Cody Smith

Hey DANO~ Good To HEar From You! How have you been faring up North? Cody Trout Troller

You should be able to catch fish on any given day with any given condition's... Now with that being said, there are alwasy excepetion's to any rule, However, 1 unit is ideal Big fish water, It pumps the river full of DO Dissolved Oxygen< (this is another term you should familiarize yourself with) and the trout get HAPPy! It's kinda like Nitrous Oxide at the Dentist~It also provides more food in the system from areas that are dry in low water periods. I prefer fishing with the equivalant of 1 unit or less, 2 unit's if the water is falling. My client's have had some of there best days of 100+ on 1 unit. Of course alot depends on skill level of the fisherman as well as the guide. Some bode better than others. Cody

CFS - Cubic Feet Per Second- The amount of water the corp of engineers is pulling through the generators at one time. 1 Generator is capable of pulling up to roughly 3500 CFS , which translates into about 4.5 feet of water on the river...... So Both Generators running wide open can produce about 7000 CFS, which is about 9 feet of additional water in our river. FT-MSL Feet above mean Sea level, This is the level the water sits above mean sea level, So at dead low water on the little red, you will see levels of 266 feet. At times of heavy generation you will see levels of 275 - 276 feet above mean sea level The FT-MSL for the Lake, Normal lake levels for the Corp to generate power is 461.4 feet above mean sea level, As you can see from the chart the lake levels currently are 485.?? feet. This is a record level for us here on Greers Ferry, The old record was 483.// feet. We actually reached 486.// and I'm positive if we receive some more rain we will hit Flood Pool, Which is 487 feet above msl. At 487 feet the corp will open the flood gates to relieve pressure on the dam raising water levels in the river by 12 - 25 feet depending on how far they crack them. Basically what all this translates to is how much water is entering the river and how fast it is coming down stream. EG. With both generators on WIde open the rising water will reach Libby Shoal in approx. 6.5 hours. This shows in detail what chances you have at finding wadable water and will also dictate what fly patterns and methods must be used in order to catch trout and have a safe day on the water. As water levels change so do the methods for being successfull. If you have any more question's please feel free to ask~ Cody Smith Trout Troller Guide SErvice

Well Folks, Good news is the Lake is finally on a slow retreat. I have to say my boat has been extremely fortunate during all this high water to put LOTS of fish in it. Today that came to a screaming hault.... High Pressure, Gusty Winds and Cold Water temps are to blame. Lake temps have fallen into the Low 50's and even upper 40's in some places. This has brought the fishin to a stand still in water depths of 15 feet or less. I still managed to pick off a few scattered spots (the largest being just under 18"'s) and a couple of white bass. The only thing I could get a strike on was a medium running crankbait fished on and above flooded Buckbrush and isolated patches of trees near main channels. No where near the action I had been experiencing. I would say that later this week as water temps slowly rise again it will pick back up. There was no sign of any spawing white's or hybrids today. The area's that had been holding HUGE concentration's of fish where void of any today. No Shad, No Whites, No Hybrids, No Spots, No Smallies and No walleye. The push of Big Mouth Buffalo where not anywhere to be seen eithier. That's ok though. Like I stated before once the water temps reach the upper 50's again they will be right back in there. As water warms fish have to feed more, spawn or not, it's just the way there designed. Their metabolism increases as the water temp does. Cooler water means less of a window for active fish. This is not to say there are not a few that you find in that small window. I will be going out tonight for the First night fishing oppurtunity of the year and of course be it good or bad I will report. If any of you have any question's regarding our fine reservoir please e-mail me smittyc888@hotmail.com. See ya on the Water~ Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service, Greers Ferry Lake and The Little Red River

4/12/08 Greers Ferry Fishing Report: Saturday was an extremely Chilli and Blustery Day to say the least, not to mention our Lake levels had come up 5 feet in a 36 hour period from our recent rains. Never the less, the fish did cooperate with patience and methodical fishing. Water Temps ranged from 50 degrees to 57 degrees between different location's and was stained with some areas of flushing out and just slightly off color water. Friend and Client, Lance Curtright, Memphis Tn. and myself hit the water early Saturday morning. The white bite I had going started out pretty fast and shut off just the same. However, we did manage just over 20 white's and hybrids over a 3 hour period. We did best on 3" Action Bait Grubs with Chartreuse and Purple colors being best. With the wind howling and the day not warming so swiftly we decided to switch gears and do our best to locate some kentuckies. We located them on windy flooded shorelines and steep drops, off of points in 15 - 30 feet of water aggresively feeding on bait fish. Medium running cranks and x-wraps scored some nice ones. We ended up catching some nice smallies and largemouths as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is there is still Great fishing to be had on those post front days but you definately have to change strategies to put some fish in the box. If you have any question's about our area or guide dates, please e-mail me for additional information, Cody S. Smith / Trout Troller Guide Service / smittyc888@hotmail.com

The pattern has been on 12 off 12, However the Lake has come up an additional 4 feet in the last 36 hours. It's currently at 485.6 WITH NO GENERATION, When we hit 487, ALL GATES AND GENERATORS WILL BE OPENED, That will probably occur Sat. SO BE EXTREMELY carefull if your on the water. Cody Trout Troller

Greers is rising from rescent rain events and will only climb some more from the rain to come today and tomm. It's my prediction that we see top flood pool before the corp ever decide's to let loose. My fellow trout fisherman are in for a long summer of high water periods I'm afraid. Any how on with the report. I fished the south basin today, including the dam area, peter creek, little peter, and a few other spots. I must say there where active fish in all of them. Water temps ranged from 54 - 58 degrees depending on local. Thing is with the stained water we have from all the run off it's going to warm faster than the clear water if we could ever get some sun. The bite is going strong for ALL major species of gameifsh. In a very short period of time yesterday I had numeous Hybrids in the 3- 6 lb. range, over 20 white bass, and some decent little kentuckies. These fish are in and around the shad and bait that are relating to cover and current. Run offs into the lake are holding great numbers of fish and believe it or not, yes the picnic pattern is starting to really improve. There where GOBS of crawlers and red worms on the boat ramp and in the grass at HWY 25 park and By the time I was putting the boat back on the trailer there where lot's of fish in there moving bait and gobbling up bugs. Even if you don't have a boat you can still catch fish right now. The white's are in full stride or maybe a little on the downward stroke of the spawn. I suspect very good catches for the next few weeks at least. Smallie are also making a big push at this time, Remember there doing there thing at 58 degrees. PLEASE release all the SMALLIES you catch so that others can enjoy them. Please let me know if you have any question's regarding our fine reservoir or would like to set a guide date~ smittyc888@hotmail.com Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service

It's pretty stained, However I think it's helped the fishing a bit. Now these front's are not doing us a favor though. Depending on how much rain we get it could move things around a bit. I'll be posting my report from yesterday shortly.. Cody Trout Troller By all means if you see me stop and say hello... I fish a White with Black Glitter Procraft with a 150 XR6 Merc. on the back. Although depending on the rain I may be in my War Eagle with a Camo 25 JOhnson, You can't miss me in this boat it's got TROUT TROLLER down the side of it!

Check out the Fig Rig rod's... Very sweet in the moderate price zone

Personal E-mailHere is one of my satisfied client's from yesterday..... More to come! Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service Yes, we fished Peter Creek Yesterday~

Well, The lake has come up an additional 2 feet since I last reported earlier this week. I would imagine it will crest, with no more rain, around 480.?? Most of the water is very stained with the exception of major arms on the north basin begining to flush out. I had friend and Client John Wright, Memphis TN, fishing with me Saturday. We Boated over 70 fish total for the day with the catch including Spotted Bass, Hybrids, Walleye and of course White Bass. The fish where active all day long but you had to work for them. All the new water has not affected the bite and if anything actually helped, believe it or not. Most of the fish we targeted came on 1/8 oz. Jig Heads with a 3" curly tail grub, Chartreuse and Pearl are very good right now with the color in the water when fished on a slow and steady retrieve in and around the buck brush and flooded timber. The important thing to remember is don't over complicate things, KISS, Keep it simple stupid, is an age old acronym and should be applied during the next coming weeks. I will also tell you that the White's are in full swing and spawning heavily day and night, If you fish for 15 minutes and don't get a bite and you know your in the right location's change color, presentation until you start catching. The white's are super sensitive to color and speed, don't overlook this aspect. Stick bait's are still producing but not as good as the jig and grub combo. I'll keep it short and sweet for now, I'm hitting the water again. If you would like to set a date with me on the water please e-mail me @ smittyc888@hotmail.com for first availability, The time to be on the water is NOW folks and it's only getting started. Days of 60 - 100 fish are here and should stick around for the next few weeks! Good Luck Out There~ Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service

Well, June will be finishing up a really good bite from late this spring. It's really all going to depend on how much water we have in the lake at the time your here. Keep watching the posts and I'll keep you up to date as it draws near. Cody Trout Troller Guide Service

Tennessee River for Sauger..., Now your talkin! I grew up fishing that river from Coffee Landing to the Dam! Greers sure fishes different than any of that TN water. They are really catchen good up there right now. As far as eating, The whites are great table fair when prepared correctly. When filleted forget about what you know, Raise your knife up above the "Red" line and peel it off like a fish stick. Now, I'm not saying they taste like a walleye or crappie, but there good eating. Cody TT

Well..... After reviewing my notes yesterday morning, It seemed I always had my best days of spring time fishing in the Rain and lord knows we have had our fair share and then some. So I loaded the boat and headed to the water around 11:00. The day started with a Bang, Second Cast fish on! Nice white bass boated, I thought to myself this is promising. After and hour and a half of moderate catching I finally found the "sweet spot" I proceeded to hammer down on`em. I boated well over 40 fish in a 3 hour period and could have probably caught 100 if I would have continued. I boated 2 nice smallies in the 13 - 15 inch range, 1 largemouth of 15 1/2"'s and 3 spots with 2 of them over 13"'s along with my limit of white bass. It seems the fish are getting used to the high water with the lake now being somewhat stabylized, all be it 16 feet above normal pool. Needless to say, It was a fantastic mid-day bite and it's really just beginning. Basically, the fish have got to eat! All the new water makes it a little tuff on even the best of us, but once you put all the pieces of the puzzle together there are great catches to be had. Stick baits and 1/8 oz. Jig head's with a 3" curly tail grub proved to be best when fished on a moderate STEADY retrieve. White, Black's and Chartreuse where the best colors. Good Luck and If you want in on some of this action e-mail me to set a date on the Lake or river! Good Luck~ Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service

Greers is definately being tuff! I found most fish at the very backs of minor arms around large wads of bait. I've only been out a couple of times in the last 2 weeks, I've been fishing the Little Red mainly. Water temps are as much as 10 degrees cooler than in past years. Until this rain, water was starting to clear way up the arms with some fish being caught in those locations. I'll will prob. not be out until next week after it settles some. I will report be it good or bad when I go! Good Luck~ Cody Trout Troller

They shut the generation down at 11:00 so I headed to JFk at 1:00, From the time i got there till the time I left it was literally one on every or everyother drift. I mean it was NUTS....They flipped the switch back on so I left at 2:05. I did not keep count but it was at least 30+ fish. Zebra in #16 below a #14 Prince, The prince did catch a few Trout Troller Cody

DEFINATELY WORTH IT!!! I was out Sunday (LOBO)and I put a hurtin on`em. Well maybe not a hurtin but a good day even with the cloudy water. Boated 30+ in 3 hours. I fished fly rod (San Juan Worm #14) hot fly for a while until it got windy, then I Picked up the Unltra Light and layed the hammer down. I fished the rise (which is one of my favorite times to fish..) I boated 1 really nice brown of 21"'s and several Rainbows in the Slot. It should be some really good fishing with the water clearing like it is. It's not going too be but another couple weeks and I suspect the Corp. will be back to HEAVY generation so get it in while you can. Keep that Fly rod with you though, YOu should be able to catch low water at Lobo until at least 11:00 - 1:00 depending on when the Corp. started generating that morning or the night before. I don't care what anyone says, The water will reach Lobo with 1 unit on in 7 hours. TT

501.362.5150 Is the Number

JUST FYI: With the 12 hour on 12 hour off Generation schedule there are "wading oppurtunities" too be had at Winkley Shoal @ Daylight until 10 am. Then you can drive to Libby shoals and fish for another 3 hours or so before the water catches up. Go and Catch'em~ TT

Would you know if I could get a visor with that WSP logo on it? TT

Greers Ferry at the time of this report has come up 6 feet in a 10 hour period and is still rising. We have gotten soooooooo much rain the Corp. Has actually had to shut down the generators to help with the flooding situation on the White river at Georgetown. Once the White hits 22 feet at the Georgetown gauge it’s mandated by the corp. to shut down generation from Greers Ferry into the Little Red to control downstream flooding. Regardless of the shutdown there will be many agricultural and properties damaged this spring from all the rain. The only positive side to all the water in the rivers is old oxbows that have not been replenished with game fish most certainly will after this event. I do not want to be misunderstood with this statement, I’m simply saying there is a positive note. I personally want to send out my condolences to the folks that are going to lose property and homes during this tragic event. Greers Ferry is currently at 470 feet and rising, it would not surprise me if we see Flood Pool of 481 reached here before it’s said and done. Needless to say this is going to put a damper on fishing up the arms for a short time. Currents up all main feeder arms are going to be swift and dangerous, not to mention heavily stained and polluted with all the runoff. Now is a good time to keep a large trash bag with you and do your part in keeping this reservoir clean and pollution free. Well, it seems 08 has seen it’s fair share of Doom and Gloom, the up side of this is fishing can only get BETTER! Spring is officially here and April promises to be one of the best months on this reservoir. By the first week of this month we should start seeing days of great catches on all major species. The walleye will be done doing there thing and will be readily feeding on all types of forage. For the females that spawned they will be feeding heavily and the males will be right there with them. Look for locations in major and minor feeder arms that have the 3 crucial elements I have discussed in past reports. These locations will be in 12 - 30 feet of water with structure and bait fish. By far the best method to produce some eye’s will be ultra light tackle with 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig heads baited up with Minnows or Live crawlers. Hard Baits will produce but live bait is #1 for the eyes. All major game fish are about 2 weeks behind this year with the cooler temps and rains we have been experiencing. At the time of this report the white’s have yet to show up in great numbers, they will be going by the time your reading this. By all means if you sat this report down and headed out right now I would forgive you! They will be going good the entire month of April, with low light hours and cloudy days being best. You will find them from 5 feet to 15 feet deep in moderate current areas with hard bottoms. You will see a lot of surface activity, the males will be literally be pushing the females out of the water trying to fertilize the eggs. If you have not seen this phenomenon it’s really a site. The best way to catch`em will be small to medium size in-line spinners, crankbaits and 3" curly tail grubs in white, yellow, purple and chartreuse. Smallmouth Bass will be spawning once water temps hit 56- 58 degrees. Look for pea gravel and sandy areas surrounded by chunk rock in 3 - 12 feet depending on water clarity. Baby Brush Hogs, Lizards, and jig and chunk combo’s will produce best. Your largemouth’s and spots will spawn later when the water gets into the 60's. They will be in pre-spawn mode and feeding aggressively on anything that is an easy target. Once the water warms up look for transition areas that are located close to spawning grounds. The fish will move in and out of deep water depending on light penetration, wind, and time of day. Areas of 2 - 6 feet of water next to main channel bends of 15 - 30 feet of water will be your target area. Small crank bait’s should be used to locate active fish. Once found, you can slow down and fish jig and chunk combo’s to score big time. The catfish should make a major feeding push later in the month and shallow flats in main lake areas should be focused on. Cut bait or live crawlers and minnow fished slowly will produce best. The Crappie will be feeding heavily with water temps on a gradual warming trend. All your standards, ie. Small Jigs tipped with minnows, cranks, and slip bobbers with minnows will score fish around standing timber. Most of the crappie will be located in the North basin with the exception of a few minor arms in the lower. Look at standing timber in depths of 12 - 25 feet for suspended fish. With all the water in the lake the spawn is going to be a little tuff to fish. There is literally a ton of areas with good spawning habitat. Poke some bushes and probe areas rather quickly. The fish will definitely be spread out with high water. Well, If any of you have any question’s or want to set a date for the lake or river, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. Smittyc888@hotmail.com or 501-362-9958 Good Luck on your turkey and then come catch some fish! Take a Kid Fishing- Cody S. Smith / Trout Troller Guide Service

Just thought I would give everyone the heads up..... For thos that don't know this already, The corp should not be generating until the White gets too 21 feet at Georgetown. From Dec - Middle of April it's mandated for flood control. Might get several days worth of low water after all this rain. TT

Good Luck up in Middle Fork, Be Sure and let us know how you do... There is quite a bit of runoff from Shirley and Up stream, Lot o` current and it's been kinda tuff lately. "Did you catch your fish trolling?" No. It's much too cold for any consistant luck trolling right now. I caught all the Smallies and Spots on a jig and chunk combo. 3/16 oz. Jig with a Net Bait Chunk. All the Bass I caught where fat on crawfish/crayfish/crawdad... you know! Peter Creek is right through the woods from where I live, It's kinda my "home waters", It can beat you up if you can't elliminate water. Trout Troller Guide Service

Fished Peter Creek Today, Caught some Smallies in the 13 -15" range, also caught some nice spots. No walleye caught today in this arm. I did not have much time to fish before my momentary switch on the trolling motor went out. Very windy. Most of the water was 49-51 degrees with the exception of little peter, it was 54 degrees. Should be some crappie in there. This arm warms faster then any other place on the lake, No whites present, the water needs to come up a few more degrees to get them going. I will be out in the next couple of days fishing Devil's Fork, All 3 arms, with south fork and Devil's being the best should be happening about now with the first of the male walleyes showing up and milking. I'll keep you up to date, Looks as if April is going to be prime time this year. FYI, I was consulting my notes from last year and it was 1 year ago today I was catching male eyes way up the arms. Last year was much warmer to date so we are probably about 2 weeks away from great fishing. Let me know if you have any question's about this fine reservoir. BTW the lake is still 3 feet above power pool. TT