My neighbor & I are heading that way (Lenoir City, Tn.) on the 12th to fish for stripers. Anyone ever been? Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. Murraymaker has already given me some good info, but I’m looking for all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance, Bob
HappyBob, dropped you a PM.
Hello Bob. Met you at the spoons only tournament a couple of weeks back. I’m just getting back from redfishing in Louisiana and just seeing your post. Dad and I used to go up and fish the tailraces in East Tennessee some in August and September. It’s been a while though. We never made it over to the one at Melton Hill. We always fished the tailrace of Fourt Loudon Dam. Both of those tailraces are on the upper end of Watts Bar Lake so I’m guessing they fish similarly.
Very early in the morning before they started pumping, Redfins and zara spooks were very productive for fish in the teens up to 20 pounds. When they would pump we would pull up into the boils and throw fluke style baits on weighted hooks right up against the dam wall. The dam had what I would describe as notches in the concrete and it would create just a slight current break. If you could get a fluke up into those tight little notches the current would hold the fluke up in there and you could dance it in the current and it was a fish almost every time. But those fish tended to be 3 to 5 pounders. One person had to hold the boat in position in the boils and the other one cast. Don’t try and get up on a front deck, stay down in the boat. that current will make the boat move suddenly. Make sure you are wearing a life vest. For bigger fish while they were pumping, we would drift threadfins with a small split shot from the dam to about a mile down river. Just cast them out and let them drift along with the boat. We would catch the threadfins right up against telico dam which is about a mile down stream below Fourt Louden dam. Those threadfins were big and pretty hearty.
Be sure to fish the wing walls of the dams, the ends of them are very productive. Any corners or anything that creates a current break can be very good.
Thanks 91tiger. We’re heading to Lenoir City in the morning. Going to try & get some fishing in tomorrow afternoon, after we check into the motel. We’re going to fish live bait, cut bait & artificials.
Bob Van Gundy
803-727-4069
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
Good Luck!