Favorite Fishing Destinations Countdown: No. 10 - Tennessee River, Alabama

Jimmy Mason with a couple of Guntersville chunks during my most recent Tennessee River outing.

I'm not going to narrow it that much, though, because that would exclude some crazily good bass action on Guntersville, watching Nathaniel wrestle a 60-pound blue catfish from Wheeler when he was about 12, hammering schooling bass on Wilson, side-pulling for Pickwick crappie and much more. I've simply had too many great experiences on all four of these impoundments to not include the entire Alabama run of the river on my favorites list.

I suppose I might be cheating a bit with this one. The Tennessee River is a vast and diverse fishery that truly encompasses many destinations. I am at least narrowing it to the Alabama impoundments. That says nothing against classic waters like Kentucky Lake or Chickamauga, which are themselves among the nation's elite fishing destinations. I just have far more time logged on Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick, and that time includes dozens of legitimately outstanding fishing days.

Pressed to pick an actual top spot, it would have to be the tailwater of either Wheeler or Wilson Dam. I love the diversity and dynamic nature of the waters below the big dams, and I can quickly think of at least 10 species I've caught below both dams. Catches in those tailwaters have included 5-pound-plus smallies, double-digit hybrids, jumbo blue cats and stripers (salts, as they call them locally) up to 20 pounds.


Big-fish potential is certainly part of the Tennessee River's draw. When I'm throwing a swimbait for smallmouths in one of the tailwaters, I have an ongoing awareness the next fish to hit legitimately could be the smallmouth of a lifetime, and any bass that hits on Guntersville could turn out to be a 10-pounder. Of course, the same idea applies anytime catfish baits are down on any of these lakes.

My fondness for the Tennessee River begins with the fishing itself, but it certainly doesn't end there. I've also gotten to spend many days in the boat with great anglers like Jimmy Mason, Tim Horton, Brad Whitehead and Jerry Crook and have first met many longtime friends at media events held on these lakes. I also love the settings, from Guntersville's grass flats to Pickwick's bluffs to the tailwaters themselves, which are always alive with diving birds and baitfish busting on top.

Another excellent thing about the Tennessee river, from my standpoint, is that its story continues to be written. I'll be back at Guntersville to fish with Jimmy Mason in a little more than a week!

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Red Hot Guntersville

I just realized I never reported back about this week's fishing at Lake Guntersville. I posted a few photos on Instagram (jeffsamsel) and on my Jeff Samsel Fishing Facebook page, but not here, where I promised a report.

In short, Guntersville is rocking right now. Jimmy Mason and I spent two days working out of the Waterfront Bay area of Guntersville. I say "working two days" because Day 2 was mostly spent shooting photos. Even on the first day, when I'd guess we landed 35 or 40 bass and could have weighed and easy 20 pounds, we probably spent a combined three hours doing photo work. My job is to shoot photos and gather content, and Jimmy is a guide and a pro staffer for the company I work for, so we really were working. It was just fun work!

Yumbrella rigs were the main deal. Specifically we were throwing Flash Mob Juniors rigged with YUM Pulse and Money Minnow swimbaits, focusing on ditches and sunken islands and other structures along the main Tennessee River channels, usually over eelgrass.

As a plus, we also caught a few big, pot-bellied spotted bass, which are a major bonus at Guntersville. Largemouths were the main attraction, though, and we caught a bunch of them, including a few 5-pound-plus fish. Big, big fun!

Guntersville Calling

When Jimmy Mason sends word that the bass are biting at Guntersville and suggests we get together to do some story and photo work, I don't need any convincing. Not long ago, Jimmy sent such a report, and plans are now set for us to fish together next Monday and Tuesday.

A 69,100-acre impoundment of the Tennessee River, Lake Guntersville is one of the nation's most renowned fishing destinations and somewhere most bass fishermen like to visit anytime they get the opportunity. Bluff lined and famous for expansive grass flats, Guntersville is a fish factory, and one of those places that holds and extra charm because as you fish there, you know that any bass that takes your lure could turn out to be a genuine giant.

Early winter tends to be a good time at Guntersville because the fish get congregated, and you can catch them quite a few different ways. I suspect we'll spend some time slinging YUMbrella Rigs, which means it's possible that I'll get to catch more than one bass in a cast, which is always fun. Jimmy also mentioned that the jerkbait bite has been good. By my way of thinking, few things in bass fishing that are more exciting than pausing a Rogue presentation and having a bass suddenly knock the slack from the line and nearly take away the rod.

The forecast calls for stable weather early next week, and we should be fishing just ahead of a winter system. There's not saying for certain what will really happen, but those definitely are promising conditions. I'll find out in a little less than 100 hours (not that I'm counting it down, or anything like that!)

Firing Up Autumn Fishing

I haven't fished an enormous amount over the past few weeks, but that's about to change in a large way. Plans for the next month or so include quite a bit of time on the water in various places and fishing for a nice mix of species. The leaves are also changing, and that change usually correlates with cooler temperatures and hotter fishing action.

First in line is the Tennessee River, where I'll spend a couple of days at Lake Guntersville and a few at Pickwick. Autumn is when the grass mats typically come alive and the best frog bite of the year often develops, so I'm hopeful for some explosive fun. Stop one may actually involve more interviewing, filming and photographing than fishing because TH-Marine has a great group of pros assembled, and it will be a fabulous time to learn and gather videos and story material. Pickwick will likely involve a lot more fishing.

Soon after the Tennessee River run, I'll be going back in the same direction, but farther, on an Ozarks adventure with two of my boys and another friend. We'll focus on rivers and target smallmouth bass and trout, including big tailwater brown trout. Other autumn plans include visits to Oklahoma's Fort Gibson and Tenkiller lakes for bass, crappie and white bass and South Carolina's Santee Cooper lakes for big cats, crappie and more. Much to look forward to, for sure!

My hope is that I'll post regular reports, tips and product information from the travels ahead. I won't promise, though, because I've learned too many times how days can disappear and how a lack of wifi or decent phone service can make such things nearly impossible. I'll only say that I'll try and that I'll try and that I hope you'll check in to see how the fall fishing is going!

Species 27 & 28

The sun hadn't fully broken the horizon on morning one of my recent Rend Lake trip when my species tally for 2014 grew. My first white crappie of the morning (one in photo is probably about the sixth or seventh) was species No. 27 for this year, according to my records. Not long after, I caught the first of several yellow bass, which was No. 28.

It's odd for me to add a white crappie so late in the year. That normally occurs early in the spring. It just happens that everywhere I've crappie fished this year, black crappie have been the main attraction.

Black crappie actually made the list really early this year. I caught my first one (actually my first several) in January, through the ice in Pennsylvania. I recorded five species from that trip to start this year's list, but I'm not really sure of the first-catch order. My first fish of this year was either a black crappie or a bluegill.

My next trip is to the Tennessee River in North Alabama. If we do any tailwater drifting, I could catch a freshwater drum or a buffalo, either of which would be add to the 2014 list. I think I've already caught most of the sport fish we'd be likely to encounter, but that's a diverse fishery, so you never know. Between that an early ice trip to Minnesota, it seems at least somewhat likely that I'll be able to bump the tally to 30 before the year ends and it becomes time to begin a new list.

New Toy/Tool

I aded a camera to my toolbag yesterday and am excited to put it to work. The hope, of course, is that I'll get to out it to very good use on some extra large catfish in Tennessee this evening.

Camera is a Fujifilm Finepix S1. It's a point-and-shoot, which admittedly feels a little like a step backward. I really don't think it is, though. It has a giant optical zoom range and fast lens, shoots up to 16 MP and offers the option of shooting raw and a lot of control settings. Extra appealing for today's communication needs, it shoots high def video, has Wifi to work with my phone and has a huge variety of specialty settings for effects.

Learning to navigate the new camera's menus and figuring out the best settings for different situations is going to take some time, but from the little bit of playing I have done I'm excited about prospects.

For now, two batteries are fully charged, and a 64-gig card is loaded and ready. And of course I also have my other cameras charged and ready for action!

Monster Appointment on Friday

 

Tennessee River Monsters has been on a great bite this week,
with 10 cats over 40 pounds in four days. Photo courtesy
of Tennessee River Monsters

Monster time begins Friday afternoon.

That's when I'm meeting Capt. Scott Manning of Tennessee River Monsters to fish the fertile waters of the Tennessee River for monster cats. He's been on them this week -- 10 that weighed more than 40 pounds in four days -- and nothing about weather or likely generation schedules suggests that the bite should change. Rain chance is 40 percent every day between now and then, with scattered afternoon thunderstorms possible, so that is the biggest question mark right now.

Tennessee River Monsters specializes in heavyweight blues and flatheads, plus trophy stripers, on the Tennessee River, between Knoxville and Chattanooga. From what I've seen, we'll use oversized baits for overgrown fish, so any fish that bites is apt to be that monster we're looking for. We'll most likely begin in the afternoon and fish through the evening and on into the night.

I'm an "everything that swims" sort of fisherman, and every style of fishing has its own appeals. Big cats rank high on my favorites list, though, and it's been too long since I've gone after them. I also don't have a blue or a flathead on this year's species list. Most importantly, I really need to freshen my big cat photo files and I'm excited to learn more about how Capt. Manning likes to fish.

I'm also excited about the likely opportunity to play with a new camera. I say likely because it is supposed to arrive tomorrow. More on that to follow, though.

Tennessee River Time

Randy Haynes brought the biggest bag of the 3-day Rayovac FLW
Series Event on Kentucky Lake on the final day to win the Tennessee
River slugfest. FLW photo.

Nothing about this weekend's Rayovac FLW Series event on Kentucky Lake was a surprise. It was a slugfest, it was won on ledges, and Randy Haynes tallied the biggest three-day catch.

Ledge season brings some of the best fishing of the year to the Tennessee River, and it's time when the best of the best really shine at what they do. Everyone knows that events will be won on ledges this time of year, most pros know what to look for and what to throw, and many rotate through many of the same spots, all catching a bunch of fish. Yet the same guys do little things better than anyone else and figure out what it takes to find the best schools and fish them the right ways to bring in bigger bags than anyone else.

Randy Haynes has now won seven events with FLW, and six of them have been on the Tennessee River. He was the guy many pros would have picked to win, and he did, with more than 75 pound over three days and a tournament best catch of 27-10 on the final day.

Haynes had no single spot. In fact, he fished a different area yesterday than the first two days and he worked about 40 different ledges. He also rotated systematically through four lures. The best ledge fishermen have great instincts about when to stay and when to go and are masters at boat positioning and figuring out patterning subtleties. They see stuff no one else can quite put a finger on and figure out how to apply what the see.

This weekend's action leads into mighty important month on the Tennessee River and a serious spotlight on summer ledge fishing. The FLW Tour visits Pickwick next week and Kentucky Lake later in the season. Those two events wrap up the season, so an Angler of the Year and quite a few qualifiers for the Forrest Wood Cup will be decided on the ledges in June.

Between the dates of those two events, the Bassmaster Elite Series will visit Chickamauga Lake. Also a Tennessee River impoundment, Chickamauga has less quality ledge habitat than Pickwick or Kentucky Lake, but the current bass population is loaded with big fish.

Smallmouth Fishing Weather

With spotty rain turning steady even falling hard in spurts, and the temperature holding right around 38, there was only one good thing to do with the couple hours of daylight that remained after traveling. So we did just that: We went fishing. Only one chunky bronzeback made it into the boat, and of course a bigger one did what big ones (especially big smallmouths) do best. It jumped high enough to show off its thick, bronze sides, shook the hook and returned to the river.

It was fun getting out for a head start on the three full days of Tennessee River fishing that will follow, and in truth the rain and semi-cold air only added excitement. It also allowed us to have the Wheeler tailwater to ourselves.

Tomorrow's plan is to spend a full day on Pickwick with Jimmy Mason. Oh, and if you happened to read a day or two ago when I said the rain was supposed to clear by tomorrow. That's changed. Cold, dark and wet, all day long. Sound like smallmouth fishing weather to me!

Driving in the Rain

Seems I'll be driving in the rain tomorrow morning. Forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain here and a 70 percent chance of rain where I'm headed, five hours away. Hard to imagine I won't hit some good rain showers along the way.

The good news is that I'll be traveling opposite the direction the rain normally moves, and that it's supposed to be pushed through by Monday morning, when fishing plans officially start. Whether we'll end up sneaking out for a while tomorrow afternoon upon arrival, I'm not sure. If not, I'll be good and ready, come Monday.

Plan is to fish a day on Lake Wheeler or Wilson and two on Guntersville, where the 2014 Bassmaster Classic will be held in February. I'm looking forward to a few days of good winter bass fishing on the Tennessee River.

I have my camera batteries charged and plenty of memory cleared, so watch for reports here, on my facebook fishing page and on Twitter (@jeffsamsel).

Bama Bass, Come Monday

All the big bass pictures I've been seeing and sometimes sharing on my facebook fishing page have me really looking forward to a few days of fishing the Tennessee River next week. Plans include a day on Wheeler and/or Wilson and a couple of days on Guntersville.

Word is that the bite has been very good of late, with YUMbrella Rigs, Boo Rigs, jerkbaits and jigs all producing good action. Along with fishing a couple of different lakes, I'll be fishing with five different pros in three days, and I suspect that each will fish a little differently, so I'm guessing I'll get to try several different things.

I actually might sneak out to the Wheeler tailwater on Sunday, after driving to Alabama, and do a little fishing on my own from the rocks, just to mix it up a little and get a headstart on things. That depends a bit on weather. As of now, the forecast is calling for significant rain on Sunday, and if it's coming down hard, I might just settle in and wait to fish from a boat on Monday morning. On Monday, I get to fish with Jimmy Mason. Jimmy guides full time on the Tennessee River, so he's out there every day and pretty well always has the fish dialed in.

The weather appears it will make a cold turn this weekend. High around there today was supposed to hit 72 degrees. Tuesday temps are supposed to top out in the mid-30s. That's part of making fishing plans during the winter, though, and what warm clothes were made for. I'm glad I'll be out on the lake to get cold instead of sitting at my desk.

Drop in on Changing Ledge Fish

"A few years ago, you wouldn't have dreamed about using a drop-shot rig for ledge fishing,but I find myself using one more and more," said Jimmy Mason, a tournament pro and guide on the Alabama portion of the Tennessee River.

When fishermen think about ledges, most think about big baits -- deep-diving crankbaits, 10-inch worms, 1-ounce spinnerbaits and big swimbaits -- and those baits till play a very large part. As ledge fishing gets ever more popular, though, and as anglers get ever-better educated about how find and fish offshore structure, the fish are getting wiser. For anglers who still want to catch them well, that often means making adjustments.

"When they first move out late in the spring, they're dumb, but they get educated pretty quickly, and on some summer days when everybody has been out fishing the ledges, it's hard to catch them with a crankbait."

Any time Mason can find the fish but they won't bite traditional stuff, he rigs up a YUM Mighty Worm on a drop-shot rig and fishes it by dragging the weight slowly along the bottom.  They fish rarely can resist the drop-shot, and he has found that the little rig even produces it's share of big bass.

North Alabama Ledge Run

Word has it that the ledge bite is going strong on Pickwick, so I'm Alabama bound this afternoon to see for myself. I'll be dividing time in the boat with Jimmy Mason and Jonathan Newton, both pros from that area and both authorities on ledge fishing on the Tennessee River.

For as big a deal as the ledge bite becomes throughout the summer and for as much time as I've spent on Pickwick, Kentucky Lake and other waters along the Tennessee River, I've not done much ledge fishing. Obviously, I'm looking forward to catching some chunky bass. Just as much, though, I'm looking forward to learning what draws the fish to the ledges, how changes in river flow impact positioning and bass behavior, how Jimmy and Jonathan position their boats, how they use their electronics, what presentations they prefer...

Be sure to watch this blog, my YouTube Channel, and my facebook fishing community page. I expect to have some good information to convey and plan to post some fish pics and at least a couple of new videos from this week's outing.

Blog updates have been slow coming for the past week or so, and I apologize to anyone who checks in regularly and anticipates something fresh. I very much appreciate folks who follow my blog, and do try to keep things updated. Non-fishing travel and other stuff just made computer time and access a little too thin and allowed me to fall behind last week. I'm back at it, though, so check back soon!

Fall Fun in Colbert County

Trading stories over giant Rustler Burgers at the Rattlesnake Saloon on the outskirts of Tuscumbia, Alabama, a small group of pro anglers and outdoor writers talked about three days of fun fishing on the Tennessee River. The action ranged from largemouths smashing BOOYAH Pad Crasher frogs over Pickwick grass flats to smallmouths attacking YUMBrella Rigs beside main-river bluffs.

Variety is one of the greatest virtues of Wilson and Pickwick lakes, according to B.A.S.S. pro Timmy Horton, who lives in nearby Muscle Shoals and has fished the Tennessee River all his life. Largemouths and smallmouths compete for top billing among bass fishermen, although other groups of anglers would contend that heavyweight catfish, stripers or crappie are the best thing going (each with a good case to be made). Meanwhile, the waters themselves range from swift tailwaters to open-river ledges to dock-filled coves to grassy backwaters.

Colbert County, which includes Wilson and upper Pickwick and the towns of Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, has long been one of my favorite places to visit on fishing trips. That's largely because of the fishing itself, but it's also because I've rarely been any place where the local community better appreciates the significance of their local fishing or is more welcoming to visiting fishermen. Whether at the boat ramp or gas station or out to eat, local folks always seem happy to have visitors in town enjoying the great fishing - and I truly appreciate that.

Timmy's favorite thing about fall on the Tennessee River is the topwater bite. Whether he's hopping a frog in grass or walking a spook below Wilson Dam for jumbo smallies he typically has some type of surface lure on this time of year. As the fall gives way to winter and the water temperature continues to drop, he'll switch mostly to YUMBrella Rigs and YUM Mud Minnows, which he'll fish along main-river bluffs. That bite will last all winter long and continue into the spring, and that's the main thing he'll throw throughout the cool months.

Don't go on my word, though. Find out out for yourself. For information, visit www.fishpickwicklake.com.

Alabama Bronze

The smallmouths were kind enough to make a strong appearance today, taking a bit of the bite out of a pretty chilly November day, with skies that ranged from blue to black, at times with cold rain or even hail falling. Most fish were on Tennessee River bluffs, and the bulk of them were caught on Yumbrella Flash Mob Junior rigs adorned with YUM Mud Minnows. However, individual Mud Minnows and Rogues also produced a few fish. The best bluffs were on the windy side of the river, with waves beating the rock and with big schools of shad running close to the bluffs. The best bite occurred when the wind was blowing steadily.

We're headed for the same main-river bluffs tomorrow to see whether the smallmouths still want to cooperate. I'm guessing they will, but we'll find out tomorrow morning. I know the morning cold will have just as much bite.  For now, I guess I'd better sleep!

Wilson Blue Cats

We got the week of North Alabama fishing started with blue cats on Wilson Lake. Less water was running through Wilson Dam than guide Brian Barton would have preferred, but we still managed to connect with half a dozen cats in half a day. We caught our fish on cut skipjack, fished directly beneath the boat and suspended just off the bottom in 50 to 60 feet of water.

Tomorrow's fishing starts early with the first light smallmouth bite below Wheeler Dam. Word has it they're hitting topwater lures and YUMBrella rigs. Big promise for major fun.