Middle TN Lee

I was actually joking about the wine/whiskey being a "life saver," maybe i should have put haha at the end the response.

coffee thermos fingerless gloves bandana for face (i know im gangsta) firestarters small hatchet for firewood small pans to cook over fire small bag to carry all your new equipment and don't forget to place a bottle of red wine or fine whiskey in your bag for emergencies...it can save your life.

Well since Eric seems to be somewhat getting ganged up on, and I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few TN guys on an Ozark fishing forum...I'll go ahead and agree with Eric on some regards. I will say that as a person who has fly fished/spin cast/ and used powerbait, that catching a fish of that magnitude on a fly/jig would be much more of an accomplishment to me than catching it on powerbait. My girlfriend, who is no top-notch angler, can catch trout all day long slinging powerbait from the bank. There is quite a bit more skill involved when one has to judge depths, water clarity, wind, currents, hatches, obstruction etc. That's especially true when you fish small mountain free stone streams like we have in the Smokies (yes, I know it's an Ozark forum ha). But I do give the guy much respect for landing the fish on 4 # test...that is by no means an easy thing to do. And that was his "catch of a lifetime," so you have to be happy for the guy. And honestly, any style of fishing in the end accomplishes the same thing, your out by your self or with friends enjoying nature and doing what you like to do. If everyone used the same techniques, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

Thanks for all the tips I really appreciate it. I had no idea about eleven point and after reading more...that seems like a really good fit for what well be doing.

Me and my brother take an annual camping trip every January (early Jan) to a new place to do some hiking/fly fishing (yes I know its cold ha). This year my brother is going to be in Memphis so we were both really wanting to head up to Arkansas or Missouri for this trip. We weren't really trying to drive more than 5-6 hours from Memphis. I used to live in the Ozarks (close to Roaring River) but I did not venture out to far so I really have no idea where to look for. We are looking for a place that we can camp (if possible), hike, and do some wade fishing for nice browns/rainbows. I know I'm asking a lot ha, but I can hope right. We were thinking about the Little Red River, but I thought I read that they were generating quite a lot and will be doing so for a while to get down to Winter pool. If all the tailwaters are shot, we would love to fish some spring creeks or anything that is possibly wadable/campable. Maybe Spring River? Current River? Like I said I'm just not familiar enough with these rivers so any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance, Lee