TNCBA Dock Talk #4: "TVA, What More Can You Say"

BUM...BUM...BUMMMMMMMMM!

It is officially upon us...it is Chickamauga Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you pack your bags and organize your tackle, make sure you got big baits and big line. While not every fish you catch will be your new personal best, there are lots of 7's, 8's, and 9's swimming around in that green tented water of this TVA lake.

The Big Bass Tour event just held this past weekend saw three over 9 lbs brought to the scales in Dayton, TN and several over 6 lbs.

The "Chick" has been flowing high this spring and with that high water there has been an excellent population of bass shallow. That high water also means a lot of flow...as we speak right now...they are churning 47,000 through the dam, and with the rain we have in the forecast I don't see things slowing down much.

This tournament will be a tale of two lakes...

There are lots of bass shallow feeding on shad and bluegill that are spawning, but there is also a wave of bass that are migrating back out to deeper water.

Focusing on your strengths will be key to this tournament. You don't want to get away from what you do best and waist time wandering around. Last year the chatterbait was the closest thing to a pattern, but this year the bass seem to be much more active. If you focus shallow, key in on baits that you can keep just above the grass and don't rule out a frog just because the grass isn't matted up. Even your shallow bass will be deep water oriented at this point...so follow the creek channels closely as you fish these sloughs, backwaters, and creeks. Deeper grass this time of the year is a great stopping point as bass head out to deeper points and ledges.

If you plan to get out deeper, you are going to have to trust your electronics. There is to much water out there for you to try and fish every point and ledge that looks good. If you haven't yet, take a look at the video TNCBA shared on Facebook about graphing deep water. Good ledge baits for this week will consist of swimbaits, crankbaits, and magnum shaky heads. If the bite gets tough, don't be afraid to downsize line and maybe even breakout a drop shot.

One last thought before we get this party started...

There have been several very large tournaments weigh-in at Dayton Boat Dock in the past month. That is thousands of very healthy fish being released right there at our launch site. Don't think you have to run 40 miles to find a good place to fish...sometimes the sweet spot is right under your nose.

I look forward to seeing everyone on Chickamauga...stay safe and swing for the fences...there's monsters in them there waters!!!!!

FLW Recap : Douglas 5/13

It was an interesting weekend for the Tennessee Christian Bass Anglers at the FLW event on Douglas Lake...

Keith Cody Dison, Ryan Pope, and Kelsey Harvey fought through boat motor trouble, a flat tire, and getting to the ramp an hour late to bring their bass to the scales on a high water Douglas.

The high water and a shad spawn led to solid shallow bite...but heavy rain and storms slowed the shad spawn. An offshore bite was available, but overcast skies had the bass suspended out deep.

Ryan Pope was the top representative from the TNCBA with 11.5 lbs. for a top 30 finish!

Looking forward to getting back on the water!

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Beyond the Scales : "Pollen Patrol on Douglas"

A Little Extra Info...

If you haven't been out on the water in last couple of weeks, you have really missed some great fishing...

Our tournament on Douglas took place during the early stages of the spawn and made for some decent fishing. There are some important signs to look for during the Spring to help you identify the state of the fish. As we where rolling home from Douglas the sides of the interstate were overwhelmed with the sight of Red Bud trees in bloom. The other thing to notice from our time on Douglas was the powder of yellow that began to lay on everything that lay exposed.

These sights connect us to changes that are taking place above the water, but more importantly what is taking place under the water. The same ingredients that trigger the Red Bud trees and the massive amounts of pollen from other budding plants also trigger bass to hit the beds...now...this doesn't mean that every bass will move shallow at this time, nor does it mean that bass will wait this long to hit the bed. Bass spawn in waves and how many waves there will be is a question that I can't answer...what I can say though is that the biggest girls typically go first and I feel like we were seeing one of the first or second waves moving up.

Lets use these two bass as our example...every fish tells a story or provides a piece to the puzzle and it is important to pay close attention to the details. Both of these fish were caught on the Thursday before the tournament. First, look at the female on the left...she was caught on a shallow point back in a creek. You can see the extra girth in her belly and also the tail is very bloody and beat up from working her bed. Now look at the bass on the right...she was caught on a steep limestone bluff in 15' of water. Notice that her tail has mush less blood and fewer abrasions and she doesn't have the girth in her belly. The bass on the left told me that there were fishing currently on the beds and the bass on the right told me that a wave had already bedded and moved back out to deep water to heal.

Douglas Breakdown...

I can't speak for everyone, but man was the top-water bite short lived. When we got to our first spot in Caney Creek we had about 15 minutes of top-water action. We caught our first bass on a black buzz-bait. After the top-water bite disappeared we roamed the shallows for a while without any luck. The Carolina rig bite that we had on Thursday was non-existent, but what is funny is the fact that Shaun and Wes caught some of there better fish on the Carolina rig. The main difference that we found out later was the fact that we were throwing a lizard and Shaun and Wes were throwing a salty crawl. Shaun and Wes were also fishing the upper section of the lake while we were fishing the middle section of the lake. (Typically the upper section of the lake has spawning activity sooner and the spawning activity moves down the lake.)

Around 9am and after the shallow bite had not panned out dad and I moved to 45 degree banks and focused on deeper pre-spawn fish. We really started fishing Douglas like we were fishing South Holston. Our main focus was on dark shale banks that form ledges. We were throwing a green pumpkin finesse worm on a 1/4 oz. Spot Remover head. The key was fishing the bait deeper in the 10' - 15' depth range. Shaun and Wes also reported catching a lot of their fish on finesse baits such as the Ned Rig.

The majority of reports pointed towards a finesse pattern being the strongest pattern. As bass move onto or near beds, they really lose that interest on chasing and it becomes more important to get finesse baits in front of their faces. This is why it is sometimes easier to focus on pre- and post- spawn bass, instead of going after spawners. As we move on through the next couple weeks the spawn is going to be winding down and we are going to get into that early post-spawn funk as they make their move into deeper water.

Douglas proved to be a finicky puzzle for the TNCBA. 11 out of 13 teams caught bass, but only four of those teams caught a limit. Individually 18 out of 25 anglers brought bass to the scales, but only five of those were limits. While that might not point to a tough tournament on Cherokee, that is a tough tournament on Douglas where there is a 12 in. limit.

As we move on to our out-of-town tournament, it is time to get your post-spawn attack ready. There are going to be dig girls shallow and deep, and more than likely there will be some sort of shad spawn or bluegill spawn occurring.

I hope everyone had a great time out on Douglas and thank you for coming out to join us!

Beyond the Scales : "Throw the Kitchen Sink"

I told you it was going to be a Griswold Family Vacation kind of day on Cherokee...unfortunately some of us never made it to Walley World...

First and foremost I would like to blame to weather man and his forecast of wind and clouds...hello...sun and slick calm doesn't translate into a good crankbait bite. With all blame aside, this goes right back to the article from last year on decision making. Instead of adjusting to the conditions and making changes, I ran all over the place trying to force feed those bass what I wanted them to bite and that is never a good remedy for a tough day.

The day saw a very stark contrast among boats...you were either on them or you were stone cold. 8 out of 19 anglers zeroed in this event, using up one of those valuable Drops and no individual angler weighed in a limit of bass.

The lake had several different conditions throughout. Water temperatures were in the upper 50's to lower 60's depending on where you were on the lake. There also seemed to be somewhat of an algae bloom happening mixed with dirty water in the main lake between Macedonia and Poor Valley. The water then cleared considerably as you made your way down the lake towards German Creek.

The bags that were brought in by our anglers pointed to several different techniques, but their locations all pointed to pre-spawn staging bass. The top two teams of Crockett/Oiler and Renfro/Meade found their success on the four points heading into T-Hollar, a prime staging area for bass moving further back into the large pocket to spawn. The reports from these two teams was that fish were caught on crankbaits, jigs, and small swimbaits. Gary Clark also had a very nice bag of Cherokee Lake bass. Gary focused the majority of his time on 45 degree banks with a tight-lined Gulp Minnow. Looking at the these locations and techniques tells up that the majority of the bass that were active were still in a Winter to Pre-Spawn pattern...

Then there are some of the other reports...like Long-A's in the very back of Million Dollar Hollar, at 2:30 in the afternoon, that throw you for a loop.

Overall, Crockett and Oiler were the only team to put together a team limit and they brought to the scales with 13.1 lbs. for first place. Renfro and Meade took second with only three fish for almost 9 lbs., so they had a solid average if they could have just put a couple more in the box. Gary Clark rounded out the top three with four fish by himself that weighed 8.03 lbs. Renfro and Meade extend their lead in the TOY standings and Crockett and Oiler jumped up to second on the TOY standings.

It seems to me that even though we have had a mild Winter, these bass are close to where the were last year, if not a little behind. It will be interesting to see with all of these cold fronts, where the bass are at in their transition when we get to Douglas.

Always be willing to adjust and make changes...stubbornness will only lead to an empty livewell and a hole to dig yourself out of in the AOY!

See you on the water!

 

TNCBA Dock Talk #2: "A Griswold Family Vacation on Cherokee"

So at the moment I have this picture of the Griswold family vacation to Walley World in my mind for the current state of the bass in our area...

Bass are currently making their migration from the deep wintering holes (Chicago) up to their shallow spawning areas (Walley World). As these bass are making their trip to the shallows they run into several (breakdowns) and of course they have to stop at all the (landmarks) along the way.

Leaving Chicago:

Most bass spend the majority of their cold winter months in or near deep water where the bait has schooled for the winter. As the photo period (day) gets longer, bass begin to start thinking about a vacation to Walley World. The other factor that plays into this migration is water temperature. As the water temperatures creep into the mid to upper 50's (which it is as we speak), coupled with longer days, the big girls start pushing towards the shallows. Just like anybody does before a trip, these big girls like to pack, and pack on the pounds they do! Right now is probably the best time of the year to catch your personal best.

Breakdowns Along the Way:

Just like any Clark Griswold vacation, there are going to be breakdowns along the trip. The breakdowns that we are talking about here are cold fronts and weather systems. Even with all the joy and excitement that Clark has as he heads for Walley World, he can't foresee the breakdowns ahead. We have had a very mild winter, but if you compare it to the year we had last year, it still has not been as hot as last year. The other factor that we have to take into account this week is the fact that we had a very harsh cold front last. The mornings were extremely cold and the highs barley reached out of the 40's. This week we have hard much warmer days, but the nights and mornings have still been cool. Just like a breakdown on vacation, a cold front will slow these bass's trip down and cause them setbacks. Bass are cold blooded so they are very temperamental about temperature. A drop in water temperature will slow them down and an increase in water temperature can make them aggressive. Your shallow water areas (especially with rock) will warm up more quickly than your deep water areas and this is what attracts those bass to the shallows. They are seeking warm water to spawn and lay their eggs.

Stopping to See the Landmarks:

Now...come on guys...you can't drive across the country and pass up places like the Grand Canyon. You have to stop and see the sights! Landmarks for bass are what we call staging areas. You can't just drive all the way from Chicago to California in one day...it will kill you. The things you want to look for as staging areas: 

  • Secondary Points
  • Deeper Rock Piles (Deeper being relative...I'm talking 30-40' deep.)
  • Deeper Brush Piles
  • Ditches and Drains

Bass will use these locations as rest areas before they move into spawn. They may stay here a day or a week depending on the conditions and weather systems. The key is finding these pieces of cover and structure near spawning areas. My opinion for a place likeCherokee would be staging areas in 10-20' of water. Like I have said before...bass are like birds...they use the same contour lines and cover year after year, just as birds use the same migration routes their entire life.

Arriving at Wally World:

When the Griswold Family finally got to Wally World there was no stopping them from going in and riding the rides...and for the bass the same is true. When the bass get to the spawning areas they are going headstrong and they aren't staying long. The bucks will move in early and prepare the beds to try entice a big girl. Once the females move in and lay their eggs, they will hang around for a short time and then they will work their way back out along their migration route leaving the bed to the male for guarding. The spawn happens in waves with different bass moving up at different times, but the "big mamas" like to get in their early and have their pick of the seats on the roller coaster of love!

Gameplan:

Going into Cherokee tomorrow our bass are on the move and they are pushing into the staging areas around Cherokee Lake...

For me, I am going to work my way from in to out. I will start the day as shallow as possible sense we have had warm days and tonight will be a warm night. If I don't run into any fish shallow, I will begin to move out deeper to those staging areas...looking for stopping points like deeper rock and brush.

My comfort zone is with a crankbait, so I will be combing my areas with a squarebill crakbait, a 200 series bandit, and a 300 series bandit. I will simply switch up crankbaits as I move deeper. If I begin to locate a bass at a particular depth, I will slow down and focus on a depth range. Now it is important to keep in mind that as tomorrow warms up the bass can make a move to shallower water. Don't be afraid to check shallow again later in the day.

The fun thing about this time of year is that there is a lot of different ways to catch bass, and we will probably here a lot of different stories tomorrow.

Be safe out there and enjoy every minute of it!

See you on the water,

Cody Dison

TNCBA President

FLW Recap : "The Benefits of Getting Beat"

Bass fishing is a scientist's worst nightmare...

When scientist setup their experiment they always have to take into account the different variables. Throughout the experiment scientist only want to have one variable change each time they perform the experiment. This allow them to explain exactly how and why the outcome was effected. Bass fishing doesn't play by these rules!

As we look at the recap of getting my butt whooped at this past week's BFL on Norris, let's look at the parallels to our Christian walk.

..."Our biggest lessons are learned through our struggles, not our successes."

So, lets get back to the whole variable thing...the first day of practice began with air temps in the upper teens and winds blowing 15-25mph. I spent most of the day cleaning ice from my reel and guides. I put in at Anderson County Park and focused my search in the Cove Creek area on the Powell side of Norris. I caught a keeper largemouth early on a 300 series bandit and then the day slowed until about noon. The water temp was hovering around 48 degrees so I moved to some clear water and picked up a hair fly and went in search of smallies. I quickly picked up two keeper smallmouth and then began to build on that pattern. As the day progressed, I caught several more bass on the hair fly and finished out my limit around 3pm. My limit of bass went between 15-16 lbs., so I was feeling good about the start of the week. Now keep in mind those variables. Wednesday's conditions were low of 19 , high of 38, mostly sunny, and winds 15-25mph.

Day 2 of practice began with even colder temps! (which I didn't think was possible after Wednesday) The morning low was a balmy 12 degrees and calm winds. The fog that formed that morning created a film of ice on everything that lay exposed. For day 2 I moved my search the Brogan's area on the Clinch side in hopes of nailing down a largemouth pattern to be a backup to the smallmouth I had found the day before. (largemouth only have to be 14 inches and smallmouth have to be 18 inches on Norris) As the day progressed and slowly warmed I was able to catch some bass on a crankbait and the fly. The only issue was the fact that I was still in a mix of largemouth and smallmouth and not all the largemouth were not long enough to keep, so I headed even further up the river to find dirtier water. I found some great looking pockets with water coming in the backs, but I didn't find many fish. I finished day 2 of practice with three keepers for about 6 lbs.

...here is where my decision making began to fall apart...

On Friday, the final day of practice I was greeted with morning lows above freezing and I made a long run to the "Lost Sea" before day break. As the sun was coming up I caught a short smallmouth on a Keitech and a keeper smallmouth on the hair fly. With the smallmouth bite still looking solid I headed back up into the Clinch River to find some largemouth. (I should have gone back to Cove Creek and located some largemouth areas there) Towards the end of the day I finally found a few largemouth paralleling the bank with a red Shad Rap. Winds were steady around 10mph Friday with mostly overcast skies.

My game plan...

The game plan was to make the 50 minute run to Cove Creek in the morning and fish for Smallmouth and then come back up the Clinch to fish for Largemouth in the afternoon. The mistake I made was when I looked at my phone on Saturday morning and saw that there was going to be no wind until 11am, I didn't adjust my plan. (I needed wind and sun for the smallmouth bite.) So when I made the long run Saturday to Cove Creek there was absolutely no wind and the fog was so thick that you couldn't see from one side of the channel to the other. I caught two smallmouth in one area, but both were 17 3/4 inches. At 10:30am I panicked since there was still dense fog and no wind. I left and headed back up the Clinch River. Over the course of the remaining day, I caught four more bass on the shad rap, but none of them would keep. I ended the tournament with a zero and dug myself a whole in the point standings.

The variables were all changing throughout the week. We went from morning lows in the teens to a low on Saturday of 47 degrees. The high Wednesday was 37 and the high Saturday was 67. We went from high winds to no wind and then on Saturday we went from no wind in the AM to white capping swells in the PM.

...in hindsight, I should have paid attention to those variables more. I should have stayed up in the Clinch and fished for largemouth until the fog lifted and the wind picked up. Then made the long run to Cove Creek. Lesson Learned!!!

But now on the relationship to our Christian walk...

When things are going right for us in life and we are finding success, it is very easy for us to become comfortable with the status quo and we forget to examine ourselves and look at areas we need to improve. We like to focus on what we are doing right and the parts of our Christian life that are strong, but that does not lead to growth. God allows tests and tribulations into our lives that force us to struggle and show us that we cannot control all the "variables". When we realize our need for God and Jesus Christ as our savior, it is only then that we truly grow as individuals. So often we measure ourselves based on rank at the work place, how much we own, results at a bass fishing tournament, or etc.. If the measuring stick that you are using for your life is an earthly one, then YOU HAVE THE WRONG MEASURING STICK. Life is not about trophies on your mantel or the number of zeros on your paycheck. Our lives are meant to glorify a righteous and holy God, and that can only happen when you allow Christ to live through you and lead you into serving others. Please don't miss the big picture! Measure yourself against God's Word and His standards...nothing else. Take in His creation and be appreciative and thankful for every breath you take. The Bible tells us that "life is but a vapor", it s here one moment and gone the next. Allow God to use your life to minister and serve. Find the gifts and passions that God has given you and use those to glorify Him!

While this week didn't turn out the way that I wanted, I had the opportunity to experience God's creation everyday, spend a week with family and friends that are dear to me, and get to know a total stranger in the back of my boat. Those are the blessings of this week. I will learn from this struggle as a fisherman, but I am thankful for every second of this week as a Christian!

See you on the Water,

God Bless!