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Thread: Watts Bar Adventure 2008

  1. #1
    CrappiePappy's Avatar
    CrappiePappy is offline Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Default Watts Bar Adventure 2008


    Alrighty then .... here's the scoop :

    Headed out early Fri AM and got on the lake around 9AM (after the obligatory stop at Wallace World for licenses & food). Lake appeared to be down about a foot from Summer pool, and fairly clear (vis about 2ft to almost 4ft, in places). Sorry, no water temps, but it was reported to be around 60deg.
    Lake was calm and the sky was sunny. We stayed at Arrowhead Resort, and fished mostly in that creek (Rector Branch), never getting any farther away from there, than Half Moon Island (mouth of Whites Creek). When we started, we were shooting docks. But, that soon proved to be mostly a mistake. As it turned out, the Black Crappie were not at home. We then went to deeper brush, as had been the report from some of my local contacts/site members. Bingo ... fish on. Friday's tally was a limit apiece, for my partner and myself. Brought 22 of the bigger fish in, and cleaned 'em.

    The Haul ... (crushed beer can for measuring scale ... LOL !! )



    Partner Paul with a nice one :


    Saturday ... awoke to interrmittant rain showers, but nothing heavy. Finally started to clear, and off we went. Fished thru our same "milk run" spots, in Rector Branch, and picked up a few. Wind got up a bit, so we looked for sheltered banks to fish. Ended up at a pea gravel bank, on Half Moon Island, and fished for awhile. Decided to head to another spot, when disaster struck. Battery wasn't up enough to start big motor ... hand cranking proved to be a lesson in futility, but along came our rescuer. Cell phone troubles kept us from contacting home base (Arrowhead), but a passing boat saw us trying to crank the motor, and offered a tow. After we got towed in, we put the battery back on charge. Just on a hunch, and because the battery was only two years old (and used little), I decided to check the water levels. Yep ... below the plates. Partner hadn't checked water levels during the monthly charge ups. OK ... another round trip to Wally World ... this time to get distilled water (several stops, along the way, proved fruitless). Back to the boat & charged up the battery ... and added the water. Then, a nagging thought crossed both our minds .... would it work, and not leave us stranded again ?? Not taking any chances, it's back to Wally World, and a new battery. Saturday is over and done. Tally for the day ... 13 fish to clean. Not "too bad" for a shortened day, post frontal conditions to boot.

    Partner Paul with another nice one ..



    Some of my better ones ...


    (only 1 Black Crappie caught during the trip)



    Sunday ... fished about half a day, caught and released 8 fish. Same depth, same techinques, just a little slower to bite. Packed up and headed home.

    Ok, now for the "details" :
    Depth : 14ft seemed to be the magic number
    Baits : tube jigs, Whirley Bee, curly tail grub, Crappie Slug
    Colors : (tubes) yellow/char, blk/char, blue/char, green/char -- (curly tail grub) orange -- (crappie slug) Popsicle, Firetiger
    Jighead weight : 1/16oz weedless
    Technique/methods : casting to submerged brush -- shooting docks
    Tally for the trip : 55 keepers caught (in a somewhat shortened 2.5day trip) ... 40 fish kept to clean & bring home.

    And so, another "adventure" ends, all too soon .... looking forward to the next one !!

    ... cp

  2. #2
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    sounds like you had a good time -what would we do with out wally world - good looking fish.

  3. #3
    anchorpuller's Avatar
    anchorpuller is offline Crappie.com 2K Star General * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Pappy,

    Just who said you could have some days off to go galavanting around the lake??

    Looks like you had some well deserved fun!

    Nice stack of filets behind you in that last picture, and some pretty ones still in their skin too!

    Now, the fishing cap with the crappie.com patch on the front...

    I do believe that would look better on me than you. I think you need to hit ole DonG up for one of his nice hats and send me that one. :p
    "Be Ye Fishers of Men" You catch them- He will clean them

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    Sounds like a good trip!
    CATCH A BIG-UN

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    Great pics and fish. I love the beer can!:D



    wvcrappie

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    Nice goin Pappy. Nice fish and the lake looked great. *pouts*

    Nice hat! :D

    Where there any hiding under the docks at Arrowhead?
    Last edited by GRIZZ; 04-20-2008 at 08:58 PM.
    Good things come to those who bait.


  7. #7
    Cane Pole's Avatar
    Cane Pole is offline Crappie.com 2011 Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    No doodle socking with all those boat docks at your disposal?

    Good fishes there Pal.
    Member BS Pro-Staff and Billbob Pro-Staff
    Proud Member of Team Geezer... authorized by: billbob and "G"

  8. #8
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    Pappy, just noticed that they now have birdseye view available for the Watts Bar area over at maps.live.com. Some gorgeous shots of all your honey holes close up. Looks like winter shots at low pool, but they sure look great.
    Good things come to those who bait.


  9. #9
    CrappiePappy's Avatar
    CrappiePappy is offline Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Wink Multiple replies :

    To AP :
    Sorry Sweetie ... the boonie hat with the "Charter Member" Crappie.com patch is sacred

    To Grizz :
    There were several people fishing the boat slip docks at Arrowhead, catching one every now & then
    Lake was clearer than normal, probably from the 2ft raise it got several days ago. They got golf ball sized hail, and a pretty bad storm ... which dropped the water temps from the high 60's, back to the high 50's. The warm days, between then & my trip, brought the temps up a little. Probably why the White Crappie are even in the creeks, and still holding in deep water. Eggs are close to ready, so the next two weeks will tell the tale.

    To Cane Pole :
    Thanks Tom, they may not be KY Lake quality, but they're not bad for a East Tenn lake :p
    And, we 'sorta' did a bit of "doodlesocking" ... on windy banks, sometimes we'd drop the jig down and just bounce it along the bottom, letting the wind push us along (fish weren't under the docks, but on isolated patches of waterlogged branches ... out in front of, or between the docks)

    To WVCrappie :
    Just so that everyone is clear about this :D ... the beer can came from the pile of trash close to the net full of fish -- someone else's can (I gave up "adult beverages" back in 1980 !!)

    To Booger1 :
    Thanks ... Wally's has saved my butt, more than once.

    To Slabbandit :
    Thanks ... it was a great trip, that I was in much need of :p

    ... cp

  10. #10
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    Good reporting, CP! I think my son and I will give them a try tomorrow,
    maybe in the Pearl Harbor/Landing area. Hurry back to TN and find some
    more of those slabs !

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