Another experimental day on the Chick. Monday 1-15-07

[drumking]

Well, my wife and daughter took the grandkids up to Maryville this AM to visit with mom and pop, so I decided that this would be a good time to go experimenting again. I went upriver about 7 miles from Tyner lane ramp and fished bluffs with jigging spoons. I did catch one slab crappie on a white tube, then the wind and current were really ripping and I couldn't stay on the place where I caught the crappie yesterday, so I jigged 1/4 oz spoons for a while. Here is the total. 2 Crappie, 5 bluegills, 1 drum (beautiful fish emoBigsmile ), and 3 spots. Nothing monstrous, but I had a blast, even when the rain came.

The fish that I saw on the electronics were minimum of 16 feet deep, so I just back wound my spinning reel about 8 or 9 cranks (24" per revolution) and jigged not to hard, but moved the spoon up and down about 18". This is a technique that I used over 30 years ago and got away from so it was a re-learning experience for me. I just love doing this. It is easy on the shoulders and you can catch about anything that swims on a jigging spoon.

I just took 1 pic today of the slab crappie. Actually, I forgot to take my camera with me today or I would have taken more. I kept the largest bluegills and spots to eat. Release the drum and 1 crappie. The crappie was around 13 inches long. I couldn't get him down in my crappie checker all the way and it is 12" long. emoGeezer

I wish that I could have gotten out about 2 hours earlier. The movement period was about 1 hour past time when I got on the water. With the cloud cover and incoming rain, I'll bet the crappie were tearing it up somewhere.

 

[fishinvol]

Sounds like a pretty good time ! I am going to have to get in on some of this jigging spoon action. I have one spoon,and have no idea when or where to use it emoScratch

 

[MrWiskers]

I have been waiting on a jigging spoon report. Glad they are working. We you using the little ones or the tiny ones?

 

[drumking]

The tiny ones and the one that I used today had the end of the hair dipped in chartreuse. I have powder painted the 3/8 oz with white and covered that will clear glitter. I haven't tried this yet, but am anxious to try it. I may go down to the riverpark when TVA quits spilling. I want just a little less current to deal with.emoGeezer I know that people are thinking that I'm a mad scientist, but that isn't exactly correct.emoBigsmile

 

[TennesseeTalker]

That is a  nice crappie ... and even a better crappie contraption to measure them in!!!  Where did you get that?</p>

Nice report ... I love it when you go "experimenting"!</p>

TT</p>

 

[Guest]

When the crappie won't fit in the checker..... That's got to put a smile on your face.emoBigsmile . Especially on a tough day. That is a nice one.

 

[polo-dog]

I have always wanted to get better with my vertical jigging. It seems to me that summer and winter are the times of the year that the fish really bunch up and using electronics to target the fish is fun. Were the fish right up next to the bluff or out from it? Were they relating to anything on the bottom that you could see with your electronics? I've heard that the thing to do when fishing bluffs is to run parallel to the bluff and find a point or other structure that would impede the water flow and cause an upwelling and/or an eddie and assume that the fish will congregate there. A vertical wall without any changes on it's surface just doesn't sound "fishy" to me.

 

[drumking]

polo-dog - 1/16/2007 3:45 PM

I have always wanted to get better with my vertical jigging. It seems to me that summer and winter are the times of the year that the fish really bunch up and using electronics to target the fish is fun. Were the fish right up next to the bluff or out from it? Were they relating to anything on the bottom that you could see with your electronics? I've heard that the thing to do when fishing bluffs is to run parallel to the bluff and find a point or other structure that would impede the water flow and cause an upwelling and/or an eddie and assume that the fish will congregate there. A vertical wall without any changes on it's surface just doesn't sound "fishy" to me.

I was practically scraping the bluff with my boat, but I was fishing on the outside of the boat and not directly on the bluff. You are right about the fish congregating where there is an interruption of the water flow. That is what I look for and where the fish were yesterday. The fish were just suspended minimum of 16 feet and could see them in that area down to about 20 feet. There was only about a 20 yard area that held fish along that bluff.

 

[TennesseeTalker]

Amazing to me to read about how you fellas take a huge hundreds of acre lake and break it down to find fish in a 20 square foot area.  Boy .. wish I was that smart. 

 </p>

Sounds like you almost have to be a topography engineer to figure it all out.  Of course its alot easier when you bank fish.  You don't worry about anything but a place thats got a flat spot to sit, and no trees to get in the way of your casting. 

 </p>

I'm kidding .. it isn't quite that simple from the shore either.  90% of the fish .. in 10% of the water.  That's some long odds though.</p>

TT</p>