smallmouth

[Fishheadspin]

i guess it depends what your definition of "good" is???? i have caught maybe 5 SM over 3 lbs this year and a few spots around 3. I caught one spot that 3.9???last fall in a CFF tournament.

Sunshine 2 SM in one night with me that were all over 3.5 lbs. There again what is a good smallmouth???? THere are some big fish down there but i would say a 5 fish limit of 18 " smallmouth is about impossible on artificals....

 

[fish4thepeck]

I would hate to see a five fish limit on smallmouths. I almost exclusively fish for them. I remember my daddy catching smallmouth back in the fifties on the river and in the sixties they started to decline. Blame it on water quality from Chattanooga industry or the building of nickajack dam ( my father thought it could have been when the interstate came through and changed the creek flows) whatever the reason the smallmouth became scarce. Only recently in the last 10 to 12 years have smallmouth started a comeback. I do relate this to the river becoming a lot cleaner. The last couple of years my friends and I have caught some over the five lb mark and a few over six and one over 7lb. all coming from the river. The numbers though are not even close to Tims, dale Hollow, or even farther down the river such as wilson and pickwick. I don't fish below Chickamaga so I'm talking below Nickajack. I do believe the Tennessee river has the potential to produce record size smallmouth and I believe a change in the limit would hinder this potential. I know everyone doesn't fish for trophies but there is few places that has the potential that we have right here in our back door.

 

[micropterus]

The fish are there , you can catch 5 - 18" fish on artificials. (on a very good day) Usually late fall or early spring. Just remember Smallies aren't largemouth , totally different patterns. I think there's a 10 or two down there. Without a doubt.

 

[flip1up]

A few years back there was a 10+ Smallmouth caught behind Chatt. State. It was weighed in at Jacks Tackle.