Chickamauga 9/8

[polo-dog]

Fished with a buddy of mine Jerry S. today and started off exploring some new areas and fishing some old faithfuls that were back in Harrison bay but struck out there. Went across to the channel that comes out from Chester Frost and once again used a jigging spoon to get only a couple of fish from under the large amount of bait suspended over 30-40 ft of water. Jerry hooked a bass that looked to be 4+ lbs and he came off right at the boat. We just couldn't stay over what looked to be active fish. Went into one of the sloughs across on the other side at Harrison Bay State Pk and cast up some long skinny baitfish and some 1+ year old threadfin shad that were in the 2 1/2" range. Couldn't find any balls of bait from this year's spawn like I did a few weeks ago. Tried those baits out in front of Chest Frost but didn't do anything. Went up to Sequoyah and once again the bass were out there. Jerry and I had non stop catching for 2-3 hours in the mid afternoon. There were huge numbers of largemouths and spots on a flat that was about 12 feet on top but dropped into the river channel. We didn't throw any artificials as we were trying to use up all of the shad that I had castnetted and caught between 30 and 40 from a pound to 3 lbs. Many of them had good bellies on them and looked really healthy. Most of the largemouth that I catch are a bit slim but these were well rounded. I would expect that the bass would have responded to artificials too but we never got around to it. Too much fun, and so easy. Very few gut hooked fish as we tried to set the hook early. Missed lots of fish because of this but I always like to release the fish unharmed. The fish that were on the surface a few weeks ago never came up so I never went to that spot this time. Here's a couple of pics of Jerry and some bass. Nice bellies huh?

 

[drc]

After a report like that I can't wait to get out there! I may have to see if I can fish there this weekend. If you were going to use artificials, what would it be?

 

[polo-dog]

Good question. I would probably try a spinnerbait first, single or double willowleaf at least 1/2 to 3/4 oz as you have to fish it 12-17 feet deep. Next either a grub or plastic worm if the fish weren't active enough to take the spinnerbait. If you feel comfortable with a deep running crank bait that could fill the bill but I never have had a crankbait that would run deep enough or true enough that I caught fish that deep. I would also keep a top water lure on another rod as every once in a while some good fish would surface close by and if we threw to the area we would hook up. If you are just out to catch a bunch of fish and don't mind getting a little messy, get a cast net and cast up some bait. It's cheap and every fish out there is looking to fill his belly with shad. It's really easy once you get the hang of it. Something else that might just kill them is fishing a grub or small soft jerk bait up off the bottom with a finess presentation. I was getting the hits with my shad hook way up the line about 2-2.5 feet. If you would suspend a grub or tube or other shad immitation up off the bottom I would expect that they would hit it. It seemed that when I had a shad low down at 12 inches or so and another at 2-2.5 feet that the upper one caught more fish so to conserve bait, I just baited the upper hook. I did catch some on the lower and in fact did catch two at a time once today. They were just very active it seemed. I can't remember the name of the finess rig that I'm thinking of, but it will come to me. Let us know how you do.

 

[JerDog]

How were you fishing the threadfins? Were you in deep water?

Have you ever used a circle hook? I use them with threadfins, they never gut hook a fish and go right into the corner of the fish's mouth. Just don't set the hook. All you need to do is reel down on the fish and the hook sets.

Where did you hook the threadfins? I find that right throught the nostrils of the threadfins works GREAT. They stay lively and hold up very well.

Thanks for the report!

 

[fishin3]

Does anyone fish up toward CottonPort or the upper end of the Chick?emoScratch I rarely get down farther than maybe the Hiwassee River. Or I fish around the 58 bridge on Hiwassee River

 

[drc]

polo-dog, I have a cast net and use it every once and a while to catch large gizzard shad that I use for cut bait when I'm catting. I will usually catch threadfin shad mixed in with the gizzards but always throw them back. I have heard that you need a high dollar baitwell to keep the threadfins alive for any lenth of time. Is this true?
I have tried to keep gizzrd shad alive in my livewell in my boat with no success, they run into the square corners until their noses are bloody and they die shortly after. I hear you need a round or oval baitwell to keep them alive. If so, do you have any suggestions other that a $200 bait tank? Maybe one of those 5 gallon buckets with an areator and some shad saver.

 

[polo-dog]

JerDog, I fish threadfins usually off the bottom. I affix one or two hooks up the line, usually 12 and 24 to 30 inches from the end of the line. If I am fishing shallow or where there is little or no current I will just pinch a couple of split shot onto the end of the line. If I'm fishing in deeper water or in strong current I will usually put a 3/4oz bullet weight on the end of the line then either pinch a split shot on the end to keep the bullet on the line or sometimes I use a brass swivel. If I'm fishing in areas where I get caught on the bottom a lot I will almost always pinch something on the end which if caught on the bottom will slip off and not make me have to retie. Retieing is such a huge waste of time, it also is a real pain in current as I usually find a sweet spot and stay close to it and once I'm off it I may never find it again. I was fishing in anywhere between 12 and 50+ feet of water. I have never used circle hooks but do own some big ones for larger saltwater species I picked up when on the coast or in the Keys. They sound like they work well but up until the last couple of years I haven't used much bait. I usually hook the threads in the mouth if I'm moving them much or if they are dead but if they are fresh/live then I'll hook them in the back just under the dorsal fin. They tend to swim more then.

 

[polo-dog]

It is hard to keep the threads alive once they get to be a certain size and if the water is warm. I do use a round 5 gal. bucket for the threads because they do swim into the corners and die. I have put them in my square live wells in the past but I don't do that any more. The scales that come off of them clog up the screens over the outlets and if you ever try to get them out after you are finished with them it is a real pain. They also smell so bad if you forget to get them out of there until a few days later that it's really not something that I ever want to clean up again. Where I fish the threads are usually very easy to find and so I can get all that I want most any time I want. If they aren't available I just use artificials. The fish that I usually catch on them are usually biting dead threadfins anyway. I could keep them alive longer if I didn't put 200 into my bucket at a time but it seems that most of the time the fish don't care if the threads are alive or dead. They are just like candy to the fish it seems. It may be different with fishing for big stripers however. Keeping some alive may mean the difference between having a banner day and striking out. I can keep threads alive for a long time, even over night sometimes by using a 5 gal. bucket with holes drilled in it. The trick in using a bucket like that on a boat is only drilling the top half of the bucket full of holes and having a strong back and not minding the sore biceps for the next few days from hauling the bucket in and out of the water. Having different sizes of holes in the buckets that you use, depending on the size of the shad you are catching is a good idea too. You should use the biggest holes that you can get away with and keep them from swimming through the holes. The bucket off the side of the boat is a pain too. It makes the boat pull to one side when you use your trolling motor and if you leave it out when you go for your hole shot it really makes you want to say some things that you shouldn't. It is doable however if you can have a plan in your head and keep it straight. I just use them dead and save my brainspace for something more important.

 

[ranman]

Fishin3 I fished up there alot last year but not much this year.I heard the millfoil is comming back pretty strong up that way,any truth to that?

 

[jason]

Sounds like you found a great spot, polo-dog. As we head into the fall feeding frenzy, those key areas that attract baitfish are goldmines. If you're "matching the hatch" with live baitfish, you can't go wrong.