We’re getting into the hottest time of the year, but right now, fishing on my home waters of the upper Tennessee River is pretty good. I’ve been enjoying this, but every day, the heat gets higher and higher. Pretty soon, fishing’s gonna get a lot harder.
Most of the fish are deep, and they’re deeper than usual because there’s not much current in the system to push many of them up on the bank. What you’ll find are big schools mixed with stripers on points, ledges and brushpiles. It’s an offshore angler’s paradise.
There’s plenty of opportunity, but you have to find the sweet spot within the spot. It may be a stump right in the middle of a shellbed, or a brushpile next to a shellbed, or just a rough patch of rock on a shellbed.
This time of year, a 7-inch jighead minnow is No. 1 in my arsenal, but the urchin-style baits are working as well. I’ll also fish a 10-inch Yamamoto Oki Worm, Neko rigged or on a shaky head and a 3/4- or 1-ounce football jig with a Yama Craw or a Yama Bug.
Mayfly hatches are happening this time of year, so if you want to fish shallow, that’s what you’ll focus on. For this, I like a white Frog Factory Popping Frog, because you can throw it into the trees to shake mayflies out and then pull it loose to fish it.
A lot of people use a full-size Pop-R during Mayfly hatches, but I like the 2-inch Teeny Pop-R. Of course, I’ll also keep a wacky-rigged 4-inch or 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in a bluegill imitating color handy.
During the summer months, rainfall really dictates the good bites this time of year. A good summertime shower will bring the lake up a foot and then the TVA will draw current.
That seems to be when all the fish pull up hard on the offshore spots, because all the bait is pulled up on the hard places. The bait is trying to feed on the microscopic stuff, so it’s just a big food chain offshore.
A really tough day would be bluebird skies, 100 degrees and no wind. During those conditions, it’s a mental grind. You can still catch fish, but you don’t feel like being out there.
Also, you’ll deal with a lot of recreational traffic during the summer, so you’re gonna be battling more of that on the really nice sunny days. You’re getting rocked by waves, and you’re getting baked by the sun. That’s the kinda day when you want to jump in the river to cool off.
I’ve been fishing the upper Tennessee River my whole life, and I can tell you the key to summertime success is flexibility. During a recent trip, I was catching them pretty good on a football head until they started suspending. I switched to a big spoon and caught about 10 more.
In addition to bait flexibility, you also have to know when it’s time to leave and find another spot. It’s too hot to sit in one area too long when you’re not catching fish, so you need to be willing to move and find fish that are biting.
You’ll usually end up catching more fish — and it cools you down while you’re running.
