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Post by shadpuller on Jul 5, 2018 11:06:35 GMT -5
Went to Watts Bar. Had Skipjack for cut bait. Surface temp 84 falling to 79 through the night. Fished river channel with cooler water. Depth ranging from 34 to 50 ft. Fish were concentrated on bottom structure and “humps”. The bite was good all night. Fished from dark until 9am. Caught over 30 catfish and two stripers unintentionally. The stripers would not revive after being brought out of the cooler water, so they were fileted with the catfish. That was the first time I’ve experienced stripers taking cut bait. If anyone else has seen this before, I’d like to hear their experiences. All of the catfish were bluecats ranging from 8 lbs. to the largest at 36 lbs. All in all, a great night at a beautiful lake. That was my first trip and I hope to make many more.
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Post by 31Airborne on Jul 5, 2018 11:46:24 GMT -5
You can't go wrong with any of the Tennessee River chain of lakes. Something for every kind of fisherman.
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johnr
New Member
Posts: 1,295 
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Post by johnr on Jul 5, 2018 12:23:46 GMT -5
We catch stripers here at sml often on cutbait. Sometimes we do it intentionally to catch them, even in the daytime.
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Gator
New Member
Posts: 1,534
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Post by Gator on Jul 5, 2018 14:25:37 GMT -5
It is a great lake to fish. I'm not sure I would eat anything from that water. Every ramp we used had signs warning folks not to eat certain fish.
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Post by quackquackboom on Jul 5, 2018 14:47:23 GMT -5
It is a great lake to fish. I'm not sure I would eat anything from that water. Every ramp we used had signs warning folks not to eat certain fish. Sadly that’s more and more the norm. |
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Post by noreggo on Jul 5, 2018 20:35:13 GMT -5
Not sure but I think there's a radioactive waste site about 20 miles upstream. Could be an issue. They might have invented atomic bomb there. Don't eat the fish
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Post by mwardncsu on Jul 5, 2018 21:21:36 GMT -5
Yep - head waters of Watts Bar has some nasty stuff - ever heard of Oak Ridge National Laboratories.
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Post by 31Airborne on Jul 6, 2018 7:21:15 GMT -5
Not sure but I think there's a radioactive waste site about 20 miles upstream. Could be an issue. They might have invented atomic bomb there. Don't eat the fish The primary issue is PCBs and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. There is also concern for heavy metals (from legacy manufacturing). The TVA reports I've read show that radioactivity in the TN River chain below Oak Ridge is within background. |
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Post by quackquackboom on Jul 6, 2018 7:58:53 GMT -5
May be why the fish are so big 🤔
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