rickyterry

fun to catch with an ultra light

I agree, I don't see anything wrong with keeping a couple of bass when times are getting tough. If it keeps a couple of dollars in her pocket then more power to her.

I always use white super flukes, silver with black back shad rap, and i like 1/4 ounce jigs in moss green with a crawdad chunk. I'll be making that trip myself this year.Also don't forget the grubs.

I live 20 minutes from the big south fork and fish it all the time. Are you takeing a float trip form tn to ky? I love to throw flukes, shad raps, and small jigs. There are some realy nice smallmouth in there. Don't be surprised to catch a couple walleye or a musky, there are alot of them in there. Check this link out http://fw.ky.gov/springmag04a.asp .

Dale Hollow Lake. http://www.smallmouthspecialty.com/index.htm thats a link to one of the best guides on the lake. Field and stream did an article on him , february issue. Just check his clients photo gallery out.

I think everyone knows where my vote is going. Just go to bassmasters.com and look up top 25 smallmouth. 8 of the top 10 came from the south, with 14 of 25 coming from Tennessee. Dale Hollow alone has had 8 smallmouth 9.5+ pounds. Trust me when I say there are alot of meat wranglers down here, and it sure hasn't hurt a thing. Smallmouth fishing is stronger down here as it ever has been.

For one the next smallmouth world record is coming from Erie, and I suppose Ill have to be the one to go catch it if no one else steps up to the task!!! ;) For two, the world record chasers in California seem to have no problem releasing world class green bass. They have even released potential world records for fear of harming the fish. Why would you think the next record is coming from Erie?? Look up the 25 biggest smallmouth and TENNESSEE has 14 of them. No they didn't all come from Dale Hollow either, they come from 4 different lakes in TENNESSEE. Oh yeah lake ERIE only had 1 on that list . Thats why they call TENNESSEE the smallmouth state. If I can find the Article, I'll post where they shocked up a 13 pound smallmouth out of Centill Hill lake.

Just incase anybody was wondering, it was caught on the FNF. From what I heard, when TWRA does there shocking study, it's nothing for them to bring up 8 pound smallmouth. The lake it was caught out of is ranked #2 in the state. The next world record smallmouth is coming from tennessee. It would be very hard to put a fish like that back in the water.

Here is another pic. Yeah that fish could have made some more big smallmouth.

It came from South Holston Lake. I got the pic from easttennesseefisherman.com along with the other pic I posted. He kept it and is going to have it mounted.

This one came from the same lake as the other one that I posted a couple of weeks back.

I have never fished that lake but I have stopped and checked it out and it is a very pretty. I fish big south fork which feeds lake cumberland just next door to laurel. I have heard some storys of smallmouth from that lake.

Does anybody head out to the rivers and fish the spawn run? I never have tried it but I'm going to try this year. The river by the house has produced some big smallmouth coming from Cumberland lake. End of march and first of april they start showing up here.

Seems to work pretty good here in the east tennessee clear mountain lakes. May not catch the numbers, but they produce some monster smallmouth.

Those are some very nice smallmouths. congrats 8-)