Hiwassee 9-4

[jason]

Took a "family" day yesterday and did not expect to see any water until next Saturday...and then the preacher announced that there would be no service tonight emoTongue . With gas conservation an issue as well as the phenomenal amount of recreational boaters, we decided to spend the afternoon in Gunstocker. I'm sure you've heard the saying "Wind from the West, fishings best". My father-in-law and I have found that a wind from the west means Gunstocker is best. On every flat to the left of the creek channel spots were ripping through shad that were blown in from the main channel. Oddly enough, they would not touch the usual spinnerbait but would demolish a Gulp sinking minnow or soft jerkbait. We also tried the new "rage" by swimming a jig and found that it works surprisingly well. A half ounce black and blue jig looks nothing like a shad but the spots didn't seem to care. Late in the evening I caught two really good largemouth on a beaver dam on consecutive casts. I still don't have a camera so I won't post the weights...you guys would just say "Yeah, sure you did "

 

[polo-dog]

Okay jason, what were the weights. I will believe you.

 

[ranman]

Where is the beaver dam? I know where a beaver lodge is on those grass flats on the left.Is that where you are talking about?I drove over to the bridge in the back of gunstocker thursday and fished from the road,didn't catch anything but I saw alot of surface action and a fellow fishing under the bridge caught a couple of nice crappie while I was there.Sounds like you guys have really got that place figured out!Gonna join me in the dogfights next year?

 

[jason]

If you go under what I call the horse bridge (we always see horse-drawn carriages crossing it) , the narrow creek channel will lead you between two small islands. The island on the left has a beaver lodge, abandoned I think, that literally straddles it. That edge of the bank has a shady cut in about 3 or 4 feet. I caught both bass at the edge of the lodge on a 1/2oz Booyah jig with a Yum craw trailer. The first weighed 6.11 and the second was 7 even.

I think the lodge you are referring to is before the bridge and at the mouth of a tiny creek feeding a flat on the left. That flat has a small point about midway on the right bank with a stump row in about 4 feet...we caught a couple there. Either that whole area is dead without a westward breeze generating current or we just can't figure out how to fish it when the water is still.

Ranman, are you talking about fishing with you or against you?

 

[ranman]

Against.I would feel bad about dumping my partner after the year he hademoCool.Kinda like breaking up with a girl when she's sick or after grandma died. I'm really not sure if they are going to have them on Monday nights next year,the guy that runs them said he was finished with it,Takes to much time away from his biz to do it anymore.It is officially a bowater tournament and they have provided money for the classic but for bowater employees only but it is open to anyone you just can't win the bowater money at the end of the year.
It has been getting smaller over the past two years that I have been fishing it so I guess we'll have to wait and see if they have it next year or not.I really don't like the fact that it is on monday night as most of us are builders or subcontractors and you can guess how stressfull mondays are for us but at the same time it is good therapy.The only other options for me are to fish out of 58 on tues.where you can't beach your boat or tie it off,or to fish on the other side of the river and tow your rig across that God awful bridge! Niether of which sound very good to me! We do need to get out there together sometime as soon as I'm back on my feet with my buisiness.

 

[jason]

If my father-in-law found out that I fished a tournament without him he would probably never take me fishing again. He's in his mid 50s and is increasingly more sensitive...I think it is male menopause.

 

[ranman]

they should have called it mental-pause! My mom went throught it while I was a teenager so for about three years we totally hated each other.Best of friends now but that was a tough few years for both of us.Man I would hate to be a teenager again!

 

[polo-dog]

jason, ranman, now that school's started I will have more time to fish. Are either of you available during the day sometime? We could fish the lower end of the lake in my boat if you would like.

 

[ranman]

Yep. I've been real slow lately so I've had alot of time on my hands but not alot of money to do anything.I had three jobs dropped into my lap Tuesday so I may not have the time that I've had the last two weeks.I have to go out of town on Thurs. and work friday and monday but I'll see where I'm at after the first of next week O.K.

 

[jason]

School's "in" for me. I've got night classes Mon-Thur so about the only time I can fish is on Saturday. I usually fish with my father-in-law because his wife loves to keep her grandchildren on the weekendemoBigsmile . Any free-time for fishing other than Saturday would be spur of the moment and most likely inconvenient to you.

BTW, who went to Dick's and bought up all the 1/2oz black-n-blue Booyah jigs?