DHaun
Well-known member
Friday:
My sweetie was working and the kids were in FL all weekend so I decided to check out Chickamauga Dam after work, armed with some reliable advice. I bank-fished downstream from the turbines working my way down to the railroad bridge from about 5-7pm and then went home for a bite to eat - I went back from 8-10pm figuring the night fishing might be better. I was wrong - Skunked!!!! - not even a skipjack. I had 3 rods (baitcaster/spinning/ultralight) and threw hard for 4 hours - glowshad, redfin, crappie jig, rattle trap... I saw one gar surface in front of me on the river and heard a wooh-hoo yelled from next to the turbines before dusk, like someone had caught something nice...other than that I did'nt even see a splash in the water. I also went to the front of the Dam and fished the intakes with no success, although it looked like a great place to fish and the current looked perfect. Being positive....Now this was probably just bad timing because I have had some very rewarding fishing trips below the Dam and the weather was nice and warm just like I like it & hey, I was fishing!!! I think I just need to figure out the area patterns more - from a boat if possible.
Saturday:
I went down to Nickajack Dam about 6pm hoping to redeem myself and threw the 1oz 5" glowshad on my 17lb baitcaster, 5" Matzuo fantastic minnow (per Jerdog's recommendation) on my 10lb spinning reel, and blue/white skipjack/crappie jig on my 6lb ultralight. I was about halfway down between the turbines and pier rotating between the 3 rods. They turned one turbine off about 8pm which slowed the current quite a bit allowing for a more relaxed presentation. I fished hard 2-1/2 hours until 8:30 (sunset) and caught nothing!!! At this point I had my head hung low scuffing the rocks on the bank with my boots skunked-out wondering what to try next.
I almost left at 8:30pm, but decided to be more persistent as the sunset and picked up the ultralight. I cast out the blue/white crappie jig and caught a keeper crappie just next to the rocks (first nickajack crappie for me). Things were looking up...I then went to the 1oz 5" glowshad after seeing someone catch (and keep) a couple small striper downstream (using the same lure just above the pier in better looking current) and I could only muster a foul hooked (and obviously very hungry for a 5" shad) skipjack next to the rocks. I decided to go back to the ultralight for more skipjack for possible bait and hooked a 4-5 lb drum right next to an exposed rock by the bank. Yeah, I know it's just a drum, but it was better than nothing and it was about a 5 minute battle - big fun on an ultralight.
Seeing more fish surfacing (mostly gar) I decided to try the Matzuo on the 10lb spinning reel and made 3-4 casts. Just as I got it near the bank, I slowly reeled it upstream and as it neared the rear of an exposed boulder just next to the bank - Wham! Big fish, drag pulling & hard to see what it was with the sun down. After a couple of good runs I discovered it was about a 10lb drum foul hooked in the side and acting quite a bit upset about it. I loosened the drag and allowed him to tire 3-4 more good runs before climbing down and landing him at the base of the rocks (I did not want to lose this new plug).
With adrenaline pumping I tried 3-4 more casts, reeled past the exact same rock 8-9 ft downstream and Wham! - Another Big fish, but this was no drum. This I thought had to be a nice rockfish the way it peeled off the line. 6-8 good drag screaming runs later on my 10lb reel and I was wondering if I could land it on such light tackle. I thought this fish was meaner than a rockfish. After a few more runs in the dark I saw the broken stripes and knew I had a fat-shouldered hybrid that did not want to quit.
A group of 8-10 Hispanic folks that had been fishing right next to the turbines were leaving with their catch. I see some of them there almost every time I go and notice they like to keep what they catch, know their game well, and are friendly folks. They stopped behind me to watch the fight for about 3-4 more good runs. I finally landed this fat tempered bulldog still fighting slinging water in my face as I tried to avoid getting trebles in my hand pulling him onto the rocks in the dark. As I removed the hooks I heard one of them say "No throw, No throw" obviously wanting it to supplement what they had already caught. I have given fish away before, but this one was just too nice a gift. I held him up for a bit and figured 12-15 lbs and then I threw him (or her) back face first into the river. I think this is supposed to shock them back or something but I am not sure - it was a long fight so I hope the fish survived.
Luck finally gave me a visit and this was certainly the best fish/fight scenario I have encountered in quite some time, and definitely confirms my addiction to fishing! I figure I could have never gotten a lure next to those rocks in a boat...sometimes it's not so bad being boatless. I theorize the fish may run up the bank next to the rocks looking for shad pushed up in there from the turbines when the current is just right. Thanks tons to Jerdog for recommending the Matzuo - Good Call!
Who else went out this weekend???
My sweetie was working and the kids were in FL all weekend so I decided to check out Chickamauga Dam after work, armed with some reliable advice. I bank-fished downstream from the turbines working my way down to the railroad bridge from about 5-7pm and then went home for a bite to eat - I went back from 8-10pm figuring the night fishing might be better. I was wrong - Skunked!!!! - not even a skipjack. I had 3 rods (baitcaster/spinning/ultralight) and threw hard for 4 hours - glowshad, redfin, crappie jig, rattle trap... I saw one gar surface in front of me on the river and heard a wooh-hoo yelled from next to the turbines before dusk, like someone had caught something nice...other than that I did'nt even see a splash in the water. I also went to the front of the Dam and fished the intakes with no success, although it looked like a great place to fish and the current looked perfect. Being positive....Now this was probably just bad timing because I have had some very rewarding fishing trips below the Dam and the weather was nice and warm just like I like it & hey, I was fishing!!! I think I just need to figure out the area patterns more - from a boat if possible.
Saturday:
I went down to Nickajack Dam about 6pm hoping to redeem myself and threw the 1oz 5" glowshad on my 17lb baitcaster, 5" Matzuo fantastic minnow (per Jerdog's recommendation) on my 10lb spinning reel, and blue/white skipjack/crappie jig on my 6lb ultralight. I was about halfway down between the turbines and pier rotating between the 3 rods. They turned one turbine off about 8pm which slowed the current quite a bit allowing for a more relaxed presentation. I fished hard 2-1/2 hours until 8:30 (sunset) and caught nothing!!! At this point I had my head hung low scuffing the rocks on the bank with my boots skunked-out wondering what to try next.
I almost left at 8:30pm, but decided to be more persistent as the sunset and picked up the ultralight. I cast out the blue/white crappie jig and caught a keeper crappie just next to the rocks (first nickajack crappie for me). Things were looking up...I then went to the 1oz 5" glowshad after seeing someone catch (and keep) a couple small striper downstream (using the same lure just above the pier in better looking current) and I could only muster a foul hooked (and obviously very hungry for a 5" shad) skipjack next to the rocks. I decided to go back to the ultralight for more skipjack for possible bait and hooked a 4-5 lb drum right next to an exposed rock by the bank. Yeah, I know it's just a drum, but it was better than nothing and it was about a 5 minute battle - big fun on an ultralight.
Seeing more fish surfacing (mostly gar) I decided to try the Matzuo on the 10lb spinning reel and made 3-4 casts. Just as I got it near the bank, I slowly reeled it upstream and as it neared the rear of an exposed boulder just next to the bank - Wham! Big fish, drag pulling & hard to see what it was with the sun down. After a couple of good runs I discovered it was about a 10lb drum foul hooked in the side and acting quite a bit upset about it. I loosened the drag and allowed him to tire 3-4 more good runs before climbing down and landing him at the base of the rocks (I did not want to lose this new plug).
With adrenaline pumping I tried 3-4 more casts, reeled past the exact same rock 8-9 ft downstream and Wham! - Another Big fish, but this was no drum. This I thought had to be a nice rockfish the way it peeled off the line. 6-8 good drag screaming runs later on my 10lb reel and I was wondering if I could land it on such light tackle. I thought this fish was meaner than a rockfish. After a few more runs in the dark I saw the broken stripes and knew I had a fat-shouldered hybrid that did not want to quit.
A group of 8-10 Hispanic folks that had been fishing right next to the turbines were leaving with their catch. I see some of them there almost every time I go and notice they like to keep what they catch, know their game well, and are friendly folks. They stopped behind me to watch the fight for about 3-4 more good runs. I finally landed this fat tempered bulldog still fighting slinging water in my face as I tried to avoid getting trebles in my hand pulling him onto the rocks in the dark. As I removed the hooks I heard one of them say "No throw, No throw" obviously wanting it to supplement what they had already caught. I have given fish away before, but this one was just too nice a gift. I held him up for a bit and figured 12-15 lbs and then I threw him (or her) back face first into the river. I think this is supposed to shock them back or something but I am not sure - it was a long fight so I hope the fish survived.
Luck finally gave me a visit and this was certainly the best fish/fight scenario I have encountered in quite some time, and definitely confirms my addiction to fishing! I figure I could have never gotten a lure next to those rocks in a boat...sometimes it's not so bad being boatless. I theorize the fish may run up the bank next to the rocks looking for shad pushed up in there from the turbines when the current is just right. Thanks tons to Jerdog for recommending the Matzuo - Good Call!
Who else went out this weekend???
