TnRiver46

Foam life jackets are easy! Just walk into a store and check them out, there’s usually a massive selection. And they are all made of the same thing, just choose which fits your body the best. I personally have about a dozen of them haha. A few brands I’ve got are onyx, astral, and O’Brien. Believe it or not, the rescue teams and police/fire/DNR will most likely tell you the orange ones that go around your neck for $5 are the safest PFD. Always good to keep your breather above the water line! I like this one when I’m swimming around in the lake relaxing. It holds me way up out of the water

The headline says TN river but this was actually captured in the caney fork river (which it ironically says early in the article )

I’ve got one muskie and two sturgeon, of course not trying for them

Got 4 things going currently. Nuisance wildlife control, fly fishing guide, canoe/kayak/paddleboard rentals and shuttles, and food delivery

Maybe the fish don’t know about the tradition, did you send them an invite in the mail? Every year is different, I would say let them tell you what they are up to. From your description, I would guess they are mostly still pre spawn and you have a good bite in your future

That’s how ya do it!

I was watching some coverage of the BASS elite at Neely Henry and one of the competitors said he caught a fish off a bed on day 1,2, and 3 of the tournament. This is in north Alabama. I’m in East TN and I’ve caught one fish off a bed I think, and I didn’t see it (the fish bit in the same spot 6 times in a row so I’m assuming it was on a bed). Also this was a spotted bass, not a LM. If fish are just now spawning in Alabama , what makes you say “fish are supposed to be spawning right now” in NJ? They will spawn when they are ready, not when humans say they are supposed to. I would imagine you’ve still got a little ways to go that far north but I can’t say for sure. I would suggest finding a few other places to fish for a change of scenery if that’s possible

tubin’

I can’t do anything effectively with my hands while wearing gloves. I have to wear them climbing a ladder when it’s very cold and very hot, it scares the heck out of me every time

Kayak only please. Canoes need not apply kidding of course, got a canoe in the back of my truck at home right now “sign sign, everywhere a sign”

Kayak only waters??? Is that prejudice? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer........ on a lake you aren’t going to find water a bass boat can’t get into. A long stretch of river with no boat ramps and lots of rapids is the only place around here you can fish without bass boats, but then there’s jet boats Kristine fisher did a video recently on lake fork where she tried to get in areas where bass boats couldn’t. She got way into some backwaters and bass boats did too

Wind is the worst . Maybe get a clamp like your buddy!! Or a drift sock. We rarely get high wind and when we do, I usually stay home

Trust me I went to college with and still communicate daily with the main boating officer in Nashville that writes all those BUI and drug tickets on Percy priest and old hickory (and of course works all the accidents). Nashville is a monster party town

Haha! It’s usually competitors 1-30 that have over a 20 lb bag of smallies in the tournaments on st Clair, st Lawrence, simcoe, etc.

I have only ever attempted trolling crank baits and the smallies smash them. Especially when you cant buy a bite casting any lure. I think it’s the speed of the plug that makes them bite when they otherwise won’t (which is all the time). This isn’t like the northern lakes where everyone catches 5 lb smallies non stop. The fish are always there, they can’t just leave. Locating them isn’t hard, making them bite is. It’s kind of the complete opposite of all traditional smallmouth info, here it’s just one big river and all the fish act the same . We don’t have that “once you find the smallies they are easy to catch” phenomenon

12 is good line for bait caster in a highland reservoir

When the water is rough, I do several things. Put pork on a meat smoker, cut the grass, sweep the floor, etc. These strategies are guaranteed to keep you safe from spearing a wave

Not around here! It’s most frequently fishermen. I think of the several deaths we’ve had already this year, all but one were fishing related. My buddies that find the bodies will tell you a bass boat is the worst one to be in

Shoot. Comes up everyday !

I don’t know a thing about fishing out west but smallmouth love fast water and tube jigs about anywhere they live

Hey man, it takes a village!!! They have plenty of work to do that doesn’t require running. IT, dispatch, accounting, maintenance, etc

Man I’ve got the stories haha! Grew up on a golf course and fished all the ponds, got ran off by dozens of people with zero authority to do so . I just came back when they weren’t looking. One old man told me I was going to kill the grass carp he most likely introduced without a permit

I think we all wish we had places to fish like you’ve got!! We don’t have many ponds and the ones we do have are heavily guarded by people that don’t own them and claim you will kill all the geese by fishing

Great report! My buddies also have similar troubles with the Ned rig, they fish it 30+ feet deep all winter with 1/16oz jig head and the fish usually have the hook deep in the throat

Nice catch