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 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.

Coming Soon - Comparison of Popular Jerkbaits

I am currently testing products in order to write an article comparing several types of suspending jerkbaits, including Smithwick Rogue, Lucky Craft Pointer, Lucky Craft Stacey King, Strike King, and Rapala X-rap. I am trying to be ready to post the results and my opinions on Saturday night, 4/25/09. Please check back.

Does Size Really Matter?

Well it depends on who you’re asking, but if you’re asking a bass, then she would most likely say yes. I experienced a new-found love and gained confidence last year in fishing big lures. Although to this day I’ve caught my largest bass on a three inch grub, which to most fisherman would be considered a small fishing lure. You will catch large fish on small lures too, but I believe there are certain lures that will increase your chance of putting a lunker in the livewell. More... Most of my fishing career I’ve relied on small to medium sized fishing lures in tournaments to produce more bites and medium size fish with an occasional large fish here and there. So, this past season I told myself that I would make a change and I stuck with it. I knew that I probably would not get as many bites, but if I did receive a bite, then it would most likely be a keeper for the livewell. I soon realized and found a new confidence in fishing big lures. The main big fish lure I like to use is the big ribbon tail or curly tail ten inch worm. Several manufacturers produce a good ten inch worm, so I suggest you try a few and choose the best one that works for you. You can fish a big worm several different ways, so you just need to adapt it to the season and style that the bass are hitting during the time of year you’re fishing. It’s important to be comfortable with the rig you are using too, so if you prefer texas rig, then stick with it until you gain confidence in the other styles and approaches, such as carolina, shaky head, wacky, or drop shot rigging. There are other lures I like to use which land big fish too. You will experience catching big bass on jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, flippin’ or pitchin’ jigs, lizards, brush hawgs, deep diving crankbaits, and slow rolling swimbaits. This fishing season just ask yourself one question, “Do you want to catch big bass”? If the answer is yes, then I suggest you try out more big lures this year and stick with them until your livewell is full of hawgs.

Best,

Dittmore