TnRiver46

I can’t go down more than 8 feet or my skull wants to explode

That’s pretty impressive for Michigan! Seems awful wet up there

Chicken coops keep me in business (I’m a trapper ) . I’m not trapping a Rottweiler though!!! Ever had any trouble with wildlife?

I’m down! Do you fish watauga lake? Might be dodgy in a yak but it’s full of monsters

I was going to say that too, stripers and wipers gobble up cut bait like candy. I also saw a cat fisherman with a huge smallmouth he had caught with cut bait

And no picture for the bass resource gang??

Another great answer. When Paul says something short and to the point, take notice!!!

^best answer to any question in the history of earth I agree with this and love snorkeling but for whatever reason my head feels like it’s going to explode at about 8 feet down. I like the idea of scuba diving but am waaaaay to chicken for that. I’ve tried all the tricks to clear the pressure and nothing ever helps my answer to the OP: having a hook in the water every possible chance you get is my strategy. The learning will all fall into place if you are always fishing. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect

It’s impossible from what I can tell. @Dwight Hottle s idea sound like about your best bet. The water always seems to drip inside the jacket no matter how tight I make that neoprene/Velcro/ etc. or you could stand upside down and fish

#1: yes, especially where I live. It varies with each body of water but as a top predator they bioaccumulate the most PCBs and mercury. #2: yes this true with most if not all fish contaminants. Once again, this stuff accumulates and is always at highest concentrations in top predators #3: yes it varies, like @J Franchosaid, check your local water quality. Where is it that you fish? also I should ask how old are you? Older humans build up the contaminants just like the fish. At age 25 you might want to limit yourself to one or two a month. If you’re 75 go hog wild.

I’ve used mostly zoom worms my whole life and somehow only Recently bought my first bag of speed worms ! Can’t wait to try them around some river grass in the summer/fall! Might even try them in some unconventional situations before then

The big south fork of the Cumberland came up 30 ft in 1.5 days, I think it’s pushing 80,000 cubic feet per second right now. Here’s a little trout stream my buddy photographed today

Smart play after what happened last time it was gusty down there

Who’s everyone pick? Hard to bet against John Cox here lately. Also, we had our annual 500 year flood the last two days so there will be tons of current and the bite should be wide open

Smallmouth and largemouth are found everywhere together on the TN river. The classic last year was a great example, same gear for each species

Jeremy , did you think to ask any of your bass their opinion??? Why no, I bet you just threw them back in the river!!!!

Glad y'all got on some fish and had fun! Best wishes on your trip to Duke

I don’t keep a log but I Always take a picture of at least one fish , google photos is always reminding me of what was biting where in years gone by. Got one just yesterday, largemouth and yellow perch off the dock

Small world, my girlfriend is from the maumee river valley, not far from hamler

Check out Kristine Fancher (sp?) On YouTube. Not only does she enter kayak tournaments, she places very well and wins some big ones all over the US

I hate walking around my center console. But heck yes I would fish out of that whaler

I'm submitting my vote as smallmouth bass on that one. Red-eye bass are mainly found in coosa river watershed (micropterus coosae) and I think @kayaking_kev fishes up North, several hundred miles from a red-eye bass Every SMB and LMB I've caught in the last few weeks has had red eyes and they sure aren't spawning or even pre spawn. 47 degree water and the fish are 25-40 feet deep

I'm pretty much "Frank" except less successful. Worm is the best!!!

Update: I’ve been trying to trap this one squirrel for about a week and a half. Several times as I was checking the trap, the squirrel would bail out of the hole in the siding, land on the cage, and jump off The roof into a tree. Today I was prepared and got her with the .177 flat head and a daisy powerline 901. This pellet rifle never ceases to amaze me with its accuracy, $50 at academy