Thread: Jan. 1 Rockfish and Walleye WB tailwater

Well, Gary Fomby and I got the new year started off right by having a great morning of Striper fishing in the tailwaters of Watts Bar dam.

5 turbines running 47,000 cubic feet per second and a chilly morning that turned from sunny early to partly cloudy by 11 AM. We fished with 1/2 oz jigs with 5” salt water bass assassins and the fish loved them.

There were several more boats show up after daylight, but a couple were catfishing in front of the gates and catching blue catfish and a couple other boats that stayed out of the current and were casting into the edge of the swift water.

Gary and I were the only ones brave enough to tackle the swift water and thankfully, no other boats ran through the fish. We had a great bite until we got tired and ready to quit. This just shows how many fish you can catch when the fish are not spooked by boats running through the seams.

We landed 21 Stripers, 3 Walleyes, but only one walleye was a keeper. One White bass, and a skipjack that leaped heavenward and came off. Speaking of coming off the hook, we had 5 more Stripers hooked up that eventually came off before we could bet them. We had doubles on 4 times. Biggest fish was 15 lbs 8 ounces.

His is going to be a good year. I can’t wait to crappie fish.

Awesome catch, I bet that is so much fun in the swift water. Got a bunch of water coming down the pike now, just be careful.