Thread: 150 off the wall.

Have not been catching many bluegill but have been on the white bass. Hit Pickwick early this morning. Much of our waters have been flooded and due to lower water temps and many places being as much as 10 feet higher than this time last year fishing has been difficult. The flood gates at Pickwick just closed a few days ago after being open for almost 3 weeks. I was pretty sure there would still be a big presence of white bass...and there was. What really surprised me was that they were spilling milk.....I didn't really notice that until I was cleaning my boat up. I would have thought the spawn would have been over but I guess not. I headed to the wing wall and as I approached I saw a boat tucked back in behind it....I thought well I will have to go elsewhere.....but as I got closer I noticed it was my fishing buddy and fellow Trout Magnet user. He waved me in and we tagged teamed white bass for about 5 hours. Both of us throwing a ThunderHawk Dancer on a 1/8 ounce Micro Dancer jig head. Cast to the wall...count it down and hold on! I caught well over 150 white bass...and so did James......there were a few bluegills mixed in. The fish were really nice....fighting hard and trying to head for the 40 foot depth that we were sitting in. These fish were "diggin"! I was using a Major Craft Truzer UL Ajing rod with 4# test SOS line. The drag was screaming all day.....it was a fish every cast. It was hot today....90 degrees. When I started this morning there were about 3 dozen boat trailers in the parking lot....when we left at around 3:30 p.m. there were only 3 left....most had pulled out around 1:00 p.m. All in all a great day! Life is good!

Regards

Originally Posted by buzzbait

Just curious when they usually start to spawn in your area? I am in NC and usually start to catch them coming up the creeks and rivers in early March but the spawn is usually over by the end of April. You have me wondering if I could still find a few in the river this time of year.

Any tips on how to target them in the summer?

They can spawn here anytime from late February on into May....depending on water temps. No matter when the spawn is over here in TN they will hang around the tailrace...or below dams. There is a lot of food and oxygen rich waters there. In the summer they get in what we call the "jumps". Meaning they feed on top water during the heat of the summer. I have always found that by end of May here they have left the creeks. In summer I look to the cutbacks below dams. Then usually about end of July they will be gone but will show back up in full force below dams generally from October-December. The thing about white bass is when they decide to move they can travel as much as 65 miles in a 24 hour period. I have been below Pickwick many a time and be catching them every cast and then nothing...they have moved on. Hope this has helped you some.

Regards