Anybody doing any fishing now?

[Quavodus]

Just wondered who's fishing now. 

[10-Ring]

Not at the moment.  I haven't been since yesterday.  Which is longer than I like between trips. 

[MacGyver]

I fished out at the southern end of Priest on Saturday - was actually not too far away when the plane went down even though it’s so skinny back there I had no idea.

I was in the kayak fishing for panfish on an ultralight rig.  Really just out there to enjoy the weather.

The bite was pretty good, though. 

[gregintenn]

Me and my son went to Dale Hollow a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't find any shellcrackers. We did catch some big bluegills. That's the only time I've been so far this year.

[10-Ring]

5 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Me and my son went to Dale Hollow a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't find any shellcrackers. We did catch some big bluegills. That's the only time I've been so far this year.

I hit Defeated Creek for an afternoon, then the next morning two weekends ago.  BIG bluegill were spawning.  Caught around 50 each day on my ultra light running 2lb line and a 1/64oz trout magnet.  Fun stuff!

[gregintenn]

10 hours ago, 10-Ring said:

I hit Defeated Creek for an afternoon, then the next morning two weekends ago.  BIG bluegill were spawning.  Caught around 50 each day on my ultra light running 2lb line and a 1/64oz trout magnet.  Fun stuff!

That’s my usual fishing hole.

[MacGyver]

Good fishing on priest today.

Took my kids down to paddle the creeks. I fished while they played.

25ish assorted panfish. 2 largemouth. 2 smallmouth. Decent catch for as much noise as they were making. 

[Henry347]

I fished Watts Bar last night and caught 12 Bluecats in a few hours. Caught some drifting channel ledges and dragging in back creeks. Nothing big, biggest was 12lb. But during the spawn that's how it goes. Bluegill, Shad and Skipjack was the bait.

[Henry347]

Was out on Watts Bar last night caught 15 bluecats and this was the biggest of the night.

[gregintenn]

Wow! That’s a nice cat, sir!

[Henry347]

Thanks buddy it was a pretty good one. June is a rough month for quality fish due to the spawn but the eater size is out in full force. Took my 14 year old cousin out the trip before catching that hog and boated 25 blues 15lb and under. The bite will get better as we get into July and the fish is done spawning. 

[MacGyver]

I fished the surf in the Outer Banks last week.  Water was still right at 70F, but good redfish bite and about all the whiting you could want to keep the kids busy. 

My 12 year old has a formula.  She says one whiting equals three fish tacos.  We like fish tacos. 

[gregintenn]

14 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I fished the surf in the Outer Banks last week.  Water was still right at 70F, but good redfish bite and about all the whiting you could want to keep the kids busy. 

My 12 year old has a formula.  She says one whiting equals three fish tacos.  We like fish tacos. 

I like the way she thinks. Sounds like a great trip.

[MacGyver]

7 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I like the way she thinks. Sounds like a great trip.

It was enough for fish tacos - and my personal favorite - old Florida style smoked fish dip.

The thing about it I love the most is all the kids that we’ve traveled with all the years have come to love the evening when we have a giant dinner of fish tacos with all the fixings.  It’s cool to hear them pray and give thanks and really understand God’s blessings.  

[gregintenn]

Enjoy it. The days of our kids traveling with us are pretty much gone. It happens fast.

[MacGyver]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

Enjoy it. The days of our kids traveling with us are pretty much gone. It happens fast.

I know it does.

I’m fortunate that in both our families of origin and the family we’ve chosen, we’re around people who get along and love to spend time together.  I hope our kids take that with them. 

[Henry347]

Took dad out on the boat Friday night,  started the evening off catching a few fresh skipjack. Wound up filling a small cooler before dark. Got the rods baited up around 9:30. We fished till 12:30 before the weather turned bad. A little rain I don't mind but lightning is another story. The bite was good, lost count of how many smaller fish was caught. Dad got him a flathead which was the biggest of the night.

Also went out Wednesday night on a solo trip and did good that night also. Got a decent blue that was spawned out and skinny for its length. And quit counting all the fish after the 15th one. Brought 10 of which home to put some fillets in the freezer.

 

[smysit]

I caught a 258LB Halibut today. I don't like keeping the huge ones, but it swallowed the lure and was badly bleeding from the gills by the time we got it near the boat. Came up in 15 mins from 200' deep and only took 2 cracks from the baseball bat to be put down. The smaller ones are honestly better eating but made some fish and chips tonight with it(and for 20 others) and it tasted good. It will feed a lot of people. 

[gregintenn]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:16 PM, smysit said:

I caught a 258LB Halibut today. I don't like keeping the huge ones, but it swallowed the lure and was badly bleeding from the gills by the time we got it near the boat. Came up in 15 mins from 200' deep and only took 2 cracks from the baseball bat to be put down. The smaller ones are honestly better eating but made some fish and chips tonight with it(and for 20 others) and it tasted good. It will feed a lot of people. 

No pics?

[felinesNfreedom]

On 6/14/2021 at 1:52 PM, Henry347 said:

I fished Watts Bar last night and caught 12 Bluecats in a few hours. Caught some drifting channel ledges and dragging in back creeks. Nothing big, biggest was 12lb. But during the spawn that's how it goes. Bluegill, Shad and Skipjack was the bait.

You guys concerned any at all about the water quality on Watts Bar? I fished it earlier this year for a week for bass and was surprised at how many warnings and reports the lake had on the water quality. 

[Quavodus]

2 hours ago, felinesNfreedom said:

You guys concerned any at all about the water quality on Watts Bar? I fished it earlier this year for a week for bass and was surprised at how many warnings and reports the lake had on the water quality. 

Polluted or what? 

[felinesNfreedom]

14 hours ago, Quavodus said:

Polluted or what? 

Oh yeah, heavily by what I've read.

 

 It's  pretty lake and I had a good time fishing it. We caught a good amount of smallmouth, 2 over 3lbs

Edited August 18, 2021 by felinesNfreedom

[OldIronFan]

Most lakes and waterways in the area have some level of warning for toxins and pollutants. 
I would not consume anything that came out of a pond, lake, or river in Tennessee. I love to fish here but everything I catch goes right back in the water. 

The runoff of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers is enough to make me avoid freshwater fish before you even consider legal and illegal dumping, industrial waste byproduct, and other ground water contamination sources. 

[MacGyver]

Personally, I’d limit my consumption of bottom feeding fish out of most TVA lakes. Pregnant women and young children should likely avoid it at large - but talk to your doctor about it  

Heed the warnings on the signs.  The testing regimen isn’t perfect - but they do a decent job of it.  

[kwe45919]

I fish at least 2 or 3 times a week. Always catch and release. Usually I fish out of my kayak but considering Melton lake is 5min away its easy to hit the banks at a whims notice. Occasionally I do get a hankering for some catfish cooked up with my grandmother's recipe but those come out of Norris. I grew up on Norris waters and have my favorite spots to find em....