Chickamauga Dam 4-15-2006

[DHaun]

Jerdog and I launched from the Riverpark about 6am and immediately hooked up with a Blue Catfish in 25ft with a spoon jig on light tackle before dawn. When the generators started at 7 we had netted a livewell full of threadfin and started fishing them in the current while throwing redfins. There was a lot of bait flipping near the wingwall and around the flood gates. We saw a couple guys tied near the turbines wearing out catfish, but the stripers were no where to be found this morning. Water temp was 63 and the wind started as soon as we launched. Several tournament anglers fished the same area...I did not see a lot of action for them either except for a big drum pulled from the turbines on spinnerbait. Slow fishing but still a nice day to get out on the water. We caught one white bass, one smallmouth, and one warmouth and called it a day around noon so I could get back home.

 

[rsimms]

Catfish on a spoon, that's almost sacreligious! emoPoke Just kidding... I'll take 'em anyway I can get 'em.

 

[DHaun]

Yep, apparently the spoon was the only thing that worked all day...just before we left we took the remaining threadfins downstream along with some cutbait to fish a couple catfish holes in 25-40ft hoping for a nice cat but not even a bite...

 

[polo-dog]

It's better to throw a spoon in and not have to work with that long dead cut bait that I've been using. I think that my hands still stink from last week when I went fishing with cut shad.

 

[fisherpal2k]

Good job David. Glad to see you got a good one. Was that below Chic dam? I have a friend that fishes down there quite a bit. He likes the smallies in the winter. Good place for them in the current. last time I was there I got runned over by one of them big ocean liners they have down there.

 

[DHaun]

Yes fisherpal2k, it was below Chickamauga Dam. It's close by my house and there was mostly tournament traffic today locking through to Nickajack. I recalled reading an informative post last month about how running loud directly over the boils can turn the fish off rather than approaching the boils quietly idling from the side and then drifting. I used to have no clue about this but I saw its effects first hand this morning.

Although we only saw 2-3 surface feeders that might have been stripers we could visibly see numerous carp, drum, bass, and who knows what else crashing the surface just after the generators turned on. However, after a couple big 225s came quickly roaring right over their heads to pitch SpinnerBaits into the turbines the surface feeding stopped for the rest of the morning...not that it mattered though since we could not entice anything with our redfins anyway but it's definitely something to think about when approaching the turbines. Yep, there were a couple big boats throwing big wakes today but overall traffic was just fine.

Have a great Easter!
-David

 

[TennesseeTalker]

Nice Kitty Kat DHaun. I think it was the headlight you're wearing that made him get caught. Had to come out see what the heck that was so early in the day!!!

Or maybe he thought it was time to cross over! hahahaha

Glad you had some on ...

TT

 

[polo-dog]

Dhaun, no wonder you weren't catching fish, no sunglasses and no XYZ. I think that's one of the first pics without one or the other.

 

[SNUFFY]

polo I can`t tell if his drawers have even got a zipper ... so maybe the unzipped factor wasn`t working !!

 

[DHaun]

Good Point - Of all things to forget! Next time its gonna be shades in the dark and the barn door is gonna be open in the wind. I'll be like Stevie Wonder driving around blind on the river with an overactive bladder randomly slinging a redfin! emoCool

 

[JerDog]

It was slow this weekend, but HOW MUCH LONGER till the stripers start to feed?