Rockfish

Dbllunger

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Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
12,095
Location
Middle Tennessee
First time out this season this morning. On water at 5am. A quite brisk boat ride. Had 3 hits, 2 hookups and 1 landed. 15 pounder. So nothing huge but a start. Usually doesn't get good for what I'm doing until June/July. With rotator cuff surgery last May, I pretty much missed the entire season last year so happy to be able to go get em this year with no problems. Also had 2 try to grab it as I was lifting the lure out of the water at the boat. Love fighting big mean fish.

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Dbllunger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
12,095
Location
Middle Tennessee
Awesome! I tried them two weeks ago knowing it was a tad early with no luck. Need a little bit warmer weather temps for my spots to produce, usually by the 1st of June they're in there.
Generally pretty much the same for me. My water was 59 today. Good general rule for me is that when the fireflies really show up good then it's time. They usually leave with them too I have noticed.
 

Huntaholic

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Joined
Oct 22, 2000
Messages
4,222
Location
Fer Tick
Youd think living within 20 minutes of one of the top 3 fisheries in the nation for them, I would have something figured out. I DONT. Yeah, I DID have, until they decided to tear out the saddle dams. That farked my rockfish catching.
 

Soft Talker

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Joined
Jan 14, 2023
Messages
338
Location
SE TN
First time out this season this morning. On water at 5am. A quite brisk boat ride. Had 3 hits, 2 hookups and 1 landed. 15 pounder. So nothing huge but a start. Usually doesn't get good for what I'm doing until June/July. With rotator cuff surgery last May, I pretty much missed the entire season last year so happy to be able to go get em this year with no problems. Also had 2 try to grab it as I was lifting the lure out of the water at the boat. Love fighting big mean fish.

View attachment 179486
Caught a solid mid 20's class fish last week at Melton Hill Dam from the bank. Just North of 37 inches long. Resident Dam "idiot" tried to convince me I had caught a "hybrid" and not a true "rockfish", because of the broken lines center mass. Told the googan straight to his face that it was obvious he new nothing about rockfish and went on with my release. Told me I was an ignorant redneck who new nothing about "striper" fishing. He also had told me earlier , that the 20in skipjack herring I was freelining 12 ft under a balloon, was way to big of a bait for these "hybrids" :)
 

Dbllunger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
12,095
Location
Middle Tennessee
Caught a solid mid 20's class fish last week at Melton Hill Dam from the bank. Just North of 37 inches long. Resident Dam "idiot" tried to convince me I had caught a "hybrid" and not a true "rockfish", because of the broken lines center mass. Told the googan straight to his face that it was obvious he new nothing about rockfish and went on with my release. Told me I was an ignorant redneck who new nothing about "striper" fishing. He also had told me earlier , that the 20in skipjack herring I was freelining 12 ft under a balloon, was way to big of a bait for these "hybrids" :)
Lol....every dam has at least one. Had a similar experience at Wheeler dam 2 years ago. Nice fish by the way. He was right about one thing. 20 inch Skippy is too much for a hybrid. An actual hybrid that is. What a knucklehead.
 

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