USA Bassin' 4/11/09, Ft. Loudon Division

Brandon and I won the second USA Bassin' tournament on Ft. Loudon yesterday, making it 2 in a row in this series. Our total weight was 9 lbs 15 oz and our biggest fish was 3lb 9 oz. The big fish of the tournament was 5 lbs.

We had planned to make a long run from the canal, where we launched, up toward Louisville Point Park, but decided to stop at a spot shortly after takeoff. We got into them and they seemed better quality than what we had been catching farther up the river, so we stayed. We launched at 7:00 am and had our limit by 9:45 am. Then, the bite just died for us. The rest of the day we caught 2 more keepers, culling our 2 smallest, and 4 more non keepers. We caught 26 total fish, 25 largemouth and 1 spotted.

All our fish came on plastics and crankbaits on or close to the main channel. The water temperature where we were was a fairly constant 58 F. It was cloudy all day and the wind was horrible.

We had a great time fishing with these guys. If you are near Knoxville, I suggest you come out and fish with us. I have been in hundreds of tournaments and have never experienced the fellowship like I have in this one. Charlie Gibson is the tournament director and does a great job.

Here are a couple pictures.

TUESDAY NIGHT THUNDER CANCELLED THIS WEEK!

One of the directors of Tuesday Night Thunder out of Louisville Point Park, Frank Woody, called me this morning and said they were cancelling the tournament this week. It was supposed to be the first week, but we are expecting bad weather including snow and ice and I agree that it isn't worth getting someone hurt. Also, if the ramp freezes, we're all stuck. So, TNT will begin next week on Tuesday, 4/14/09.

Fishing Report 3/30, Fort Loudon

We fished the Monday Night Madness tournament out of Concord ramp. Caught 16 fish in first hour and a half, no keepers. Night bite was non existent for us. We used jigs that I made, plastics, and crankbaits. Most came off the jig. We were fishing 3 to 10 feet deep. The tournament was from 6pm to 10pm, but we quit about 9:30pm, because I had to get up very early the next morning and we couldn't get bit after dark. Water temperature was 58 - 60 degrees where we fished. We were near Carl Cowan park.
I have a broken steering cable on my boat right now, so I took it to Kingsport where my wonderful Dad, Frank is fixing it for me. Thanks, Dad! Hope you enjoy the picture of Caleb!
I believe the area we are fishing is full of male buck bass and I believe if we keep hitting it, the big females will be there very shortly. When they arrive, watch out!
Good luck to all!

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.

Check Out These Blogs

I have added 2 new blogs to my blogroll, Kenny's Great Outdoors and Bassin' the Net. I reviewed both of these blogs and am now a subscriber to both. I highly recommend that you do the same!

Kenny's Great Outdoors is a blog based out of Missouri. I found this blog very appealing due to the wonderful images and informative articles. The author, Kenny, seems to be a great story teller as his posts flow smoothly and are very enjoyable to read. Please check it out as it's pictures are outstanding and it's very relaxing to browse through.

Bassin' the Net is a blog by Capt. Dick Loupe out of Florida, who used to air on an outdoor TV show out of Knoxville, TN. (GO BIG ORANGE!!) This blog is being rebuilt and if the articles posted so far are any indication of what's to come, then it'll be a good one!

Once again, please check out these blogs and subscribe to them. The more of us Sportsmen that are connected together through any means, the stronger we are to oppose legislation against the activities that we love.

Please Rate This Giant Flathead Catfish

Location: Ft. Loudon Reservoir

State: Tennessee

Fish: Flathead Catfish

Description: Actually, I was fishing for smallmouth bass with a 3.5 in Yum Tube, watermelon color on a Bite-Me tube head 3/16 oz, using 10 lb Berkley Big Game line, a BPS Extreme rod because my other was being repaired, and a Pflueger President spinning reel. It was about 11:00 am, sunny, mid 50's, no wind. I was in my 94 Hydrasport L185.

Please Create Your Free Account Membership & Rate at Website: http://www.bigfishtackle.com/wall/2009/February/Flathead_from_Ft._Loudon_2515.html

Knowing Baitfish Movement Increases Your Bass Hook-Up Percentage

Most average amateur fishermen are not book worms on studying the habit of baitfish movement, including myself. However, this year I plan to do more research and learn about the forage my next lunker bass is feeding on. I began my research at http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/biology.html and it offers detailed articles about Bass Biology, Bass Habitats, Finding Bass and many more. Baitfish frequently move or interact under different conditions, such as the weather, water temperature, phases of the moon, season change, light variation, and lowering of lake water. One tip from this site that stands out to me the most is from the Bass Biology article on schooling fish. This section recommends placing every bass that you catch in the livewell instead of back into the lake due to spooking the other bass in the area and decreasing the amount of fish you catch in one spot. This is a very interesting thought that never crossed my mind until I read this article. You can always cull out or separate your livewell with a divider to keep the keepers in one section and the dinks in the other until you reach a good spot for release and have caught all the fish from the area you are fishing. I’m definitely going to test this theory out next time I go fishing. Please check out http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/biology.html for more helpful tips on the basics of Bass Biology.

Fishing Report 2/8/09, First Time Out in 2009

Well, hopefully my first trip on the water this year is no indication of what is to come. My friend, Brandon, and I took out my boat to test the new, used lower unit for the first time. The good news is the boat ran fine. The bad news is we couldn't get a bite!
We started out at the Concord ramp on Fort Loudon here in Knoxville. After a short 1.5 mile ride we stopped on a bluff and tried hair jigs, tubes, and worms about 20-35 feet deep. No takers. Then we moved to a good clay cranking area and tried crawdad and shad colored crankbaits. No bites. Finally, we moved into the back of Sinking Creek between the Concord Marina and Fox Rd. Marina along the deep side. We saw shad dying everywhere, but could not get a fish to bite.
At least we got to be on the lake and the weather was beautiful. Temperature was in the 60's, very little wind, water temperature was 45-47.5.
Good luck and be safe!

Is Fishing Scent Needed For Catching More Bass?

I have been using scent for most of my fishing career and I believe that a little scent is always helpful. Bass are very picky when it comes to smell and any weird scent from your hands or on your lures may turn them off and keep you from getting a solid bite. I know that sight or sound usually gets their attention first, but don’t count out the smell because it helps the bass hold on to the lure long enough for you to easily detect a bite.More... I prefer to use garlic and crawfish primarily, but I will occasionally use shad scent too. I like to use garlic and crawfish scent on plastic lures and jigs, and shad scent seems to work well for crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and buzz baits. I would pay attention to what baitfish bass are feeding on at the time you are fishing and try that scent first until you are comfortable with a favorite scent. There are several articles on this from the web and I really like the explanation given at http://www.bassfishin.com/article11.htm, which is written by Ken Kross. Ken is a Chemist by profession and is currently the president of Scientific Bass Products, Inc. Ken describes about how fish react to smell or scent and outlines the factors involved in producing his own scent to maximize bites and landing more fish. I have not tried his Kick’n Bass scent yet, but I may give it a shot this fishing season. Currently, I like to use Smelly Jelly Pro Guide Formula in the bass feast scent for jigs, and I prefer Berkley Gulp Alive crawfish scent for all my plastic lures. These are the two I prefer, but you may find a diamond in the rough, so I suggest you try many and experiment all until you find the scents that work best for you and your lures. You can find both of these scents in most major fishing tackle stores, but for ease of access I pasted the links from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, so you can see what’s offered in the marketplace today.

Berkley Gulp Alive can be found in Bass Pro Shops.
Berkley Gulp Alive and Smelly Jelly can be found at Cabela's.

Happy scent searching!

Which Knot Should I Use?

Everyone has different knots that they prefer to use when fishing in different situations. In the past I have only used a few knots for attaching the line to the lure, but after reading a previous post written by a friend of mine titled "Tying the Right Knot With the Right Line", I was inspired to learn more.More...
Normally, I use a Palomar Knot for about 90% of the time. I find it is the strongest when flipping jigs, using any kind of plastic worm, and on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. I also use it on crankbaits, but I am considering making a change to either the Homer Rhode Loop Knot or the Brubaker Loop. These two loop knots would allow the lure to swing more freely, resulting in better action. It will be really hard for me to make this change, at least until I gain confidence in the new knot's strength. Some variation of the loop knot should also be used on jerkbaits and topwater lures.
As for fluorocarbon line, I have tried the Palomar Knot and the Uni-knot with limited success. I have had many line breaks. In an article I found on the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited website, a Berkley Trilene representative was said to have recommended the Crawford Knot for fluorocarbon line. Instructions for tying the Crawford Knot and the Brubaker Knot can be found at fishingknots.com. Several others have recommended a Berkley Braid Knot for fluorocarbon. Instructions for the Berkley Braid Knot can be found at probass.net.
Another great site to learn all kinds of knots is marinews.com.

My trial setup for this season is going to be:

1. Palomar Knot for worms, jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and most other plastics when using monofilament or braid.

2. Homer Rhode Loop Knot or Brubaker Loop Knot for crankbaits, topwaters, and jerkbaits when using either monofilament, braid, or fluorocarbon.

3. Crawford Knot or Berkley Braid Knot when using worms,jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, or other plastics when using fluorocarbon.

I look forward to reporting my experiences over the course of this Spring. Happy fishing!