Fishing Lake Harding in Early Spring

Learn how to fish Lake Harding on the Alabama - Georgia border in early spring at Spinnerbaits101.com.

Jerry

Watauga Lake Smallmouths

Watauga Lake in Tennessee is a jewel of a smallmouth lake. Find out how to fish Watauga Lake at Spinnerbaits101.com.

Wade Fishing the Little Tennessee for Smallmouths

Spinnerbaits101

Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee River begins in northeast Georgia's Rabun County and flows northwest approximately 135 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains to join the Tennessee River. The Little Tennessee River is impounded by several dams on the lower end, most notably the 480 foot high Fontana Dam which creates Fontana Lake.

With my folks residing just north of Franklin, North Carolina, I have had multiple trips wade fishing the Little Tennessee River to catch smallmouth bass.

Wade fishing the Little Tennessee

The upper Little Tennessee River is loaded with smallmouth bass, some reaching five pounds or better which means you better bring the right gear. If you show up with a bream rod expecting only small fish, you're going to lose some lures from busted lines. I typically take one of my spinning rods that I would normally fish for spots with, strung with at least eight pound test.

Wade fishing requires that you keep your fishing gear to a minimum so my lures of choice are 1/4 ounce spinnerbaits, 1/8 ounce rooster tails with a single hook, and 3/8 ounce jigs. My dad likes to throw small jerkbaits, but I don't like toting treble hooks around on those slippery rocks.

I usually start with a jig, either naked with a green pumkin Paca Craw or standard with a Paca Craw trailer, fishing the potholes that are located between the rapids. If no takers, I will switch to a white/chartruese spinnerbait and fish closer to some rapids. My last resort is the roostertail. I fish the roostertail in and around the faster moving water and usually pick up some smaller smallmouths. One good thing about the smaller roostertail is that you will also catch rainbow trout on it, some up to twenty inches. This really isn't hard fishing, just a great time relaxing and enjoying a change of pace. By the way, if you wade the Little Tennessee River any other time than summer, you better bring some waders. That water is cold!

Where to fish

I usually fish the Little Tennessee River just north of Franklin, North Carolina around where Sawmill Creek enters the river (1). There is a deep hole just downriver of where the creek flows in that has produced more than its fair share of two pound smallmouths (2). Zoom out to get your bearings.

Conclusion

What I have found while wade fishing the Little Tennessee River for smallmouths is that it really doesn't matter what part of the upper Little Tennessee you are fishing, it's all good. The entire stretch from Franklin to Fontana Lake holds excellent smallmouth fishing with little pressure. Access can be a problem so either float it in a small boat and stop and wade or gain permission from the landowner to cross his property. Most locals are friendly if you treat them friendly.

I highly suggest this trip. Send the wife to mine for rubies, sightsee, antique shop...whatever. Just make sure on your next trip to the Smokies to avoid the over crowded trout streams and take in some smallmouth fishing on the Little Tennesse. You'll be happy you did.

Good fishin'

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Kowaliga Creek on Lake Martin

Kowaliga Creek is located at the lower end of Lake Martin and is known for its clear water and open space, not to mention the big spots that can be caught here. For a river fisherman, fishing Kowaliga Creek could be culture shock, but don't worry, I'll point you in the right direction and put you on fish...

Complete article can be found at Spinnerbaits101

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Slow Rolling a Spinnerbait on Lake Jordan

Lake Jordan

Lake Jordan is the last of the Coosa River impoundments and is located in central Alabama just north Wetumpka, Alabama. Lake Jordan is 6800 acres and made up of the upper section which is more river like and the lower section which has all the characteristics of a typical southern reservoir. Known for producing huge stringers of Coosa River spotted bass, Lake Jordan has hosted some major BASS events as well as large local tournaments with great results.

continue...

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I think we may be in trouble

That oil in the gulf is going to hurt the economy a lot worse than the media is letting on. spinnerbaits101

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Lake Marion is a Night Fisherman's Dream

Lake Marion means Huge Bass

Lake Marion is located in central South Carolina and is loaded with huge largemouth bass. The largemouth bass habitat consists mainly of stumps, standing timber, vegetation, and flooded swamps. Lake Marion has produced the current South Carolina state record largemouth bass at 16.2 pounds.

Sparkleberry Swamp

The upper end of Lake Marion is where I spent fishing for 2 years of my life. I probed the canals and old lakes of the Sparkleberry Swamp every weekend in the late '80s and caught many 8 pound plus bass at night. Sparkleberry Swamp is a maze of flooded timber that can turn you around if not familiar with the various canals and markers located throughout the swamp. I suggest many trips during the day before tackling the swamp after dark.

My lure of choice at night is a musky jitterbug in black. I had friends who would throw the 5/8 ounce version and would catch fish...more than me. The difference was that they NEVER caught a bigger fish than me, ever. I would get maybe 5 strikes a night, sometimes no strikes at all, but the strikes I got were usually a really big bass or a 10 pound plus yellow catfish (I caught several of those).

I would start night fishing during May and not stop until mid October. My boat was a rented 14 foot johnboat with a 15 hp Johnson from Shaw Air Force Base which was fine for the swamps. I sculled with a paddle to keep the noise down and used no lights. I really had no interest in shining flashlights and seeing all the gators around.

On a sidenote, I fished Lake Marion year round. A friend of mine caught a 12 pound largemouth on a white spinnerbait one December. This will make you sick. It was the first time he had ever been bass fishing. Luckily, I wasn't with him or I might have lost it. Me and another friend (Michael Taylor) from Tennessee once caught a 7.0 and a 7.2 pound largemouth bass within 15 minutes of each other, both on white spinnerbaits. Also, I have caught some monster grinnell in Sparkleberry swamp, up to nine pounds.

Where to Fish

I either launched at Elliots boat ramp (1) or the dirt ramp (2) in Sparkleberry Swamp. I was kind of limited with the 15 hp so I stuck to the swamps instead of the bigger water. The spots located on the map are wher I caught multiple largemouth bass over six pounds. Scout these areas before you try to fish them during the night as they are relatively shallow and can be tricky to get into. By the way, my most productive time of the year was the last two months of May after the bass had come off of their beds.

Conclusion

I love Lake Marion and the Sparkleberry Swamp. I have some of my finest bass fishing memories there and would not change them a bit. I highly suggest a trip to Lake Marion for largemouth bass fishing and maybe a night trip. Remember, if you want that trophy bass, throw a musky jitterbug (black) at night or a large spinnerbait in the day. You just might catch that big'un.

Good fishin'

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