Starting Spring Crappie Right

Cedar Creek Reservoir

Time: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Air Temperature: 42 - 62 degrees during trip
Water Temperature: 55 Degrees
Lake Level: 580.6
Weather Conditions: Partly Cloudy. Winds N-NE 3-10 mph

I decided to take the day off of work today and start my spring crappie season at Cedar Creek.  Glad I did!

I fished minnows under a bobber today in the shallows and caught every fish in the bushes/log jams/tree tops, etc in about 3-8 FOW.  I fished all my typical spots.  Fish were a bit scattered, but they are in the pre-spawn pattern with males beginning to stake out bed locations.  Males are starting to get their spawning colors.  

I caught almost exclusively males today.  Had a lot of stolen minnows and caught about half of the fish in the blow down in the bend of the small end of the river.  I picked up 2-4 in just about every place I stopped.

I caught my limit fish #30 right around 3:30 and stopped to recount.  That's when I realized that I had kept every single fish I had caught today - ZERO shorts.  Never had that happen before!  I think I started the day with four dozen minnows.  Had ONE minnow left when I finished with a limit!

I call that a success!

Teach 'em Right

 Had a Father-Son day today with my boy and decided to take him bluegill fishing on the bank at the pump house.  Probably caught + on worms we dug out of the flower beds at home.  Thomas reeled in his first solo fish!  Needless to say, he had a blast!

Grain Fed

 Wheeler Lake - Decatur

Time: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Air Temperature: 36 - 62 degrees during trip
Water Temperature: 46 degrees
Lake Level: 552.59 - Strong Current.

Weather Conditions: Clear and Sunny. Winds variable 5-9 MPH

I decided to get in a catfish trip before crappie season started.  I headed over to the grain barges in Decatur.  They were loading/unloading grain pretty rapidly and moving barges, so I back up a bit and anchored.  Current was very strong and it was all I could do to sit still, but I managed.

I used some frozen skipjack and casted behind the barges and fished bottom.  I've recently installed some new rod holders and acquired some new Abu Garcia reels and Ugly Stik Catfish Special rods.  This was a good time to try both of them out.

Almost immediately, I hooked a decent cat, but things got slow after that.  I managed to pull in two more, but wrapped up the day early before lunch.  Nothing spectacular to report, but never a bad day on the water.

Catching Up

Wheeler Lake - Browns Ferry and Indian Creek

Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Air Temperature: 32 - 60 degrees during trip
Water Temperature:
Lake Level: 552.36 

Weather Conditions: Partly Cloudy. Winds East South East- 12 MPH.

I was thinking about my friend Cameron a few weeks back and gave him a shout to see if he wanted to fish.  It's probably been 2-3 years since we've had a chance to get together.  He was all in and drove down from TN to fish.

We started the day trying to catch stripped bass at the nuclear plant, but temperatures were warming quick and strong current + strong winds in the same direction made in impossible to stay in position.  We gave it all we could up until lunch, but had to give in due to the tough wind and water.  We caught one bass and a couple cats.  I did manage to catch one nice flathead.  

After lunch, we decided to completely change it up and try out some new water.  We trailered to boat to Triana and launched at Indian Creek.  I had never been there before, but had heard it might be a good spot for crappie.

Crappie fishing was slow with mixed luck between minnows and jigs.  We caught 4 keepers but had a great time doing it and it was excellent to catch up.  We will definitely need to do it again sooner next time.  

Lookin' Good In Stripes

Wheeler Lake - Browns Ferry

Time: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Air Temperature: 28 - 47 degrees during trip
Water Temperature:
Lake Level: 552.57 

Weather Conditions: Sunny. Winds North West- 3-10 MPH.

I made a last minute decision to head out solo this morning.  I also wanted to see if I could take what Kevin had taught me about fishing for stripped bass and apply it on my own.  

I headed out and did exactly what we've done the past couple times.  I definitely wish I had a spot lock trolling motor.  I'm able to fish, but it is a much bigger struggle to hold position without the spot lock.

I had a great morning.  I caught 5 strippers and 2 cats.  Two of the bass were very nice and fought insanely hard.  I was glad to see I could apply what I'd been learning.  

Strippers - Round 2

Wheeler Lake - Browns Ferry

Time: 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Air Temperature: 20 - 29 degrees during trip
Water Temperature: Cold, barely above freezing
Lake Level: 552.72 

Weather Conditions: Mostly Sunny. Winds North- 5-13 MPH.

After having such a great time last weekend, Kevin and I headed back out for a repeat of our last trip.

Overall, today was almost a carbon copy of last weekend.  Today, the current was a bit tougher, and the wind kicked up at times making it very difficult to stay in position.

We caught a few bass and a couple cats, but it was definitely slower than last weekend.  The highlight of the trip by far was Kevin's flathead catfish.  It weighed 41 lbs and was tagged in the dorsal fin!  First time in my life seeing a tagged fish in the wild.  Very cool.  

We had a blast and definitely will get out again soon.

FINALLY Learning How to Fish for Hybrids and Strippers

 Wheeler Lake - Browns Ferry

Time: 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Air Temperature: 21 - 43 degrees during trip
Water Temperature: Cold, barely above freezing
Lake Level: 552.03
Weather Conditions: Sunny. Winds North- North East 2-10 MPH.

For many, many years, I've wanted to learn how to catch Hybrid and Stripped Bass, but just never knew how to get started and never had anyone to show me.  I've had never taken the time to learn on my own via trial and error as I always just targeted something familiar.  Well, one day recently I asked my friend Kevin if he'd show me how and he was all in.  

We launched around 7:30 from Cowford and rode down to the nuclear plant.  It was COLD!  Kevin had stopped at the bait shop in Tanner and picked out some very large shiners/bass minnows.  It was so cold, that the minnow bucket was frozen nearly solid already.  My wet feet were freezing to the deck.  

Kevin showed me how to rig.  I was very surprised to see that it was really just a deviation of a Carolina rig with a 3 oz egg sinker rigged to slip against a swivel.  We tied a two-foot leader with a regular shank hook on and that is all it took.  Kevin explained that we'd let it drop to bottom and reel up a couple feet and fish as vertical as the current would allow and adjust as we found the fish.  

We fished the current break along the drop off around the pipeline near the green buoy and all the way down to the four steel posts around the boils.  We used the fish finder to find local groups of fish and then used the spot lock on the trolling motor to set up over the targets.  Now that we were all ready, we dropped line.  

And BOOM! Fish on!

Kevin got a massive hit almost immediately.  I was amazed and the strength of this fish.  It took off like a torpedo and peeled like off quick!  It put up one heck of a fight and after a couple minutes, we put the first fish in the boat.  

I washed Kevin repeat and put a couple more in the boat.  He reeled in a 24 lbs monster and had another one over 20 lbs pretty soon thereafter.

Now that I'd seen a round or two, I was ready for my turn and soon got a good hit.  I've never fought a fish in freshwater that fights quite like these bass.  Amazingly strong and fast with little to no quit in them.

We had a great day and put somewhere around 7-9 bass in the boat along with a couple stray drum and catfish.  What an amazing day learning a new species.

Big shout out to Kevin for teaching me the ropes and I can't wait to try it again!