Pond Observations

[TnRiver46]

42 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Thanks for the update, Bob. I laughed when I read that you want a Maine bog in Tennessee! If that's the way you're playing it, then I'm going to build my own Nashville here! I'm warm up by building my own Dollywood. 

 

Seriously, the pond looks great and I enjoyed your pics and anecdotes. 

Dollywood is a special layer of hell 😂 

 

my wife went there with my mom and niece Tuesday and I think they about heat stroked 

 

we had to go nearly every weekend when I was a kid and I despised every single second 

[Eric 26]

50 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

If that's the way you're playing it, then I'm going to build my own Nashville here! I'm warm up by building my own Dollywood. 

 

[Blue Raider Bob]

Cold Water Bass behavior.

 

     Went to Nickajack Sunday and worked for strikes. Water clarity was excellent but the fishing was not. Could not buy a bite for a couple hours and could not find baitfish. Water temp 56 deg. Finally decided to call it a day and go by the boat slips to catch Shad for my pond as there are always schools of Shad around the covered slips. First school I found using the Livescope showed Bass hovering below the school. Caught four small ones on a mini-jerkbait. This was the only thing they would bite. Only took two cast net tosses to fill the 55 gallon plastic barrel with a couple hundred 2-3" Shad. What was fun, besides just catching the Shad, was I also caught a largemouth! second time I've caught a largie with the castnet in the shallow water. I threw the dummie back and raced to the ramp for the hour and ten minute drive home. With the barrel filled three quarters, and the max bubbles aeration going, the Shad were in surprisingly good shape when I pulled up to the pond. With the cold nights, my pond water is in the forties. Usually when I start releasing Shad or other types of bait fish into the pond, there is an immediate reaction from the occupants. This time, however, the residents were very slow to react. The ones that were curious seemed, at first, not the least interested in the offered buffet. Slowly the instinct took over and the weak swimmers were consumed, not by the sudden, missile like strikes, but by slowly easing up to the Shad and a quick inhalation. I did have the pleasure of witnessing the stronger Shad forming a school of perhaps fifty or so over the deepest part of the pond.

     My conclusion was once the water gets good and cold, there is a definite effect on the movements and appetites of Largemouth. At least from what I can observe.

    

 

     Back to Nickajack.....I think it was Buck Perry who wrote, (You may find baitfish with no Bass, but you will never find Bass with no baitfish.)

This was true yesterday. The Bass were under the balls of Shad and showed up clearly on the FFS. Just couldn't get them to bite.

Next trip, I'm headed for the boat slips!

[Swamp Girl]

Bob, you don't catch as many bass as @Bluebasser86, but your accounts are just as exciting. I was watching a movie last night and I wasn't as interested as I once would have been simply because I knew that no matter how dire the situation, the protagonists would win in the end. With fishing, we don't know and I love that uncertainty. Even if you're Clayton, the bass sometimes win. 

 

Because I don't have FFS, I don't look for bait. I fish those areas that look fishy. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 12/2/2024 at 10:16 AM, Swamp Girl said:

Because I don't have FFS, I don't look for bait. I fish those areas that look fishy. 

      My enjoyment of FFS is different I think, than most anglers. I do not stare at the screen to watch my lure in action, (well, sometimes I do), rather I use my FFS to explore the hidden, underwater world that I am so addicted too. I relish watching the movements of the Shad and the other species that I encounter. Just like a huge flock of blackbirds, the Shad swarms move in unison one way, then another. I waste much precious fishing time just observing. One thing is for sure.....the bass hug the bottom when they follow the schools....UNTIL they make a movement to feed.

     I also enjoy the ease which I can select areas to toss the cast net. Instead of blind casting, I can creep up alongside a Shad school and drop the net over the top, then I can follow the net down on FFS and watch as the school scatters and the net cover the unfortunates. dang I sound morbid! I caught my max load of Shad Sunday on just two tosses....and my tosses stink because I am garbage throwing a cast net. Even with half opening nets, I pulled up gobs.

     As I trolled through the boat slips, I could see gobs of fish larger than Shad, but smaller than bass, stacked up from the bottom all the way to the tops of the water columns. There are just so many fish occupying certain areas of a water body while other areas are totally void of fish. If I could crack that code, I may have a picture to share someday!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

That's awesome about the Shad Bob!  

 

Once you get your LMB population dialed in, you can really supercharge those babies with the free unlimited source of Threadfins you have access to.   

 

You don't typical see smaller ponds stocked with Threadfins, so your pond is quite unique in that regard.  

 

I bet once you get one of our typical southern warm ups where temps get into the 60s, those green tunas will be launching themselves out of the water chasing those shad.  

[Blue Raider Bob]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

That's awesome about the Shad Bob!  

 

Once you get your LMB population dialed in, you can really supercharge those babies with the free unlimited source of Threadfins you have access to.   

 

You don't typical see smaller ponds stocked with Threadfins, so your pond is quite unique in that regard.  

 

I bet once you get one of our typical southern warm ups where temps get into the 60s, those green tunas will be launching themselves out of the water chasing those shad.  

My pond gets temporary stockings. I went out yesterday afternoon and did not see a shad😶.

Guess the green tunas woke up. I'm going to thin Saturday and try to catch a dozen or so under say 14" to release in the Stones River. I would love to have a reproducing population of Shad but have my doubts about the reality.

[Tennessee Boy]

2 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

I'm going to thin Saturday and try to catch a dozen or so under say 14" to release in the Stones River.

I would encourage you to rethink this.   It's illegal to move fish from one body of water to another plus  the number of fish you will have in your possession will be over the daily limit.  I would eat them instead.  They are very tasty.  😊

[AlabamaSpothunter]

18 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I would encourage you to rethink this.   It's illegal to move fish from one body of water to another plus  the number of fish you will have in your possession will be over the daily limit.  I would eat them instead.  They are very tasty.  😊

A lot of states allow you to remove fish from public water and release them in your own private waters as long as you're keeping only your limit of fish.

Texas is like this for sure, Milliken has caught a number of double digits and moved them into .5 acre ponds......which I hate to see.    Those DDs only become DDs because of a very specific habitat.   Those fish will never get bigger, and likely will have rapid decline.   

 

Not sure about TN laws though.  

[Tennessee Boy]

31 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

A lot of states allow you to remove fish from public water and release them in your own private waters as long as you're keeping only your limit of fish.

I don't think you would get in trouble in Tennessee for releasing fish into your own pond.  Bob stated that he's planning to release a dozen or so bass from his pond into public waters.  The authorities would frown on that because it could introduce deceases and there is also the possibility that someone might not know what species they are actually releasing.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Oh yeah, that's illegal everywhere lol.    I read that part wrong.  

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 12/3/2024 at 6:36 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

I don't think you would get in trouble in Tennessee for releasing fish into your own pond.  Bob stated that he's planning to release a dozen or so bass from his pond into public waters.  The authorities would frown on that because it could introduce deceases and there is also the possibility that someone might not know what species they are actually releasing.

That's a real good point.

thanks

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

That's a real good point.

thanks

 

You're the best, Bob. I've never met ya, but I still miss ya. Truly.

[Blue Raider Bob]

More intrigue concerning cold water. Skunked at Nickajack but I only fished for an hour or so. Couldn't relax, too many worries I'm dealing with. Went to the new marina boat slips and shad were everywhere. Filled up two 55 gallon barrels with just four tosses. Cranked up the aerators and hauled buns back to the dock. Pulled up to the pond and released net fulls of shad. The LM were not interested a bit. The few that were curious enough to welcome the new pond mates made no aggressive actions. Most shad swam off but several dozen were anywhere from dead, to weak swimmers. The LM did not even pounce on the unfortunates. I do not know how you guys (Team9) catch bass in this cold water. It does not work for me. Water temps in forties. Warmer water would have witnesses mayhem on a release like this. Going to try again Sunday. Also going to try a different kind of lake.

[Team9nine]

Thanks for the mention @Blue Raider Bob. Now here's the bad news...I wish I could give you some great words of wisdom that would work for you, but I've come to believe that while 'a bass is a bass,' that only takes you so far. All success IS a local thing, especially when it comes to big bass.

 

I've been fortunate to be able to push the envelope by fishing as much as 175+ days a year or more for a few decades now, and I can tell you that there is no such thing as water that is too cold to catch bass out of. I've literally caught them in about every cold weather/water scenario imaginable, right up to drilling holes in a frozen lake. But how you actually catch them - what will work or won't work for your waters - is literally based on your waters, your approach restrictions (boat, bank, kayak, etc.), and lots of trial and error. While all of us could rattle off our favorite winter presentations and locations, there's no guarantees any of them would actually work for you where you fish.

 

You have to take the basics of a technique option and just give them a try. The same applies for location. We all are good at posting our successes, but what you rarely see is the hours and hours of our unsuccessful attempts with a variety of baits in a variety of locations - but that's how we learn, and what ultimately leads us to the good catches you eventually see. 

 

But to try and be a little bit positive in all this, I will say if I had to start a list of my most successful winter baits, it would include things like blade baits, Ned rigs, jerkbaits, and hair jigs (bucktail or float-n-fly style). Those 4 will cover the water column from top to bottom. I could also say with some confidence that being near or in deep water (which is relative to your lake) is also important. Steeper banks (>45 deg.), whether that be creek or river channel bluffs on a larger body of water, or the deep water end of a pond, are a great starting point. And from there, the trial and error of baits, presentations, retrieves, exact location, best weather patterns, all play. When you do get a bite, consider it a data point that hopefully you can use to expand and build upon, leading you to your next bass. Go out there with an open mind, and know that it's an extremely rare instance in which there isn't a bass somewhere willing to bite on any given day 

[TnRiver46]

@Blue Raider Bob, ever been to Tim’s ford ? Seems like if you fished rock cliffs there all winter you would catch em 

 

the others that should work would be dale hollow , center hill, anything steep deep and clear.

 

nickajack, I would fish below chick dam or nick dam, never spent any time inbetween. Also I would fish with shad around that marina you are catching the bait, at least get a catfish to drag me around 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

How far is Guntersville?

 

Guntersville is arguably the hottest LMB lake in the world right now.     The numbers coming from that place over the last month are absolutely insane.

 

Future Elite Series pro Tucker Smith and a partner won a black friday derby there with 35lbs.   There were 5 other bags over 30lbs.    

 

Last week a dude caught 40lbs+ (it was either 43 or 47lbs)!

 

  

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Thanks for the mention @Blue Raider Bob. Now here's the bad news...I wish I could give you some great words of wisdom that would work for you, but I've come to believe that while 'a bass is a bass,' that only takes you so far. All success IS a local thing, especially when it comes to big bass.

 

I've been fortunate to be able to push the envelope by fishing as much as 175+ days a year or more for a few decades now, and I can tell you that there is no such thing as water that is too cold to catch bass out of. I've literally caught them in about every cold weather/water scenario imaginable, right up to drilling holes in a frozen lake. But how you actually catch them - what will work or won't work for your waters - is literally based on your waters, your approach restrictions (boat, bank, kayak, etc.), and lots of trial and error. While all of us could rattle off our favorite winter presentations and locations, there's no guarantees any of them would actually work for you where you fish.

 

You have to take the basics of a technique option and just give them a try. The same applies for location. We all are good at posting our successes, but what you rarely see is the hours and hours of our unsuccessful attempts with a variety of baits in a variety of locations - but that's how we learn, and what ultimately leads us to the good catches you eventually see. 

 

But to try and be a little bit positive in all this, I will say if I had to start a list of my most successful winter baits, it would include things like blade baits, Ned rigs, jerkbaits, and hair jigs (bucktail or float-n-fly style). Those 4 will cover the water column from top to bottom. I could also say with some confidence that being near or in deep water (which is relative to your lake) is also important. Steeper banks (>45 deg.), whether that be creek or river channel bluffs on a larger body of water, or the deep water end of a pond, are a great starting point. And from there, the trial and error of baits, presentations, retrieves, exact location, best weather patterns, all play. When you do get a bite, consider it a data point that hopefully you can use to expand and build upon, leading you to your next bass. Go out there with an open mind, and know that it's an extremely rare instance in which there isn't a bass somewhere willing to bite on any given day 

Just Nailed It !

A-Jay

 

[Tennessee Boy]

@Blue Raider Bob have you fished the Cumberland around the Stones River in the Winter?

[Blue Raider Bob]

14 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

@Blue Raider Bob have you fished the Cumberland around the Stones River in the Winter?

Yes, usually the fishing is great but I've been on a LM mission this year and have passed on river fishing. Winter is a great time to float the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers below dams.

 

I am going to concentrate on local bodies of water such as Percy Priest, and Normandy. These lakes do not have vegetation due to level swings for flood control. I'll be perfecting the four presentations suggested by Team9. Guntersville is just too far away at two hours one way, and Nickajack, (which is a miniature Guntersville), just hasn't produced for me lately. The lakes TnRiver suggests are just too far away as well.

 

This thread usually follows the evolution of my pond and it's changing seasons. Right now I am stumped as to why the bass are not feeding on the shad. They may have after my observation ceased, but there are dead shad all over my pond now and I cannot repeat that mistake.

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Yes, usually the fishing is great but I've been on a LM mission this year and have passed on river fishing. Winter is a great time to float the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers below dams.

 

I am going to concentrate on local bodies of water such as Percy Priest, and Normandy. These lakes do not have vegetation due to level swings for flood control. I'll be perfecting the four presentations suggested by Team9. Guntersville is just too far away at two hours one way, and Nickajack, (which is a miniature Guntersville), just hasn't produced for me lately. The lakes TnRiver suggests are just too far away as well.

 

This thread usually follows the evolution of my pond and it's changing seasons. Right now I am stumped as to why the bass are not feeding on the shad. They may have after my observation ceased, but there are dead shad all over my pond now and I cannot repeat that mistake.

With water temps in the 40s, a bass can take like an entire week to digest a single shad. They might still eat another if presented with the opportunity, but they don’t have to. That’s why lots of folks focus on reaction strikes in winter, the predators just can’t shut off the instinct button. Lots of nice LM are taking ripping a rattle trap in cold water

[Tennessee Boy]

27 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Winter is a great time to float the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers below dams.

I guess misunderstand your earlier comments about winter fishing.   Sounds like you’ve had success in the past.

[Blue Raider Bob]

23 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I guess misunderstand your earlier comments about winter fishing.   Sounds like you’ve had success in the past.

Yes, winter fishing on the Cumberland can be fantastic!

[Tennessee Boy]

I launched on the Stones river for the first time this year.  Unfortunately,  I left my brain at home.  I forgot my long rope to tie up at the ramp so I just spot locked the boat about 10 feet out while I parked the truck.   I had several things in my hand as I walked back down to the boat.  The trolling motor remote was not one of them.  I went back to the truck to get the remote and it was not there.   I searched for 30 minutes trying to find where I dropped it.   Couldn’t find it so I had to swim out to the boat.   I fished for an hour or so but I was wet and mad that I had lost a $100 remote.   I left early and spent more time looking but never found the stupid remote.  
 

I like the area and caught a few fish.  I’m looking forward to going back with my brain sometime.

[Team9nine]

9 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Yes, usually the fishing is great but I've been on a LM mission this year and have passed on river fishing. Winter is a great time to float the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers below dams.

 

I am going to concentrate on local bodies of water such as Percy Priest, and Normandy. These lakes do not have vegetation due to level swings for flood control. I'll be perfecting the four presentations suggested by Team9. Guntersville is just too far away at two hours one way, and Nickajack, (which is a miniature Guntersville), just hasn't produced for me lately. The lakes TnRiver suggests are just too far away as well.

 

This thread usually follows the evolution of my pond and it's changing seasons. Right now I am stumped as to why the bass are not feeding on the shad. They may have after my observation ceased, but there are dead shad all over my pond now and I cannot repeat that mistake.

Randy just posted a good video on bluff bank fishing - what to look for and baits. He mentions 2 of the baits I suggested, along with 1 other. The Ned could easily double as or complement the jig as a third option in this case.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xb7pHqsOOg