Transitioning Chickamauga to test anglers
DAYTON, Tenn. – There was a time not too long ago when seeing Lake Chickamauga on the schedule got people excited with thoughts of 10-pounders.
Don’t expect that this week during the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division finale.
Yes, there’s still a good chance big bass each day will be a double-digit fish, but the lake seems to be on the backside of its recent glory days. Throw in transitioning fish and jumbled conditions, and things won’t come easy for anyone vying to try and catch those giants.
About the fishery
A Bill Dance Signature Lake located in southeast Tennessee near Chattanooga, Lake Chickamauga is a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment created in 1940. Between it, Lake Nickajack below it and Watts Bar Lake above it, pros have more than 175 miles of the Tennessee River they can potentially fish.
Yet, what makes the fishery special is that in 2000, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) began an annual program to stock Florida-strain largemouth fingerlings in Chickamauga. More than two decades since, the fishery has been transformed into one of the premier lunker factories in the southeast, with double-digit fish common. Due to the success of the Chickamauga stocking program, TWRA biologists expanded it to many other Tennessee lakes in 2015, including Nickajack and Watts Bar.
Current conditions
Had things stayed like they were a week ago, anglers might’ve been looking at an all-out sight fishing and spawn tournament. Now? Who knows.
Local Seth Davis said he was seeing water temperatures in the low 70s last week, but after a significant front came through a few days ago, he’s now finding them in the low 60s.
“We’ve seen a 5-degree drop since the beginning of practice,” Davis said. “That’s never the best.”
No, usually not, and it doesn’t look much more promising this week with sun today, but forecasted storms tomorrow.
Making things even tougher is that Davis said they’re “not pulling a lick of current” and the water level has come up nearly a foot in the last week, which will make matters tough for anyone looking to try to sight fish.
Davis prefers to fish offshore, but he says he’s been very disappointed with what he’s found out there (or not found, to be exact). He figures the majority of the fish are on or near the bank, but with the weather, they’re not quite committed to any one thing.
“Versus what will be offshore in a month, only a fraction of the fish have made it off the bank,” Davis said. “I think there’s still a few more big waves waiting to spawn.”
Tactics in play
While there’s always a chance a pro finds an offshore bite, it seems this week will be dominated by anglers beating the bank or the shallow grass.
Expect to see plenty of soft-plastic stickbaits tossed around to coax bedding fish pros can’t see. Plus, Davis said shallow power-fishing – spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs, flipping – will definitely catch plenty of fish this week. In fact, Davis said it wouldn’t surprise him to see a guy “junk” his way to the win, sampling shallow power-fishing, bed fishing and even a little offshore.
Critical factors
- Big bites – With poor conditions, anglers who can catch one or two giant kickers can really separate themselves this week.
- Conditions – Dropping water temperatures, rising water, no current and transitioning fish will make it necessary for anglers to adapt on the fly
- Other lakes – While most will stay in Chickamauga, don’t be surprised if a few anglers lock to Nickajack or Watts Bar to try and find something all their own.
Dock talk
Optimism is not high right now for pros from what Davis is hearing.
Sure, guys will catch plenty of fish beating the bank, but the quality is few and far between.
“You’re going to see a lot of anglers with 2- to 3-pounders, but it will be all about getting the 5- or 6-pound bite,” Davis said. “Those have been much harder to find with these conditions.”
Two big local tournaments went out over the weekend, and there were few 20-pound bags between the two, which is rare and indicative of how tough the fishing has been. Thus, Davis says while there will still be a few 20-pound bags this week, it will be hard for anyone to do it more than once.
The Angler of the Year picture
With this being the last event in the Central Division season, Angler of the Year will get wrapped up, along with qualifications for the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and the Toyota Series Championship. Leading into the finale, Trent Suratt has knocked out an 11th and a 30th to take the top spot with 481 points. An experienced angler in the southeast, Surratt certainly has good odds of keeping up the pace. Behind him, Lee Black and Jordan Wiggins are within 11 points, and Andrew Nordbye and last year’s AOY Derik Hudson are in the mix as well. Of course, with a big field of 219 boats, there’s plenty of room for things to fluctuate, so we’re likely to not to have an answer to AOY until after Day 2 weigh-in at the earliest. The Angler of the Year in each division, as determined by total points, receives $5,000.
On the Strike King co-angler side, Alan Hults holds a 19-point lead over Greg Surratt, and a 21-point edge over the always dangerous Sakae Ushio. While 19 points is a big edge, there’s always a little more fluctuation on the co-angler side of things. The Strike King Co-angler of the Year in each division, as determined by total points, receives $2,000.