Tennessee River MonstersÂ
Phone: (865) 680-7672
Email: tennesseerivermonsters@yahoo.com
Website: www.tennesseestriperfishinguide.com
Tennessee River Fishing Report: Â 02 April 2015
Ft Loudon Lake is starting to heat up – Water Temp is around 56 degrees and fish are biting smaller cut baits –
28 March 2015
The cold front has slowed the cat bite ! Temps are still around 49 to 50 degrees on Watts Bar Lake. The cold front requires down-sizing baits and hooks with a lot of patience – The Okuma Battle Cat with a sensitive tip is perfect for the light or flathead bite.
www.tennesseestriperfishin
23 March 2015
As the water temps reach in the lower 50’s on Watts Bar Lake catfish are starting to bite ! Fish can be found in 40 to 50 foot of water in current seams and ledges- Use cut bait such as skip jack and gizzard shad- Gear I prefer to use are a Okuma Solterra reel and a Okuma Battle cat rod !
17 March 2015
Ft Loudon and Watts Bar cats are starting to become active. Water temp is around 51 to 51 degrees and cut bait is still the choice of bait. Shad are fairly easy to catch in most coves.
 11 March 2015
Watts Bar Lake Report – Roane County, Tennessee
Captain Scott Manning, USCG
Professional Guide, Public Speakr & Outdoor Writer
Tennessee River Monsters Guide Service
www.tennesseestriperfishinguide.com
The Tennessee River and Watts Bar Lake a hold impressive numbers of catfish and stripers. Currently; water temperatures are around 40 degrees with fishing conditions being tough. This is the time of the year to be on the lookout for the birds. Birds will often give away the location of schools of bait. Simply put; find the birds, find the bait and thus find the fish.
Catfish like heavy cover and structure. During the day, they seek shelter around logs, piles of driftwood, toppled trees, snags and many times their activity is determined by current flow. Catfish under 20 pounds may be caught using almost any bait, ranging from chicken livers to cut-bait. When targeting monster catfishs, use live baits such as skipjack herring, gizzard shad or bluegill.
Striper fishing has really be good as of late with awesome action near or around Kingston Steam Plant. Live bait such as skip jack herring and gizzard shad have produced decent numbers of stripers even when the outside temperatures reached near zero. During the day warm flats will attract large schools of bait and stripers will locate these areas. Top-water action can be on fire as stripers begin a feeding freezy of schools of gizzard shad.
Earning the respect of these behemoths requires the use of stout, durable fishing gear. One good combo choice is an 7′ 6″, heavy action Okuma Battle Cat Rod with a multi-bearing bait casting reel like a Solterra or Cortez reel. The Battle Cat rod lets you hold more line out of the water, allowing quicker hook sets and better bait control and permitting more accurate drifts and natural presentation. It also provides more leverage for battling Monster catfish and stripers. Spool the reel with your favorite 30- to 50-pound-test line unless you’re fishing specifically for super- heavyweight fish. When targeting monsters stripers or catfish use an 8/0 to 10/0 hooks such as Team Catfish Double action 8/0 circle hook or a Gamakatsu 10/0 Octopus Hook . Make sure your hooks are sharp and leave the barb exposed after hooking the bait.
Make sure during this time of the year you always let someone know where you are fishing. Wear adequate clothing and always wear your PFD regardless of water depth. I always receommend the buddy system and stay out of the wind whenever possible. Just get out there, fish and be safe on the water.
