Mid Tenn Report

Wednesday - Drew and I decided to get on the water a little later than the
others :0 Being that we had the smallest boat/motor in the group, we
decided to stick to the north side of the lake and hit a few of the inlets
just across from the launch. First few casts showed us to be on the fish.
Dark green tubes and dark green Senko's were the table fare of choice for
the Spots and Smallmouth we coaxed from the logs and rock ledges. Once we
established a pattern (insert snicker here as I am the last person to
pattern a fish) we moved to the next cove to see if it would continue. Lo
and behold, we caught more fish. Spots, Spots and more Spots. Now we had
either found the drop outs from the local Over-Eaters Anonymous Fish School
or we had stumbled upon something that seemed to be working. All that
remained to be seen was if the others' had found active fish as well.

Drew and I decided to head on back to the cabin, leaving the fish alone and
hoping they would still be there come tournament day. Besides, we were
beginning to get a little parchedJ. Came off the water, cracked a few
"pops", ate a burger or two along with a hot dog or two, throw in a couple
handfuls of pretzels and chips (ya'll have to remember that I just quit
smoking) and told a few select people in the group of our success and the
pattern...bright yellow wiggle worts off sheer bluffs.



Thursday - Again we started a little later than the rest of the group (talk
about pattern!) but we were still on the water early enough to realize we
needed a few more hours of sleep. We smacked the 40 horses in the rear-end
and putted across the lake, to our "Holy Grail" of fishing spots. Dark
green tube and dark green Senko, get ready, get set, fire....nothing. Hmm.
Fire....nothing. Fire, fire, fire.............nothing, nothing, nothing.
Stupid fish. I commented to Drew that the fish must be like we are, late
risers.

On to a different creek, the name of which we did not know because, in our
infinite wisdom, we decided we really didn't need to know where on that tiny
lake we were a any given point. Followed the creek up towards the end and
dropped the even smaller motor. I tied on a different color plastic on each
rod, Drew decided to stay with what wasn't working in the other area, and
down the creek shore we went. The first brush pile/logs we came to held no
fish or it would have bit my offering (it's my story, I'll tell it the way I
want) so I picked up the rod I had tied on a Texas rigged weightless Red
Shad Senko. The rest of this shoreline is where Drew slowly starts to see
some of his money disappear from his pocket. Each lay down, brush pile, and
log that I threw that worm into held a fish!! I must have caught 10-13
keepers along that shore line, each one signaling a larger and more
formidable lead being built over my partner. Did I say more profitable lead
also? Oh well, back to the story. Another pattern stumbled upon, right?
Oh poor poor, pitiful fisherman, we should all know better than that. The
few hours of darkness always seem to completely rearrange the lake and fish
but that's for later in the story. Back to the fishing machine that is
Drew. He did manage to catch one or two fish on the now light green tube
(faded from too much time in the water), but it must have been out of sheer
frustration on the fishes side after having to see that thing thrown in time
after time, hoping for the Red Shad but instead seeing that ugly thing
bounced down the rocks. We left the area, hoping we had not stung the fish
and wanting to test the All Mighty Red Shad in other inlets. We found an
area similar to the previous and began fishing. Once again, the worm of
which I was quickly running out began to catch fish, all keepers and Drew
caught....one.

Realizing now that it had been almost 18 hours since our last refreshment,
we quickly decided we didn't want to catch anymore fish. We also had to
make a run to the "local" Wally World for more Red Shad Senkos. And beer.



Tournament days to follow