Fishing Report : South Holston

*The report below is a conglomeration of information that I have gathered from my time and the time of other anglers on the water.*

Water:  63-65 Degrees

Clarity: 4-5 '

Level:  1,729 ' Full Pull (To the Brim!)

Conditions:  Partly Cloudy with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Air temp started at 47 degrees and worked its way into the mid 60's.

Notes:  The fish are on the move. The water has been consistently on the rise for the past several weeks and with the approach of the next full moon a wave of spawners are beginning to move up as we speak. The bite is starting to turn on for smallmouth and the green pumpkin finesse worm. Focus your attention on the steeper shell banks with ledges heading back into small pockets. Throw the worm right on the bank and don't work it deeper than 6-8'. Largemouth can also be caught on spinnerbaits around brush towards the backs of pockets and creeks. I cannot speak for top-water as I have not heard any reports of top-water action or seen any myself, but that does not mean that you won't catch anything on top this Saturday. The forecast looks like mid 40's  warming into the low 70's with a mix of clouds and sun.

*Don't be afraid to go down a bank right behind someone this weekend. During this time of year there is a lot of fish movement going on so make repeated trips to banks that produce.

Good luck to everyone fishing with us tomorrow and I look forward to seeing you at weigh-in!

TNCBA #3 - South Holston "Throwdown"

Tomorrow the TNCBA will be hosting their third tournament of the year on South Holston Lake. This tournament will coincide with the second Non-Typical tournament of the year. Below is how the format will work for anglers that plan to fish only the TNCBA or fish both the TNCBA and Non-Typical:

Anglers fishing ONLY the TNCBA :

Time: 6:30 - 3:30 (Honor Start)

Limits: 5 fish/angler

Location: Ob Knob

Sizes: 12in. LM and SP ; 15in. SM

*The only change made for those only fishing the TNCBA is the change to an honor start. We hope this will combat the traffic expected. Please arrive early to insure parking.

Anglers fishing the TNCBA and Non-Typical:

Time:  *Start and check-in based on NON-TYPICAL start and check-in time*

Limits: 10 fish/boat (2 anglers) ... 5 fish/boat (1 angler)

Location: Ob Knob

Sizes: 12in. LM and SP ; 15in. SM

*Important* - Anglers fishing both the TNCBA and Non-Typical will weigh-in as follows:

Anglers will take their best five fish to the Non-Typical scales to be weighed and registered with Non-Typical. Anglers will then bring their remaining fish totaling up to 10, to the TNCBA scales to be weighed and registered with the TNCBA. The weight from the Non-Typical and TNCBA will be combined to provide a team weight and then divided by two so that each angler will have an individual weight.

TNCBA at the Non-Typical

Four teams from the TNCBA competed today at the Non-Typical Ministries tournament on Watauga Lake. 

Greg Pugesek - 7.39 lbs. (Big Bass)

    Greg Pugesek led the way for the TNCBA teams as he brought in a bag of bass that weighed in at 13.14 lbs. Greg's bag was anchored by the giant above, a 7.39 largemouth. That bass allowed Greg to take home big bass honors for the tournament. 

     The team of Alan Jackson and Reg Edwards had a good showing as well bringing in a bag of fish that pushed the scales to a little over 8 lbs. The teams of Pope/Gobble and Feagins found the fishing to be tough on Watauga today. The Non-Typical Ministries will host their next tournament on Holston May 2nd.

Douglas Lake Report 3.25.15

"Feagins"

Went to Douglas on Wed. the 25th. Got a late start and fished from Dandridge up toward Swann's. Caught one non-keeper smallmouth on a jerkbait. Saw fish in 13 to 15 ft. off of rocky banks. Plenty of Sun, water temp. at the surface was 64 to 66 degrees. See you on Saturday!

Hopefully these reports have helped everyone put a little something together in their mind!

Dison

Douglas Lake : Fishing Reports

During the past week a few of our TNCBA members have had the chance to get out on Douglas Lake for a little practice time and they have been kind enough to share some details about what is going on down on Douglas.

"Harvey's"

Saturday, March 21st

Conditions: Partly cloudy with a low of 45 degrees and a high of 65 degrees.

Water Temp: Upper 50's to Low 60's

Water Clarity: Stained

Location: Mid-Lake (Dandridge Area)

Report: Fish were caught on both crankbaits and a tube. The Harvey's caught their fish moving back into creeks and spawning areas, but they struggled to find keeper size largemouth and smallmouth bass.

"Crockett"

Douglas Lake
Fished: 3/23/15
Time: 7:30am -3:00pm
Water Temp.: 55 (morning); 61 (afternoon)
Water Level: still about 25-30 ft. from full pool
 
Fishing yesterday was slow. Although a beautiful day, the fish were rather lax to respond to much of anything. Started fishing jerkbaits and small crankbaits on rocky banks, but no fish to be caught.
Worked from Dandridge to Indian Creek and back down to McGuire creek. Water was stained to some extent everywhere on the lake; although more stained toward Indian Creek and least stained towards the dam. Caught 2 non-keeper smallmouth mid-morning on a crankbait. Later in the afternoon, I caught a larger (but still non-keeper) smallmouth and a keeper largemouth on a jig. A rather disappointing day for Douglas.
 
In review of the day, I marked many fish off the banks, partially suspended and scattered, but not shallow. According to TVA data, the lake level dropped a little in the last few days. This may be part of the reason why they weren't closer to the banks. Based on the water temps, the jerkbait and silver-buddy bite is mostly over now. The top-water bite should be around the corner.
 
The fish could move up quickly in the next couple days and really turn on.......then again, maybe not. The crankbait bite may be a little unpredictable due to the water color/clarity and the lake level fluctuation. My recommendation is to have a jig tied on, a spinnerbait, and bring crankbaits covering shallow to deeper water (KVD 1.5 to 6XD).

-Hopefully this information will help you put together some sort of game plan for Saturday. I look forward to seeing everyone on the water!

Cody Dison

TNCBA #1 is off to a chilly start...36 degree water temps! 

Cherokee - TNCBA #1

Rolling out... 

TNCBA #1 Schedule Change!

Well winter storm Octavia has enjoyed re-arranging everyone's plans and the TNCBA is no exception. Due to temperatures well below freezing and a wintry mix in the forecast for this Saturday the TNCBA's tournament director and tournament committee has determined that it would be in the best interest of every competing angler to postpone the February 21st event. Safety is our primary concern in this decision.

*The tournament director and tournament committee has decided to move TNCBA #1 to February 28th and change the fishing time to 8am-4pm. We hope that this time change will take advantage of the warm temperatures of the afternoon and improve the bite.

Cherokee Practice Report 2.7.15

Conditions-

Water Temp: 40 - 43 degrees

Air Temp: 32 warming to 60 degrees

Skies: Mostly Sunny

Notes:

We put in at 25-E at 10 am and began fishing between the ramp and Falls Creek. The water between Macedonia and Falls Creek was stained with 1-2' of visibility. We focused on channel swings and bluffs for the first three hours catching three keepers, one on a jerkbait and the other two coming on a jig. 15-20 mph winds moved in at this point and the bite shut down for a few hours. We ventured into the back of German Creek with no success and found water that was two degrees colder than the main lake. After German Creek we hit main lake banks and channel swings near Gilmore's. The water clarity from Macedonia down to Gilmore's had about two more feet of visibility. Our final keeper of the day came around 4:30pm on a jerkbait. One major note is that all of our fish came on banks that were in direct sunlight. The baits we caught fish on are below:

Lucky Craft Pointer 78 (Chart. Shad) ; Lucky Craft Pointer 100 (Chart. Shad) ;

Strike King Structure Jig (Grn. Pumpkin Crawl)

I plan to get out one more time before our tournament and I will post another report.

Here comes the 2015 TNCBA season!...Are you ready?

     Well anglers, in exactly one month the first boat will be launched into Cherokee Lake for the start of the TNCBA 2015 season. At this point the anticipation is about to explode from my veins! If I don't get back on the water soon, I may have to make a stop by Pet Smart and buy some fish to put in my bathtub so that I can do some fishing. There is nothing like the start of a new season. With a clean slate and everyone tied atop the AOY standings, each angler is hoping to get off to a great start at the first tournament of the year, I know I am. Every year since I have fished the TNCBA I have never been able to earn more than 92 points in the first tournament of the year. That is goal number one for me heading into the 2015 season, I want to walk away from Cherokee with no less than 95 pts. My season long goal is to bring a fish to the scales in every tournament.
 Goals are always a great way to keep your attitude up beat and help you push yourself, so before February 21st rolls around write down some goals for the 2015 TNCBA season and check them off throughout the year.

     After the close points race that we had in 2014, lets do a little arm chair fishing and make some predictions for the 2015 AOY race:

1. 2015 TNCBA AOY Champion - Crockett

-This has to be one of the hardest outcomes to predict this year. We have a stacked house gunning to be angler of the year. If we look at the model for consistency the obvious choice would have to go to Crockett. Crockett is a title contender every year and he is always there at the end. With one or two things going his way in 2014, he would have had his name on the trophy once again. Crockett is hard to bet against and I look for him to string together consistent top 5's, and mix in 2 or 3 wins that will propel him to the 2015 TNCBA AOY.

2. The Contenders - Legg / K. Harvey / Gobble

- If there is anyone that has rivaled the consistency of Crockett it would have to be Steve Legg. I think it is safe to say that there is no one more deserving of the title than Legg. Legg is consistent, and can put together hot streaks like no other angler in the club. If Crockett falters my money is on Steve Legg in 2015! The next two anglers are relatively new comers to the AOY discussion. Kelsey is on a roll from 2014 and if he keeps up this momentum into 2015, he will be a force to reckon with throughout the year. Had we added back in the two drops for 2014, Kelsey would have smoked every other angler in the standings. A little bit higher average finish and Kelsey will definitely be in the mix in October. Gobble is my third contender for this season. He has won the AOY title before and although he had a little bit of an off year, I look for Gobble to bounce back to his old form in 2015. Gobble knows how to grind it out when the fishing turns tough and after the past couple seasons, it looks like these lakes are bottoming out in their cycles. Look for Gobble to make another push for his second AOY.

3. The Dark Horses - Pope / Oiler /B. Harvey

- Pope is a recent new comer to the TNCBA, but if time on the water translates into success then Pope will definitely be near the top of the leader-board on a regular basis this year. Pope spends more time on the water honing his skills than any other TNCBA angler and that is sure to translate into results. I expect Pope to make the biggest jump in the standings from 2014 to 2015. Another dark horse for the 2015 season is Oiler. Oiler is the kind of angler that you don't see coming until he slaps you right square in the face with a sack of bass! Oiler had a strong 2014 season, finishing 5th. Look for Oiler to build on his results from last year and make the other contenders sweat come October. Bob Harvey is my final dark horse for 2015. Bob is more pumped about this TNCBA season than I have ever seen him before. Bob has had strong starts in the past, but for Bob it all comes down to the 2nd half of the season. If Bob can put it all together in 2015 he may be the last man standing at the end of October.

 Well, I guess that is enough arm chair fishing, now its back out to the garage to finish maintenance on my reels and organize my tackle. Get out there on the water boys and stretch a line. February 21st will be here before you know it...are you ready?