Watts Bar

[RockyTopHawgMan]

Watts Bar was hot Sunday on upper end. Had 20+ on crankbaits and crig. All fish caught in less than 4' of water. Trouble was only 5 kept; but 6 or 7 more pretty close. Fished 11:00 to 5:00 out of Kingston. Water stained with temps from 67 - 74.

The Bar seemed to be almost pumped full where it has been down about 2-3'. Don't understand the fluctuation this time of year???

Big tournament out of Rockwood Sat but haven't heard results.

What depth do the bigger fish seem to be coming out of so I can adjust accordingly?

 

[RangerRob]

I'd say with almost 20% of your bag being 15+", you're well above average. In the "schooling months" there are waaay more slicks caught than keepers. Typically the bigger fish will hang much deeper under the schooling shad than the smaller fish - I'd say the c-rig was a good call.

I noticed in Sun's paper that the Bar was only down about a foot. Who know's with TVA. I think they read stuff like this and do it just to screw with us.

Thanks for the post.

RR

 

[polo-dog]

It's great to have you on the forum RockyTop! Could you tell us a few more specifics about your fishing Sun.? Were you in creeks, in the back of sloughs, on the main river channel? Were they hitting the top schooling on shad or were they on particular structures? Were they on flats, points, or on bends in the flow? Was there much flow in the area? Don't worry, very few of us fish Watts Bar but I would expect the patterns there will translate to more fish down here in a week or two if not right now.

 

[RockyTopHawgMan]

Boy!! You sure do want want a lot of info. Will the Gps coordinates help you out?? Not!!

Backs of creeks; none on brush like they should have been on bright skies. Beter fish came half out for some reason. Maybe because they jerked the lake up maybe?? Water temp was right; color was right.

All I know for sure silver buddy, gay blade, spinnerbait, and the trap were like holding a cross in front of Dracula!! And if you fish during week, it is a total different story. Lake is down and stable; they are pulling current; hang on!!!

 

[RockyTopHawgMan]

RR

They (TVA) aren't messing with you. They are just dong their job!! They are messing with the Norris, Cherokee, and Douglas fisherman. If you haven't been there this time of year you should go. TVA drops the lakes on the upside by 70 - 100' You can't reach the top of the bank with 3/4 oz lead weight from the edge.

Just be thankful they only drop the mainstream lakes by 5-7' in the winter.

 

[polo-dog]

Gosh, now that I think of it, GPS numbers would be great. Just kidding, if you read the threads on this forum, we tend to share info assuming that all of us will learn something and that all of us are sharing info and not just "stealing spots". In fact, I would rather not know specifics about where you found the fish but plan to use the info to figure out a pattern that will work where I fish. It helps us all understand how to understand the pieces of the fishing puzzle. Thanks for sharing your info. I was wondering if the shad here had run way up in the backs of the creeks, I just don't tend to fish in the back of the creek here but maybe I'll take a run back up in the back of the one that I live near to see if they are back there. Again, thanks for the info!

 

[DHaun]

Well said Polo Dog. That in a nutshell is one of the the primary purposes of this forum... I can only get out about once a week so it helps to know what's biting where and what the pattern may be so we can plan a trip with our kids or a fishing buddy, although I am grateful that most here have been generous enough to share as much as possible sometimes even giving the slough or point they were on. I figure if I take some info from the forum then I try to leave something good in return. emoSmile.

Last week we caught threadfin in the shallows on the windblown side of the river but struck out in the channel...maybe should have ventured up into the creeks a bit, but it appears it has been slow for quite a few if us in this transition. I hope the cooler temps in the near future might get the fish around here a bit more active in the next few weeks on that fall frenzy - It's overdue. Thanks for all the great reports!