The Fishing Place - Knoxville, TN

I'd like to take a moment to fill everyone in on The Fishing Place, which is an established tackle shop under new ownership.  The new owner's name is L.B. and the store is located in Black Oak Plaza in the Halls/Powell area of Knoxville.  It used to be farther down the road a little as you head toward Maynardville, but moved to it's new location several months ago.

I have been in the store a few times now and have been quite impressed with the progress from visit to visit.  They have a great selection of plastics, homemade jigs and skirts, hooks, crankbaits, and other popular lures.  Just to name a few brands, they have Zoom, Reaction Innovations, Yum, Berkley, Norman, Bandit, Strike King, Heddon, Luhr Jensen Hot Lips, Lucky Craft, Gamakatsu, and many more.  L.B. is getting new stock as he gets rid of the old.  They also have some good deals on rods, such as Castaway, Shimano, and J. Miles Customs and have new and used reels.  He also sells crickets for you live bait guys.

L.B. has always been a standup guy from my experiences in dealing with him.  He is always quick to share any information he has on the local lakes and what the fish are biting.  He has been an avid fisherman for many years, giving you the advantage of having someone that can help you select your tackle.  There are always a few people just hanging around the shop which is proof of the growing popularity of the store.

Let's patronize and support this local tackle shop!  It's one of the few we have left in Knoxville.  Personally, I would much rather shop at these independent tackle shops than the big box stores, such as Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shops, and WalMart.  Actually, WalMart is altogether banned from my house, but that's another story!  The Fishing Place can offer you help and information with your tackle and general fishing questions whereas the big stores usually have someone working that has very limited knowledge of fishing.

Go visit The Fishing Place! If L.B. doesn't have what you're looking for, I'd bet he will do his best to get it for you!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 6/22/10

Brandon and I went out on Tuesday afternoon from 2-5 pm.  We fished the area around and near George's Creek.  The air temp was 95 F and the water temp was 91 F.  The sky was clear and there was virtually no wind.  Needless to say, it was tough!  We fished deep.  We targeted the 15-20 ft zone because that's where the baitfish were.
The lures we used were shakey heads, jigs, deep diving crankbaits, and even a few topwaters in the shady areas.
We didn't catch many fish, but the ones we did catch were quality.  We managed 4 fish with 3 being keepers.  One largemouth was 2.5 lb, one was 3+ lb and one was a 4+ lb smallmouth.  I also caught a big drum on a jig.
I considered it a decent day given the tough, miserably hot conditions.  We caught a few good fish and were able to get away from work for awhile.  If I went out right now in the same conditions and fished the same area, I would definitely focus on the jig and the topwater.