Fontana , Junaluska , March 21 , 2015.
I arrived at Fingerlake around 5:46 that morning , and held off until the lux level was high enough to see around. I tossed my light tackle into the water , the lake was still about 40' below full , which made for interesting fishing. Apparently , I had positioned myself over a submerged tree/other debris , and started getting doubles. When I left the 28 overpass , I had landed 3 smallmouth , the largest of which was 2 pounds , a tyke of a largemouth , and a small crappie. I decided to walk to the bottom of Fingerlake , which was about 40 to 50' too low , and had no takers. I left soonafter , and wanting to hold onto the outsized minnows I got for less than $5/dozen , I stopped at Junaluska with the intent of simply replenishing the water , but decided to toss one out. 3 casts later , I landed a 12 inch yellow perch , to my surprise , and decided to walk around. The next spot I tried yielded 2 more 12 plus inch perch , they must be spawning out there , as I caught them in pairs , and did not look forward to landing the males. When I got down to 5 minnows , I tried a tad farther from shore , and landed a 12 inch crappie. The remaining minnows produced more crappies , between 8 and 10 inches. When I left , darkness had fallen , and I relished the fact that this was the best fishing trip I'd ever taken. I plan on returning within the ensuing 3 weeks , I dropped the phone into the water again , so there are no pictures.