Nickajack Dam 10-27

[DHaun]

I noticed the server has been down a while tonight...sorry...I sent a nasty email to my lame web hosting company emoBang

Anyway - Jerdog and I got on the water about 5:00pm and all the turbines were on. We looked for some threadfin but could not find any so we started drifting shad lures below the boils but there were no takers. Saw someone catch one from the bank and then TVA turned off 2 turbines. At that point we went back behind the boils that were still on and tied up to the wall. We threw everything from spoons, shad lures, redfin...still nothing. We sat skunked until right before sunset and then we decided to drift again in the current that remained.

Right around sunset they turned on a bit. I was using a 5" glow shad and had one decent fish on briefly that got off. Jeremy was using a 4" storm shad lure in the rainbow trout color. He scored 3 nice stripers 6-1/2 lb and a couple 4-5 pounders if I recall properly. Tonight was not my night for stripers but I did get a 16-1/2 lb blue cat to eat the glow shad that put up a great fight. Things started to slow down after a bit and we left at 8:45pm. We basically had the whole river to ourselves tonight...one other boat showed up as we were heading out. All fish safely released. Maybe they will be in their thicker (for me at least) next time....

 

[jason]

Nice fish! I spent about an hour after class on the pier by the dam chunking a sassy shad (generics from Hamilton's) and only picked up two stripes in the 3lb range...nothing like the ones Jerdog caught. It is nearly impossible to fish from the bank when all the turbines are on.

 

[polo-dog]

Nice catches guys! I don't know about you guys but the stripers in my experience are really light dependent. Unless it's right at dawn or dusk it seems like I don't get or see much movement from them most of the year. I haven't fished for them at night but I wonder whether most of their activity is at night or just at dawn and dusk. D+D seems like a short period of time to eat to me. I would expect that a lot of activity is at night.

 

[flip1up]

I caught 3 this morning up to about 8 pounds, fire tiger swim baits. The best way for me to fish with that much current from the bank is to get in line with the turbines, throw into the boil and just kinda reel in slack as the bait falls and comes toward me, about 8-10 feet in front of me the bait will start going towards the dam (back current), usually I get bit about right there, if not i let it go 30-40 feet and reel back in and try again. The problem is getting hung on the bottom alot, but you will get the feel of how much line to leave out and when to hop the bait to avoid loosing it.

 

[flip1up]

Nice fish fellas, I have been throwing the swim baits all over out there, the only time I catch them is in close towards the bank. Could be that my bait is not reaching their strike zone untill then I guess. Did you try top water?

 

[DHaun]

I threw a spook for a few minutes with no success. All the fish we caught were just downstream from the boils off or just above bottom.

What kind of line/reel do you prefer to use with those shad flip1up?

 

[JerDog]

I bought those swim shad about 3 years ago when they first came on the market. I bought several packs and never caught anything on them til last night. I used Rainbow trout because I had been talking with a guy at the Chickamauga dam that said they were good to use. I was ready to throw the swim shads in the trash until last night!

I know that stripers are sensitive to light. It is only at dark when I have caught them on shallow running lures. Otherwise you better be running them 8-10ft down. If you can fish on cloudy days..your chances of catching them above the bottom increase.

flip1up....are you seeing alot of Hybrids caught down there? I have never caught one down there or Chickamauga!

BTW water temp. last night was 67F.

 

[flip1up]

Sorry for the delayed response. I'm using my flippin stick with 20 pound stren (mono.). 71/2' stick, Quantam 501 reel. JerDog, I saw a guy catch a fish about a week ago that he said was a hybrid, looked like about 3 pounds. I went this evening, got there about 5:15 and left about 6:30. I caught 5 between 6-9 pounds and saw about 15 more caught. Also caught 3 sunday and 4 last friday ( 3 morning 1 evening). DHaun, thanks for the tip on Mr. Leonard, he has everything you need. I'm catching them on the glow shads (5") on a 1 ounce head, and still getting them on the swim shads (fire tiger and some other darker green color). The guys I talk to there alot are catching most of their fish on the "wall crawlers". I saw 2 big ones caught out of a boat in the last turbines, they looked 20 pounds or better. They are getting thicker in there each week.

 

[JerDog]

Thanks for the info! PLEASE keep us posted on your trips... End of Oct., first of Nov. with water around 67F seems to be the ticket for when they stack in there...heading there this week. Will keep everyone updated

 

[JerDog]

You still working the glow shad up agianst the dam and behind the boils or in front? All our fish were caught in front of the boils down stream Has the boat traffic been bad down there?

Your reports get me pumped up...keep them coming!!

 

[flip1up]

I have only seen one boat at a time in there. Mostly between the first turbine and the riprap. Also out in front of the boils (down side). I have not been in a couple of days.