Fishing Report 3/25/09, Fort Loudon

Brandon and I made it on the lake today about 12:30 pm. We put in at Louisville Point Park and fished until about 5:00 pm. We fished the areas between Concord Ramp and Lousville Point Park and caught 19 total fish. Eighteen were largemouth, 1 was a smallmouth. All fish were caught on crankbaits or rattle trap. We had 2 keepers, 1 about 3 lbs and 1 about 2 lbs. Water temperature was about 58 degree average. We had a great time today, but we missed some fish and lost a good keeper. Good luck to you all!

Fishing Report 3/18/09, Fort Loudon

Went out today to try to find some big ones deep and up river. We started out at George's Creek ramp off Topside and went as far as the cove at I.C. King (or should I say IC Queen?) park. Water temperature was 58 at 10:30 am when we began fishing. We found 63 degree water at 4:30 pm when we stopped. We didn't have much luck deep trying deep diving crankbaits and jigs. We managed to catch a couple slicks on some rock banks in about 15 feet of water on soft plastics and caught a couple more in George's Creek just before we loaded up on plastics. TWRA was out and asked us if we would answer some survey questions for him and we did. He said he hadn't seen anyone catching much that day. We saw several BFL guys out practicing and watched them haul water for a little while. It seemed to be a tough day out there. If I were to do it over I would target 15-25 feet of water and use soft plastics and try dragging a jig. Good luck to all!

Tournament Results - Dice/Dinsmore Take First Place

Here are our results from our first tournament of the year, the USA BASSIN Fort Loudon Division.
We Won!
'Nuff said!....just kidding.
We did win with 2 fish that weighed 5.52. We also won lunker with a smallmouth that weighed 3.72. Two other boats weighed in 1 fish each.
The weather was horrible. It was cold and rained constantly. I mean it didn't let up all day! In fact, it was so bad that we only had 5 boats show up today. I'll probably end up with pneumonia, but hey, at least I wasn't at home inside, nice and warm, sippin' on hot chocolate....like a pansy!
I'm just joking!
Honestly, I can say that the guys that did tough out the weather and fish today were some of the friendliest and nicest people I have had the pleasure to fish against. At weigh-in, we all talked as if we'd known each other for years. I had a great time!
As for the fish, we caught 18 all on crankbaits and only had the 2 keepers. Seventeen were largemouth and 1 was the lunker smallmouth, caught by my partner Brandon Dinsmore. (Pics may come later if I can get them emailed to me)
The warmest water we fished was 49 degrees. I know some other guys found warmer water, but with our catch rate it was very hard to change locations. Our success was on the lower end of Fort Loudon. We tried Tellico near the dam for about an hour with no bites. The big fish are still out deeper and everyone is catching the small buck bass in very shallow water. Our keepers were a little deeper than I anticipated.
All in all, it was a good day. Sure, the weather was bad, but we finally got a win that has eluded us for some time now, our wives were happy for us, and we all went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Now its time for me to crawl in a warm, dry bed, read a book to my little boy, watch some television and catch some zzzzs!
Best of luck to you guys and always be safe!

Upcoming- My First Tournament of the Year

This Saturday 3/14 I will be competing in my first tournament of 2009. It is the USA Bassin' tournament on Fort Loudon and Tellico Lakes out of the canal.
I fished on 3/7 to try to find some fish in areas close to the ramp for a quick limit with no luck. I have a good idea on what they will bite and where they will bite, but I tried everything I had and only had one bite in 6 hours. Hopefully, this isn't a sign of things to come.
I've decided to make a long run at blast off to areas that I'm more familiar with. I will thoroughly fish 5 to 6 areas and if my gut feeling is right we will be at or near the top of the field at weigh-in. Wish us luck and good luck to you this weekend!

Jon's New Truck

I saw a truck on Wednesday, 3/4/09, at a used car lot in Maryville, TN. I took it for a test drive, called my wife, and after she suggested I have one of my friends look at it, I made the purchase. It is a 2001 F150 XL 4X4. It has an extended cab where all four doors open and has a long bed. It drives great and so far I love it.

Tomorrow, I'll get to see how well it tows. We are forecasted for 74 degrees and you guessed it....I'm hitting the lake!

Can you believe my own mother called me a "Redneck" because I bought a Ford?

Good luck on the water this weekend and BE SAFE.

Here is a picture:

Goodbye, Old Friend.

Well, today was kind of tough for me. I finally broke down and sold my 1995 Toyota 4-Runner SR5. I owned the vehicle for 7 years and it was responsible for many firsts in my life. Here is a list:

First 4X4

First vehicle that wasn't a 4 cylinder

First SUV/Truck

First vehicle purchased while married

Towed my first boat

and towed my second boat when I won my first tournament.

So, the vehicle had some sentimental value to me. I will admit it was hard to watch the new owners drive it out of sight, but I did not cry, for I was holding a wad of cash! I hope the old 4-Runner is taken care of and gives its new owners as much enjoyment as it did me.

As for myself, I am in the market for a used 4 door or extended cab V8 pickup. I want something I can tow with and haul away trees, brush, trash, and other things I couldn't before.

I will leave you with this.....Guys, when you sell that car or truck that has great memories with it, don't feel like a wimp if you get a bit sentimental or choked up. It happens to all of us.

Here are some pictures of the 4-Runner. Goodbye, old friend.