I met Ronnie Wooten at the ramp at daylight and fished until 11:30am. All the fish above caught by Ronnie and I was on the Rapala Skitter Walk  www.rapala.com with the exception of 1.  Water temp was 78 this morning and the lake has come down several feet over the past week to 10 days.  If you visit my site much  you well know that I throw my top water on Sufix Braid and Ronnie used 10lb Sufix Mono www.sufix.com.  It is going to get better and better. I’m off all next week so unless something happens I should be able to give you several reports. Thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I spent 3 1/2 hours on Normandy this morning and put 5 in the boat that you see pictured above. I know that there are more top water baits that I could throw but why?  The Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com just keeps producing for me over and over again, and It will for you as well if you will tie one on. Water temp is still 81 degrees and hopefully will drop “A LITTLE” this week end with the colder air coming down from Canada. Although nothing can change water temps either up or down better  than rain. We are always looking for those cold fall/early winter rains and then those warm spring/early summer rains….endless cycle! I want to focus for a minute on the bottom right hand picture. That’s the Skitter Walk that I was throwing this morning and as you can see I have it rigged with 2 Single Hooks. These are the new VMC ILS Inline Single Hooks www.vmchooks.com that you should be seeing on the shelves soon.  They come in 1/0 all the way to 7/0 and have a X Wide Gap—X Strong–and actually recommended for larger lures “BUT” the 1/0 works fantastic on the Skitter Walk.  Let me warn you these are NEEEEEDLE Sharp and may be the answer to the what do I do now with a flopping bass in my net problem.  I netted all but 1 of these fish and no hook in the net………HEY!!!!!!! 832 Sufix Braid www.suffix.com and a AllPro APX 7’m/h Spinning  Rod www.allprorods.com……Just love that top water. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I put in at the State Park Ramp at 11:00am and fished until 6:00pm. I caught and released 1 Smallmouth-5 Largemouth and 8 White Bass all caught on the lures pictured above. Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com  Red Shad Trigger X  Flutter Worm www.triggerx.com rigged on a 2/0 VMC Wide Gap Hook and a Krocodile hammered Chrome 1/2ounce Spoon. The Smallmouth and all 8 White Bass all came off a drop in 30 feet of water on the spoon. The Largemouth were all caught on either the Skitter Walk or the Trigger X Flutter Worm.  I sized my line down to 6lb test Sufix Mono  www.sufix.com today with the exception on the Skitter Walk which was 832 Braid. Hope to give you another post Thursday. thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

I fished with good friend Ronnie Wooten this morning on Normandy. We put in at 6:00am and fished until it was “HOT” by 10:30am Water temp was 81 degrees and the heat index today is 105 degrees. All of our fish came on top water. I throw all my top water on Sufix 832 Braid  www.suffix.com  for a couple reasons.  #1 extremely strong with small line da. #2 the 832 is silky smooth and comes off the reel like a rocket due to the  Dyneema &  GORE fiber weave.   #3 extremely high sensitivity level and zero stretch  #4  water repellent . Combine these qualities with a high quality top water bait like a Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com  and a 7′ All Pro APX Med/Hvy Spinning Rod and your in business .  You can find all these products at area tackle shop like Murfreesboro Out Doors and other leading retailers. If you have any questions on any of these produts e mail me at rickm@dtccom.net  Thanks for visiting my site Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

This is just a follow up to my post earlier this week. I waited until 1:00pm to get to Normandy to see if the mid-day top water bite would hold up and it did, sort of!  I caught 6 Largemouth and 4 Spots all on top water but not 1 good fish. I had 2 decent looking fish follow the bait  but they wouldn’t commit.  So what did I learn?  Other than there is a mid-day 90 degree plus air temp-and almost 90 degree water temp bite in the shade?  I think you just have to be at the right place at the right time which obviously I wasn’t. I think I will stick with the early bite and stay for some of the mid day top water. that seems to be more productive for me.  I spent a 1/2 hour talking with the TWRA Creel Clerk (very good guy by the way)  He had checked the few boats that was on the lake and no one had any fish to speak of (that was around 5:00pm)  The rain was moving in and that may have changed the late day/night bite.  There is a ton of bait up river and a few fish busting in them, lake is down a little more and color is still normal for Normandy.  More next week. Rick www.tennesseebassguides.com

When I left the house this morning I intended to go to Nick A Jack but decided to go to Normandy instead and wound up having a fairly good day.  It was dark when I put in and there was surfacing fish here and there around the ramp area but I never could get close enough to hook up. So I ran down to my first stop and caught 3 and lost 2 on the 6 Inch Red Shad Trigger X Flutter Worm www.triggerx.com rigged on a 3/0 VMC Wide Gap Hook weightless www.vmchooks.com that you see in the picture above. I caught a couple short fish at my next stop then the Flutter Worm Bite died. I switched to the Rapala X Rap Prop www.rapala.com  also pictured above. I worked the same mid day pattern that I used on Tim’s last week-shaded medium depth chuck rock banks. I lost 2 big fish and caught 3 more on that pattern before the heat was more than I wanted to deal with.  I really like throwing the Flutter Worm and X Rap Prop on 832 braid the sensitivity is great and it comes off a spinning reel smooth as silk www.sufix.com . Rods of choice as you well know is All Pro APX in a variety of lengths and actions. www.allprorods.com.  Might get 1 more day in this week-if so I will update you then. Air temp mid day 90 plus water temp 85 and normal color for Normandy. Thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

It was bright sunshine and 90 when I reached the Turkey Creek Ramp. I decided to try a different time of the day on Tim’s so I waited until 1:00 pm to get to the lake. In the summer months I normally put in at daylight and will be home by  1:00 pm taking a nap and now I remember why. It looked like sea-do, pontoon boat,  speed boat central as far as you could see. In years past if you can stand the traffic there was a good deep water dock bite so I concentrated on those for a couple hours with only  2 short spots on a Trigger X Minnow www.triggerx.com.  I checked out the area where I caught the white bass the other day and they are still there and just as willing, I only spent 30 minutes there and caught 10.  There was a few surfacing fish here and there but not close enough to chunk at.  It was 4:30 pm so I went to plan B and that was shaded medium depth banks and that is where I caught 7  large mouth including my best 2 fish pictured above on a Pearl Grey X Rap Prop www.rapala.com . I had to work the bait a little slower than normal and the fish were coming up out of 15-20 feet of water in the shade to take a swipe at the bait.  Back home at 7:00pm, think I will stick with the AM hours. Thanks for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebass guides.com

Continue reading Tim’s Ford 7-23-2014 →

This is the first time I have been on the water for several weeks. Between a weeks vacation, having a bad summer cold and my tow truck being in the shop I have been land locked more or less. Everything you see above was caught on a Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com early this morning. After the top water bite died off I fished several other areas and methods and at least for me with little success. Good to be back on the water. I threw the Skitter Walk on Sufix 832 Braid on a 7′ m/h Allpro APX Spinning Rod….great combo.  I should be able to give you one more post this week. ***Just a thought!  I was very disappointed in all the trash after-math from the 4th of July weekend at the ramp area and parking lot this morning. I don’t think I have every seen as many  bottles- garbage-plastic bags-sparkler sticks you name it that was  scattered every where. We are blessed to have the facilities that we have here in Tennessee to bad those that used the Turkey Creek Ramp left it in the condition they did.  Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com

Doug Markham and I had a very interesting day today on Normandy. We started out at 5:30 am trolling  a variety of crank baits in multiple locations of the lake with no results.  We would mark fish, but most were suspended and not in or around bait.  For a while we thought that we were going to experience another “Got Ya” on the Walleye but we kept moving and changing tactics.  At 10:15 am with temps now around 90 degrees and still no Walleye we decided to make one last stop and from 10:30 until 12:30 we put 9 beautiful Walleye in the boat on the same VMC Revolution Hex Spinner Rig that I caught my Walleye on yesterday.  www.vmchooks.com We took a lot of pictures and when Doug sends me more I will add them to this post.  He also had his underwater camera with him and has some great pictures of landing and releasing  these fish which will be on a video I believe on his Face Book.  Also Doug will be talking about the VMC Rigs and our day on his radio show this coming Saturday 99.7 FM listen in.  Doug and I both used these rigs and Sufix Mono www.sufix.com  Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com