# Article You may enjoy



## Catfish (May 21, 2004)

I found this article .. I will post a link and then the article ... I enjoyed it .. Hope you will to ..

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/f_fea_stripers_TN_Pickwick_T.Wilson.html

*Pickwick Dam: A good place to rock 'n' reel
* 
*Tennessee tips for catching summer and fall's tailrace striped bass
* 
*By Taylor Wilson 
*Special to ESPNOutdoors.com â€" Sept. 21, 2004










*A typical "rockfish" below Pickwick Dam is boated by Randy Huffstetler.* 
PICKWICK DAM, Tenn. â€" "If you don't like this, something is wrong with you," Tommy Akin said after struggling with a striped bass in the an 8- to 10-pound range he took from the churning water below Pickwick Dam. 

This whipped water is prevalent below the dam in the late summer months and the beginning of autumn as the Tennessee Valley Authority gathers needed electric power via the dam on the Tennessee River.

The moving water is heavily oxygenated and it attracts large schools of baitfish, such as herring and shad. Following the bait into boils beneath the dam are the striped bass, which the locals refer to as "rockfish."

Striper fishing in late summer and early fall is certainly a bonus at a time of year when catching other species of fish can be tough because of the heat.

Also, honestly, there are not many places you can go, this far inland, and routinely catch as many fish that weigh an average of 8 pounds or better.

Pickwick is one of many dams in Tennessee, and in the Southeast, for that matter â€" and many of them offer excellent striper fishing in their "boils" or tailraces.

The tactics used at one dam are just as likely to work at another â€" as long as there's bait, stripers and strong current.

*â€œ**Good fishing for rockfish can run April through the end of October, but in most years the very best fishing is in September and October. **â€*_â€"__ Pickwick Dam striper-fishing guide David Harbin _

Fishing guide David Harbin is the best in the business at Pickwick. He fishes from a deck boat and carries out several anglers at a time, in search of stripers.

"Rockfishing has always been good, but I can't recall as many fish in the 6- to 8-pound range as we have had this year. It has really been terrific," Harbin said.

Logan Collier, of Savannah, Tenn., is another regular fishing for rockfish when they began their hot summer runs.

He and Harbin agree the key to catching the big striped-side bass can be boat control.

Anglers must find a "seam" in the boils beneath the dam. This is a place where the currents come together and is evident on the surface.

With an angler on the bow, the driver takes the boat up onto the seam. Then the angler drops his weighted, three-way swivel rig down to the bottom, as the boat is pushed back.









*When the stripes are running and an angler can get his weight to the bottom, he's apt to get bit on every drift.* 
This in itself is tricky, and takes practice. But when the stripes are running and an angler can get his weight to the bottom, he's apt to get bit on every drift, Harbin and Collier said. 

"Good fishing for rockfish can run April through the end of October, but in most years the very best fishing is in September and October," Harbin said.

With that in mind, here are some tailrace striped bass tips from the fishing guide.

[*]Success is all about fishing the boils and the amount of water being generated at the dam. Anglers can call (731) 925-4344 for generation information, or (800) 238-2264 for other such information in Tennessee Valley Authority river and reservoir system. What you need to listen for is three generators/units or more in motion during the time you will be fishing. Without three or more, fishing can be tough.

[*]Bait is a big factor, and from the middle of July until the end of October skipjack are big enough to use and relatively easy to catch. Buy a bait-getter rig (a series of small flies), which is available at most area bait shops, and fish it in the boils to make bait.

When fishing with bait in the eddies (on an ultralight spinning outfit), don't just rip the surface. Sometimes the baitfish are deep and you have to let the rig fall. Give it a 10- to 15-count; the skipjack are not always on the surface.

[*]A casting bait net also can help anglers load up on bait.

[*]At certain times of year, bait is hard to come by. That's when below-the-dam anglers fish plastic shad imitators or troll crankbaits.

[*]The best method for fishing the target times (now through October) is to fish skipjack on 17-pound test, with a 3-way swivel, with a 3-ounce weight on a 12-inch leader and a 30-inch leader with a 1/0 or 2/0 hook.

It is a good idea to keep a topwater chugger or Spooklike bait tied on a rod at all times, in the event the big fish surface.









*The tactics used at one dam are just as likely to work at another â€" as long as there's bait, stripers and strong current.* 
[*]The average drift is about 300 yards, then it's time to motor back into the boils again for another drift.

[*]Navigating this powerful water and fishing at the same time is tricky, to say the least. If you have never done it before, it is wise to go with a guide one time, if for nothing else but to learn how to fish the current.

Among other things to consider, do not forget your lifejackets; you cannot be too safe.

And know that stripers are great to eat, either baked, blackened or fried, but the fish's texture is tailor-made for grilling. Select your favorite seasoning and toss 'em on the grill.

However, before cooking, make sure all red meat is removed from the fish. This provides for a much better taste.

And, also, since you'll be angling below the dam â€" and catching fish â€" why not check out the area's famed "botel." Located not too far below Pickwick Dam, this old, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers barge has been converted to a restaurant and hotel.

Under new ownership, much renovation has been taking place and the new owner is very receptive to cooking fresh-caught fish, if they are cleaned and bagged. This service is available for a nominal fee and excellent trimmings are offered from the menu.

_For a brochure providing a wide range of area fishing, lodging and other information, call the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-552-3866._

_Free-lance writer Taylor Wilson can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]._


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## Hawkeye (May 21, 2004)

I didn't see a word about catfish LOL, but it was a great article just the same. Similar techniques would work just about any place there's striped bass and food.... Our season opens... today, I think... I'm planning to go Saturday if it isn't too rough in the Bay. There aren't any "boils" to fish, but the "rips" over the tunnels are just as productive.

Thanks for the article...
TT<><


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## mudd_catt (May 22, 2004)

YEAH BOYEEEEE! Dat's de place for reliable striper fishin dis time of de year. But the author forgot to mention two important things. One, there ARE strong catches of catfish using the same methods. Two, you can do just as good or sometimes better fishing from the bank, if they are runnin enuf water. Plus, you don't have to worry about boat control  or gas  or wearing that HOT life jacket the whole time you fish, as it is regulation to wear one from the boat ramp upstream to the dam at all times. BUT, man de feeshins good! I done seen de time when a pencil popper didn't stand a chance pulled thru the edges of de boils. and don even think about forgettin about de rattlin rogue carolina rigged along the dam wall. Slays em! 

Oh yeah, did I mention dat you can catch dem catfesh from de bank also? de trik is to use small bites of cutbate on de bottom an be ready for a kwik nibble of a bite.


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## NightTrain (May 21, 2004)

I like the part about grillin'...:brew:


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## mudd_catt (May 22, 2004)

Suuuppppp 'Train? You see what yall missin?


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## NightTrain (May 21, 2004)

Yeah...looks good...one day might get to actually fish it.We've got a real good striper population on the Roanoke River(ocean run)...Gaston and Kerr are also known to good striper holes...


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## mudd_catt (May 22, 2004)

I had a coupla days last fall when you couldn't throw a topwater without it gettin murderated. i had one trip that I caught a fish every cast for 19 conescutive casts.


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## Hawkeye (May 21, 2004)

I'd like to have that problem... and about four or five coolers full of ice to cover it up with...


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## mudd_catt (May 22, 2004)

The only problem wid dat is the limit is two, and they have to be around 16 inches. Mostly I do c-r on them too.


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## NightTrain (May 21, 2004)

Dat's catchin'...not fishin'!Love the sound of those "commode flushers"!


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## Hawkeye (May 21, 2004)

We can only keep two in the Bay and tributaries too... but down there in NightTrain country, the limit is four fish per day... that's where I'm going to be striper fishing if I EVER get the boat to run...


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## NightTrain (May 21, 2004)

Hey Hawk...got a fishing report from"NightTrain Country"...see Thursday Night Fights.


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## mudd_catt (May 22, 2004)

You'll getter goin. I got faith. I jus don know what I gonna do bout a boat ;(


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## NightTrain (May 21, 2004)

*Stripers*

Hey Hawk:
You still hittin' the Bay Saturday?Lookin' forward to one of your fine reports.Haven't been to the Chesapeake this year(yet)...usually try to get down there at least a coupla times.That is a saltwater fisherman's paradise...and so close to home,too.It's a wonder I don't fish it more.Actually,Hatteras is my idea of paradise....and I haven't been down there this year,either!
Hope you get into 'em hard !!Where do ya'll put in?Doin' driftin' or trollin' or chunkin'?Also.....hope the old back is gettin' some relief.


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