Caught. Few today.

Got up this morning and it was 18 degrees. I hung around the house and at about 10:00.a.m. I told myself I need to get out.....thought I would give Nickajack a try...I’ve been cooped up too long. I wasn’t planing on going today but at the last minute hit the hi-way. My hopes were that the white bass would be stacked in there...they were nowhere to be found. I started a slow drift along the lock wall for bluegill. I was using a Major Craft 6’ 5” Truzer Ajing UL “Hard” model rod strung up with 2# test SOS line with a section of 2# test Phantom fluorocarbon leader. I was using a drop shot configuration with a # 6 cricket hook and a Bison colored Trout Magnet dipped in anise oil. For the 3 hours I fished the bite was steady....catching around 3 dozen good chunky Gills. As Jeff Smith has repeatedly said “Each body of water is different”. This is the first winter I have fished the tail race at Nickajack. If the bluegill stack up there in great numbers I have yet to discover that spot. I know right where to go at Pickwick to find them stacked. I also know Richard Simms has them located below Chickamauga Dam and Merv has them located below Old Hickory Dam. I will just have to keep looking. All in all it was a fun 3 hours...though I was cold. A lot of my drifting was done on a shaded wall. I did manage to find the buffalo stacked up and after I got one of those in on 2# test I left that area.....didn’t want to be fooling with those things today. A lot of sea gulls were in the area and some of them were feeding but 100’s of them were on the bank in the bay. The water temp was 39 degrees in the shade and 41 in the sunshine. One of the pics is of me heading back up Monteagle to get home. If you look at the shoulder of the road it looks like ice and or snow.....it is neither...it is salt! First time I have ever seen that much salt on the roads here in TN.....of course I don’t want to be going up or down Monteagle with ice on the roads either....LOL. Life is good!


Regards


Attachment 286512Attachment 286513Attachment 286514Attachment 286515


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Enjoyed the post and pic's,

Thanks for the post.

Sweet! Those cold water bream are hard to beat on the table.

Pretty colored fish! That’s a lot of salt!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Excellent report. Too cold for me - got down to 31 last night. Glad someone is getting out!

Good post.

Great post. Still a little to chilly for me.

Great post- Love those brim.

Best way to beat cabin fever. I am going to a friend's cabin next week for some Bream and Crappie fishing. He has
100acres with a 15 acre pond. Been looking forward to this trip.
Course it's 'spose to be in the 60s all week. :cheers2

Thanks for sharing with us. I like the picture of the ice. Very cool.

Glad you got out and found a few. I've done well until today but our water temps have dropped 11* in a week and they just weren't where I left em.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been up and down Monteagle Mountain. Even in the big truck it usually goes without incident. As you saw the salt, that is how it usually is. TDOT keeps it well treated to keep the traffic flowing. Either side of it may be dicey but the hill will be sloppy at the worst. The black ice down by Nickajack was more of an issue and when someone messed up down there it would mess up traffic for hours. Thankfully I don't deal with the weather issues here but I do miss the fishing up there all the time.

Thanks for the comments guys. Skeet I’ve been caught twice in my lifetime on Monteagle with ice and snow....no fun at all. My dad was a dozer operator up there when I-24 was built......long time ago. Thinking of going back to Nickajack in the morning.....maybe hit up Battle Creek.....but I know that whole area will be a zoo with temps in the mid 60’s. Think I’ll wait until the a.m. to make up my mind....LOL.

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com

Good luck to you if you decide to go. I have always liked to be sitting where I want to fish before the sun. Low temps and older age has me waiting for the sun to warm things a bit before I show lately. That extra cuppa tastes extra good sometimes.


If I still lived in Manchester I would be out by the interstate with my gear and my thumb out, hitching a ride with you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeetbum

Good luck to you if you decide to go. I have always liked to be sitting where I want to fish before the sun. Low temps and older age has me waiting for the sun to warm things a bit before I show lately. That extra cuppa tastes extra good sometimes.


If I still lived in Manchester I would be out by the interstate with my gear and my thumb out, hitching a ride with you.

---

I hear you......I’d stop by and pick you up too. I don’t get out that early anymore either with the cold.

Regards


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

very nice ...

Nice thanks for sharing!

Life is Good!!! Thanks for the post and pics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LedHed

Excellent report. Too cold for me - got down to 31 last night. Glad someone is getting out!

---

I was wondering if I was the only one not that mad at them .:biggrin

Eagle, don't be mad. I remember the cabin fever eating me alive when I lived further north and it was dead of winter. I try to bring you along with me as I spin the tale, hoping to ease the itch of wanting to put on everything you own and brave the weather just to find out the front that just went through shut em down. I've done some dumb things fighting cabin fever. We never got a tap on the day in the pics below.

I didn’t go back out today.....spent the day cleaning the inside of the boat. Had to wait an hour in line to get into the spray car wash. It was crazy here today with everyone wanting to get the salt off their vehicles. I did it today because soon fishing will be back to 4-7 days a week for me.....fix’in to get busy around here! Life is good!

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com

Excellent report! I understand the feeling of being cooped up!

Yep didn't want to rush getting retired!!! Now I see how hard the bills get with age!!!

Trying to get family to give me funeral cost for boat gas!!! They just shake there heads and giggle.

Great story of fishing trip. Hope you get back on the lake soon!!!!