The warmer and sunny days are signs of the upcoming spring fishing season. Some die hearts have got a jump by trying for sauger or deep water crappie. They have braved the cold temperatures and the spilling of water through the dams. The next few weekends the launch ramps will be packed with boats for the first trip out. Several will never make it off the trailer because of weak batteries or gummed up carburetors. Save yourself disappointment by giving your boat a test run before your long awaited fishing trip.
An overlook fishery is early spring white bass. They are a hard fitting abundant quarry weight in as much as 2 pounds. Below most dams they congregate in large numbers. I have had my best luck on sandy banks with a gentle slop into deep water or at the mouth of creeks. I prefer a 1/8 once jig with a chartreuse, white, or combination of the two known as lemon lime retrieved slowly across the bottom. Jigs with spinners, inline spinners and small crank baits also produce. These fish have been a tradition for my family since I was little. They have supplied many meals and where pretty good table fare if prepared correctly. The important thing is to remove the blood line. Soaking the fish in salt water over night will whiten and firm up the fillets.
On May 4 2007 I stared participating in the Tennessee Angler Recognition Program. My plan was to catch 10 fish of different species that year. A long three years later I completed this task and received a Tennessee’s Master Angler III Award. This buy no means suggest that I am a good fisherman. It just means I put in a lot of time on the water and target several species of fish. Several fish that I thought would have been easy for me to catch have eluded me while others have come easy. Now I am on a mission to catch 5 more different species to entry. This will be much more difficult and take a lot longer. I may have to resort to private ponds.
Take someone fishing, Greg