Where are the rockfish

[Tnfishinrookie]

Anyone know where I can find the rockfish this time of year. I cant find them on preist and I went below cheatham and still no luck

[Tnfishinrookie]

Anyone?

[Jim]

The stripers are in their fall pattern on OH. The water has cooled enough so that they are not restricted to the areas just below the dams and they can roam all over the lake. Mostly they will hold during the day in the main channel near deep bluff bank holes. They range out from there to feed near creek mouths, islands, or deep main channel flats at dawn and dusk.

I found them in about 50 ft of water on Sunday in the Gallatin area. But they can be anywhere in the lake. You just have to check a bunch on likely deep holes and see if they are home. Once you find them, they will use the same areas off and on for the next few months. Then they move toward the steam plant, but it is way too early for that right now.

I like to fish with live shad on a down line until I find them. After that, jigging spoons or heavy jigs will get them if they are active.

Good luck,
Jim

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by Tnfishinrookie

Anyone know where I can find the rockfish this time of year. I cant find them on preist and I went below cheatham and still no luck

They are below Pickwick Dam......very plentiful. But for the last 3 trips TVA has not turned on boil number one. Without it going you catch nothing from the bank. So the last few trips down there I have sat and watched them busting it up behind boils 2-6 the whole time I am down there...about 6 hours. Pretty frustrating knowing they are there but I can't get to them.


Regards

[Tnfishinrookie]

Ive tried every deep hole on jpp but cant find them. Last saturday I saw a guy catch a few using skipjack below cheatham and the bank fisherman were out in force. I think I am going to try there thursday morning

[bd-]

Look around in the stretch of the Cumberland between Bledsoe Creek and the 231 Bridge. You may be able to find stripers running schools of bait early and late in this area. I used to see them around there this time of year, at least until the weather got cold.

bd

If you do find them and post the location everyone will be sitting on your spot.We used to graph main lake points on Tims till we found them schooled around bait then like jim said a shad on a down line did the trick. Look for bait suspended on your graph and the rockfish wont be to far away.You should atleast find hybrids on the lower end of priest. Are you bank fishing?

[Tnfishinrookie]

No I am fishing from a boat. For the past 3 or 4 weeks even the hybrid havent been at the bottom of preist or at least they havent been biting. Could it be the weather?

[bd-]

Originally Posted by clean air

If you do find them and post the location everyone will be sitting on your spot.

It won't be my spot, Clean Air - I'm busy trout fishing. Besides, 231 to Bledsoe covers some river miles, so it's not like I was posting GPS coordinates online.

bd

[Jim]

Originally Posted by bd-

It won't be my spot, Clean Air - I'm busy trout fishing. Besides, 231 to Bledsoe covers some river miles, so it's not like I was posting GPS coordinates online.

bd

Bd is right about that area of the lake. It is my favorite fall area. There a numerous good spots, but you have to put some time in to find them. Also, stripers move a lot, so the spots are not good everytime out. You need to check a bunch each time.

There are definitely stripers in the lower end of the lake, but the boat traffic makes fishing for them difficult. It is kind of hard to sit in the mid channel areas as all the big cruisers and barges need to get by. Above Gallatin you can get away from a lot of the big boat traffic.

I don't have any advice for JPP as I don't fish it much, but stripers and hybrids are cool water fish so as the water temp drops they can go anywhere they want. Usually that means where ever the bait fish and good habitat intersects.

Alphahawk is right that they are still below the dams. As long as there is baitfish around stripers can show up. It is just that they are not restricted to these areas like during the hot summer, so it is much more hit or miss. If you time it right, below the dams is still good. I usually just fish for whatever is biting below the dams. Sometimes it is striper or catfish or bass or about anything. They all seem to eat small shad or shad like lures.

Good luck,
Jim

BD you can post those trout spots if you want and we wont tell anybody. I know thats a very large stretch of river.I didnt want anybody to post actual locations.Heck I dont even post pics of my fish and I caught a 70lb cat in june.I hope you find the rockfish or hybrids.Keep looking there in those areas.Priest is full of hybrids I've caught a 100 in allday trip before.Make sure your graph is working.Are you not marking any fish?Most of the time I can find them under bridges if no where else.If you cant find them in the lower lake then go launch at jefferson springs and go up river and use your graph.They should be some fish in there somewhere.This time of year they will move alot.Look for bait!

[Tnfishinrookie]

Found them last night. Along with about a million shad. They were hitting the water everywhere around me but I guess there was to much other bait around to take what I was selling

I use shad or skippies almost all the time.Now if there in a frenzy I will throw redfins or swimbaits.Sassy shads and bucktail work to.When big stripers hit the water its like dropping a bowling ball in the lake.Thats always exciting.Even whites busting shad is fun.I fish rockfish alot and I use a cast net.First thing I do is find shad and cast net 50 or so then I go looking for the fish.Rig up some rods with down lines some with a topwater or swimbait and one with just a hook.If there in the jumps and not hit your topwater baits hook a shad behind the dorsel fin and toss that guy out and let him swim.He wont get to far before one inhales him.This time of year and into the winter a good sign to look for is the gulls.The seagulls will flock to the shad and rockfish may be close.Before graphs came along we would ride the lake looking for flocks of feeding gulls and the rockfish will feed on the same shad.Like has been said before this time of year they will school up and move alot.One day they will be on a point then the next they will be gone. Fishing below the dams can be good but its hit or miss.They move in and out to feed so if your there when they move in you can get a couple then the bite stops as fast as it started.Spring time is a good time to fish below the dams.