Hiwassee 8/20

[jason]

Due to an over-looked nail appointment (my mother-in-law'semoTongue ), we didn't make our first cast until 5. With no time to explore, we made a beeline to the right bank of Coppinger Creek. This is the same spot we fished last Saturday in the rain and in a prior thread I mistakenly referred to it as Price Creek. The bank has pine logs and stumps underneath 8-10 feet of water and with clear skies the bass snuggle up in them...perfect for trying the 10" worm. On our first pass, I pitched to every visible target and only caught three spots. Although they were keepers, they were far from the 6 pounder I had envisioned. We fished the creek channel for about and hour and then hit the bank again. This time I substituted the 1/4 bullet for 1/8 and retrieved it super slow in an attempt to contour the submerged logs. After covering half the bank, I was about to give it up and tie on the lizard when BAM...caught a 4 pound largemouth. This was the first, and only, quality bass of the night. However, on the return trip to the ramp we fished the rip-rap wall at Hwy 58 and I hooked 12lb cat on my last worm.

 

[ranman]

Great job Jason,what color did you use ?were you "swimming" the worm like you would work a crankbait down a log or dragging it along the bottom?I have fished coppinger creek a few times this year and did pretty well as far as numbers go but not size,that point on the channel side of the little island held alot of fish during the post-spawn.

 

[jason]

I used a Zoom OL Monster in junebug. The U-Tail version would probably work better but on such short notice I had to go with leftovers from last year. Swimming it slow down the logs is how I caught the big one but with only one big fish I couldn't guarantee that to be the most effective method. My father-in-law used a spinnerbait and caught several in the 8-12 inch range.

If you are facing the mouth of Coppinger, you have a left bank, the island, and the right bank. The right bank has a stretch of submerged laydowns in fairly deep water. In addition, there are two submerged pieces of six foot standing timber that sit about ten feet off the bank.

 

[ranman]

I have a few zoom magII worms in muscadine left over, I wonder if they would do the trick?I think I'm going to start out flipping on the main channel with one tomorrow then work the brushpile I caught the big bass off of a few weeks ago,then finish up in Price creek again. Price creek really doesn't "turn-on" till just before dark anyway.Did you guys give up on gunstocker?Or are you just looking at new water?

 

[jason]

With the MagII, which I believe is an 8.5 incher, you may hook more fish than I did. The Ol Monster worm has at least 5" trailing behind the hook...I missed several fish.

As far as Gunstocker goes, we usually spend a few minutes fishing the laydowns on the right side (at the edge of the creek mouth just off the main channel) as we head downriver. On the return trip, we stop by and fish the gaps between any islands on the left side that have windblown current flowing between them. The new riprap wall is also worth a few casts, especially near the gravel ramp. The last few times we checked the back of Gunstocker, past the little bridge, we zeroed.

 

[ranman]

I fished those laydowns Thursday around 12:00 or 1:00 pm and lost a really good fish off of a black and blue brushhog,I was fishing at the very base of the trunk in shallow water when I saw it flash on my lure,When I set the hook it had just let go and I hooked a limb.That was the only bite I got in there,I fished on around where it comes up on a little flat where the bankside grass starts but never got anymore bites.

 

[jason]

I usually pick up a good bass in the fork of the pine that sits on the edge of the flat in muddy water. Just out from it is a submerged tangle of something, possibly an overturned stump, which typically holds another keeper. Boat control, however, is nearly impossible as you exit the mouth and attempt to fish the deeper laydowns.

When I first started pitching, I caught more limbs than fish. That flash of green starts an adrenaline rush similar to a topwater hit. A liberal dose of Yum on my lure plus waiting for the slightest amount of pressure has helped me a lot.

 

[polo-dog]

It's great to hear you guys go back and forth about your thoughts about the Hiwassee. I hope to get up there some time to fish it. Maybe sometime I could meet one of you guys and we could hit some spots either down here near Harrison Bay or up there on the river. I'm always up for exploring new areas of any lake.