2021 07 12 Chickamauga TN River

[coldfront]

one of the cool things about where I live is being able to 'make the call', hook up the trailer and just 'go to the lake'.  15 minutes tonight from decision to 'splash'.  it pays to put the boat away 'ready to go'.

Weather today was mostly cloudy with a few moments of sunshine.  Spotty downpours have been cycling through all day.  And it's accurate to say that when it was raining today it was POURING.
Light wind out of SE.  Estimated at 6 mph or so.  single digits anyway.  water clarity was 2-3 feet and lake level was up a foot or so and rising in aftermath of today's rain.  Lower section of lake where I was playing stayed clear as the HIwassee water has a little while to get this far downlake.


Air temps:  85°FWater
surface temps:  84.1°F
Chickamauga dam was spilling at 30K-31K cfs.  Good current, but not 'high' current.

Started out working over some areas of wood that have been productive.  4-6 feet depth is where I found a few.  soft plastics.  then switched up and played with a new bait (for me).  Basically strike king's version of a  Mann's 1-minus.  1.5 Shallow diver, but not a true wake bait.  figure it worked down to about 2 feet.  I was running it a little higher with rod tip up.  ran through a little pocket off main lake.  very flat/shallow.  some 3 foot in the middle, feathering to 1.5-2 along the rimmed edges (rushes).

basically was working the crankbait over the bottom carpet of milfoil.  fish seemed to be coming from the few stands of american pondweed (I know:  no one actually uses the correct name for 'grass' right?) and I could see some 'dishes' on bottom where bluegill beds were.  It's possible some of the fish were hanging around those bluegill beds.  Very pleasantly surprised as how well the bait comes through weeds.

No monsters.  just a good double-handful of 15-16 inch largemouth.  some were plump.  some were longer, leaner.

what's american pondweed you ask?

[Mike Cork]

It's a beautiful things to be able to "rock on" in a moments notice. I live between two lakes, albeit small, but if fishing is the game they are great, well except for the summer when the water fleas are bad...

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