All Slab!

[Alphahawk]

Probably the best crappie day I’ve ever had in my life.....and I’ve caught a lot of crappie. My nephew and I limited out....15 fish each......at the Caney Fork Sunday. I do not have a scale anymore but these fish had to have a total weight of around 45 pounds....maybe a little better....they were busting with eggs and had a large girth. All fish were 13 inches or better. Many in the 14 inch range with a few at 15 inches......black nose crappie with I think 1 white crappie...heavy fish. We both were using same rod....the Tict Ice Cube UL 6’ 9” Rockin’ Drift Mebaru rod. Both rods spooled with 2# test SOS line with an 18 inch section of 2# test Phantom fluorocarbon leader. He was using a Midnight Blue ThunderHawk on a 1/16 ounce Dancer head and I was using a 1/8 ounce Fin Spin dressed with a Midnight Blue Slab Curly. This was his first day to catch crappie with his new rod and I think he was impressed. Before we started the hunt for the crappie I had to have a little trout action. After catching around 40 trout we started the search for crappie. Didn’t take long to find them with the Helix Mega 10 si unit. Tossed out the marker and just trolled back and forth through them. They were hitting it with authority. Lot of drag pulling going on as these fish were fighting hard. We were working on a time frame as the generators were going to stop at 1:00 p.m. I pulled out at noon just in case they stopped them a little early....with no water running you can’t get the boat back to ramp. I didn’t relish staying there another 5 hours until they started them again. Water temps were 52 degrees and water was stained....the Caney is usually gin clear. All of the fish we caught were marked up some kind of way. Until a week or so ago those fish were living in extremely turbulent waters with the spill gates being open for first time since 2010. There were several nice bluegill caught and a very nice white bass also. As you can see in the pic my nephew took home a very nice sauger. Got a lot more pics but can only upload 4 with Tapatalk and I just don’t have it in me to downsize and upload on the website. Life is good!

Regards9541954295439544


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[TNBronzeback]

Whew wee!!!! That is a fine haul of filets there! Great work....looks like the crappie are starting to fire up!
Great catches....that one is a bruiser!

[TroutFiend]

That’s awesome man.
I’m glad to see the fish have hung around considering all that current over the past few weeks. And apparently have been eating well, those are hogs! Were they running/bleeding the sluice at all during generation?

Andy




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[deezelteck]

Sounds like an epic day.

That's a great screenshot.

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[Alphahawk]

That’s awesome man.
I’m glad to see the fish have hung around considering all that current over the past few weeks. And apparently have been eating well, those are hogs! Were they running/bleeding the sluice at all during generation?

Andy




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No....sluice has been off for a while. Water is silty.....and I expect after this weeks rain it is going to get worse. I’m sure all of us want a break from the rain.


Regards


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[buickfan70]

Man that sounds like another great day! Your're going to have me looking at some serious UL gear and 2lb line one of these days.

[jaybird]

Wow Alpha. Good work

[Schleprock]

Always amazed at your fishing ability Alphahawk

And envious of time you get to fish ;)

[TnCreekMaster]

That 5000 fish total is getting smaller and smaller! you have to be getting close to 500 ytd

[Alphahawk]

Always amazed at your fishing ability Alphahawk



And envious of time you get to fish ;)



Thanks.....while I have some fishing ability it is your last sentence that hits the nail on the head....time to fish. I am very blessed to be able to fish as much as I want.


Regards


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[hunterchub]

That's some outstanding crappie. Which boat ramp do you like to launch from? I always fish closer to the Caney/Cumberland split and launch in Carthage. Thanks in advance.
Chub

[TnCreekMaster]

Campground side is the way to go, the other ramp on the other side is good for kayaks but is a very shallow sloped ramp.

Tyler

[Alphahawk]

That's some outstanding crappie. Which boat ramp do you like to launch from? I always fish closer to the Caney/Cumberland split and launch in Carthage. Thanks in advance.
Chub



As CreekMaster has already said the campground ramp is the best way to go...unless you’re by yourself and not that spry....it can be dicey launching by yourself....a boat can get away quickly. I have been up there enough to have seen several get away and had to call a friend or get another boat...if someone is close by...to go get their boat. Now.....about the other ramp. I have launched from that ramp with no problems......but loading is another issue due to the flatness of the ramp as he speaks of. I had to back my vehicle so far back the exhaust were under water...and I was in the water waist deep trying to get that boat back on the trailer. When I launched there was zero generators......they turned 2 on shortly after I started fishing. So I thought deeper water.....easy loading. Well that is not the case...the deeper the water the flatter the ramp becomes. I am going to go up in heat of summer and try launching and loading on zero generators. I have had a couple of folks tell me they have no trouble loading on that ramp. The last several times I have been my nephew and I have watched folks launch at that ramp and then I have watched them take 2 hours to get a boat back on their trailer there. My nephew has also launched at that ramp with a much smaller boat than mine. He had to take his motor off...get in the water....and had someone help him get his boat back on the trailer...while his 93 year old dad sat on a rock watching them...LOL. I use Liquid Roller on my bunks and if there is any rear tilt at all my boat just slides off....and that stuff makes it easier to load too. I have some Slick Bunks that I need to put back on there. But sometime this summer I am going to try agin during periods of no generation. Oh...and if you do launch at the campground make sure you get loaded before they cut those generators off.

Regards


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[FishAddict]

I didn't know the crappie got in there like that. Nice job.

[Alphahawk]

I didn't know the crappie got in there like that. Nice job.



Well....they don’t get in there like that.....that big. We got very lucky. After these fish were cleaned my nephew and I talked about it. I’m sure you read the part in my post about these fish being marked up....all of them had a rough spot on dorsal fin or somewhere. Crappie.....trout...or any fish I have cleaned out of the Caney have very tiny parasitic red worms in them. It is not a big deal....you just take the tip of your knife and flip them out....or when they hit that 360 degree grease they are not harming anyone...LOL. That happens in some bodies of water. I have caught a lot of black nose crappie up in the lake....I have never seen those worms in the crappie in the lake. None of these fish had a single worm in them. Our theory was they came washing in from the lake when spill gates were open and we think that is why they were all roughed up....tumbling down that dam. Now that may sound far fetched so I made a phone call to a TWRA guy I know. Not only is it possible it is highly probable.

Regards


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[hunterchub]

Thank you. What size boat and motor do you have? I'm really more interested in Walleye. I believe your theory of fish over the dam. Of course that means there are plenty of fish in the lake. Never have I seen that size crappie in Center Hill. I want to fish this Friday. Hope we don't get the rain they speak of. Again, thank you.

[Alphahawk]

Thank you. What size boat and motor do you have? I'm really more interested in Walleye. I believe your theory of fish over the dam. Of course that means there are plenty of fish in the lake. Never have I seen that size crappie in Center Hill. I want to fish this Friday. Hope we don't get the rain they speak of. Again, thank you.



My boat is 14.5 feet with a 54 inch bottom with 40 four stroke. Center Hill Lake has plenty crappie that size in it. Those black nose get big up in the lake.....when you find them getting a few 9549this size is not uncommon. Out of the lake a couple of springs back.....I need to fish up in lake more.

Regards




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[TroutFiend]

I launch and load on zero gens on the buffalo valley side of the Dam a lot.
I have a 15/42 tracker Jon boat with 10hp tiller and trolling motor.
It is tough, most of the time I have to back in and push the boat off a bit and pull my truck up and push on the boat some more.
As far as loading I will literally winch the boat on to the trailer all the way. Not fun in the the dark but I’m still in decent shape. I wish it was steeper and deeper!

Andy




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[lforet2002]

Thats some nice crappie, I was down there also but went after they turned the generators off from 1-5 pm... Plum wore em out, but not crappie. I caught brook trout and white bass. I also caught a surprise sauger.


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[hunterchub]

Never thought I would hear catching white bass and brook trout in the same sentence. Nice fish

[hunterchub]

Well I got a 17 foot sea nymph with a 60 Johnson on it. I will check things out tomorrow but will probably fish the lake. Checking out Walleye, Crappie, and Bluegills.



My boat is 14.5 feet with a 54 inch bottom with 40 four stroke. Center Hill Lake has plenty crappie that size in it. Those black nose get big up in the lake.....when you find them getting a few 9549this size is not uncommon. Out of the lake a couple of springs back.....I need to fish up in lake more.

Regards




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