Stones River above the lake Fishing Advice
 

Hi there I am new to the board and appreciate all the advice I have located already. I have recently began fishing the Stones again wading and from the bank. I am not looking to catch trophy fish or move in on any ones fishing holes as I know how sacred these are. However, I was hoping to get some advice on baits and lures I can cast in the shallow waters to catch anything that will bite. Any advice was be greatly appreciated and once again I am not trying to move in anyones holes I am simply looking for a little advice on what to throw. I have been fishing crappie magnets and catching small large mouth which I indeed enjoy however I am looking for something that may be a little more consistent. But then again I do understand it is fishing. Hope someone will have some advice for me. I have been fishing below and above Nice Mill Dam and a little on the greenway and even at West Fork although this water is to deep to wade and is often to crowded to fish. Thanks in advance!

Welcome. I'm in Murfreesboro also, though I'm just getting started with the Stones as well. There's a few others on here that fish it in the Murfreesboro area. I often go to the Duck or Elk or Caney Fork rivers, but I'm trying to learn my local river better.

They stock trout at Nice Mill in the winter, but it gets very crowded. If you wade downstream you can get away from most.

Read carefully, as those who fish the Stones below Percy Priest dam will assume you are talking about that section, and those who fish it above the lake will assume you are talking about that section!

I kayak fish, and I have a spare boat or two if you'd like to give that a try some weekend.

Good luck,

Billy

Thanks for the advice Billy. I am fisghing the Upper Stones above the lake. I do most of my fishing from the bank and Wading because I have small children so my fishing consist only a couple of hours at a time. If I am lucky. Last Saturday a buddy and I waded below Nice Mill as far as we could go before the water began to deepen up and had pretty good success on Crappie Magnet. I am interested in finding a few more lures or baits that will give me some success as well.

What are you wanting to catch?

I creek/river wade quit a bit, year around also. Targeting SM & LM mostly. When I do get the boat out I still find myself in the river or working my way up into a creek. Lures that I have success with are;

Wacky rigged senko- weighted or weightless in green or black.

Shaky head rigged worms.

Rapala floating minnow shad colored, worked on top or below surface.

Weighted or weightless flukes in pearl or green colors.

Strike King bitsy tube with weighted or weightless hook.

It is surprising how big of a lure you can use in a creek. This will deter the smaller red eye or gills from constantly nibbling or ruining the quiet are hole where you are trying to pull the hog out of.

I use a med/light rod with 6lb. PLine flouro clear. Spinning reel.

Anything that will bite. I am not picky. I just want to be able to spend a couple of hours wetting a line without having to hear my wife complain about box of worms sitting in the outside fridge lol. Any advice would be great. I have a light weight ultra light spinning reel and just enjoy catching fish with the chance of hooking something good! I have been using Crappie Magnets lately I was wondering if itis better to jog them or use the floats that come with them?

Thanks Troutfiend I will keep all of those in mind. And thanks to all you guys. This is all good info for someone who is trying to get back into fishing.

Glad to help, almost forgot one other lure that works great and on some days it's all they want. Top water, this is just one that I have used a lot there are many others. A lot of times early in the morning or right before dark they will really turn on

Attachment 6262

Thanks man! I appreciate it!

^ This is spot on. I have had many a good days with the old floating rapala. I also like to throw a bitsy bug big brown/green or purple. Don't be afraid to fish larger baits. I still fish a 7" finesse worm on a shaky head for bass in the little rivers around murfreesboro and do well. A 3/8 oz double willow spinnerbait works well for me to.

Again thanks guy! You all have me ready to get back in the water and try again!

Strike King Bitsy Minnow is my go to small water lure for catching large quantity of fish. Once in a while you'll snag a keeper but for the most part, this is a high volume lure at the sacrifice of fish size. It's a blast. I've caught so many white bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, and largemouth on this lure that anytime I'm out using artificials this is the lure I go to if the fishing is tough. It almost ALWAYS produces. Walmart stocks em. I prefer the TN Shad and Orange Craw colors. So do the fish around these parts.

The lighter the rod/reel/line the better. I use a yellow fiberglass microlite rod/reel combo from bass pro. The thing is super slinkly light and allows you to cast this lure a country mile even though it is tiny and weighs very little.

Here is a link to it. Walmart doesn't sell it online but they stock it in-store and it's about a dollar cheaper. Read the bass pro reviews on it. It's the real deal.

http://www.basspro.com/Strike-King-B...product/29847/

Try some Trout Magnets with 2# test line and you will not only catch small fish but quite a few large ones also. There is a TM product that gets overlooked a lot but in rivers and streams it is deadly.....the Trout Slayer. I need to fish it more often myself. Best of luck. All the recommendations you have received are good....just commit to them and start catching fish.

Regards


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is a link for a great amount of tips for river and creek fishing techniques/lures.
Search

YouTube;

HamBrosOutdoors

You can do a forum search on creeksmallie and read his posts and get a ton of info about the type fishing you are wanting to do. Mike is a master of the Stones and stream fishing.


Regards