Nickajack - Father's Day

[DHaun]

Took the kids bream fishing below the dam. It quickly got too hot for my daughter, but we managed a few bream/skipjack and then took off to the lake side of the dam, pulled off the road and found a sweet little spot holding some bass in the heat of the afternoon - shallow near deep with some weeds, big rocks, and grass.

It took awhile, but I finally enticed a few hard-earned bass on top with the dog walkin chugbug. This after throwing a jig, shallow running minnow lure, and a pop-r (thanks to Polo Dog for the chug bug recommendation - nice lure indeed). All fish safely released...We didn't catch anything to really brag about, but it was a great day spent with my kids. That's really what it's all about to me.

 

[polo-dog]

Glad you like it! Whenever I fish for bass I always want to catch them on top if possible, it's a blast!!!!!!!! If you can walk the chug bug from the bank, just wait to see how much easier it is from a boat. You really can't walk it well with your rod tip high, only low and pulling down. If you are looking for a bait that is a bit different than the spook, a she dog(mirro-lure) can be easily walked with tip up or tip down. Sometimes it seems that they just won't take anything but the "bug" for me, I throw it a lot.

 

[jason]

We fished the Hiwassee on Father's Day and did much better than we expected considering all the boat traffic. Pitched a Wild Thang in laydowns during the midday and caught several good largemouth. Around 7 or so the activity picked up with the approaching storm and we worked some schooling spots with a Spit'n Image.

 

[polo-dog]

Is there any particular area that the fish seem to school consistently? Say, at the mouths of creeks or near bluffs or at river/creek bends out there on the Hiwassee or does there seem to be any reason why you find them where you do? In Harrison bay/ Wolftever creek it seems that most of the schooling is either associated with a creek channel and cover near or over the channel or over the ends of points or over or near humps.

 

[jason]

The area we fished is part of a large bay, almost a small lake, that comes off an outside channel bend. The small channel that leads into it is 10'-12' deep at the most and connects to several small feeder channels that lead into the coves. These cove mouths have been windblown the last two weekends and the spots are ganging up right on the mudline in about 6'-8' of water just off the cove points. If you cast to the bank, you get nothing until you hit the mudline and then you get bit. However, if you fish paralell to the mudline, you catch one on nearly every other cast.

 

[ranman]

Jason are you talking about gunstocker creek? Me and my son where out there sunday also, till the storm ran us off the water.we fished down around the island close to the TN. river without much luck. The boat traffic was CRAZY! I had three wakeboats nearly run into me while trying to pass them! I lost a huge largemouth two mondays ago in gunstocker(not me my partner)I just knocked it off with the net!we were fishing the grass on the left going in to the creek with buzzbaits.I don't think I will ever live that one down!

 

[jason]

No, it's not Gunstocker Creek, it's a good bit farther down. I'm talking about the gigantic bay on the left at the waypoint beacon.