12'
Structure
Baitfish
Forage
Bluegill
Water Temperature
69°
Cranking coves late evening, Caught several smallmouth and one largemouth.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Crankbaits 7'-12'
Structure
Ledges
Forage
Shad
Caught this little guy on a flicker shad. Threw it towards a bridge and he hit it quick.
Species
Panfish / BluegillSeason
Fall
Technique
Hard Jerkbaits
Structure
Flooded Brush
Forage
Shad
Caught a nice rock bass on a little flicker shad. Caught a couple back to back.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Lipless Crankbaits
Structure
River Channels
Forage
Shad
Caught a good one on a rattle trap.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Finesse Jigs
Structure
Docks
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
79°
Fishing was tough. Not a great fishery for quality or quantity. But we got a few flipping docks and laydowns
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Soft Jerkbaits
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Only one for the day. Nailed. Fluke just off the bank in about 2ft of water. Bass are chasing bait fish. Hard to get them to target a bait when there are so many bait fish for them to eat.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Pilings
Stoking the blade with a yo-yo retrieve. Seemed to work. Was a one-off fish and only caught the single from the bank. No Kayak his time around. Just junk fishing.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Crankbaits 7'-12'
Structure
Rip Rap
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
76°
Working a steep bank with fish related to structure on a shelf about 15' from shore and holding at 10-12'
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Ned Rigs
Structure
River Channels
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
85°
Channel swing/steep gravel banks always seem to hold a few bass that will hit a ned rig--the blue craw Finesse TRD is a staple for me because I think the greenish back and light blue belly look a lot like a shad. On this weekend, with the warm water temperatures, any bank like this that had wind hitting it also had lots of bait being pushed in by the wind, and I caught a 6+ lb. largemouth in addition to several smaller largemouth and smallmouth.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Topwater Walking
Structure
Points
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
85°
Fish were just at the beginning of the fall topwater bite where they push shad up on shallow main lake points. A bone Sexy Dawg Jr. is my go-to all fall when this bite is on.
Species
Panfish / BluegillSeason
Summer
Technique
Topwater Popping
Structure
Brush Piles
Forage
Shad
Little shell cracker blew up on the top water.
Species
WalleyeSeason
Summer
Technique
Crankbaits 0-6'
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Shad
Caught a good walleye on my 2nd cast this morning with this flicker shad.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Structure Jigs
Structure
Laydowns
Forage
Crawfish
Water Temperature
66°
Partly cloudy morning gave way to a brighter afternoon. I found several bites late-morning from smaller Largemouth that seemed to be grouped under the overhanging trees along the banks of small pockets. This was with the ned-rigged Lil General. I then moved into the main lake/river channel areas, and found that the timber and laydowns along the flats (adjacent to the main channel) were holding fish in the 2lb range. Patience and covering as many laydowns as possible was important, as I was using the Rage Craw as a trailer on a 1/4 oz structure jig. I watched several fish eat the jig as it fell, and I believe the lighter weight/slower fall is what got them to commit.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Hard Swimbaits
Structure
Brush Piles
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
70°
I pushed way up a creek on Tellico and tied on the Berkley Nessie, just to see if I could tempt something special. The water was skinny and clear, with shade and a little current winding down the channel. First few casts, a dark shadow peeled off a laydown and hammered the bait — a solid smallmouth that fought like it wanted to break me in half. Every fish after that seemed bigger than the last. The Nessie just glided perfectly, and those big bronzebacks couldn’t stand it. They’d track it for a second, flare their gills, and then crush it with bad intentions. Tellico doesn’t always give up its bigger smallmouth, but up a creek with the right presentation, those fish showed up in a big way.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Wacky Rigs
Structure
Stumps
Forage
Bluegill
Water Temperature
80°
I hit Watts Bar in June and kept things simple with a wacky rig. The lake was hot and the sun was high, so I pushed shallow and started working stumps on the flats. Every cast felt like it could get thumped. That slow shimmy of the worm as it fell next to a stump was too much for the bass to ignore. A couple of solid keepers came right off the wood, and one good one nearly ripped the rod out of my hands when I wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t a fast bite, but it was steady, and every fish felt earned. If you slow down, hit those isolated stumps, and let that bait do the work, Watts Bar will treat you right this time of year.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Fall
Technique
Hover/Mid-Strolling
Structure
Shad
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
80°
For me deep bite is gone. Bass are out following schools of Shad. Main lake flats and starting in mouth of pockets heading towards backs of creeks. Shaking a minnow following schools feeding on Shad or throwing small under spin around is getting bites. I keep a walking top water ready for when they come up breaking. I like the larger ones that allow me to make a long cast.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Topwater Popping
Structure
Baitfish
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
83°
Fishing a shallow finger, a lot of baitballs were in the area
