bassman97504

Thanks guys for all the great info. You all are awesome for giving the new guy such great tips. It’s been a bunch of super great posts. It definitely is getting me super amped to get out there and start fishing. I think I definitely need to learn how to fish the river and current you talk about. My local lakes don’t have much of that so I’ll have to figure that out. I’m excited to spend the next chapter of my life figuring these lakes out. Seems there’s a bunch of water to learn so that’s awesome. Few more questions if you don’t mind. Looking for some local expertise and opinions on some topics: 1. Which tackle shops do you guys like going to? 2. I sold my boat and will be looking to upgrade to a newer used boat probably in the 2018-19 range. Any recommendations on where to find quality used bass boats? 3. Favorite boat launch out of Hixson area? Are there fees for launching 4. If Chickamauga is busy on a particular day, what other body of water is a great place to fish that’s fairly close by?

I’m from Oregon, but will be moving and will be less that 5 minutes from Lake Chickamauga. I’m so excited going from a small bass state to being within 5 minutes of a prime big fish lake. One thing I never got into much of was searching for those huge bass. I would always find myself going back to a shakey head or jig and catching a bunch of fish but nothing huge. I never had the patience to use these big fish lures some guys have mastered for big fish. So, now I’ll be so close to the lake I’ll be able to go all the time and learn a lake and hopefully where the big fish live. One thing I want to do is learn how to use these bigger fish baits like swim baits, glide baits etc. I need to learn just to change my mindset and be able to go out and look for fewer bites with better reward rather than what I’m used to going out catching 25 to 50 fish but all of them were in a pound and a half at the most. So what is your recommendation on learning how to change this mindset and which baits should I focus on to start off with? Are there particular styles or types of swim baits that would be best to start with to be able to learn how to use them and then venture out from there? I could see how easy it could be grabbing some of these baits going out there for days and not having anything follow the bait just because you’re using it wrong and that would be super frustrating and ruin your motivation to even try. So I want to be able to have a good chance of learning the bait while still being able to catch fish with good success rates. Also, does it vary greatly based on which season or month you’re fishing and depending on which type of swimbait that you’re using?

I’m wondering what the etiquette is when fishing with a guide and learning new spots. Is it ok to mark fishing spots that you are shown on a phone app like the Navionics app or is this considered not ok etiquette? Is the expectation of a guide to really teach you more “where” to fish on a particular lake or is it more just go out there and get put on fish and catch fish and learn types of fishing patterns? So to be specific, if I move to a new area and tell the guide, hey there’s 3-4 new lakes I haven’t ever fished before and I’d like you to show my some hot spots and patterns on each of these lakes. So, I’d have them take me out 3-5 times in the next 6 months for learning different seasonal patterns on the different lakes. . Can I expect to be able to take out my phone and mark spots, take photos of the spots etc, or will this tick a guide off with me taking his hot spots?

That's an awesome explanation of the lakes. I really appreciate it. I love inside info like this when I'm about to make a 2500 relocation almost strictly for the bass fishing and also for the fact that my state of Oregon is going to hell in a hand basket.

Thanks for the info I’ll look them up. Ask, if you could rate the 3 lakes you mentioned to fish on a consists t basis for bass, how would you rank them from 1-3?

I'm almost ready to make a move out to Knoxville and relocate, but before I do, I need to get acquainted with a realtor who is also a bass fishing fanatic. I want a realtor that will be able to find me houses that are both close to where my office will be in NW Knoxville and also be either on or very very close to great bass fishing water. Does anyone have anyone they can refer to me that fits this criteria?

Thanks guys for the great info. I'll take a look at all of those ideas.

I’m looking to move to either the Knoxville or Nashville area from Oregon. I’m used to having a fishing forum (western bass) that I can get great fishing reports and fishing forums on all the lakes around me. What are a couple of the best bass forum websites that guys go to to talk Tennessee fishing and give fishing reports? Thanks!

I am going to be relocating to the Knoxville area and one of the biggest criteria I am considering is finding a town that is best centrally located to the best bass fishing in the area. Does anyone have any opinions on which towns I should look at so I am within 5-30 minutes from great bass fishing? thanks!

I'm looking for any recommendations for a fishing guide for Tenmile lake in Oregon. I'm hoping to book a trip in spring and want to find someone that knows the lake really well. Thanks!

Thanks guys for the info. I'm really glad I asked cause I almost bought the powerdrive and think I may have been disappointed.

I have a small 15 ft fiberglass boat that I want to put a bow mount trolling motor on. The front deck has about 18 1/2 inches of area to put the trolling motor mount. I'm wondering if that is enough space for a Minn Kota edge foot control trolling motor. Is that enough room on the front deck to mount that type of mounting bracket or am I going to have to use a Minn Kota Powerdrive? I really want he edge, if possible, so I hope someone has some good tips to make that possible.