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.

Hi I'm the wife.

Hi Folks,
I would like to finally introduce myself. I am Jon's wife Lezlee. This is just a post to review a book through a progam called booksneeze. I will submit a link at the end. Basically this is a program where you get a free book if you will post a review of it after reading. Well I have had this book "Rick and Bubba's Big Honkin' Book of Grub" for awhile now. The reading is funny and there are only a few recipes in it but they are good Southern recipes that you see at Church picnics and such. If you like Rick and Bubba you would like this book.
I may post other things here and there but I won't hijack the blog for girly things too much.

thanks for reading.
Lezlee

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!

Funny Story

For those of you who don't know me well, I work for a magazine distributor.  At one time, we had both drivers and merchandisers under the same company name.  Due to reorganization, blah blah blah, drivers and merchandisers now work for two separate companies.  Anyway, I was a supervisor over 14 merchandisers and I had one that cracked me up one day while working a WalMart store.  Where I live people pronounce the word crappie two different ways; crappy (as in what you do in the toilet) and croppy (supposedly the correct pronunciation).  Well, we were working the magazines and this old timer comes up to the guy I was training and asks, "Do yun's have that crappy magazine?"  The new guy gestures towards the whole magazine rack like Vanna White showing a TV and replies, "Take your pick!"

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.

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. 

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.