Went fishing with the guy I fished with last week on Watts Bar. I know Watts Bar better than any of the local lakes and I had actually never fished what is considered "Chickamauga". We put in below Watts Bar Dam at around 6:00 a.m. and fished up around the locks. Caught a couple slicks there and one nice catfish on a crankbait. Then when it got good and daylight, decided to go explore Chickamauga. I've always heard of a big lily pad slough down near a place called cotton port. We tried to find it and went up into a couple of creeks like I was told the lily pads were in and never found the pads. But by golly found the bluegill. Ran a pretty good ways down river from the dam. Not sure how far...didn't have enough gas to chance going any further. I do know we were a mile or two past the ferry at Smiths Bend. I remember seeing the gazibo that you can watch the deer from over there.
But came back up the river and hit a rock bank within sight of the boat ramp. I was throwing my crankbait and fowled it up to where it wouldn't dive (caught the hook on the line) and it was twirling in the water. A fish blows up on it like it was a topwater bait. I stop it and it slams at it again. Hmmm. Maybe the fish are trying to tell me something. So I tie on a big Rogue jerk bait. A few casts later and I had the biggest fish I've had on my line in quite a few years. Done everything right in playing the fish and my buddy was reaching to lip him into the boat and it done a hard dive at the boat and came unbuttoned. We got a REAL good look at that fish. Was a largemouth in the 4-5 pound range. My biggest largemouth of my whole fishing time is only 4 pounds anyway so this was HUGE to me. I was so excited and shook up after that, that I could hardly concentrate on fishing some more. Fished that bank pretty good and my buddy got bit a time or two on T-Rig worm BUT never hooked into them. Could have been bluegill or anything nipping at it. I resorted to flipping a black/blue jig and didn't do any good. Went back to the Rogue and within 3 casts I have a spotted bass slam it home. I was pleased with that....it was only my first spotted bass that I can remember catching. Would have barely went 12 inches but there he was, complete with tongue patch and all. Was also the first time I can remember catching fish on a jerkbait on a lake.
I will be learning more about Chickamauga. I really liked my first trip there. Seems like it's alot easier to catch fish on than Watts Bar. I could be wrong...may have just been a good day or something. Gonna get me a good TVA map of the lake and get more familiar with it too. I know this don't help you guys out much but I'm just kinda excited from getting back and having a close encounter with a fish that size.
But came back up the river and hit a rock bank within sight of the boat ramp. I was throwing my crankbait and fowled it up to where it wouldn't dive (caught the hook on the line) and it was twirling in the water. A fish blows up on it like it was a topwater bait. I stop it and it slams at it again. Hmmm. Maybe the fish are trying to tell me something. So I tie on a big Rogue jerk bait. A few casts later and I had the biggest fish I've had on my line in quite a few years. Done everything right in playing the fish and my buddy was reaching to lip him into the boat and it done a hard dive at the boat and came unbuttoned. We got a REAL good look at that fish. Was a largemouth in the 4-5 pound range. My biggest largemouth of my whole fishing time is only 4 pounds anyway so this was HUGE to me. I was so excited and shook up after that, that I could hardly concentrate on fishing some more. Fished that bank pretty good and my buddy got bit a time or two on T-Rig worm BUT never hooked into them. Could have been bluegill or anything nipping at it. I resorted to flipping a black/blue jig and didn't do any good. Went back to the Rogue and within 3 casts I have a spotted bass slam it home. I was pleased with that....it was only my first spotted bass that I can remember catching. Would have barely went 12 inches but there he was, complete with tongue patch and all. Was also the first time I can remember catching fish on a jerkbait on a lake.
I will be learning more about Chickamauga. I really liked my first trip there. Seems like it's alot easier to catch fish on than Watts Bar. I could be wrong...may have just been a good day or something. Gonna get me a good TVA map of the lake and get more familiar with it too. I know this don't help you guys out much but I'm just kinda excited from getting back and having a close encounter with a fish that size.
