Thread: Watts Bar tailwater report: 4/25/2016

I promise to make more crappie reports in the near future.

My best crappie student, Candi, treated Wanda and I to some thick NY Strip steaks and I treated her to a trip to the Watts Bar tailwaters. I let her use my new birthday rod/reel and she proceeded to beat my socks off, 8 to 2 on walleyes. After a big Striper broke off her lucky lure, I then about held my own with her. Grin. I am so proud of her. This girl knows how to fish and can put a lot of men to shame when it comes to fighting and landing good fish in current.
We caught most of our fish on swim baits. I had a Smallmouth bass about 3 pounds and then she topped that with a 4 lb 14 oz Largemouth bass. Her personal best LM bass. We landed about 10 white bass, 6 Drum, and Candi landed a small Hybrid Striper and we both had huge stripers pull off after a short but adventurous fight with me chasing with the big motor. We hooked up 10 walleyes (2 person limit), but one of those jumped out of the net when the jig flew out of its mouth, and another keeper pulled off about 5 to 10 feet from the net. I had the net ready, but the fish had other ideas.
Water temp was 61.4 degrees and one turbine running about 6000 CFS. There were 7 other boats up there, but we saw very little catching from any of them. Most were using live bait and the fish aren't on live bait yet. Let the water warm up a few more degrees and the live bait bite will be on.
I love this time of year. So many fish, so little time. Grin. We only kept the walleye. Threw everything else back.

that's a great catch! socks for sail you said?