Local favorite Ott DeFoe made a few pit stops along the way from Knoxville to Tellico Reservoir. We’re now just a mile up river from the dam.
He’s got two small fish, which is a start, but there is a big difference today that will largely impact the bite: Very little current.
If you spend any time bass fishing on water-generating reservoirs, you know the fish bite best when water is being pulled down river. It’s not that big fish can’t be caught, but they are far more inactive without the current.
It’s Sunday and the dam is closed for the day. Standard operating procedure. They may open things up later in the day, but at this point things are pretty still.
That means a couple of things: First, Wheeler’s smallmouth pattern could fizzle out and Feider’s flipping game could turn on — maybe, maybe not.
Also consider the fact that with the bright sun, the fish may stage in more predictable locations. That could compensate for the change in their position due to lack of current.
For DeFoe, time will tell. The river is in the best shape it’s been since anyone got here, so the Sunday conditions could play to his advantage.
So far he has been working a jerkbait with some activity, but it’s not fast yet.
This one will end as a tight race.