TnRiver46

Ribbit and zoom and rage

A good frog alternative is just rig a ribbontail worm weedless with no sinker and reel it across the slop. Vary the action, mix in some twitches and stops. This was always my go to golf course pond method for scum and it’s pretty effective with a good hook up ratio

As kids, all we cared about was casting really far off the dock. So we tied heavy rattle traps on spinning gear and slung them as hard as possible. Several times the line snapped on the forward portion of the cast with the sound of a rifle report and the lure went directly into orbit. NASA satellites are most likely still marking them on sonar to this day

If you didn’t have some corrosion on your wires/connections in Florida, then they weren’t hooked up to power! It’s a little humid down there ?

I only take canoes and kayaks there anymore unless the water is way up past where my truck is in the picture.

The rivers flowing into the lake could be very good for summertime smallies as well, I think there’s some whitewater around Bryson city (kind of crazy but I’ve never been there, I think it’s like 50 miles from Knoxville, even shorter if you’re a crow)

Don’t go breaking your wheels like me

I’d about have to show you in person how to hook it but there may be some step by step tutorials on here, definitely some videos by our fearless leader @Glenn. That’s just a basic texas rig but if you don’t get it straight the worms spins in circles and twists the line

I just meant keep after them in general, from what I understand it’s very easy to get skunked in socal. Lipless can be ripped through sparse weeds but nothing heavy and it takes a stout rod, not exactly my favorite way to fish either. A fluke and hollow body frog are better for the thick stuff

Keep after them! Try a spook or popper in that area where you saw bass attacking. The senko shouldn’t get hung up much, try burying the hook point into the worm like so If the sinker is getting jammed, go without one like this. Works great in the heaviest of cover

I fish cypress trees in south Alabama and can’t get enough of them . Wish we had some (although they have stolen dozens of my jigs, I don’t even attempt that anymore. Go weightless!)

No we took my boat across and camped in the GSMNP at a backcountry site that my friends had hiked to but there were people that kayaked to the same campsite. I was fishing off my boat and I’m sure there are fish deep but there were plenty cruising around busting shad on top. Last year I only got to fish there for like 30 minutes and got a 19” meanmouth down about 12-15 feet with a rage menace . The lake is like 400 feet deep at the dam, literally. So you can fish very very very deep while still having your boat 10 feet off the bank

It’s true! I had to learn that trick long ago as over half the ramps I use don’t have a dock . Some of them don’t have anything and you tie off to a tree while the boat swings around in current banging into stuff. I dug through the archives for some examples............ Here’s my typical method here’s the same boat ramp with several bags of rotten meat some moron dropped off in a white Jeep Wrangler (at least he could have not thrown the plastic bags in) different view same spot again And below is a classic poop show that took almost 1 hour to clear here’s the ramp closest to my house and here’s a ramp in the greatest stretch of water you could imagine but as you can see it’s about the worst boat ramp you could imagine. I know what you’re wondering and yes I’ve broken a wheel there

We should all be lucky enough to get lost in a cypress swamp from time to time. I have the lowrance elite 4 HDI that works flawlessly and was inexpensive. I would imagine a similar model with a bigger screen would fit your needs nicely

The main difference I always notice is the 300% price increase

Glad you got it back! Senko always seem to end up in the water one way or another. They usually just fly off and here you’ve gone and assisted them with a leader knot! Haha

Yes things like that! I just didn’t know it would be so fresh on the mind Haha. My cousin worked at brushy mtn so I’ve heard some tales

I think you could have taken him! I would imagine you’ve wrestled worse........ The raccoon does have a distinct advantage up in a tree though hahah

For whatever reason I don’t do liquor drinks. Probably for the best! Haha

Mike carter used to run a lot of trips down there. I would guess the state park down near the dam or goose pond would be the most fishermen friendly places. They didn’t really take too kindly to out-of-towners at the local shops/restaurants when I was down there! Haha. There was a definite “you’re going to kill our lake” vibe

You will understand the McDonald’s scare in your 30s haha

Bottle jack indeed works

20 lb big game. I can barely bite through it

I think @A-Jay has used one of those and said they suck . I always just use the jack from my truck