Every year Ronnie and I look forward to the water to cooling  down at Woods to vertical jig for White Bass and to hang one of the monster cats that live there. Yesterday we caught 100 “YES” 100 white bass and I caught this 33lb 6oz Flat head vertical jigging in 17 to 24 feet of water. Everything I caught was on Sufix 6lb Clear Blue Pro Mix Mono www.sufix.com including the big cat.  Anyone that reads my site knows that I’m a light line guy and for years I have written about Sufix mono www.sufix.com and I will repeat myself again-it is the absolute strongest-best-smoothest-low to no memory-high knot strength-smoothest casting-small diameter mono I have ever used. You can’t wench in these big cats on light line but if you take your time and have your drag set correctly they will eventually wind up in your boat. If you will try 1 spool of your favorite weight you will be a Sufix buyer from now on. Now to the white bass.  We found 2 big schools  of White Bass on my electronics threw out a maker and it was game on. I love using either a 1/4 ounce or a 3/16 ounce Krocodile Spoon www.luhrjensen.com  or a 3/16th Rapala Jigging Rap or Jigging Shad Rap www.rapala.com  for these white bass. If your not familiar with the Jigging Rap It stared out as a ice fishing lure BUT-BUT-it’s far more than that. Through the years  I have caught fish on Woods-Tim’s-Normandy-Center Hill-Priest-Nick A Jack ( above and below the dam) and Old Hickory on a Rapala jigging rap. Everything the swims will hit these-it just takes a little practice and confidence. You can see videos on the Rapala site and on other media out lets. I alternate between the Krocodile Spoon and the jigging Rap-just depends on what they want. Now is the time if your looking for fast action and a lot of fun on Woods White Bass-and maybe a monster as well. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Best 3 of 6 today on Normandy. Everything on top water-I had to work the Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com  a little slower than normal but when they hit they meant business. New 10lb Sufix Advanced Mono www.sufix.com strong and casts like a dream. Water temp was 76 degrees and it appears that they haven’t started lowering water levels. Maybe more this week. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Daniel took Friday off and wanted to fish below the NAJ Dam with live bait. We caught some creek minnows the night before and was at the ramp just about daylight. What you see above was caught in the 1st hour and then it was ZERO. We never had another bite in the next 5 hours. We watched the other boats around us and never saw anyone caught a fish.  I talked with Billy, he fished Dale Hollow and had 7 small fish in the first couple hours then zero-and Ronnie never had a bite on Normandy-it must have just been the day for some reason or another.  I’ve been saving gas money and holding out for colder weather which we are finally getting. Water temp Friday was still 76 to 78 degrees and should be down lower this week.  Sufix Braid and Sufix Fluorocarbon leader www.sufix.com  rigged with a 3/0 VMC  Bait Keeper Hook was all we used www.vmchooks.com. We had some great creek minnows left and I intend to use them up this week before the die. I will let you know what happens. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Terry and I got to the ramp at 5:15am and it was raining big time. We hung around the ramp until 6:00am then headed to our first stop. We did a lot of moving to get what you see above. I thought we would have a good top water bite but it just didn’t happen. Everything was caught on Sufix Braid and Mono (terry and I both)www.sufix.com and a VMC Finesse Weedless 3/32ounce jig.www.vmchooks.com  The 3/32 has a great light wire 1/0 hook and is concaved on the back of the head so your plastics fit tight. They also have stainless weed guards and wire keeper. If you haven’t tried these jigs  you need to pick up a pack you will like them. Thanks for visiting my site Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Billy and I put the boat in at 5:30am this morning ran to our first stop and immediately put 1 in the boat and lost 5. Not a good way to start. We struggled around for most of the morning. I lost at least 2 more that I couldn’t keep hooked up and caught a couple short KY’s and Billy had 2 or 3 other blow up on a top water but no kook ups.  We should have had a 14-15 fish day.  Storms came up and we loaded out.  Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com Sufix Braid and Fluorocarbon www.sufix.com vmc Spin Shot and drop shot weights www.vmchooks.com  Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Best 3 of 7 this morning on Normandy with long time (30yrs)  good friend Terry Hicks. Everything on soft plastics rigged in several different ways. VMC Wide Gap 3/0 Hook and VMC Finesse 3/32 Weedless Jig www.vmchooks.com  20lb Sufix Braid and 8lb Fluorocarbon leader and straight 10lb Sufix Clear Blue Pro Mix Mono  www.sufix.com. Thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I want to share with you a little bit about the new Sufix® Advance™ Monofilament it’s supple, sensitive and strong. It’s a mono that thinks it’s a braid. “Sufix Advance is easy to handle and fishes smooth — like mono always has — but it shares some of the qualities of braid too, like enhanced sensitivity and abrasion resistance,”durablity, low-stretch, abrasion-resistant. “It spools up on your reel smooth as silk. Sufix Advance mono, combines HMPE molecules with Hyper Copolymer. HMPE molecules are the material braided superlines are made from. Sufix engineered a proprietary magnetic-extrusion process to draw HMPE molecules toward the surface of the line and bond with the Hyper Copolymer. The result of all that engineering is superior, long-lasting abrasion resistance that doesn’t make the line stiff and unmanageable.

Additional features of Sufix Advance include enhanced castability, reduced line memory, unrivaled knot strength and 50 percent lower stretch and UV absorption than standard monofilament. It’s available in two colors, clear and low-vis green, and nine strengths: 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 17-, 20- and 25-pound test. Give it a try I believe you will purchase more. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Some great fish that Billy and Braxton caught on Center Hill last week. Not sure of the particulars but some mighty good fish. Way  to go Braxton.

This was a “Could Have Been Better” day. I lost 2 additional Smallmouth about the size of the one above and a Largemouth that was a clone  to the other 2 pictured above. I also caught and released 4 short Spots. 1 on top water the rest on soft plastics rigged with either a 3/0 VMC Wide Gap Hook or a 3/16th VMC Weedless Finesse Jig. www.vmchooks.com. Sufix Braid with a 100% Sufix  Fluorocarbon leader. 81 degree water & Everything came out of 8ft of water or less. Done for the week-the lakes will be like a zoo through Monday. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

These are all separate fish. The 2 that I’m holding I caught back to back so I took 1 out of the well and took the pic so I wouldn’t be carrying them in the live well. Water temp is still 79 and just too hot to keep them there. The other 2 were caught is 2 different locations. I had 4 Good Largemouth 8 Short Spots-2 Short Smallmouth a o 1  Black Nose. All 4  came on top water the biggest on a  Rapala Skiiter Walk www.rapala.com.  All the Spots and Smallmouth on soft plastics and a VMC Weed less Finesse Jig www.vmc hooks.com 10 lb Sufix Pro Mix Mono on the top water and 20lb Sufix Braid with a a 8lb Sufix fluorocarbon leader. www.sufix.com.  Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com