Kayak Fishing Gathering East Tennessee

[Reel Tune]

Starting next Thursday April 19th kayak anglers from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia will be getting together for some fellowship, and great fishing. We will be camping at the Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, TN, and fishing Boone Lake, Holston River, South Holston Lake, and Fort Patrick Henry Lake. Fish targeted will be brown and rainbow trout, Hybrids, Stripers, Smallmouth, White Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Smallmouth, and Largemouth. Looks like there are going to be about 14 of us and splitting up into groups and fishing different waters each day. If anyone would like to join your welcome to come and join in on the fun. Any questions or comments feel free to ask. Just the other day a 17lb Hybrid, and two 8lb browns were caught.

More details are here.
http://www.kayakbassfishing.com/kbfBB3/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=16436

Jeremy

[txnative]

Seems like my schedule and yours are destined to conspire against us. I have to work next weekend, otherwise I'd be there. Good luck, and keep all the great stories to yourself...I can't take the torture of hearing them.


Chris

[Alphahawk]

Give me a year to get my kayak skills going and I will be going to some of those events. Sounds like a lot of fun.



Regards

[Reel Tune]

TXnative, Alphahawk,

What's going on the weekend of April 28th and 29th. I was thinking about heading over to Dale Hollow Friday April 27th after work to camp and fish Dale Hollow. I might have another guy coming that's never fished from a real fishing kayak. I also need my smallmouth for the April KBF Challenge, and points for Kayak Wars, and Tennessee Kayak Anglers Creel Challenge.

Jeremy

[Alphahawk]

TXnative, Alphahawk,

What's going on the weekend of April 28th and 29th. I was thinking about heading over to Dale Hollow Friday April 27th after work to camp and fish Dale Hollow. I might have another guy coming that's never fished from a real fishing kayak. I also need my smallmouth for the April KBF Challenge, and points for Kayak Wars, and Tennessee Kayak Anglers Creel Challenge.

Jeremy

Jeremy...I dont usually fish on weekends.....but I will on occasion...that is my girl friend time....LOL. Where are you planning on fishing at The Hollow? I would love to get in on the Gill and Shell Cracker bite...if it is going on. I don't need to hear where your fishing but just where would you put in a kayak there to stay out of the power boats way. I am pretty familiar with the lake. As for your Smallie for the month I might can put you on some at my Smallie hole at Center Hill. Of course my nephew is in on that monthly deal so he might get upset with me....LOL. Seriously though the 6 and 7 pounders are not as common as a few years ago at the Hollow. I have caught plenty of fish over 20 inches at my hot spot for the last 4 years.


REGARDS

[Reel Tune]

Planning on fishing the lower end of the lake, I fish right with the big boats. I just found out I'm working Sunday night so all weekend camping is out, but maybe head up friday after work camp friday, fish saturday, and head back Saturday night or Sunday morning. I'm game for anything just need that smallie, work is cramping my fishing.

[Reel Tune]

We had a great outing. Two of us showed up Thursday and started fishing Friday morning on Boone Lake with another guy. I had one Striper in the 20-25# range follow a Bull Shad, and that was it. Then we met up with another guy after noon and the four of us floated the South Holston River from 3pm-7pm we ended up catching and releasing 15 or so smallmouth between 15-20" most around the 17" range, and a few small largemouth, and that was it. We spotted several nice fish largemouth and smallmouth. The float was basically to find out what was going on in this part of the river.

Friday evening one other guy showed up, and got up early Saturday morning to float the South Holston again on this float there were 4 of us. We took our time and landed 2 rainbow trout in one section that were 20", and 25.25" respectively. Then we got down to the blackbass area around 9am. We fished slow taking our time to pick apart the water, and ended up getting off the water around 5:30pm. On the South Holston we caught in excess of 60 smallmouth between the 4 of us, with the biggest at 21", and at least 10 over 18", most were in the 16" class, and one 19" largemouth was caught. I spotted some really big smallmouth 23"+ but there was no interest in what I was using. Around noon we got some strong winds and heavy rains, that’s when I pulled out the rain gear, and the Rapala Spittin' Image and proceeded to bust 5 or 6 on top water until the wind and rains passed and the sun came out. There were 4 redear/shellcracker caught, and two of them were over 13" close to 14". This was a fun float, and great group of guys.

Sunday morning we fished Boone Lake again from just before daylight. I decided to use the Bull Shad and pull a rainbow on a planer board. The visibility was great, I saw one cruising fish that had no interest in eating, I had big striper messing with the trout I was pulling bout wouldn’t commit. Ben lost one good fish right at the kayak, another guy got busted off while throwing a Sammy, and the last guy who had never caught a striper somehow got spooled. We fished until about 11am then headed back to camp to break down and head home. I ended up getting home around 4:30p Sunday and exhausted.

This was our second outing (the first being Reelfoot last month) that I have hosted/planned we had 14 say they were coming 6 showed up, 5 fished, and 4 stayed the entire weekend. I will keep having more outings throughout the year targeting different areas of the state, and hoping participation will continue and hopefully turn into a small tournament series that travels throughout the state.

This was one of the last times I will get to fish with Ben as he is headed off to the Coast Guard, we will fish together for a week in the beginning of May in Destin for our yearly adrenaline rush on kayak trip where anything can happen and preparation, and a little luck is the key to success.

If there is enough interest in pictures I’ll post some up.

[Travis C.]

If there is enough interest in pictures I’ll post some up.

I would like to see some. Especially some scenery. I haven't been up to Boone or SoHo yet. Fish are of course always nice to look at.

Sounds like a fun trip...

[MNfisher]

Lets see some fish pictures! Especially that big rainbow!

[browntrout]

i am all in for pics!!!!!

[Reel Tune]

I got to thinking about posting pics and it's such a fragile body of water if I would post pics it would be easily found. Sorry.

http://www.kayakwars.com/images/1442/1335032973_angler1442_team367.JPG

[Reel Tune]

http://www.kayakwars.com/images/1442/1331660294_angler1442_team367.JPG

[Travis C.]

That is an awesome bow.

[SAMBOLIE]

I got to thinking about posting pics and it's such a fragile body of water if I would post pics it would be easily found. Sorry.




You can tell me. I will turn back all I catch.:D

[Alphahawk]

Nice fish. I have fished up there as well as my boys. Before my first trip and when my boys wanted to go I called Jim Habera. He is the chief Trout Biologist for TWRA. He told me right where to go and where to send my boys. The first trip my boys made they only caught 6 Rainbow...but what fish. They were mean looking...LOL. Next time you are up that way check out Lake Wilbur...or Little Wilbur as the locals call it. It has some great fish in it.




Regards

[Alphahawk]

"There were 4 redear/shellcracker caught, and two of them were over 13" close to 14"."



Now that is getting into serious Shell Cracker there!

[Reel Tune]

"There were 4 redear/shellcracker caught, and two of them were over 13" close to 14"."



Now that is getting into serious Shell Cracker there!

The guy that caught one that was near me said I got a good smallmouth on and when he got it to the kayak he said, I don't know what it it, looks like a Crappie/bluegill mix. He paddled it over to me and it was what I call a redear, buut others call a shellcracker. I've caught them back home around 11" close to 12, but not the size these guys had.

[Alphahawk]

The guy that caught one that was near me said I got a good smallmouth on and when he got it to the kayak he said, I don't know what it it, looks like a Crappie/bluegill mix. He paddled it over to me and it was what I call a redear, buut others call a shellcracker. I've caught them back home around 11" close to 12, but not the size these guys had.

Yeah they fight just like a Smallie...minus the jumps. They can be difficult to catch when not on bed. Laurel Hill and VFW regularly produce them in the 14 and 15 inch range. But when I was bank fishing they could be real hard to find. Now that I have the kayak my Shell Cracker fishing is looking up...LOL.