How's the water, fishing?

[Fishin Maniac]

Planning on floating Prongs to Bay creek Memorial weekend. Has any one done this stretch lately? USGS site looks like water level is good but don't want to drag to much. I also see soft plactics are working. What in particular works good on the JF? Colors? What's hitting? Smallmouth, pickerel? Does anyone think there will be ann overabundence of people, noteably morons, on this stretch over Memorial day weekend. Don't mind making new fishing buddies but don't care for the tubers in cutoff jeans. Thanks in an advance for a reply.

[Kicknbass]

I have never fished the JF, but fish current river alot. I believe this rivers would be similar. A few weeks ago we caught several on white grubs. My go to bait is a watermelon pepper stick bait fished weedless below an 1/8 oz shot. Fish it slow in the deep holes. Let it drift w/ the current around the rock or root structure. Set the hook if you feel anything strange. Some times they'll hammer it, sometimes they'll just pick it up. Jerks are free.

[bikehikefish]

Hi Maniac,

I floated from Hwy 17 to Bay Creek Saturday and Sunday. The river is low, getting lower, and according to the Ranger at Bay Creek, will probably be closed by the first week of June. We dragged a little, but not too much (in kayaks).

I've never seen tubers on this stretch of the JF, but there were plenty of canoes Saturday, especially the stretch between 17 and Rhymers. From Rhymers to Bay Creek we saw less then a dozen canoes on Sunday.

The fishing was good for mostly small smallmouth. We caught a couple about 14", but most were under 12". Any kind of small (4" - 6") plastic worm worked - motor oil was best, then white, grape, black. Yum crawdads killed them. Caught a lot of goggle eye with a dp teeny Rebel craw.

Have fun.

[Gavin]

Floated Prong's to Rhymers this weekend and the fishing was pretty good. We caught a lot of 8-12" smallies, and panfish on flies and small plastics, but we caught our bigger fish on Zoom Flukes.

Dont know how much longer the Prong's to Buck stretch will be floatable, but we did Buck to Bay in heavilly loaded boats @ 63 cfs and falling a couple weeks ago and it wasnt bad at all. I imagine it will be very crowded next weekend though. Lots of moron's out last weekend. One fellow camped at Jam Up had a stringer full of smallmouth, saw two drunks take a spectacular wipeout and wrap their canoe around a log, and I even saw a fellow dropping a 40hp jet in down at Rhymers yesterday afternoon. Hope the pics turn out well enough to send to the NPS and Conservation.

Gavin

[steve l]

Went Buck Hollow to Alley Thur to Sun. Luckily missed the guy w/the 40 hp boat. Got "carded" by a ranger floating on Thursday - too bad he didn't get the guys w/the stringer.

No scraping with a fully loaded canoe, which meant it was running higher than I prefer. If I'm having to drag some it usually means fewer people on the river.

Saw quite a few people this trip, my first choice gravel taken both Thur & Fri. Of course the fallback gravel on the JF is pretty good gravel!

Fishing pretty good, lots and lots of the 8-12 inchers Gavin mentioned. Also pulled a 2.3, a 2.1, and a 2 pounder out. No trophy fish though.

The Rebel craw pulled the larger fish, most at dusk. Plastics (craw and slider worms)did best during the day.

What a great river.

[Fishin Maniac]

Thanks for the fast replies everyone. I hope the guy with the illegal stringer got busted. Looking forward to tight line this weekend!!! I'll let you guys know how it went when I get back. If you're planning a Tennessee trip and need some advice or a fishin buddy, drop me a line.

Thanks again,

Fishin Maniac

"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and show him how to catch & release and then give him a jimmy club and tell him were the guy with the fish is"

-Ancient Chinese Proverb, Author Unknown