Chickamauga Rockfish 3-18-2006

[tracker]

Fished the boils below Chickamauga early sat.- caught only one. Out of eight boats in the area there were two other boats who were also fishing for rockfish. Saw each boat also catch one. Didn't seem to be much bait, just a few gulls and a couple of herons flying around. Water temp was about 57, still early? Does anyone know why Chickamauga does not have the rockfish that Watts bar and Nickajack have? Is it polution? Though eight boats is a lot for such a small area everyone idled around and tried to stay out of each others way.

 

[JerDog]

What were you using as bait? Were you bouncing bottom?

I think that Chickamauga has quality rather than quanity. How big was your fish? It is still early but should be getting better in the next few weeks. If you can get out there on a day other than Saturday, I recommend it. I think since the water is pretty shallow, the fish are more easily spooked. Chickamauga can be great at times and then other times it is slow. I have had some of my best days there as opposed to Nickajack. Alot of depends on generation of the water too..less water moving, the better is a general rule of thumb for me.

 

[tracker]

Was using a 1/2 oz leadhead with 4" pearl sassy shad. The fish was about 8#. How do you fish for them? When do they start hitting topwater? Do you prefer to fish early or late?

 

[JerDog]

I will bounce the bottom for jigs, troll for them if there are not many boats or look for live bait to cast-net. I have always heard the early bite is good, epecially if the generators kick on at the same time as daylight or earlier. Did you see anyone using skipjack or know if they are there? That always helps too.

 

[tracker]

Everyone was using artificals. Saw no one throwing a net. Threw some small white lead heads in and around the boils but didn't catch a single shad! I'm not much good with a cast net. Thanks for the tips.

 

[flip1up]

Guys while fishing behind the turbines ( generators off) sunday I saw huge schools of shad 5-6 inchers, they were running out of the concrete holes when I would enter the front of them, there were thousands of them.

 

[tracker]

Thanks for the info. That's good to hear.

 

[rsimms]

Chickamauga does not have numbers of bait/rockfish that Nickajack or Watts Bar because it does not have what biologists refer to as "overstory." Shad need flats off of main river channel to spawn.... flats that are found in great supply on Guntersville Lake and Chickamauga. However, as you know, Nickajack is largely riverine for about 30 miles below Chickamauga... no "overstory." That riverine habitat is not condusive to shad spawn.... less bait, fewer stripers. I like Chickamauga however because it has a better "topwater" bite. Shallower tailwaters than Nick or Watts Bar, therefore much greater chance of bringing stripers up on top.... what I call a "quality" bite over "quantity."

 

[JerDog]

Rsimms,

Thanks for the information....very interesting...Chickamauga is very different from all the other dams and the bait makes complete sense..with that said, where do the fish go in the summer time to find the cooler water? I know up in North TN there are river systems such as the French Broad that has cooler water and the stripers migrate there, or the Coosa river system in AL/GA..so where do the stripers miagrate here in the Chattanooga area...I never hear, or rarely hear of Stripers being caught in the deep water of Chickamaug Lake and Nickajack lake yet the bait is there, any insights?

 

[rsimms]

JerDog - 3/26/2006 2:13 PM

Rsimms,

Thanks for the information....very interesting...Chickamauga is very different from all the other dams and the bait makes complete sense..with that said, where do the fish go in the summer time to find the cooler water?

That's the million dollar question -- I wish I knew, as do many others. I know they go seek cooler water... if I were going to guess, I suspect they move downriver and suspend in deep water of TN River Gorge. But I've never been able to figure out where. It's a mystery.

 

[slo-ride]

JerDog - 3/26/2006 11:13 AM

Rsimms,

Thanks for the information....very interesting...Chickamauga is very different from all the other dams and the bait makes complete sense..with that said, where do the fish go in the summer time to find the cooler water? I know up in North TN there are river systems such as the French Broad that has cooler water and the stripers migrate there, or the Coosa river system in AL/GA..so where do the stripers miagrate here in the Chattanooga area...I never hear, or rarely hear of Stripers being caught in the deep water of Chickamaug Lake and Nickajack lake yet the bait is there, any insights?

alot of them can be found up in the creeks....i've heard that they'll hang around in a comfort zone even if theres no food. i've seen dead ones(big fish) floating in Big Nance creek just below Wheeler dam in late summer.