Jon's East Tennessee Fishing Blog

Hi I'm the wife.

noreply@blogger.com (Lezlee Dice) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:14:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:24:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Lezlee Dice) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:04:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:14:00 +0000

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.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 5/5/10

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:12:00 +0000

I took a friend out today from 9:00am to 1:30pm. We fished the Ish Creek and Saltpeter Bluff areas. The weather was bright and sunny, no clouds and no wind. Water temperature was 73 F. Clarity was stained to heavily stained.
We started out with crankbaits and immediately caught 2 short fish. As we fished the main channel banks, we switched to flukes, worms and jigs and caught a few more. We ended the day with 6 on crankbaits and 5 on plastics with only one keeper. Lately I've had trouble finding the quality fish.
After the rough conditions on Kentucky Lake this past weekend, it was nice to fish in some calm water!
For those of you running wide open down the lake, BEWARE OF LOGS! They are everywhere from the rains and flooding.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 4/22/10

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:18:00 +0000

Brandon and I fished in a tournament on Thursday night 4/22/10 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The water is still warming up with 70+ degrees being normal in the coves. The main lake is hovering around 68 degrees for the most part. Tonight started off very windy, but calmed down after dark. It was also partly cloudy for most of the tournament.
We started by fishing spinnerbaits and crankbaits on windblown main lake flats for about an hour with no luck. We made a move into a pocket off the main lake out of the wind and fished the entire edge with plastics. The first half of the pocket resulted in zero bites, but the second half gave up 5 fish and several misses, with one being a keeper weighing 2.44 lbs. We continued on to another spot we have had success on in the past and immediately landed another keeper on plastics that weighed 2.26 lbs. After that fish our night went downhill. I had a nice fish jump and break my line and Brandon had a really nice fish come unbuttoned. Had we landed those two, I think we would have had enough weight to win the tournament. Once it got dark, we had a few nibbles but nothing we could set the hook on.
All the fish we caught were several feet off the bank. The lake is not full yet and alot of the cover is still out of the water.
On a side note, the FLW is here this week and they have been hammering the fish all week and weighing in some very nice bags. It's becoming evident that with all the tournaments that have been taking place, the numbers of fish being caught has decreased substantially.

Fort Loudon Fishing Report 4/12/10

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:02:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:10:00 +0000

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.

Natural Shiner

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Ok, you might be getting tired of seeing my painted crankbaits, but I've not made it to the lake yet for any fishing reports. Besides, I really liked the look of this one. It's my version of a natural shiner painted on a Lucky Craft CBD20.

Olive Craws

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:28:00 +0000

Here's some Olive Craws I just painted for a customer. He requested the eyes be put on the back of the lure instead of the front. Comments welcome.

First Sturgeon

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I was able to go fishing for the first time this year on 3/6/10 below Ft. Loudon Dam. I fished on the side where the lock is and the water is calm. I tried several different lures with no luck, but I had a rod rigged with a 1/2 oz slip weight and a circle hook with nightcrawlers for catfish or anything else that might bite. By the end of the day, I had caught 1 perch and 2 sturgeon and my friend, Brandon, caught 1 striper, 1 white bass, and 1 sturgeon.
The sturgeon were the first either of us had ever captured and is a very neat looking fish. The first one I caught even tried to jump! They were small, measuring 21, 21.5, and 24 inches. These were stocked fish that are part of TWRA's sturgeon restoration program. They used to be common in these waters, but disappeared until the stocking program began.
I contacted TWRA and the sturgeon we caught were supposedly stocked in the French Broad and Holston Rivers. So, these fish swam all the way to Lenoir City to the dam and went through the lock, ending up in what is technically Watts Bar Reservoir. That means they passed by the University of Tennessee, paralleled Alcoa Highway, swam past Lousiville, Concord, Farragut and Friendsville and finally arrived in Lenoir City. Now that's a fish that covers alot of water!
Spring is here so get ready for the bass!

Check out this blog

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:09:00 +0000

Here is a blog that belongs to one of my followers. It's in Spanish, which I'm very limited at. I can read some, but can't speak it. Anyway, it is a very nice blog full of interesting tackle and pictures. Check out some of the swimbaits on here! They're really nice!
http://rogecuervo.blogspot.com/

My Latest Creations

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:42:00 +0000

Here's some crankbaits I finished this week. Hope you enjoy! The top two are "Blue Mottled Craw" and "Mottled Spring Craw" and the bottom one is "Pesky Gill".

Winter Pastime

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:42:00 +0000

I haven't been able to get on the water since Thanksgiving. It's just too cold and the days are too short for me! So, to pass the time I've been painting some crankbaits. I really enjoy making jigs and painting crankbaits, especially in the winter. It gives me something to do when I can't fish, lets my creative side play for awhile, and gets me really excited about getting back on the lake.
Winter is also a great time to spend quality time with my wife and son. She has understood my love of fishing since we met, so she doesn't nag at me during the warm months when I want to fish tournaments. I appreciate and love her more than words can explain. My son is growing fast and I've been taking time to soak it in. He's starting to talk well and is incredibly fun to play cars with! We like to crash them! Soon, he'll be old enough to go fishing with his old man on the boat. I know his mother is ready for it, because she misses going fishing too!
I thought I would post a few pictures here of my latest work. Keep in mind, I'm not a professional painter! I've been practicing with the airbrush and feel like I'm getting better every time I paint, though. The main thing is I enjoy it.
Have a great day and give thanks to Him!

Fort Loudon Catfishing

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:06:00 +0000

Ok, it's been awhile since I've posted, so here's a recap of what's been happening for me the last month and a half.
First, tournament season for me is over, so I've shifted my focus to bank fishing for trophy channel, blue, and flathead catfish. Over the last two weeks, I have caught several fish over 25 inches from both Sinking Creek and Turkey Creek. The biggest so far was yesterday in Turkey Creek, which was a 32 inch flathead.
I've been using threadfin shad that I net from the area I'm fishing. As for tackle, I'm using a Ugly Stick Catfish series rod, a Shakespeare saltwater reel, Berkley Big Game 17 lb test line, and Team Catfish sinker sliders and 3/0 circle hooks.
Second, I've been trying to find more time to make and modify lures. I'm still dabbling with airbrushing and lead pouring and really want to get into plastic pouring. However, I am running out of room in my garage. So, I'm thinking of getting one of the two story type storage buildings like you see at Home Depot. Then, I'll be able to move all my hobbies out of the garage and also have some extra storage.
Lastly, the time has changed and I haven't been getting out the boat very often. It's just not worth the effort by the time I get off work, come home and load up just to fish for a couple of hours. Then, come home and unload everything.
So, until next spring, there will not be many fishing reports posted on this site. I will shift to product reviews and other fishing talk. There may be some tackle making tricks or results posted, too. I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving!

Crankbait Modification - Part 2 - Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:11:00 +0000

People paint crankbaits using many different methods, tricks, and paints. I might not paint them the proper way according to some people, but it works for me. And, besides, I'm still learning! One day I decided to give it a try because I already have an airbrush, I have too many crankbaits not in use because I don't like th colors, and I am out of jig making materials right now. (The company I order jig supplies from is relocating and out of commission until October 12.) So, I will try to walk you through the steps I take when painting my crankbaits.
First, it is important to make sure the lure is smooth. If it's not, sand it until it is. Many wooden lures get chunks out of them through frequent use and these chunks can be filled in with wood putty. The most common flaw I find in plastic lures is grooves where the front hooks rub into the body during use. This can be fixed with any epoxy, but I prefer Devcon 2-ton. Also, be sure to tape off the lip and any other parts you don't want to get paint on. It's fine to paint over the hook hangers.
Second, you want to lay down a base coat to work from. For all practical purposes, this should be done with white. It allows you to see what you're spraying better and it also makes the colors brighter. The airbrush I use is a Badger Professional 150. Before you spray be sure to read the directions of both the paint and the airbrush. Different paint requires different reducers to spray properly. If this isn't done correctly, you will get splatters or an uneven design. Some paint can be reduced with distilled water, while others require paint thinner. I even have one that reduces best with Windex! I learned that from a seasoned painter at Hobby Town.
Once the basecoat is painted and had plenty of time to dry, you can start with your pattern. This is when you can use templates to make scale patterns, gills, or anything else you can think of. I normally use a scale pattern and if gills are required, I will freehand them. I made this simple tool out of some scrap wood and drywall mesh tape. It works great for scales.

Just hold it up to the lure and spray evenly as far down as you want the scales to show. Be sure not to move the template or the paint will smear. If that happens, it is best to start over with a new base coat. I always go back over a portion of the back (or top) of the lure with the same color I used for the scales, but without the template. This blends the colors and scales and it looks much better.
After you have all the colors you want on the bait, you can start painting the eyes and any other details. I use a nail to paint the black dots on the side of the lure and two different size nails for the eyes. I use the bigger nail for the main color of the eye such as red or yellow and I use a smaller nail to put a black dot in the middle.

The final step is to seal the lure and make it durable. I use Devcon 2-ton epoxy for this. It's very simple to use, dries quickly, and offers great protection. Mix it up and use a cheap brush to paint it on. I've also used a popsicle stick to put it on, but the brush is much easier. Glitter can be added to the epoxy while you mix it if desired. Once the epoxy is covering the entire lure body, hang it to dry. This is where the Devcon pays off, because it dries quickly enough that it doesn't run or leave globs on the lure. Slower drying epoxies require a drying machine to ensure it doesn't run. Some people use old rottisseries for drying the lures. As it spins, the epoxy doesn't have time to run.

Here are the recent lures I painted. Clockwise from left, Norman DD22 in Citrus Shad, Bomber Fat Free Fingerling in Sexy Shad, and Bandit 100 in Citrus Shad.

Well, that's the way I paint crankbaits. I'm sure many of you can do a much better job, but I hope this can help some other beginners to not make as many mistakes as I have. If you have any tips or tricks, please feel free to leave them in the comment sections for everyone to see. Good luck out there and be safe!

Fort Loudon Fishing Report - 9/14/09, Monday Night Mayhem

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Brandon was able to make it out to fish with me on Monday night and it paid off. He had our two biggest fish in the Monday Night Mayhem tournament out of the Concord ramp on Fort Loudon, with one winning lunker. It weighed 3.66 lb. We had a total of 4 fish that weighed 8.74 lb, which was good enough for the win.
We caught several fish on topwater poppers, but none were keepers. Three of our keepers came on a 10" Berkley Power Worm and one came on a white Strike King Caffeine Shad. We fished from 6" - 17 ft deep on 5 spots I have had some success with the past few weeks. I've had problems hooking the fish on these spots but I knew they were there. Monday, we didn't have such a problem although we did miss a few. I guess that leaves a few there for next time!
Baitfish are everywhere and you can see them schooled on top. Occasionally, a feeding frenzy will occur and you can catch several fish in a very short time, but they seem to be small ones. The water temperature was around 78 F. The water was calm, with very little wind. The skies were partly to mostly cloudy.
This is a fun tournament to fish. I really enjoy competing against these guys and we have a great time before and after the tournament shooting the bull. The director is Bill Freeman and he has done a great job!
The results were as follows:
Jon Dice/Brandon Dinsmore - 4 fish - 8.74 lb and first lunker - 3.66 lb
Bill Freeman/John Smith - 4 fish - 6.76 lb and second lunker - 2.31 lb (I think)
Jerry and Robby Beck - 4 fish - 6.37 lb (great to see father and son fishing together)
Lynn and Bob King - 4 fish - 5.99 lb
others did not weigh in fish.

Anyone interested should come out and fish! It's not an expensive tournament, $35 (but I think is being lowered to $25 to draw more competitors). We are fishing through the end of October and now is getting to be the best time to catch good numbers of fish on Fort Loudon. It would be a great place for some beginning tournament anglers to have a good time.
Until next time, be safe and catch them big uns!

USA Bassin' Regional, Douglas Lake Report 9/13/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:19:00 +0000

Brandon and I fishied the Regional on Sunday 9/13 and didn't do so well. We only had 2 fish that weiged 2.5 lbs and I think finished in 31st place. The good news is that was good enough to qualify for the USA Bassin' Classic which will be on Kentucky Lake in May 2010. The top 3 will win a new boat! The winner on Sunday had 17+ lbs, 2nd was 10+, 3rd was 9, and 4th was 8.9. There were 48 boats.
It was a tough day. The topwater bite was slow in the area we fished in the morning and we only managed a few small fish on Pop Rs and Zara Spooks. Our keepers came off of shady steep rock banks on finesse shaky worms. We caught around 10 fish, but only had the 2 keepers. From 11:00 am to 1:00 pm we didn't get a bite.
If I had it to do over, I would go much farther up the river and find dirtier water. It was just too clear where we were. The water temperature at 7:30 am was 74 F and we found 80 F later in the day in one area. The skies were clear and a strong eastern wind was blowing in.
The tournament director, Joe Cummings, did a great job! It was very organized and efficient. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who qualified for the Classic!

Douglas Lake Fishing Report - 8/26/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:02:00 +0000

A friend and I drove down to Douglas Lake today and fished from about 12:00 pm - 4:15 pm. It was only the 3rd time I had been on Douglas and the first time in 5 years. We put in at the dam, which was not nearly as crowded as I had expected, and took a left into the Flat Creek area. We jumped point to point and tossed everything at them. Deep diving crank baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, Carolina rigged plastics of all sorts, poppers, flukes, all with no luck. It was very slow, no shad breaking or bass busting. Even the Great Blue Herons seemed inactive, allowing the boat to get extremely close before flying off. We ended up plucking 3 largemouth from the lake using plastic finesse worms. Two of the fish were keepers, a 14 inch and an 16 1/2 inch. Water temperatures were between 77 and 80 degrees, air temperature was around 85 degrees and there was no wind and no clouds. It was hot, humid, and pretty much miserable. But, at least we were fishing instead of working, right? You all have a great day!

New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:36:00 +0000

For something new, I decided to change templates today. I'm not quite sure if I like it better than the old one, though. It does seem a little easier to read with this color scheme. I would like to get some comments from frequent visitors comparing this template with the old one and any suggestions. Also, any first time visitors please feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Monday Night Madness - Fort Loudon 8/17/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dice) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I fished solo in the Monday Night Madness tournament from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. I started out shallow and landed 17 fish in the first 45 minutes with one that was a 16" keeper. The rest were 12-13 inches. These fish were in 1-8 feet of water. I moved out to a hump to try to get some bigger fish. I missed a few on a Carolina Rig. The weather was looking pretty bad, so I decided to head back towards the ramp just in case it began lightning. I often see guys fish through the lightning, but I refuse to risk my life over a few hundred dollars! So, after stopping at a very nice, long point that has been good to me in the past, the wind started howling. The bite instantly shut off contrary to what I thought would happen. I hooked up with one more small keeper that came off as I tried to swing him in the boat. It was dark and windy at this point and I was battling the waves with the trolling motor trying to stay on my spot, so I couldn't find the end of my line. When I tried to swing the fish in, it hit the back left side of the boat and came off. Oh, well. It wouldn't have helped me place in the tournament. The winner had 8+ lbs I think.

On a side note, there were several fish having trouble swimming after release. If you do not know how to "fizz" a fish, I highly recommend you to learn. It's easy to do and enables the fish to swim instead of float. Floaters always die, fizzed fish have a much better survival rate. Also, keep some ice for your livewell and Rejuvenade or some other type of livewell treatment. Good luck out there!

To purchase enough Rejuvenade to treat 500 gallons click here!