Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 8/6/13

I fished in the Tuesday Night Toad  (TNToad) with my friend Brandon last night and, to be honest with you, it was miserable!  The tournament was from 6-10 pm. The weather was mostly cloudy with some sprinkles and pretty humid. There was a slight wind at the beginning of the tournament and none at the end.  The water we were fishing was pretty consistent at 82 F.
We fished from 2-25 feet deep and used crankbaits, Texas rigged plastics, Carolina rigged plastics, shaky heads, spinnerbaits, and topwaters and only managed 2 bites. We didn't land any fish! None! Nada! Zero!
I just don't understand this lake anymore. It was only a couple years ago when we could go out this time of year in the heat and humidity and catch 15-20 bass in 4 hours.  Now, we can't even get one in the boat.  As a matter of fact, the fish haven't acted like they're supposed to this whole year. Going out for fun fishing hasn't even been very fun this year except catfishing. 
I'm aggravated, frustrated, and have come seriously close to quitting.  But, that's not my style!  I will figure these fish out if it's the last thing I do! Mwahahaha mwahahahah!
On a brighter note, God provided us with a nice evening bringing everyone home safely and good fellowship.
Hope you have better luck than we did!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 7/9/13

It finally quit raining long enough to let us get in some quality fishing without being soaked!  I heard on the radio it was the first day without rain since June 15.  We launched from the Concord ramp. The water was murky to muddy depending on the location and it was warm.  We were in 85 F water most of the afternoon. 6pm -10pm.  The flood gates are open at the dam and there is abundant current everywhere.  Initially, the sky was mostly sunny and it was hot and humid.  Somewhere around 90 F.  Then the wind picked up, the clouds rolled in, and it got comfortable.  There were more pleasure boaters than I thought would be out which made the main channel a little bit rough.
We took a very short boat ride to our first spot and my friend Joey immediately hooked up.  When he got it to the boat there were actually 2 largemouth on his Strike King crankbait.  One was 15 inches and the other was 13 inches.  He was using the first crankbait that I ever painted for him that I finished on Sunday afternoon.  He went on to catch a 16 inch largemouth and then a 17 inch smallmouth.  Then he lost the lure and was crushed for the rest of the night.  As for me, I caught a 13 incher and a 18.5 incher on a Carolina rig.  It was a fun afternoon on the water and you can't ask for much more than that. Praise God!
The fish are schooled up and a little bit shallower due to the lake levels being up.  They're pretty easy to catch right now.  So, be safe and have fun.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report- 6/25/13

I fished in the Tuesday TNToad tournament on June 25th from 6-10pm and didn't do so great.  We launched from Louisville Point Park and stayed in the mid-lake area.  The weather was partly cloudy and in the mid 70s and very humid.  There was a chance of thunderstorms early but they all passed by.  The water was around 74 F where we fished.
The evening started off good because we had our first keeper in about 15 minutes.  We also caught another small fish and I missed one deep while fooling with a bird's nest that formed on my spinning reel!  Two hours passed before we caught another keeper.  That's what we weighed in... two small keepers weighing 4.4 lb.
On a better note, the fish seem to be starting to school up pretty well.  We've been catching several in the same spots instead of one here and one there.  They are hitting deep crankbaits now and also plastics on deeper docks and trees. 
There were several 4+ lbers weighed in last night but I don't know where or how they were caught.  I would guess on jigs or crankbaits.  It must have been tough on everyone because I think there was only 1 limit weighed in and 11 lbs won. I think only one smallmouth was weighed in.
At least we didn't get skunked!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 5/14/13

Fished in the TNToad out of the canal from 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm.  The weather was windy and clear skies and around 75F degrees at launch and mid 60's at weigh in.  The water temperature in the area I fished ranged from 63 - 67 F.  We weighed in 5 fish that weighed 10.85 lb  and finished 7th out of 67 boats. Our biggest was 3.8 lb. They were all largemouth.
Most of our fish came off the main channel but there are still fish spawning.  We spooked one off the bed with a spinnerbait and she was a whopper.  Unfortunately, she never came back.  There has been a massive mayfly hatch for the past couple weeks in the late afternoon and there are many different species taking them off the surface.  I also observed a school in the distance feeding on shad but I couldn't tell what they were. 
It seems that people are catching fish on many different lures right now.  Spinnerbaits, plastics, crankbaits, and even some topwater seem to be working well.  Based on what I've heard and experienced the Alabama Rig bite has died off a bit.  And I haven't been able to buy a bite on a beaver style bait for some reason.
Now that we're getting some post spawn fish, my catch rate has gone up.  Soon it will be off to the ledges, humps, and points while they're pulling water at the dam.  Good luck out there!
Also, please respect and be hospitable to the PAA anglers coming to town next week.  The lake will be extremely crowded and you may run into people fishing your favorite spots.  Just remember these big tournaments bring in revenue to our local economy through hotels, restaurants, tackle shops, gas stations and grocery stores.  We want them to keep coming back so please be courteous and show them what makes our area so great!
Be safe and happy fishing!

Fort Loudon fishing report 3/19/13

I was able to go out for a couple hours with one of my friends today after work. We launched at Concord Ramp at 2:30 pm and fished until 4:30 pm. It was about 55 F outside and was very windy again with bright blue skies.
We fished the Ish Creek/Prater Flats area with no luck. The water was colder and muddy from the day of rain on Monday. There were minnows and shad jumping out of the water and we did see a couple of bass jump, but couldn't get a bite. We tried several different crankbaits and jerkbaits but no takers. It's not often that I get skunked but it sure happened on this day!
The only thing we managed to accomplish today was to break things. First the handle on the boat trailer broke off when releasing the tension and it's only a year old! Then, as we traveled over the rough water I discovered the depthfinder wouldn't stay powered on. Evidently there is a short in the power cord because it will stay on if you bend it a certain way. To top the day off, the right side trailer turn signal and brake light won't work.
So, that pretty much sums it up. In a tribute to Mr. Si,  "Hey! It was still better than being at work, Jack!"
Good luck and I hope you have better luck than I did.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 3/17/13

Joey and I took the boat out for the first time this year to make sure everything was working after several maintenance problems were fixed.  We put in at Concord Ramp at around 2:30 pm and fished until 6:30pm. It was about 65 degrees outside and very windy. The water temperatures varied from 54 F in the Concord ramp area to 65 F in one of our spring spots.
Crankbaits seemed to be the preference with a slow to medium retrieve. 5 largemouth were taken with one keeper weighing approximately 2.5 lbs. It was only 15.5 inches but was very, very fat. One largemouth had obviously been briefly captured by an osprey because the claw marks were on top of his sides.
One largemouth around 3.5 lb was taken on a rattle trap.
The biggest largemouth of the day was almost taken on a Tennessee Rig (a 3 bait Alabama Rig).  It came off but would have been 5+ lbs.
We also tried jerkbaits and spinnerbaits but only had some short strikes.
Other fish caught were 1 yellow perch and 1 yellow bass.
That's it for today! Good luck out there and be safe!

Fort Loudon 6/17/12 Bass Report

Put in at Concord ramp at 6:00 am and headed down the lake towards dam only a few miles.  It was a windy morning but it felt great.
I started out cranking a 5XD in shallow water so it would bang off all the rocks and immediately caught 2 short largemouth.  I switched to a Carolina rigged 10 inch worm on the same point and landed a small keeper.
I moved on down the lake and caught  8 or 9 more flipping laydowns and rocks with various plastics.
I ended the day fishing a tube very deep with the hook exposed and caught 2 more keepers.
Between my friend and I we caught over 20 fish and would have had a small limit if we were fishing a tournament.  We couldn't find the bigger fish.
We pulled back to the ramp about 11:30 am and called it a day.
The later it got the fewer fish we caught.  The wind picked up as the day went on and made it very hard to stay on one spot.  The early morning bite is good and the fish seem willing to bite just about anything.
Happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there!
It's been a long time since I posted anything on this blog, but I'm trying to get back into it.  I apologize for the long absence.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 10/4/10

I was able to fish a tournament last week and go fishing from the bank for a little while yesterday and here is what is going on.
The bass are scattered. Some are deep, shallow, and everywhere between.  There is a ton of bait everywhere you go and most appear to be gizzard shad.  However, there are a few threadfins around.  The water is cooling off and is in the mid to upper 70's.  The lake is still at full pool, but I suspect that will change very soon.  Normally, TVA starts lowering it shortly after football season starts.
It is very easy to catch bass right now, both largemouth and smallmouth.  All one needs to do is go to the back of creeks and coves and chug a lipless, or other small crankbait and you WILL get bit.  Also, I've been catching them by tossing small plastics on spinning gear near dock posts, laydowns, and rocky areas.  Size is a whole different story!  For every keeper it seems like I have to go through 15 slicks.  To catch the bigger fish, I think it would be wise to fish closer to the main lake, but still near the creeks and coves.  Fish a little deeper and use bigger crankbaits, spinnerbaits and bigger plastics.
Catfish are also biting very well.  The best bait I've used is live gizzard shad caught with a throw net.  Blues, Flatheads, and Channels are all pretty shallow and are feeding heavily.  They can even be caught occasionally on crankbaits.
White bass, Yellow bass, and Striped bass are also on the move.  The whites and yellows can be caught on small crankbaits, spinners and grubs.  The stripers are a little harder to catch and the best bait is live bait.  Although, it is possible to catch some on crankbaits, bucktails, and topwaters such as big Zara Spooks.
Good luck, have fun, and take a kid with you!

7/30/10 Fort Loudon, Concord Piers

Went to the piers at Concord to do some catfishing on Friday, July 30. First, I caught a bunch of small bluegill for bait with nightcrawlers. Then, I rigged up the Catfish Ugly Stick, set the clicker, relaxed, and waited, and waited......and waited. I got one run that made the clicker scream, but I missed him.
Another guy was there and claimed he caught a 15 lber and a 30 lber the night before, but he didn't start fishing until 11:00 pm. I started at 7:00 pm and quit at 10:00 pm.
Not a very productive evening. There was very small threadfin shad everywhere, but the bigger fish didn't seem to be around them.
My favorite part of the afternoon was seeing parents there with elementary and middle school aged kids. They were catching bluegill on almost every cast it seemed. For those of you with kids old enough to start fishing, this is a great place and time for it. 
Go fishing and have fun regardless what you catch!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 6/30/10

I put in today at Carl Cowan around 10:00 am. The sky was cloudy and there was a nice breeze and fish jumping everywhere. By the time I got unloaded and to my first spot about 30 minutes later, the sky was clear, there was no wind, it was getting hot, and the fish stopped jumping.
The water was 88-90 F and stained.
I fished the area from Concord to Louisville Point.
I tried deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigs, jigs, shakey heads, flukes, topwaters, and spinnerbaits.
The day was a bust. I quit at 3:00 pm and only had 1 short largemouth on the Carolina rig.
This was the worst day I've had out in a long time. I believe the heat and water temperature are making the fish school on very particular pieces of structure, such as ledges and deep points and they are only feeding heavily when the generators are pulling water. The key is finding the right pieces of structure with the right amount of current. So far, I've been unsuccessful.

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. 

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 5/25/10

I took two of my friends out for fun on 5/25/10 from 6:30 pm to 9:15 pm. We put in at Carl Cowan park. The water was stained, 79-82 degrees. It started out raining and heavy wind, but passed through by 7:00 pm.
We fished main lake points and rocky areas and caught fish scattered. We landed about 10 fish, with 3 being keepers. Two over 15 inches and one 17 1/2 inches were caught all in the same spot.  Fish were anywhere from the bank to 12 feet deep.
Lures used were Carolina rigged plastics, Texas rigged plastics, poppers and shaky heads.  We also tried crankbaits and I caught one keeper crappie, but no bass.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 5/5/10

I took a friend out today from 9:00am to 1:30pm.  We fished the Ish Creek and Saltpeter Bluff areas.  The weather was bright and sunny, no clouds and no wind.  Water temperature was 73 F.  Clarity was stained to heavily stained. 
We started out with crankbaits and immediately caught 2 short fish.  As we fished the main channel banks, we switched to flukes, worms and jigs and caught a few more.  We ended the day with 6 on crankbaits and 5 on plastics with only one keeper.  Lately I've had trouble finding the quality fish.
After the rough conditions on Kentucky Lake this past weekend, it was nice to fish in some calm water!
For those of you running wide open down the lake, BEWARE OF LOGS!  They are everywhere from the rains and flooding.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 4/22/10

Brandon and I fished in a tournament on Thursday night 4/22/10 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm.  The water is still warming up with 70+ degrees being normal in the coves.  The main lake is hovering around 68 degrees for the most part.  Tonight started off very windy, but calmed down after dark.  It was also partly cloudy for most of the tournament.
We started by fishing spinnerbaits and crankbaits on windblown main lake flats for about an hour with no luck.  We made a move into a pocket off the main lake out of the wind and fished the entire edge with plastics.  The first half of the pocket resulted in zero bites, but the second half gave up 5 fish and several misses, with one being a keeper weighing 2.44 lbs.  We continued on to another spot we have had success on in the past and immediately landed another keeper on plastics that weighed 2.26 lbs.  After that fish our night went downhill.  I had a nice fish jump and break my line and Brandon had a really nice fish come unbuttoned.  Had we landed those two, I think we would have had enough weight to win the tournament.  Once it got dark, we had a few nibbles but nothing we could set the hook on. 
All the fish we caught were several feet off the bank.  The lake is not full yet and alot of the cover is still out of the water.
On a side note, the FLW is here this week and they have been hammering the fish all week and weighing in some very nice bags.  It's becoming evident that with all the tournaments that have been taking place, the numbers of fish being caught has decreased substantially.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 4/12/10

On Monday, 4/12/10, I was on the lake from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm in a tournament.  The water is getting warmer with main channel temperatures in the 65-69 F range.  The water continues to rise and there is more debris floating along with it.  I saw several large logs floating, so my advice is keep your eyes open and slow down or risk losing your lower unit.  The sky was clear and the air temperature was in the low 70s when we arrived and probably in the mid 50s when we left.  There was a light breeze and a good amount of current.
The fish keep going shallower.  We had good luck on jigs around shoreline cover although our weigh in would suggest otherwise.  We had one keeper at 2.04 lbs and I had one jump and throw the hook that was the same size.  I also had two 3+ lbers come off due to bad hooksets and frayed line.  You would think I'd never done this before!  I also tried crankbaits and jerkbaits for a few minutes with no luck.
If I had to go out today for quality fish, I would definitely fish shoreline cover from the front to the back of any coves and main lake pockets.  Don't forget to spray your jig with some sort of attractant because it seems to make them hold on longer at the moment.  Most importantly, have fun!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - Week of 4/4/10

This week on Ft. Loudon, large numbers of bass are being caught, both smallmouth and largemouth.  The water temperature rose drastically over the last week.  Water temperature recorded at 59 degrees in a control spot last week is now reading 65.  Over last weekend the lake rose about a foot, pushing the fish closer to the banks.  The bite has changed from light pickups to an aggressive strike.  Many fishermen are reporting catches of 20-30 fish in 4 or 5 hours. 
Currently, the baits being used most frequently are jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Texas rigged plastics or jigs.  The fish are on points and warm banks where they can be caught with any of the above lures.  It's not uncommon to catch several fish in the same spot.
Anglers, including myself, are also catching some large striped bass (aka stripers or rockfish) on these lures with 10-15 pounders being common.

Fort Loudon Catfishing

Ok, it's been awhile since I've posted, so here's a recap of what's been happening for me the last month and a half.
First, tournament season for me is over, so I've shifted my focus to bank fishing for trophy channel, blue, and flathead catfish. Over the last two weeks, I have caught several fish over 25 inches from both Sinking Creek and Turkey Creek.  The biggest so far was yesterday in Turkey Creek, which was a 32 inch flathead.
I've been using threadfin shad that I net from the area I'm fishing. As for tackle, I'm using a Ugly Stick Catfish series rod, a Shakespeare saltwater reel, Berkley Big Game 17 lb test line, and Team Catfish sinker sliders and 3/0 circle hooks.
Second, I've been trying to find more time to make and modify lures. I'm still dabbling with airbrushing and lead pouring and really want to get into plastic pouring.  However, I am running out of room in my garage.  So, I'm thinking of getting one of the two story type storage buildings like you see at Home Depot.  Then, I'll be able to move all my hobbies out of the garage and also have some extra storage.
Lastly, the time has changed and I haven't been getting out the boat very often.  It's just not worth the effort by the time I get off work, come home and load up just to fish for a couple of hours. Then, come home and unload everything. 
So, until next spring, there will not be many fishing reports posted on this site.  I will shift to product reviews and other fishing talk.  There may be some tackle making tricks or results posted, too.  I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 9/14/09, Monday Night Mayhem

Brandon was able to make it out to fish with me on Monday night and it paid off. He had our two biggest fish in the Monday Night Mayhem tournament out of the Concord ramp on Fort Loudon, with one winning lunker. It weighed 3.66 lb. We had a total of 4 fish that weighed 8.74 lb, which was good enough for the win.
We caught several fish on topwater poppers, but none were keepers. Three of our keepers came on a 10" Berkley Power Worm and one came on a white Strike King Caffeine Shad. We fished from 6" - 17 ft deep on 5 spots I have had some success with the past few weeks. I've had problems hooking the fish on these spots but I knew they were there. Monday, we didn't have such a problem although we did miss a few. I guess that leaves a few there for next time!
Baitfish are everywhere and you can see them schooled on top. Occasionally, a feeding frenzy will occur and you can catch several fish in a very short time, but they seem to be small ones. The water temperature was around 78 F. The water was calm, with very little wind. The skies were partly to mostly cloudy.
This is a fun tournament to fish. I really enjoy competing against these guys and we have a great time before and after the tournament shooting the bull. The director is Bill Freeman and he has done a great job!
The results were as follows:
Jon Dice/Brandon Dinsmore - 4 fish - 8.74 lb and first lunker - 3.66 lb
Bill Freeman/John Smith - 4 fish - 6.76 lb and second lunker - 2.31 lb (I think)
Jerry and Robby Beck - 4 fish - 6.37 lb (great to see father and son fishing together)
Lynn and Bob King - 4 fish - 5.99 lb
others did not weigh in fish.

Anyone interested should come out and fish! It's not an expensive tournament, $35 (but I think is being lowered to $25 to draw more competitors). We are fishing through the end of October and now is getting to be the best time to catch good numbers of fish on Fort Loudon. It would be a great place for some beginning tournament anglers to have a good time.
Until next time, be safe and catch them big uns!

Monday Night Madness - Fort Loudon 8/17/09

I fished solo in the Monday Night Madness tournament from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. I started out shallow and landed 17 fish in the first 45 minutes with one that was a 16" keeper. The rest were 12-13 inches. These fish were in 1-8 feet of water. I moved out to a hump to try to get some bigger fish. I missed a few on a Carolina Rig. The weather was looking pretty bad, so I decided to head back towards the ramp just in case it began lightning. I often see guys fish through the lightning, but I refuse to risk my life over a few hundred dollars! So, after stopping at a very nice, long point that has been good to me in the past, the wind started howling. The bite instantly shut off contrary to what I thought would happen. I hooked up with one more small keeper that came off as I tried to swing him in the boat. It was dark and windy at this point and I was battling the waves with the trolling motor trying to stay on my spot, so I couldn't find the end of my line. When I tried to swing the fish in, it hit the back left side of the boat and came off. Oh, well. It wouldn't have helped me place in the tournament. The winner had 8+ lbs I think.

On a side note, there were several fish having trouble swimming after release. If you do not know how to "fizz" a fish, I highly recommend you to learn. It's easy to do and enables the fish to swim instead of float. Floaters always die, fizzed fish have a much better survival rate. Also, keep some ice for your livewell and Rejuvenade or some other type of livewell treatment. Good luck out there!

To purchase enough Rejuvenade to treat 500 gallons click here!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 8/12/09

I took a good friend of mine, Bryan, out for the first time in over a year today from 2:00 pm to 4:45 pm. The sun was intense and it was HOT! My only goal was to get him on some good fish. We started on a hump in the Louisville Point Park area and I caught 1 largemouth, 13 inches, on a Carolina rigged Net Bait Paca Craw. We moved to an area where we noticed frequent surface activity. I let Bryan borrow a popper and a fluke and tied the same on for myself. From that moment we started landing one after another. A school of white bass came by and we had a blast catching them on poppers. We caught 8 of them and all were right at 2 lbs. We also caught 13 largemouth and 1 smallmouth for a total of 22 fish. Three of the largemouth were keepers. We missed many more than that. The smallmouth was caught on a shakey head worm. I tried a crankbait with no takers. I don't believe that I could catch a fish on a crankbait right now if it was starving! One thing I noticed surprised me. There was no wind when we started catching fish, but when the wind picked up, the bite died. Once the wind went away we started catching them again. Usually, it's just the opposite based on my experiences. We had a great time and I encourage anyone that wants to have some fun to go out and get after those schoolers. Now would be a great time to take a kid and get them excited about fishing! Take care and good luck!