Fishing Report / "TNCBA Dock Talk - Douglas"

In this week's edition of dock talk, I am going to start of with the fishing report and then we will discuss game planning.

Douglas Report 4/14:

Time:     6:30am - 7:30pm

Weather Conditions:    48 degrees at launch with overcast skies. Cloud cover dissipated around noon and then cloud back up around four in the afternoon. The high temperature for the day was 75 degrees. Wind was 5-10 out of the the NE.

Water Conditions:     Water temp at launch was 60.5 degrees and by the end of the day the water temperature was up to 65 degrees. The water temp was about two degrees cooler from Indian Creek on up the river. On the main lake and in most pockets the water clarity was 2-3'. Trash is heavy on main lake and small pockets from Dandridge to Swan's.

Day Breakdown:     Over the course of the day (keep in mind 13 hour day) we caught 27 bass with 25 being keepers. Average bass was 2.5 - 3 lbs. We caught bass on ten different baits, but 3/4 of our fish came on soft plastics that were Carolina Rigged or Texas Rigged. Green Pumpkin and Watermelon Red Flake were our go to colors. We caught an even amount of fish in the backs of creeks as we did near the main lake. We focused on river rock in creeks and pockets and limestone out on the main lake. The depth range was 0 - 8'. We are using about a 10 - 12" leader on the C-Rig.

"TNCBA Dock Talk - Douglas"

Alright, here...we...go! It is finally that time of year where you launch the boat and have 20 different rod and reel combos strung across the the deck of the boat and on any cast there is the chance of that big girl that just moved up tightening your line. The shallows are alive with buck bass and the big girls aren't far behind.

We learned two important things yesterday...first of all...tree vs. fiberglass, tree always wins...second...crappie fisherman are the most cut-throat and diehard fisherman for about one month out of the year. Don't worry about a bass tournament holding you up at the ramp this Saturday, the first Crappie fisherman will arrive long before any tournament angler even wakes up.

When we look at the reports we see the A-Rig catching them two weeks ago...the main lake playing a role last weekend...but in my opinion the spawn is getting ready to explode in the mid lake area. We saw several bass cruising and even pairing up in the shallows on Thursday. While fishing main lake areas will be productive this Saturday, I am going to keep my mind towards those spawning areas. The big girls are just sitting out a little deeper, waiting to commit.

We have had three very consistent days of sun and warm temperatures...the barometric pressure is high right now but stable.

I expect the bite to be good from about 7am - 12pm and then slack off as the pressure peaks from 12pm - 2:30pm.

Over the last couple years of spending more time on the water and paying more attention to tournament results, I have changed my mindset to understand that our lake are loaded with thousands of fish. If you catch a couple moving through an area, I promise you those are not the only two there...there are probably dozens of them there...especially this time of year.

And remember...just because there wasn't anybody home on that spawning area when you last fished it...five may have moved up in the last hour...re-check areas that you have confidence in over the course of the day.

When we launch in the morning...I will have two carolina rigged lizzards in different colors...a texas rigged worm...a wacky rigged dinger...a chatter bait...and a rattle trap on the deck of the boat. I will fish areas very thoroughly and multiple times throughout the day.

Get your mind right before this one...there is going to be trash...there are going to be lots of other boats...but ultimately, there are going to be fish caught...

AND FISH CATCHING IS FUN...I LIKE IT ALOT!!!!

Bed Fishing Basics

Here is a interesting video of spawning bass interacting with different baits. There is a good chance that bass will be on the beds this weekend when we visit Douglas, so have some soft plastics of different shapes and colors in your tackle box.

TNCBA #3 Survey

Harvey shows out at FLW event on Holston!

     Three TNCBA members headed to South Holston lake this past weekend to contend for the title at the second stop of the FLW's, Bass Fishing League - Volunteer Division. The lake was a mixed bag with fish being on the verge of erupting onto the beds. Pope and Dison would miss the bite and find themselves in the bottom 1/4 of the field. Kelsey Harvey on the other hand, enjoyed the rewards of being in an area where fish were coming to him. Harvey would capitalize on his five bites, not losing a fish, for a five fish limit weighing 15 lbs 15 oz.

     Harvey's bag was enough to earn him 7th place and a check at South Holston this Saturday. Dison, Pope, and Harvey will travel to Douglas Lake on May 14th for the third stop of the 2016 FLW's, Bass Fishing League - Volunteer season. The top 50 in points on both the boaters and co-anglers side will qualify for the Bass Fishing League regional on Kerr Reservoir in Virginia. On the boaters side, Cody Dison sits in 44th and Ryan Pope sits in 77th. Kelsey Harvey jumped up to 13th on the co-angler side and sits comfortably inside the top 50 after South Holston.

Team Harvey makes it Two for Two in 2016!

Bob Harvey - 12.30 lbs.

Bob and Kelsey Harvey made quick work of the, short lived, early morning bite with two keepers each. The Harvey's then worked their way through a long dead period, and with two hours left in the tournament, turned to the A-Rig and returned to their primary area. Bob and Kelsey the proceeded to crush them, putting six keepers in the box. The Harvey's bested second place by eight pounds with a tournament total of 23.81 lbs. at the second stop of the TNCBA season on Cherokee Lake.

Complete results and photos to follow...

Kelsey Harvey - 11.51 lbs

"TNCBA Dock Talk - Cherokee"

Spring is in the.....oh wait, what is this I see on the 5-day forecast.....a blizzard is coming?

Welcome to Spring!!!!!

Well, we all knew it was coming, the gorgeous blue bird skies and highs in the upper 70's couldn't last forever. A harsh cold front will hit our region this weekend.

But don't despair quite yet!

http://origin.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php

Using the barometric pressure forecast link above, it appears that we are going to be on the front side of this front. With this being the first major front these fish have seen in a couple of weeks, this could be a recipe for a great day on the water.

We all remember the woes of last year on Cherokee, but it appears after a couple of larger tournaments this Spring, Cherokee is back on the rise. The word at the local tackle shops is that those solid bags were caught on tightline flies and Kitech swimbaits. Since those tournaments the water has warmed considerably and fish are a little all over the map as far as location goes. The warming water temperatures have pushed some fish shallow, but the water was falling all last week on Cherokee and that probably stalled their move somewhat.

Water Level: https://tva.gov/Environment/Lake-Levels/Cherokee/Cherokee-Operating-Guide

As of Tuesday the water on Cherokee has stabilized and is even on the rise which should help the shallow bite and we have had high sunny skies each day leading up to Saturday, which should also help. Based on the fishing reports from some of our TNCBA members the shallow bite is there, but it is sporadic. The deep bite is still the most consistent bite throughout the lake.

Saturday, just as every other day on the water, will be all about confidence. FISH YOUR STRENGTH!

-My Game Plan-

When we launch our boat on Saturday it will see 30ft of water and it will see 2ft of water. There are enough keeper fish still holding on the 45's and bluffs that I will begin my day there before the wind gets up. As the day begins to warm and the wind picks up, I will begin alternating between shallow and deep. If I am able to get a limit early on my deep spots, I will spend the bulk of the rest of my day shallow. The big girls are moving shallow, there is no question about that, so I will hope to cross paths with one of those mommas and put a kicker in the live-well. 

My confidence is in the middle portion of the lake so I will not venture up beyond Falls Creek or below German Creek. (Go where your confidence is the greatest.) I will have four rods on my deck in the morning: 1. Tightline Fly   2. Jig   3. Crankbait (10')   4. Crankbait (Lipless). 

Always have some sort of goal when you head out on the water. For this Saturday my goal will be to catch four 2.5 lbs bass early and then run head on into a 4+ pounder shallow, before the day ends. I would like to have somewhere between 14-15 lbs. for the tournament.

I wish everyone the best out on the water and I look forward to see you all Saturday!!!

Cherokee Fishing Reports

Lynn Feagins Report: Tuesday, March 15th

I fished Cherokee from 930 am to 230 pm yesterday. Put in at the white church and fished the upper end down to the berry farm. Water temp was 56 to 60 degrees and the water was muddy to stained depending on location. Caught several slicks on a TD Minnow and a small crankbait. Caught one walleye on a crankbait in Poor Valley (go figure)! Did not have a keeper bass.

Dison's Report: Thursday, March 17th

Conditions: Bluebird skies with 5-15 mph winds picking up after noon. Air temperature started in the 50's and warmed into the mid 60's.

Water Clarity: Stained with 1-2' of Visibility

Water Temp: 60 - 62 degrees from Falls Creek down to Macedonia. Main Channel basically as warm as pockets.

Notes: Caught 16 fish total with 10 keepers. Big fish being between 2.5 - 3 lbs. Ten fish came on a tightline fly, five fish came on a crankbait, and one fish came on a swimbait. The majority of keepers came on bluffs and 45 degree banks with the fly, with a couple coming on crankbaits in 2-10' of water.

TNCBA #2 : Cherokee Lake Survey

Harvey and Harvey start 2016 with a STUD!!!!

Congratulations to Bob Harvey and Kelsey Harvey, who lapped the field with 20 lbs. to win the opening round of the 2016 TNCBA season. Bob and Kelsey's bag was anchored by this 6+ pound monster smallie!

"TNCBA Dock Talk - South Holston"

*Each month, before we fish our tournament, I will be writing a "Dock Talk" article to provide my opinions and view points on the upcoming tournanent.*

Dock Talk: an anglers attempt to play up or play down his or her day on the water. Often used to play mind games with other competing anglers.

     So should we lend our ears to the local dock talk? If we all had the ability to spend countless hours on the water as we prepare for our upcoming tournament, I would advise you to trust your abilities and get as far away from the local dock talk as humanly possible. Unfortunately we don't have that luxury. Some of us are able to get out on the water the weekend before and put together a pattern that we hope doesn't get blown to bits by coming cold front or torrential downpours that muddy our water. Some of us wont even get the chance to wet a line before we launch at 7:30am Saturday. So with those being the facts, sometimes dock talk is all we weekend anglers have to go by. 

     Now lets decipher some of the dock talk that is going around and I will let you in on my game plan for this Saturday on South Holston.

     I feel pretty sure that 8 out of 10 people that you talk to right now are going to be saying, "Damiki, Damiki, Damiki," but lets think about that statistic. If we were to put 100 boats on the water, that means there are going to be 80 people out there trying to Damiki. I promise you there are not 80 good Damiki spots on that lake.

     With that said, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that I am not going to try and hit a Damiki hole or two early Saturday morning. But, if your are not familiar with the Damiki technique, I would forgo that bite and head for the bank. During the past two days that I have been on the water, there are very few people that are beating the bank. Those fish on the bank have seen very little pressure while the fish out deep have been bombarded.

     My game plan for Saturday begins with 3 primary setups; Damiki ; Tightline Fly ; and SilverBuddy. I am going to spend 1-2 hours focusing on active Damiki fish and then I will head to 4 bluffs and channel swings where I have found fish. After the first two hours I will begin to rotate between my bluffs, swings, and Damiki holes in 30 minute increments. Once 1 pm arrives, I will begin to make added adjustments and location changes throughout the end of the day.

*Extra Notes:

-When you find fish, focus on that small area. Fish often group up during the Winter.

-Pick up some Reel Magic for Saturday. A few sprays on each rod guide will reduce icing during those cold morning temperatures.

-Don't get caught up in what you see everyone else doing around you. Stay focused and keep fishing.