Cat Report 2/25/07 Chickamauga

[WLG]

Decided to get out for awhile today and enjoy the great weather and try out my new depthfinder. Put in at Harrison Bay and ran up to seqouah. Tried it for about an hour at my favorite spot...most of you know where. Did not get a bite there. Water temp was 44.5 above the discharge and 52 below. I went back down to the harrison bluffs area and marked some really big fish and attempted to anchor down on them. Wind was gusting up at about 30 mph. I had 4 rods and I baited 3 of them and was baiting the 4th when one of them doubled over and hit the water. I ran back and got it and the fight was on. I fought this fish for about 30 minutes. He got tangled in my anchor rope and when I finally got him loose he went back to the bottom and got into something down there. I tried for another 10 minutes to get it loose to no avail. It ended up breaking off and I was CRUSHED!!! It coulda been THE ONE!!!!! I wish I had a happy ending to the story but not this time. I will go back and try it again in a week or 2.

 

[DHaun]

Thanks for the report WLG. If you ever top the monsters you caught last year its gonna be something else. I was hiking on top of Racoon mtn today near the reservoir looking down at the gorgeous river gorge wondering if anyone might be brave enough to fish in all that wind. There were pretty heavy gusts on the mtn...but the river looked great from that height. Thinking about the Cold Cat Classic on March 10...I went down and drove by the ramp afterwards and it was one huge white-capped mess on the river...2 trailers at the ramp. I should be trying to prefish a bit, but it would have been brutal in my boat. I would rather fish in sleet than wind... but it's always good to know the big cats still bite anchored in the wind. emoThumbsup

 

[CRAZYHORSE]

you'll get that fish next time. you've got his number.

crazyhorse

 

[shsimons]

WLG, you are the man. glad you are getting those new electronics to work for you. You'll really be on the big fish if you can spot them on the finder like that now.

 

[drc]

I keep one or two in the boat for that purpose, but have never had to use them.

 

[rsimms]

WLG - 2/26/2007 4:35 PM
Thats a good idea about the bouys. I guess a milk jug would work.

I've never bothered with it in still water, but if I ever anchor down in the river below dam (with current) I've done it. Tie milk jug on boat end of anchor rope, tie rope through cleat with a slip knot so if you get a big fish on, yank the slip knot and drift... milk jug keeps anchor rope accessible. I had NOT done that several years ago when I was anchored below dam when my PB rockfish hammered a redfin. I was alone, could not get anchor rope undone... had to fight a 42 lb. rockfish upstream all the way. Couldn't believe I got him... but took me 45 minutes. Started using the milk jug trick after that.

 

[Southerncats]

I use one of the anchor lift balls made by ironwood pacific.......it serves the purpose of an anchor bouy if you have to chase a hawg....and it also saves allot of back pain from pulling the anchor all day.