Dylan L

Gotta be green pumpkin or just plain ol' white!

Not really a crankbait but my PB was on a Rapala Husky Jerk (don't know the size off the top of my head). I just slowly reel them in with a few short pauses.

I don't know anything about topside, could you tell me where you fish? Also, at second and third creeks do you fish the mouths where they run into the river? Thanks!

I don't have a boat and have heard people talk about catching some nice bass off Topside but don't know anything about it. Any help is appreciated!

Can't go wrong with a ultra light rod throwing 1/16 oz. rooster tails!

I have a pretty light rod (M) so my options as far as weights go are somewhat limited. I use a Strike King Bitsy Bug (1/4 oz.) with a rage chunk trailer

I like a rage chunk for my bitsy bug jigs

Thanks! I'm not familiar with Topside Drive.

My 2 smallmouth setups: orvis 8'6 4wt fly rod Clearwater Series ($198) or a Mitchell 300XE medium action fast tip spinning combo ($59.99) both perform very well.

A Carolina rig

I agree

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make any type of lure from household items? Any help is appreciated!

I use small crankbaits and tubes. A good crankbait color is shad or bluegill and a good tube color is green pumpkin. Also, never leave home without a pack of rage craws!

My non fly fishing trout outfit is a Bass Pro ultralight rod paired with an ultralight reel (I don't remember the brand) spooled with 4 pound mono. I use small (1/24-1/16 oz) rooster tails. Just what works for me. Hope it helped!

I like to catch a lot of 1-2 pound bass but I won't complain if I get a 5-6 pounder!

For large bass I would try larger crankbaits (to big for the bluegills to get there mouth around) and some heavy jigs with a KVD senior chunk as a trailer. Work these around the weed edges. Also try a Texas rig with a 10 inch plastic worm. Fish this right in the weeds. This is just what works for me in a pond here in Tennessee and I can pull 4 pounders out all day long. Hope this helped!

Thanks! I knew that people fished below the dams but I have never known where or what lures.

I would try an ultralight-medium light spinning rod throwing jig head streamer flies, small crankbaits, and super fluke juniors. Can into the slow current and just hop the streamer along. Throw across the slower current with the crankbait and slowly reel it across the current. As for the fluke you should put it on a heavier jig head and cast it into the faster white water. Just erratically shake it so it looks like a disoriented baitfish. Also try the fly on each side of the fast water and sort of imagine the fast water as a weed bed and you are fishing the edges. Just what works for me. Hope it helped!

Thanks for the warm welcomes guys! I am pretty exited to be a part of such a helpful site.

Thanks guys! I currently have my reel spooled with 10 pound mono.

Definitely the Texas rig. It is so versatile and pretty much weedless.

I live about 50 minutes from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park which is full of trout streams. I do quite a bit of fly fishing and I know that trout don't need very deep water to survive. As for the dirtiness it really depends on aquatic life, pH, and water temperature. I have caught 22 inch trout from a stocked stream that is dirty to the point that I wade only waist deep. Hope this helped!

I recently purchased a Mitchell 300XE medium action combo for $69.99 at Academy Sports and it seems like a $500 upgrade from my Bass Pro glass microlite (this is a great rod but didn't suit my style of fishing). Anyway, this rod has a very sensitive tip and I feel every rock and stump. You will be able to feel the bite from the smallest bluegill to the biggest largemouth. The reel on the combo is also nice.

I have fished the Tennessee River from the marina above Calhoun's on the River and from Cherokee Park in Sequoyah Hills. Does anyone have any advice/access points for the Tennessee River or Fort Loudon Lake? Thanks!

There are some creeks in the town where my grandparents live and in one of those creeks the water spills over an old concrete dam into a large deep pool I will always fish some type of inline spinner. I really like rooster tails for trout and the occasional smallmouth. I usually fish rooster tails in streams with trout/smallmouth. My favorite color is black with a silver blade. Let water depth decide what weight. I usually carry 1/16-1/4 oz.