Cast_And_Blast

Hey guys. I'm fishing my first highschool tournament this weekend on the Tennessee river. This will be my first time bass fishing on a river. I know the area pretty well and already have a plan. I was just wondering if there were any tips you guys had to river fishing or if it isn't that different from fishing a lake or something. Anything you guys know will help a lot! Thanks!

Greg Hackney #, simply because he's so funny in my opinion. Ish Monroe #2. Love watching him throw top waters! Also Edwin Evers, Shaw Grigsby, Ike, Timmy Horton, Gerald Swindale, and Takahiro Omori. Don't know a whole lot of people but I always find myself liking them when watching them fish.

I have been saying this since the beginning!!! Only thing I can think of. I actually have no idea.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I understand everywhere is different and there is no set time when the fish move shallow. I liked the stuff about the Dogwoods and Lilacs blooming. I never would have thought about that! Thanks for this. I never noticed these things before. The only thing I've heard before is that,"When the Dogwoods are blooming, the turkeys are booming."

I live in the Mid-South (Tennessee) and I have heard and read that the fish start moving up to spawn when the water temp gets around 55-60 degrees. I was just wondering when y'all notice the fish moving up where you are at ( water temp., month etc.) Reading something is different than actually putting it to use in my opinion and looking at something on the internet can only help you so much. Besides, I always like to hear the various opinions. It's to early for the true pre-spawn here but hopefully the fish will start moving up soon. Any help is greatly appreciated.

SPAM from Mr. Glenn?! Who would've thought. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, Gore-Tex is the only water proof material/clothing I trust to be 100% water proof! We had some flooding after the snow/ice melted but not a lot of rain at all here so far. Besides, I'm not gonna let a little rain stop me!

Looking good! I would suggest something like the Gene Larew Biffle Hardheads. Here's how Cabelas described it. -The Gene Larew Biffle Hardhead uses a powder-coated football head weight with a loosely attached worm hook for a free-moving, weedless offering. Football head design prevents snagging on rocks when dragging the bottom. Pivoting hook gives the plastic bait for more natural action. If you don't have some already you may want some extra skirts too. nothing like having a skirt come off your spinner bait, buzzbait, jig, etc. that the fish are just hammering. It has happened to me and i wasn't real happy. I wish my bag looked as good as yours though! Nice variety.

Drop Shot or Tube. I just can't figure it out.

Let's just pause here. At that point I vacate that area immediately. Fixed that for you! At that point I'm out of there. I'm gone! Can we get the gasoline and matches please?

Thanks for the all the help guys! I really appreciate it!

There are only maybe 3 or four lakes i plan on fishing that i would like to have a topo map for. I was planning on maybe printing it out somehow since our unit does not have a built in gps. I couldn't figure out how to use the mapper.acme.com but the navionics one has helped a good bit. Thanks for the help guys!

It's understandable to be in denial. Keep making progress with your psychiatrist and maybe you can only buy stuff once or twice a day though I know it will be a struggle. Just remember we are here for you!

First I would like to say sorry if this is in the wrong section! Where do you all find your topographic maps? I have searched and searched and just can't seem to find some that I can access without paying that are actually good or maybe I'm just searching for the wrong things? Maybe I'll have to pay,but I would prefer not to. Any help you all had would be greatly appreciated. Tight lines! -Slater

That's an investment that will be well worth it! Holy cow! You wanna make a list of what all you got? haha.

I figured we could have a nice calm place where everyone could post about their problems. . . . . Problems buying tackle that is! I know many of you seem to buy a new lure or two or maybe a couple of packs of soft plastics, or maybe even a new rod and reel every time you see them! We fisherman just can't resist! Maybe your collection has slowly added up over the years or maybe you add to it continuously! So let's hear about the problems you face when it comes to buying stuff and the collections you have accumulated! The first step to fixing the problem is admitting you have one! Pictures are welcome!!!

x3 to the picture showing!

I was watching an older Major League Fishing extended cast from Lake Istogpoka I believe, and Greg Hackney (I could be wrong on the name) hooked into about a 10 foot gator or so. That t hing was HUGE!!!!

i fish jigs, especially swim jigs, a lot and i particularly like the Paca Chunk, or a Rage Craw. they both have a good profile that gives a nice flapping action when retrieved slow or fast, and they can fit most any jig, though I'm sure there are numerous others as well. I had a ton of luck using a swim bait as a trailer too. I found that the larger swim bait you use, the less bite the hook has though. I used a 4" Shadalicious swim bait with a Strike King swim jig and had a ton of hookups. I lost about half the fish though since the swim bait left very little room on the hook. I cut the swim bait in half and have had much better results, but most small paddle tail swim baits should work. Oh and I believe that the larger the paddle tail on the swim bait, the more lift you get. Sorry for the long answer, but to answer your question, I personally do not think all trailers are the same. You have to try some and see what you like. Everyone prefers something different.

I bet that would make for one fun night!

Some good advice here. First I would add a pitching and flipping setup like McAlpine said. Something heavy or extra heavy depending on what cover or mats you have. Flipping and pitching is completely different in my opinion than just using a jig. Again as McAlpine said, I would add another treble hook rod for cranks mainly. something in the 7' medium power moderate action category maybe. I'll also say a top water rod for the same reasons as above. Some rods have more than one purpose and i don't have every setup I would like to, but I catch plenty of fish. Would a different rod and reel set up help? I'm sure it would some, but in the end it comes down to what you want. Having a technique specific rod is nice, but not necessary in my opinion. Good Luck!

That's crazy! Never seen anything like that!

If there's a bunch of shad you could go with a spinner bait, or swim bait as you said. Can't forget a possible top water bite! Hopefully it'll warm up by then and the bite will be on! From what you said if I had to choose 5 things to start with I'd say Square bill, Spinner, Swim Jig with a smaller swim bait trailer, Your favorite Top water bait, and a Zoom fluke fished to your choice! But what do I know!

I'm fairly young (15) so I don't have a lot of money. I would however like to purchase some quality rods and reels but don't want to be broke after doing so. For me 100$ is about as mush as I could do on a combo. The reason I wanna purchase a rod and reel together is that I feel like it's cheaper than buying one good piece at a time. I don't mind buying used stuff but can't seem to find the right deal! For Christmas I got an Abu Garcia Silver Max with a Bass Pro IM6 Graphite Series Rod from Bass Pro. I would like to get two or three good combos instead of only one GREAT combo. I'm pretty happy with the one I have but I want to make the next step in quality and I know that's tough with my budget. I just don't know where to start! Should I stick with this setup and get a few more similar combos or look for something new? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tight lines! -Slater

same here. Got tired of switching hands after every cast or pitch or flip.

Squarbills or lipless cranks from what you said. Never count out the senkos or maybe just maybe a swim jig or chatter bait. When is the tournament and do you know how deep you'll wanna fish?