Ft Loudon, Watts Bar

[tnvol]

Went on a drive around Tellico and Loudon Lakes
today..and caught a few every place I stopped...
but below Ft Loudon dam..on the lock side..I saw
4 of the best stringers I have seen this year. They
were hitting on minnows about 8 ft under a slip
float for those folks. Too bad they weren't hitting
on my jigs !! Maybe Watts Bar will be better for
the fling !

[croppiedude]

Went on a drive around Tellico and Loudon Lakes
today..and caught a few every place I stopped...
but below Ft Loudon dam..on the lock side..I saw
4 of the best stringers I have seen this year. They
were hitting on minnows about 8 ft under a slip
float for those folks. Too bad they weren't hitting
on my jigs !! Maybe Watts Bar will be better for
the fling !

Things on Watts Bar have gotten tough. You can catch a zillion 7"-9" fish but a keeper is tough to find. Some people are getting frustrated and as a result I have seen some fish kept that were below the 10" size limit. There is a heck of year class coming in about two years, but we have to put them back this year.

[tnvol]

Dude: That is the exact result I had yesterday
on the Bar. Lots of fish..but all short. What area
were you fishing? I was in the Pearl Harbor area.

[fishin3]

Went today caught about 30 or so mostly on a jigs. They were all about 7-9.5 ". I could not even step on them to make them 10" LOL. Next weekends Fling is going to be tough cause of the size of the fish. But at least it is not work.

[croppiedude]

Dude: That is the exact result I had yesterday
on the Bar. Lots of fish..but all short. What area
were you fishing? I was in the Pearl Harbor area.

I have fished Kingston, Caney Creek, Rockwood (Kings Creek), and Whites Creek. I can't complain because I caught alot back in the winter. Watts Bar just gets tough sometimes in the spring. The fish are just more predictable with a few snowflakes flying around!

[CrowT]

I'm new to the forum here but will add what I know about the conditions on Watts Bar.

We have been fishing it of the evenings for the past week or so. Last week we were catching bigger fish...even some 2 pounders. The rest were big enough you didn't have to measure them to know they were keepers. Then the rain came through and brought a cold front behind it and the water level has dropped too. It is about 3-4 feet lower than what it was last week. I don't think the fish have really recooperated from the cold front just yet. All our big fish have either moved or got lock jaw. The only fish we are catching now are the ones like you all have been catching.....5-7 inch fish piled up TIGHT on cover. If you find a brush pile in 4-5 feet of water you can catch them all day right there as long as your jig or minners are right in the brush pile. They are fun to catch but you have to throw them all back.

We are fishing the mid section of the lake...Euchee to Rowden Branch.

[tnvol]

CrowT..

Welcome to the forum..and thanks for your
report. Maybe this week of good temps and
rising water will bring the big'uns back.