drumking, Riverpark, Mixed bag, 5/8/2011, Dr Phillip Gawthrop

[drumking]

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms that may be reading this report. Hope this is the best you ever had. Now on to the report.

Dr Phillip Gawthrop and I hit the Riverpark this AM early. First ones on the water. We ran up to the dam to try our luck at Rockfish, but they weren't doing much today. I did catch one little one and you guys will have to help me identify what I believe to be a Cherokee bass (a white bass/Striped bass hybrid). I don't know for sure exactly what it is. The fish was well over 5 lbs and between 21 and 22 inches long. Fought like a demon even at the end of the run just before coming to net. If that was a white bass, then it tops my PB white bass by a couple of lbs. I have caught many hybrids up below Watts Bar and didn't have any trouble identifying them, but this one I'm not sure about. While laying the fish out to measure and seeing that it was between 21 and 22 inches, the fish leaped out of the boat and escaped before I could put the scales on it. emoBang emoBang emoBang I had Dr Phil kick me swiftly in the seat of the pants.

We ended up the day with 8 different species of fish caught. One drum (alabama smallmouth) emoBigsmile , one blue catfish, 1 goggle eye, 33 spotted bass, 2 smallmouth bass, one striper, one hybrid, and 7 white bass. We left the fish biting like mad. Doc had a soccer game to attend. Some people just don't have priorities set right.

Labman and Nautica man joined us at the dam early on and stayed up there after we left to run downriver to spot fish. I don't know how they did. Hopefully they did better up there than we did.

We caught our fish on 1/8 oz jigheads with plastic trailers at the dam, and then tiny flukes glued on 1/16 oz jigs downriver for spotted bass. A very fun morning and another day of discovery. The Lord was good to us today. emoBigsmile emoGeezer

 

[SlabberTime]

Good TImes emoThumbsup

 

[rsimms]

That's really interesting DK. I've never seen or caught a hybrid below Chickamauga... but that sure looks like one.

Here's the TWRA description of difference between hybrid and regular white bass: http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/FishFacts/tempbass.html

Based on the fact that "several stripes extend into tail," I'd say it's a hybrid. Did you look at tooth patch(s)?

However if it happened to be a regular white bass... it's a "near state record." emoEek http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/FishRecTbl.html

 

[drumking]

rsimms - 5/8/2011 4:52 PM

That's really interesting DK. I've never seen or caught a hybrid below Chickamauga... but that sure looks like one.

Here's the TWRA description of difference between hybrid and regular white bass: http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/FishFacts/tempbass.html

Based on the fact that "several stripes extend into tail," I'd say it's a hybrid. Did you look at tooth patch(s)?

However if it happened to be a regular white bass... it's a "near state record." emoEek http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/FishRecTbl.html

I didn't have time to check for a tooth patch. Durn thing jumped out of the boat while I was measuring him. I guestimated the fish between 5 and 6 pounds. The tail did fall in between the 21 and 22 inch mark on my ruler that is attached to my rod locker lid. Boy, I wished that I had an accurate weight on that fish. Richard, you wouldn't believe how hard that fish fought right at the boat and that was after a 5 to 7 minute fight. It fought very hard early on and made striper like runs, then it slowed down and fought like a big drum, then when it got near and saw the boat, it took off like a rocket. It really did make "reel" music. If it is a hybrid, then it probably locked through Nickajack dam and wandered up here. emoBigsmile emoGeezer

 

[jimbow]

DK,
I'm pretty sure that's a hybrid. I know of a few through the years taken there and about 5 or 6 years back one of my fishing buddies took one that weighed 12 lbs. off the wing wall. Congrats on another great day on the water.

 

[BassERT]

Great day
Sounds like fun
Be careful of that gray clamp about to close on your head emoLaugh

emoCool

 

[KYBoy]

Drumking,
That is a hybrid i have caught severial of these below Barkley and Kentucky dam in Western Kentucky. My PB was 13 LB below KY Dam in 2003.

 

[Labman]

I think it is a hybrid. I have caught many hundreds of them on Lake Hartwell. A guy caught one on Friday in the same area, so looks like they are there in small numbers. They fight a lot harder than a pure Striper. We used to get into giant schools of them slashing bait on the surface, great fun, but would wear you out. See my report on our morning at the dam.

Regards, Labman

 

[MadBomber]

I vote for hybrid

 

[Fat Albert]

MadBomber - 5/8/2011 9:31 PM I vote for hybrid</p>

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<font color="#ff0033" size="4" face="comic sans ms,sand">you know what???/ looks like a drum to me.....heh heh...fa</font></p>

 

[Nauticman]

Nice to meet Dr. Phil. You got the touch, Dickey, nice smallies and hybrid! You got your priorities right, took the pic first, then let it jump out of the boat, LOL.

 

[shsimons]

I'd much rather catch a hybrid than a striper. A hybrid is like a bigger smallmouth, they have strength and agility. Regular stripers don't have that dancing ability like a smallmouth or hybrid. Cool you caught some, I haven't caught one at chickamauga yet. They are pretty regular in a few Indiana lakes, very popular.

 

[cuonthelake]

Leave it to you to catch some different kinda of fish for this area! At least it let you get its picture, before it took its leap of faith, maybe it was a female and needed to get back to its family to celebrate mother days! Looked like a wonderful day out there from my view from work! Glad you got to wish happy mothers days to one of your pets too! Are all Drums alabama smallmouths, always heard anything from bama was a loud mouth, I mean large mouth emoBigsmile!

 

[drumking]

cuonthelake - 5/9/2011 10:09 AM
Are all Drums alabama smallmouths, always heard anything from bama was a loud mouth, I mean large mouth emoBigsmile!

Now Candi, be sweet! emoUpsmile emoUpsmile emoUpsmile emoGeezer

 

[angst]

Hey guys. I was up there on the eddyline in the red and white boat. It was cool to see so many CFF celebrities buzzing around that I recognized from the fishing reports pictures. I'll be sure to introduce myself as a CFF'er next time. I would love to ask drumking for some of his crappie knowledge as I always follow his crappie reports closely looking to learn something and I am struggling in my efforts at crappie fishing.
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It was like watching an ant hill seeing the steady stream of boats going up to the boils and floating down. I stayed in the eddy and that really wasn't working. I usually have some success on a spoon throwing into the current there but not this day. No success on a plastic minnow either while I watched all kinds of catches others were making on minnow variants. There was a guy in the eddy that was slow twitching a T rig that was doing well. He also had a good one on a spinner bait. </p>

Only thing I managed was one panfish on a spoon at the eddyline. Also a gar down at the waterplant on a crappie jig. It just wasn't coming together for me that day.
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