TN river: late winter bass

[coldfront]

took the opportunity to play hookey last friday.  was able to take the boat out for a few hours.  on the water at 2PM and off about 5PM.

Main channel water temperature:  49°F
Backwater water temperatures:  51°F
current flow:  87,000 cfs *rocking*
visibility:  stained with about a foot of visibility in main river/channel.  up to 2 feet and clear, blue in some of the feeder creeks.

put in at river park boat ramp (below Chickamauga dam) and worked upstream tossing a deep suspending jerkbait.  the 112 foretrex was just creeping along at a setting of '8'.  river was high and up into the shoreline trees.  water levels appeared to be about 10-15 feet 'behind' the treeline.

did not take time to flip/pitch into the tree bases (current breaks).  at times the spotted bass really like to hold there.

kept working upstream.  no action on the jerkbait.  pulled up the TM and motored up to the first big eddy behind  the lock.  kept trying the jerkbait:  nothing.  switched over to a 4.5 keitech easy shiner on a jig head.  nothing there either.

started tossing a 3/8 ounce wareagle tandem (willow) spinnerbait in gray/translucent and started to get some action.


first fish was a good spot.  just a little over 1.5 pounds.  next fish was a smallmouth right at 2 pounds.  picked up about 3 more fish (all spots).  two on the spinnerbait.  one on a shakeyhead worm (4.5" berkley max flatworm BLACK).





wish I had more time, but that was all i had.  and happy to have it.  it had been 2 months since my last outing.  too long for my mental well-being... 

[Donald Garner]

CF,

Congrats on a successful "Short Outing"     Sometimes those can be the best trips.  Tks for sharing the report with us.

[Mike Cork]

One thing I always loved about California lakes, some of them had a variety of bass species. Smallmouth and spots are a blast. Louisiana only grows largemouth. We do have a virtually none existent spotted bass population on a couple lakes but they don't do well in cypress tree lakes.