CONTACT US AT 615 765-7303
Tim's Ford Archived Trip Pictures
March 2010 and back
Tim's Ford 3-30-2010
Ronnie Richards and I made a bee-line
to the areas where I have been on fish and.....zero...let me say
again zero. We struggled for several hours until I made a change
that turned out to be the answer at least for us today. We caught
several more fish than the ones pictured above. We also lost 3 big
fish and 1 that Ronnie lost was a very big fish. We were throwing a
1/4 ounce VMC Dominator Smoochin Minnow Head
www.vmc.com with a Prowler Grub
www.prowlerlures.com and a
1/4 ounce Rocky Top Custom Jig with a Prowler Flappin Craw Trailer.
This warm weather will help things considerably as the week go's on.
More on Thursday....Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-29-2010
Mr. David Honey and I put the boat in
the water this morning at daylight and could have ramped out at
10:00am because the bite died on us quickly. We lost a great
Smallmouth at the boat (I guess it to be) around the 4lb range and
we caught several other Largemouth not pictured. Terminator
Spinner Bait
www.terminatorlures.com and a Luhr-Jensen radar 10
www.luhrjensen.com worked
for us today. More to come tomorrow........Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-26-2010
I had a great time with Earl Hull and
Larry Harvin on on Tim's today. It was coooold...... to say the
least and the wind stayed 15mph plus until the front moved through
around 1:30pm. Big fish was a 6lb 14ounce Largemouth and a 4lb 4
ounce Smallmouth. 90% of all of our fish was caught on a
3/8 ounce Terminator Tungsten Series Spinner Bait with Nickel
and Gold blades
www.terminatorlures.com and they would hammer the bait. The
tungsten series Terminators create a great deal of vibration and
turbulence that seemed to be the answer today. I use 10lb Sufix Pro
Mix mono on my spinner bait rod for Tim's
www.sufix.com and it is
unbelievable how strong-limp and powerful this line is for it's
diameter. If you live in the Murfreesboro Randy at Murfreesboro
Out Doors is carrying a full selection of the Pro Mix......If you
try it you won't be disappointed. More to come next week. Earl and
larry thank you for a cold but enjoyable day on Tim's. Earl I look
forward fishing with you again in April. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Center Hill 3-23-2010
Daniel is on spring break this week
and he wanted to try to catch some of the spots on the Hill so we
headed that way this morning and he caught and released 1 Smallmouth
and 6 Spots all about the size of the ones pictured above. DT 6
Crawfish Brown Orange Belly is still a good choice.
www.rapala.com We had a great
time and it's always a blessing to be able to spend a day out with
your kids.....Tomorrow Tim's Ford-I will give you an update then.
Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguide.com
Tim's Ford 3-19-2010
I fished Tim's Ford today with Ron
Kairdolf and we pretty much struggled all day. When we put the boat
in this morning at 6:30am in Turkey Creek the water temperature was
still 43 degrees and the air temp was 40 degrees. I wanted to focus
as much as possible on Smallmouth only today and the 2 above was our
largest. We fished from Turkey Creek all the way to Wagner Creek and
numerous places in-between. We threw just about everything today
except a Carolina rig and I wish we had stopped long enough to do
that. The warmest water of course is up lake and there is still good
color in much of that area. All of our fish was caught on 6lb test
Sufix Pro Mix www.sufix.com and
the #5 Shad Rap www.rapala.com
that you see pictured above and as you can see it is very near the
size of the shad the fish were feeding on. We had 6 total and all
were released in good shape. I talked to friends on
Normandy-Guntersville and Center Hill today it it sounded like it
was slow just about every where-at least for them. I'll be back on
Nick A Jack tomorrow and will update you tomorrow night. Come on
constant warm weather!!!!! Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com Nick A
Jack Update: Good friend Jerry Steakley ask me to fish a Warren Co.
Bass Club tournament with him on Nick A Jack yesterday. This was the
first tournament I have fished in over 20 years...but I did have a
good time. The result went like this 1st place was 5 fish @ 16lbs
11oz...2nd place was 5 fish @ 16lbs 4oz....3rd place was 4 fish @
11lbs 4oz....and I'm not sure of the weights after that. Jerry and I
finished 3rd and our big fish was an even 5lbs....big fish for the
tournament was 5lb 2oz..2 ounces larger than ours...Thanks Jerry for
the invite...Rick
Center Hill 3-18-2010
It only took 3 years but good friend
Roy Armistead and I finally hooked up on his home water "Center
Hill". It seemed like every time we scheduled a trip something
always came up to keep us from going but today was the day and Roy
did good. We were on fish right away and stayed busy from 7:00am
until 2:00pm catching and releasing 20 Spots and 1 Smallmouth.
It felt good sitting in the back of the boat-having some one else
put me on fish and he even brought me a Sub Way sandwich. I was in
hog heaven all day. The is a great time to be throwing crank
baits like the Rapala DT6 in the Dark Brown Craw and the DT6
Chartreuse Brown www.rapala.com
it seemed to be their favorite colors today. Roy was also bragging
about the Sufix Pro Mix 6lb test
www.sufix.com that he has been using to crank with. To quote a
man that has most likely bought every brand of line available over
the past 50 years...."Rick this is some of the best mono I have ever
used-I don't get the loops like you do with other lines and the
strength and durability in unbelievable." If you live in the
Murfreesboro area Randy at Murfreesboro Out Doors has put in Pro Mix in 6lb through 14 lb
test....I also know in the Cookeville area that Outdoor Junction is
carrying Pro Mix as well. I did some lake hopping this week but will
be on Tim's tomarrow. Roy thank you-your a great host...and a good
friend......Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Nick A Jack 3-16-2010
It was a tough day on Nick A Jack for
David Honey and I. We put the boat in at daylight and fished until
1:00pm. We caught and released 6 Largemouth- 3caught on a Prowler
Lizard Carolina Rigged-1 caught on a Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig
with a Prowler Flappin Craw trailer
www.prowlerlures.com and 2
on a Rapala DT6 www.rapala.com
Big fish was 5 plus only problem they were few and far between. Most
of the trucks were gone out of the lot when we came in so it looks
like it was tough all the way around. Misery loves company! Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassuides.com
Tim's Ford 3-11-2010
I had 5 good hours on Tim's today catching and
releasing 16 Largemouth on a #5 Rapala Bleeding Olive Shad Rap and 1
Hybrid on a Rapala Parrott DT6.
www.rapala.com I also had 3
other fish to the boat that I lost and a couple short strike that I
didn't hook up on. I have some open dates this spring and things are
going to break loose on Tim's within the next couple weeks. We soon
should be on good Smallmouth-Largemouth-Walleye and Hybrid bite,
give me a call. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-26-2010
I met Mr. Ronnie Murray at the State Park ramp this
morning at 10:00am and we fished until 2:15pm. All we used was a
Float N Fly and fished 5 spots in the 4 hours we were out. Water
temperature when we got to the lake was 39.7 and when we left 41.3.
If you haven't fished this rig your missing a fun/relaxing way to
catch these Smallmouth. Many guys use braid tied to a 3 way swivel
and then Fluorocarbon down to the fly. I simplified that a
little bit for me and use 6lb Sufix mono
www.sufix.com straight through.
Sufix offers a variety of small diameter low memory strong
lines that work in all weather and cover conditions. What ever your
particular need is on the waters you fish Sufix has a line that will
do the job. Check it out at your local tackle store.
Until this water temperature warms this technique is still a good
one to go to. Ronnie and I are going to fish again here in a couple
weeks and hopefully the water temp will be warmer. More to come next
week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-12-2010
I rescheduled my Thursday and Friday guide
trips this week for later in the month so I ventured out on Tim's
Ford today with Mr. Jerry Steakley to see if we could find a Plan B
for the tournament that he was going to fish on Saturday.
Jerry had found a few fish in another area of the lake so our goal
yesterday was to find a backup just in case. The tournament is going
out of Rock Creek so we put in there and was greeted with 38 degree
water and the warmest we found any where in the river was 41.
For the day we caught 6 largemouth (3 keepers) and 2 big crappie.
All of our fish came on the 4 following Rapala crank baits. a
DT4 Helsinki Shad......XRap Shad Sliver......Black& Silver Shad Rap
www.rapala.com and a Luhr-Jensen
Root Beer Chartreuse Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com. We
tried several other baits but no takers. We didn't see many boats on
the water today but I did talk with a gentleman at the ramp when we
were leaving he said that he didn't have a bite 1 all day. Air temp
when we put in was 29 degrees and it was 33 when we loaded the boat.
The color is good in the river and if we could get just 2 or 3 warm
days in a row you wouldn't even need hooks on your Rapala crank
baits to catch them......Good to get back out-I have a jam packed
week next week but hope for at least 1 day on the water maybe in
Brazil....By the way I talked with Jerry Williams from Outdoor
Junction in Cookeville and Randy at Murfreesboro Out Doors they both
have a good supply of the Sufix Pro Mix in stock
www.sufix.com . Check them
out....You owe it to yourself to try this line...it's great! Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com UPDATE:
Jerry and his partner finished 2nd out of 50 plus boat in the
tournament Saturday. The pattern we found held up..I think they had
5 fish that weighed a total of 12 pounds plus and was 1/2 lb from
winning it all!...Jerry congratulations
Tim's Ford 1-22-27-2010
I'm late getting one of my posts up so here we go. I
fished last Friday the 22nd choosing to throw Tuffy Minnows only. I
got to the bait shop and they were out of Tuffy's and had about 2
dozen Shiners so I bought them. I don't know about you but I would
much rather have a good Tuffy or Creek Minnow over a Shiner any day.
Just a personal preference.
I moved several times before I got my first bite which promptly hung
me up on "something" and broke me off. I moved down the bank
hung a big fish, fought him out into deep water and
then.....nothing.....I reeled in with a bare hook. Moved a short
distance and caught the Smallmouth in the top left hand corner. I
lost 2 more fish in short order-then caught a Largemouth that I
didn't take a picture of. By then I had used up the Shiners so
I headed home rather frustrated. (1-27-2010) Yesterday I got to the
late late...lost my cell phone somewhere...Put in and ran up lake to
my first stop. Caught 3 nice (3-3 1/2lb) Largemouth on a Luhr-Jensen
Speed Trap www.luhrjensen.com
Reached in dry storage for my camera only to find out that I had
left it in the truck. Later I headed back toward the ramp picked up
my camera and took pictures of the 3 different Largemouth above that
I caught later in the day. I also hung and lost 2 other fish that
I didn't see. By then the 1/2 day was gone. Yes these things
to will pass. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-19-2010
I'm almost ashamed to put these pictures up....to say
the least it wasn't my best effort in photography. But they are what
they are and here they are!!! I caught 1 Smallmouth-1 Largemouth and
4 Spots. 4 on Tuffy minnows-6lb test Sufix Pro Mix
www.sufix.com #2 VMC Bait Keeper
Hooks www.vmchooks.com and the
other 2 on a #8 Silver Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com. Water temperature was 38.3 when I got to the
lake and only 41 when I left at 2:00pm. The water temp 10 feet
and below had to be very cold because it would stun the Tuffy's
within the a couple casts. I haven't had that happen in many years.
More to come latter this week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-14-2010
I'm
out of hibernation and Daniel is back in school and what a great day
to
get started back again here in the new year. It was 19 degrees this
morning when Mr. David Honey and I slipped the boat into Tim's Ford.
We actually had to break ice with the boat in several areas this
morning to get from spot to spot. We fished from 7:30am until 2:15pm
had 9 bites and put the 6 in the pictures above in the boat. All 3
of the top 3 Smallmouth was over 4lbs with the largest weighing in
at 4lbs 12ounce. 5 of the 6 fish were using 6lb test Sufix Pro
Mix line www.sufix.com VMC #2
BaitHolder Hooks (#9291BZ)
www.vmchooks.com and Tuffy minnows. I did catch a 4lb 6ounce
Smallie on a Float N Fly Rig. Once again I need to tell you about
the Sufix Pro Mix line that I'm using. If your tired of line that
kinks up and is stiff you absolutely need to get a spool of Pro Mix.
It has tremendous low stretch properties-low memory and comes off a
spinning reel as smooth as silk. I use the Clear Blue so I can see
even the slightest of ticks when fish are finicky. The
#2 VMC Bait Holder hook that I'm using is made with high levels of
carbon which increases the strength of the steel and provides a
cutting edge point that is razor sharp. When you set the hook it's
going to do it's job. I've always been amazed at some folks that pay
high $$$$$ for rods and reels then want the cheapest hooks that they
can find at a local discount store. More to come next week. If you
want an opportunity to catch Smallmouth like these above give me a
call I have scattered open dates. More next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford w/o 12-28-2009
I fished Tim's Ford twice this week. Once with Mr.
David Liu and once with Mr. David Honey. I have other pictures
that's in David Liu's cell phone that I will post when I receive
them. All in all it was a tough bite for me this week. I struggled
getting on any kind of a pattern that lasted. All of our fish were
caught on either a Rapala DT6
www.rapala.com or a Rocky Top Custom Lure Jig
www.rockytopcustomlures.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw
www.[prowlerlure.com More
to come next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com By the way I have had several
people asking about where they can buy the Sufix Pro Mix line that I
have been using www.sufix.com .
If you live in the Cookeville area Rick Reed at Out Door Junction
has it in stock as well as Randy at Murfreesboro Out Doors in
Murfreesboro. Both stores carry a great selection of Rapala, Storm,
and Luhr-Jensen baits as well. Check them out!
Tim's Ford 12-14-2009
It's good to be back on the water after battling a
sore throat all lat week. I put in this morning right at day light
6:15am and fish until 11:30am. I had 12 bites and put 9 of the 12 in
the boat. These fish would hammer a Luhr-Jensen 014 Orange/Red Speed
Trap (color # 0863)
www.lurhjensen.com Big Smallmouth was a 4lb 4ounce and the
largest Largemouth was 3lb 15ounces. Two of the three fish I lost
(both Smallmouth) was as large as my best two. Water temp was 50.5
degrees and for most of the morning I didn't have much of a wind. I
have a few scattered days open this winter at the discounted price.
If you would like a chance to catch a big Smallmouth now is the
time. Give me a call at 615-765-7303 or e-mail me at
rickm@dtccom.net Thank
you for visiting my site. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-04-2009
Have you ever had a sleepless night? Well last night
was one for me. Looking back at yesterday if I had it to do over
again I would have made some different decisions. Over the
past several weeks I have been on a good live bait bite (see
posts below). So when we got to the lake yesterday I had all the
confidence that it would be a repeat. The truth is that at least for
us and the locations we fished (I covered a lot of water) the live
bait bite was off. I don't know if you have ever felt like you could
"make" fish bite a certain bait-if you have you know what my mind
set was yesterday. I don't want to make this sound like it was a
bust....we caught 9 Smallmouth for the day with the 2 in the picture
above being our best and they came late in the trip on a Buck Eye
Shad. Any time you can put a 5lb plus Smallmouth in the boat
it's not bad. But we should have been throwing these more throughout
the day. By the way I forgot to reset the date in the camera when
the batteries died. These guys were great to fish with and Rick I hope we are
able to do this again....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-1-2009
It's good to be back on the water
today after traveling to the in laws for the holidays. I
fished today by myself getting ready for my guide trip later this
week. I caught everything today (14 Smallmouth-3 Black Nose Crappie
and 4 Small Hybrids) on 2 things.....a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com and tuffy
minnows...More to come later this week. I have scattered dates open
through the winter at the discounted rate and things are just going
to get better and better. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 11-20-21-2009 Tow Day Report
I fished Tim's the past 2 days with Mr. Mark Lane and
Mr. Dana Adams. The fish above was our best and we did have several
others that we didn't take pictures of. We lost several good
fish over the past two days that either jumped and threw the bait or
got us under brush. Mark and Dana it was good fishing with you. I
need to tell you again about the Sufix line that I'm using that is
fantastic called Sufix Pro Mix. It has a small diameter, very limp,
extremely strong and comes off a spinning reel like no line that I
have ever used. For my live bait rig I'm using the 6lb test Clear
Blue and a #2 VMC Fast Gap Live Bait Hooks. These hooks are super
sharp and keeps a good point even in the rocks on Tim's. Click on
the Sufix and VMC logo under my sponsors tab to view these great
products. I'm taking all of next week off for the Holiday's
but will be back on the water on the 30th. Have a Blessed
Thanksgiving. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 11-16-2009
Mr. David Honey and I had a great trip (BUT) today on
Tim's Ford throwing Tuffy minnows. Now I'll explain the "BUT".
We hung and lost at least 6 big fish in brush that we couldn't get
out, plus David lost two others that we saw. One was the biggest
Smallmouth that I have seen for a while on Tim's, two jumps and away
she went. We caught and released 6 or more smaller fish that's
not pictured as well. All this happened within 5 minutes or
less from the ramp we used. More to come later this
week...........................Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tims Ford 11-13/14-2009
(13th) I spent a beautiful day on Tim's Ford today with 2
very nice folks, John and Karen Roberts who live near Atlanta.
We struggled with "NO WIND" all day but still managed to catch and
release 12 all caught on a Shad patter Rapala DT6
www.rapala.com We only had
4 Smallmouth and the rest were Largemouth. Water is still falling
and water temp stay just under 60 degrees all day today-it's heading
in the right direction. Karen and John your
great to fish with. (14th) I fished with the father and son team of
Greg Johnson today on Tim's we never fired our big motor until 8:30
because of the fog. We found it much tougher today than
yesterday with zero wind 90% of the day. The two bottom pictures are
our best two. Greg you have a good boy there and a good fisherman as
well. I'll be fisting with Greg and Nick in July when they are back
in town. Until next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 11-9-2009
I fished Tim's today by myself and had a great 4
hours on a Rapala DT6 Shad pattern.
www.rapala.com This was one of those you didn't have to wonder
if you got bit day's -they would hammer the DT. I took 6 pictures of
the 14 total that I caught, all the fish were about the same size
that you see above. I will be back on Tim's 2 more times the end of
this week. Water is continuing to fall and the temp is still
hovering around 60-61 degrees. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 11-6-2009
I fished Tim's today with Mark Lanius and Richard
Doland and caught fish on a variety of baits including a Rapala X
Rap www.rapala.com Prowler
Baby Brush Dawg
www.prowlerlures.com and live creek minnows.
www.creek.com Water temp
was in the low 60's and still falling and we had basically no wind
at all today. We had several fish we didn't take pictures and the 4
above was our best. Mark and Richard it was good fishing with you
again. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-29-2009
Another good day on Tim's Ford with Mr. David Honey.
The lake continues to drop, I'm not sure how much we are down but we
still have a long way to go to winter pool, but at least it is going
in the right direction. Water temp was 63 more or less just about
everywhere we fished today. Those brown fish sure do love that
Rapala X Rap www.rapala.com . X
Rap and a rig did the trick today. More to come next week......Great
day David! Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
October 26-2009
I had a very pleasant day on Tim's Ford fishing with
Charlie Pike today. When I got to the lake I found out that the Corp
had dropped the lake almost a foot over night and it's down about 18
inches or more from last week. It took perseverance and moving quite
a bit but it paid off. We caught fish today on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com a Luhr-Jensen
Radar 10 www.luhrjesen.com.
We also lost 2 very good fish that just came unbuttoned. Charlie it
was a pleasure fishing with you. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-19-2009
I had the pleasure of fishing today with Mr. Dale
Abbott and Mrs. Joy Castillo from Chicago Ill. Dale has
several family members down here for a week and unfortunately they
have ran into high water and tough times on Tim's. The water may
have come down 8 to 10 inches in the past 2 or 3 days but it doesn't
appear to me to be much more than that. Water is still over many of
the private dock owners walk ways and the main walk way at the State
Park Ramp is a foot under water. I talked with 3 different people
that fished Tim's this past week end and it was tough going them
with most of their fish being caught on a jig. We started out slowly
but then I switched to a Rapala XRap (XR08)
www.rapala.com which is the
smaller 3 1/8 inches long size in the silver/black shad pattern. The
shad in the areas where we were fishing were small so I tried to
match their size the best we could which paid off almost
immediately. The results for the day was 4 Kentucky's-1
Largemouth-1 Smallmouth and 1 small Rock Fish. Not a tremendous day
but under these changing conditions on Tim's not bad either. Dale
and Joy were great to fish with and hopefully they can repeat what
we did and finish out their vacation by lifting some over the rail.
Daniel is on fall break and we had planned 2 or 3 days on the water
the rest of this week (BUT) he is in bed with a temperature and sore
throat so it looks like we will be close to the house. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Lake Barkley 10-15-2009
For
the past 2 or 3 years good friend Ken Jenkins has asked me to go to
Lake Barkley in October to get in on some of the hot top water
action. We finally got together yesterday knowing that we had a
chance of muddy water due to all the heavy rain we have been having
here in Tennessee but we headed out anyway. Barkley was clearing but
still had a stain and Ken began to catch a few short fish on top.
Then I started tossing the NEW Rapala Helsinki Shad pattern in
the DT10 & DT 6. and the bass would absolutely nail the Helsinki
Shad but when the occasional bass would strike short they were stuck
anyway with the
super sharp extended VMC Surset Treble Hooks which are on both the
front and back of these baits. This is only one of several new
colors that we have at Rapala this year and I can tell you that the
Helsinki Shad is going to be a "Big Time Winner" check them out at
your local sporting goods store or on line at
www.Rapala.com If you live in
the Murfreesboro area Murfreesboro OutDoors have these in stock now.
I also need to tell you about some fantastic Sufix Line called "ProMix"
This line is Extra Limp and comes off a spinning or casting reel as
smooth as silk. It is also unbelievably tough and abrasion
resistant. I was very impressed with the knot strength. ProMix
is manufactured in various strengths and is offered this year in
"Clear Blue" or "Lime" By the way Ken and I lost track on the count
somewhere around 50 bass yesterday. Should be against the law to
have that much fun. Thanks Ken for a great day. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1--06-2009
I fished Tim's Ford today with Jon Simmons and
truthfully we struggled all day. We caught fish on a variety
of baits including a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com a Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw
trailer www.prowler;ures.com.
and a swim bait. The two above was our best but we also had some
smaller Smallmouth as well. 71.6 degree water temp....It will get
better. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-2-2009
I took several days off preparing for revival at our
church but was back on Tim's today. A quick update: Tim's Ford has
more water in it for this time of the year that I have seen in a
long time. I don't want to mislead you, we aren't at a flood
stage, but several of the walk ways going out to the docks are
under water which is unusual for this time of the year. The
water temperature was 73 and stayed there all day with a stout south
west wind. All of our fish we caught (and lost) was on either a
Rapala DT6 www.rapala.com or a
swimming Rocky Top Custom Lure Jig.
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw
trailer www.prowlerlures.com
I had a good time with Bob Cunningham and Ron Taylor and we are
going to do it again this winter. More updates next week. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-23-2009
What a great time today with the Hybrid on Tim's
today. They would absolutely try to destroy a Rapala Skitter Walk
www.rapala.com . I caught
9 total today and all ran about the same size as the 5 in the
pictures above. I also caught 4 small Largemouth 2 small Smallmouth
on the same bait. I got to messing with the Hybrid and I abandoned
everything else, they can sure stretch your string. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-21-2009
I was suppose to shoot some video this morning on
Tim's but the weather shut that down quickly. I thought I might at
least avoid the storms and did for a couple hours. Then it was heavy
rain and lightening and my boat back on the trailer sitting in the
parking lot waiting for it to clear. (I finally gave up and headed
home) But before all that happened I did manage 4 bites
(caught 3) swimming a black and blue Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw trailer
www.prowlerlures.com. The
2 above was my largest for the day. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-14-2009
Ron Kairdolf and I met at The Cracker-barrel in
Manchester this morning at 4:45am and headed down to Tim's. We
slipped the boat in the water just at daylight and headed to our
first spot. We had 5 blow ups on top water within the first 15
minutes and didn't stick a fish. We moved to another area and had
several other missed opportunities. The 2 above was our best of 8
total for the day. Ron caught either 4 or 5 on a Prowler Slim Jim
www.prowlerlures.com
rigged wacky style later in the day. Off the water by noon and back
to the house in time to take a nap. I will be fishing with Ron
hopefully a couple times this winter. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-11-2009
At the last minute my clients for today had to cancel
so I fished Tim's from 6:00am to 10:00am this morning by myself. I
decided just to throw top water baits and that's what I did for the
entire 4 hours. The Rapala Skitter Walk
www.rapala.com produced
some decent fish today and had several blow up's that missed. I lost
one very good Smallmouth and 1 good Largemouth as well. Big fish was
5lb 4oz on the digital scale. If you like throwing top water baits
Tim's is good to go. More next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-9-2009
Between the holidays and trying to get things done
here at the house I have taken a little time off from Tim's.
But this morning I put my boat in right at daylight and caught 1
Largemouth and 1 Smallmouth almost immediately swimming a Rocky Top
Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw trailer
www.prowlerlures.com.
Water temperature was 76.6 degrees and as you can see from the
picture very little wind. I went 2 1/2 hours without a bite throwing
a variety of baits and then I switched to the Rapala Skitter Walk
(SW08 Holo Silver) www.rapala.com
pictured above. My second cast down that area and "Wham" the
5lb 1oz Smallmouth engulfed the bait. I caught and released 8 more
Largemouth and Smallmouth on the Skitter Walk before I put my boat
back on the trailer. All in all not bad for bright sun shine no wind
and 80 degree plus day. I need to bring you up to speed on the new
line that I'm using. Rapala purchased Sufix line sometime ago
and they have a great variety of line to
fit any condition. I'm very impressed with the Sufix Pro Mix that
I'm using. (6lb-30ln test-3 colors)This line has very low memory, low stretch and comes off
the reel as smooth as silk to give you extra distance on your cast.
When your fishing a clear lake like Tim's on a day like today the
extra distance means a lot. If you haven't tried Pro Mix I urge you
to try it. Well....2 drive ways to seal yet this week and then my
big jobs hopefully will be completed...Sometimes work gets in the
way of fishing....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-1-2009 Looking For Walleye "BUT"
I
fished Tim's this morning with the intention of trying to find some
Walleye and zeroed out. I took advantage of the early hours checking
out some areas for bass and caught the one's that you see in the
pictures above. The Rockfish picture is from last week, I thought I
had lost it. I trolled multiple areas of the lake for Walleye
with a variety of baits but to no avail. I should have stayed with
the bass bite they were very active in the areas where I fished. I
have noticed that the Spots in Tim's are getting bigger every year.
I lost one this morning when I tried to sling it into the boat that
was a solid 3lb fish. (I know better with light line) I will be back
on the water Thursday and will give you an update then. If your
throwing them in the right place it's hard to beat a Prowler Soft
Shad www.Prolwerlures.com
and A Rapala Skitter Walk on Tim's right now. Not sure why the
camera jumped dates on the pictures, they were from today.
www.rapala.com on Tim's Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-27-2009
I fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. David Honey and
had a good day. Our day started out kind of funny, we had several
blow up's on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
and just couldn't get a good hook up. We caught fish on a Prowler
Slim Jim a Storm Mad Flash
www.stormlures.com a Storm Swim Bait and top water. Rapala makes
some great top water baits like the X-Rap Walk, Skitter Walk and
Skitter Prop that will do the trick on Tim's
www.rapala.com. David had
4 GOOOD fish hung on the Swim Bait and they just came off. One
almost took the riod away from him right at the boat. Great day with
a good friend. More to come next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-25-2009
I fished Tim's today with Mr. Jerre Morton and his
son-in-law Mike Dowsett from London England. We started out with 3
short Smallmouth and Mike lost a Smallmouth the size of the one
pictured above. It was another challenging day on Tim's but ity
won't be long before the leaves will be falling the winds will chill
up and the water temp change. Storm Mad Flash Crankbaits
www.stormlures.com and
Prowler Slim Jim and Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com did the damage today. More to come
Thursday. I will be fishing with Jerre and Mike again in December
when Mike is back in the states, I'm looking forward to that. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-18-2009
I fished Tim's today with Mr. David Honey and had a
interesting time. By the way I forgot to set the date on my camera
these were today's fish. These 2 Largemouth above was our
largest fish that we put in the boat. We also had some smaller bass
and lost 3 good fish and it's hard to tell how many short hits we
had throughout the day. This would have been an easy 20 fish day if
it had all come together. (IF IF IF) Prowler Soft Shad was the best
for me today.
www.prowlerlures.com Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tims Ford 8-14-2009
It was hot (92 degrees Air-85 degree water) and a
challenge for myself, Jay and Caleb Satterfield today on Tim's.
For two days this week the majority of our fish were caught on a
Storm Swim Bait
www.stormlures.com Dog days of summer are on us and you
just have to keep moving, switching up baits and stay focused. It
can be slow, hot and frustrating but don't give up. You have to be
mentally tough on Tim's this time of the year or you will go home
with your tail tucked between your legs. This was a good father and
son team and a pleasure to fish with. . And Caleb caught the first 2
Smallmouth of his fishing career today. Way to go
Caleb!!!!!More next week Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-11-2009
I fished Tim's Ford today with the father and son
team of Russell and John Wright. Truthfully it was tough for us all
day until we switched to a Storm Swim Bait
www.stormlures.com . We had
a storm blow through around noon so I dropped Russell and John off
at their truck and I stayed under a boat slip for 45 minutes until
the storm passed through. I stopped at a couple places on the way
back to the ramp and caught the two fish in the bottom pictures.
Russell and John were great to fish with and they hung in there even
with things as slow as they were. Two very nice people......Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-7-2009
By
the look of how Daniel was bundled up it would make you think it was
winter-but no it was a very chilly August morning here in middle
Tennessee instead. This is the only day this week that I was free to
fish so Daniel and I ran down to Tim's for 5 1/2 hrs to see if
we could find any Hybrid and Rock Fish. But our first priority was
to make a quick check on 1 particular spot that has given up some
great Smallmouth over the past several weeks and the results was
(Daniels holding it) This is 7 Smallmouth over 4lbs off the same
spot and all were caught on a Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com and a Prowler Flappin Craw trailer
www.prowlerlures.com
We caught 10 total Hybrid and Daniel is holding his two largest. If
your on Tim's and locate suspended fish try vertically jigging a
Luhr-Jenson Krocodile Spoon
www.luhrjensen.com and hold on. As we were going down the bank
Daniel spotted a mother Raccoon and 1 of her young ones. I
have two trips next week on Tim's and will update you then. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Week Of July
27-2009
This has been an
interesting week to say the least. First of all I had problems
getting my pictures to upload so I'm several days behind getting
these reports up. I will combine the 3 days that Daniel and I
fished into 1 report. Daniel is going back to school starting the
7th so we decided to fish 3 different lakes this week. Monday the
27th Daniel and I fished Nickajack lake with very little success. We
caught and released 8 small Largemouth in the 12 to 14 inch range.
Tuesday the 28th we fished Old Hickory and caught 12 Largemouth and
Daniel is holding the 2 largest that he caught swimming a Rocky Top
Custom Tackle 1/4oz jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com with a Prowler Flappin Craw trailer
www.prowlerlures.com .
Also take a look at the snapping turtle in the lower right hand
picture that picked the same jig up. This guy must have weighted
25-30lbs easy-check out his claws. On our 3rd day I couldn't get
Daniel out of bed on the 30th so I fished Tim's by myself. The
Smallmouth in the center picture weighed 4lbs 4oz I lost 3 other
Smallmouth the same size when the jig just came loose right at the
boat. I kept looking and looking at the jig and trailer and then I
figured out what I was doing wrong. I was throwing the same Rocky
Top jig but with a larger trailer. What was happening these fish
weren't getting the entire jig in their mouth so I was barely
getting the hook in them-I shortened the craw and 3 casts
later....4lb 4oz in the boat. I won't wait that long again I assure
you before I switch up. I also caught several Hybrid and Rock Fish
about the size of the one pictures on a Luhr-Jensen 5/8oz Krocodile
Spoon www.luhrjensen.com
and a couple other baits. I will miss my fishing partner when he
enters his Freshman year of high school. More to come next
week Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 7-23-2009
After being off the water for 9 days due to a
severe allergic reaction from Amoxicillin all I can say is
Wow! Wow! Wow! What a great time with Mr. Richie Hunter this
morning on Tim's Ford. We put the boat in about 15 minutes before
daylight and was in fish almost immediately at our first stop. Rocky
Top Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com and a Prowler Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Rapala #7 Shad rap www.rapala.com
did the trick today. We had other multiple opportunities that just
came unbuttoned. Good to be back on the water. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
NickaJack Lake 7-14-2009
David Honey and I met in Manchester this morning
at 3:50am and headed to NickaJack. We put the boat in just before
daylight and 10 minutes later we put out first one in the boat. Over
all it was slower than normal but we did manage to catch some good
Largemouth on a Prolwer Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com,
Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig and Prowler Flappin Craw
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com a and DT6
www.rapala.com. We were off the
water at 11:00am and back home in time to take a nap. (Senior
Citizen Privilege) More to come this week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Sudden Service and Bush Fishing Sweepstakes
For the past two days I have had the pleasure of
fishing with some great people that were winners in the Sudden
Service And Bush Bass Fishing Sweepstakes. This is the second year
that I have been associated with this contest and appreciate the
management of both companies allowing me to be part of the program.
There will be nine winners in all and these folks were the
first two trips. The winners were Deborah Warfield, Timothy Dwayne
Hollis, Randy Huff and Anthony Candler. The majority of our
fish were caught on a Rapala DT10
www.rapala.com a Storm Mad Flash Wiggle Wart
www.stormlures.com a Rocky
Top Custom Jig
www.rockytopcustomlures.com and Prowler Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com .
Both days we lost some good fish (3) today alone........I will be on
the water at least two days next week and will update you then. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 7-6-2009
I met Wayne and Mary Mitchell at the Tim's Ford
Marina ramp at 5:00am this morning. This was the nicest morning that
we have had in a long time. Air temp was 70 degrees and we had good
overcast and a slight mist in the air. We caught fish today on a
Storm Mad Flash Wiggle Wart
www.stormlures.com a Prowler Carolina rigged lizard
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Rocky Top Custom Tackle Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com and a Prowler Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com Wayne
lost a great Smallmouth on a swim bait early in the day and we had
several short hits on just about everything used. Wayne and Mary a
two great people that I enjoyed fishing with alot. More to come.
Tim's Ford 7-3-2009
I met Fred and Brian Appel at the ramp at 5:00am
and we headed out to our first few spots where I have been catching
fish in the past couple weeks. The numbers of fish were still there the
only problem was the quality. What you see pictured above was about
average for the fish we caught. All of our fish came on either a
Rocky Top Jig
www.rockytopcustomtackle.com tipped with a Prowler
Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com a Storm Wiggle Wart Mad Flash
www.stormlures.com and
others crank baits. I have 3 trips on Tim's next week and will
keep you posted. Fred and Brian I enjoyed my day with you. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 6-29-2009
I couldn't get Daniel out of bed this morning at
3:00am so I headed out to Tim's by myself and had a great 2 1/2
hours from daylight until 7:300am then the bite slowed quickly.
Above is 3 of the 9 Smallmouth I caught this morning swimming a jig
with a Prowler Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com These fish would nail the bait and just
about set the hook themselves. I also had 3 violent hits right at
the boat and missed all 3. The Prowler Flappin Craw has great action
and the claws move a lot of water the faster you reel the bait. I
keep this combination moving right along trying to keep as close to
the bottom as possible. If you haven't tried the Flappin Craw you
need to pick up several packages. They come in 14 different colors
to match your need in all conditions. More to come this week. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory 6-26-2009
Daniel
and I got up early this morning and traveled to Old Hickory Lake to
meet a good friend Jason McCannis at his home on the lake at
daylight. Jason is a good friend that I met years ago when I was
splitting my guiding time between Old Hickory and Tim's Ford.
A short walk across the back yard to Jason's dock and it wasn't long
before Daniel was putting them in the boat. Above is 6 of at least
30 that we caught today swimming a jig and Prowler Flappin Craw
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com . It was interesting to me that many of our
fish came out of some of the exact same spots that I use to fish on
a regular basis. It was almost like I had stopped fishing Old
Hickory last week instead of several years ago. We fished from
daylight until noon and at least for us our early bite was the best.
Until Next Week......Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 6-22-2009
After a lot of thought over the week end
concerning the tough bite we experienced last week I decided to
change up a few things and thankfully a couple of them worked. I met
my client (he requested to stay anonymous) at the ramp this morning
at 4:30am and he had to be off the water by 9:00am. Our 1st stop
started out like last week ended and then the combination of the
right bank and baits and the bite took off. We had 4 Smallmouth
bites in one stretch about 50 yards long and one of the fish we lost
was a goooood one! We caught a couple good Largemouth and one hefty
Rock Fish. Storm Wiggle Wart Mad Flash
www.stormlures.com and a
grub did the trick. Off the water at 9:15am and back to the house by
10:30am......More to come later this week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford Week Of 6-15-2009
This is my first week back from vacation and man
has the daytime bite changed on Tim's while I was gone. I
fished 3 days and struggled compared to the bite I had prior to
vacation. The 3 fish above was the best
overall, we did manage to catch several smaller fish. Pictured
above is my youngest Daniel, the center picture is Paul Barrs and
top right is Steve Economos. I haven't heard any reports on the
night bite but that may be a good alternative at this point. I'll be
back on Tim's Monday, I'll let you know what happens. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
W/O June 8- 2009 Indiana Vacation
We just returned this afternoon from a 5 day
family vacation in Indiana. I enjoy going to my in-laws, it's always
a very laid back time. I also enjoy catching up with family friends
like Terry Sieberry and sharing his boat with him on 2 of the
private lakes he fishes in middle Indiana. Both of the lakes are
trolling motor only and both are full of great bass, shell cracker,
crappie and bluegill. Terry and I must have caught at least 40 or
more largemouth on the first lake we fished in 4 hours. We caught
fish on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com which is phenomenal in all kinds of grass,
reeds, lily pads, rocks, brush and yes even open water. Rigged Texas
style you are able to work the bait as slow as needed without
getting the bait loaded up and the bass love them. We also caught
fish on several different crank baits including a Luhr-Jensen
Radar 10 and Speed Shad
www.luhrjensen.com a Rapala Shallow Shad Rap and the
X Rap Shallow Shad www.rapala.com.
and a Storm ThunderCore Squiter
www.stormlures.com As you can see these fish were in the
weeds and grass in water from 2 feet to 10 feet. Most of you know
this I'm sure but for those that might not "DON'T" be afraid of
throwing the "RIGHT" crank bait into the grass. Pick your crank bait
according to the depth of water you are going to fish and adjust
your retrieve to where you are just ticking the top of the grass.
When you "FEEL" like the bait has loaded up with grass, rip it free
and hold on, much of the time this is when the strike will happen.
Truthfully I approach fishing a crank bait in grass no differently
than I do rocks or timber, it's all in your mind. The worst that can
happen is you will be hung up and if that bothers you you might as
well watch fishing on T.V and save your self the agitation. Terry
thanks for another great trip and I hope you get to come down to
fish with me this fall. Back home and I'll be back on the water
next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 6-2-2009
The day that should have been (or) the day they
wouldn't stay stuck! Either way it amounted to 10
Smallmouth/Largemouth jumping and tossing the DT6 plus a big Walleye
just came undone. We did manage to put 7 in the boat in the 5 hours
we fished (5am-10am) and then it got hot! I really enjoyed fishing
with the Scroggins father and son team. Some days these fish just
make you shake your head. I'm going to take a few days off to spend
with my family and will give you a up date when I get back on the
water. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-30-2009
I met Don and Chuck Sherwin at the ramp this
morning at 4:15am and made our way slowly through the fog to our
first stop. The top water bite was good just as we could begin to
see. We had several hits on on Skitter Prop
www.rapala.com and they would
attach the bait. Chuck lost a big Smallmouth (est. 4 plus) right at
the boat, had her hooked but not good enough. After the top
water bite ended the old reliable DT6
www.rapala.com kicked in and by
11:30am when we put the boat back on the trailer we had 20 mixed
Smallmouth and Largemouth plus several that got off and it was hot!
Until next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
NickAJack Pan Fish 5-26-2009
My youngest son Daniel and I headed to NickAJack
early this morning and had a wonderful time together. We caught well
over 100 assorted BlueGill-ShellCracker-Crappie and Daniel also
caught 4 Largemouth Bass and all of this in about 4 1/2 hours. We
are going to see what we can do on the Tim's Ford Walleye this
Thursday and I will update you then. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-22-2009
This was my second day with Don and Kirk and we
covered a lot of territory to put our fish in the boat. Our biggest
Smallmouth was a respectable 4lb 4oz and we had some great Walleye
as well. Rapala DT6 www.rapala.com
and a Luhr-Jensen Radar
www.luhrjensen.com 10 caught everything we lifted over the rails
today. Daniel is out of school now and he and I are going to do some
pan fishing and cat fishing in the weeks to come, I'm looking
forward to it. I'll keep you posted on Tim's. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-21-2009
I fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. Don Hardison
and Mr. Kirk Deweese. Don and Kirk have been friends for years and
are here on a short vacation. Action was hot and heavy early then
tapered off as the day progressed on. Prowler Soft Shad, Prowler
Grub www.prowlerlures.com
and a Storm Wiggle Wart
www.stormlures.com did the trick. I fish with them again
tomorrow so I will give you a fuller 2 day recap. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-19-2009
Blue bird skies and no wind pretty much summed up
the weather that George Seiters, Bill Cotter and I had on Tim's all
day. We still managed several good fish topped of with a 8lb Hyrid
and a 4lb 9oz Smallmouth. All fish were caught on Prowler Soft Shads
www.prowlerlures.com
Rapala DT6 www.rapala.com and a
Storm Mad Flash Wiggle Wart
www.stormluresa.com We had several other Smallmouth and Walleye
that we didn't take pictures of. George and Bill I had a great tiem
and look forward to our next trip. Two more days on Tim's this week
(Thursday/Friday) Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
NickAJack Lake 5-12009
Another great 6hrs. on NickAJack with David Honey.
We caught over 30 Largemouth today on a Carolina Rigged Prowler
Lizard and a 3/16th Barbarian Moon Eye Shaky Head
www.vmc.com and a Prowler Finesse
Worm. www.prowlerlures.com
(These jigs are fantastic) David and I both throw the "Rig" on a All
Pro APX 7' Medium Heavy rod
www.allprorods.com and I guess lighter line than many like to
use. Occasionally you get broke off but if your careful it doesn't
happen often. With the lighter line and the unmatched sensitivity of
the APX it's a great combination. We also found a new spot today
where I lost 4 good fish on Rapala DT6.
www.rapala.com I just didn't get
them stuck good enough. 4 days next week....I'll keep you posted.
Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Old Hickory 5-2009
I had meetings with some of my sponsors yesterday
but made time to meet good friend Ken Kenkins at a ramp in Spencer Creek and we had a
short but very enjoyable time on Old Hickory.
We never left Spencer Creek and caught 25 Largemouth with our best 5
going somewhere in the 11lbs to 12 lb range. Most of our shallow
fish were caught on a Silver #6 X-Rap Shad
www.rapala.com and our deeper
fish on a Storm Olive Chartreuse Wiggle Wart Mad Flash
www.stormlure.com. Ken and I
both use the All Pro APX series rods and I don't have to tell you
what I think of them. They are one of the finest, most powerful and sensitive
rods that you can put in your hands. AND they are still 100%
American made by American craftsmen.
www.allprorods.com Ken is
not only a good friend but a good fisherman as well and great to be
in the boat with. Well,
it's 3:30am and I'm headed back to my home lake Tim's Ford. I will
let you know how it go's. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-13-2009
It's good to be back on Tim's after a short break.
Water is dropping and is in pretty good shape over all. As you can
tell by the pictures I was by myself today. I have 3 trips next week
and wanted to cover some territory and see what was going on. I
caught and released 22 Smallmouth and Largemouth today and gave up
on the picture taking with the wind blowing as hard as it was. All
were caught on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Rapala X Rap and Rapala DT6
www.rapala.com I will be back on the water tomarrow and
will up date you then. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
NickAJack Lake 5-7-2009
Since Tim's Ford has been experiencing high water
and more to come yet this week I decided to just take a break and
fish some where else. So today Mr. David Honey and I traveled down
to NickAJack Lake to test the water. The river there is in real good
shape and it appears that they are keeping it within limits. David
and I pulled up on the first point that he knew and 25 Largemouth
later we decided to make a move. These fish would nail a Carolina
Rigged Prowler Lizard and a Shaky Head rigged worm. www.prowlerlures.com Hopefully Tim's
will be back in shape soon, but in the mean time I think I will look
around some. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford High Water Update 5-4-2009
Just to give you a quick update on the water
conditions on Tim's. I fished today again with Mr. Michael Radford.
The water at the State Park Ramp is way up and over all walk ways
that lead out to the floating docks. Water is over the majority of
the home owners walk ways that we fished around today. If the corp
doesn't drain the water out of Tim's quickly I would think the fish
should be in the bushes and grass within the next couple days. We
have more heavy rains coming this week on Wednesday and Thursday.
Not much floating stuff on the water yesterday but there will be
when they start generation. I have rescheduled my remaining trips
for this week just in case. I will update you when I have more
information. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-1-2009
It seemed like it rained for 40 days and 40 nights
today on Tim's Ford. Water temperatures where we fished was in the
69-71 degree range and the backs of the pockets in the creeks was
becoming increasingly stained as the day progressed. I fished with
Mark Lanius and Richard Doland and there are holding our two largest
Smallmouth that we caught today. Rapala X Rap and a Rapala DT10
www.rapala.com and a Prowler
Soft Shad www.prowlerlures.com
accounted for all of our fish. More to come next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-30-2009
I fished Tim's today with Mr. Michael Radford and
had a decent day on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Rapala X Rap www.rapala.com
We finally got on a good Smallmouth bite to-ward the end of the day
on the Soft Shad. We have several opportunities that we didn't
capitalize on on both Hybrids and Smallmouth and we also caught
several smaller fish that we didn't take pictures. Michael is from
Little Rock and I'll be fishing with him again next Monday. I'll be
back out tomorrow and will update you then. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-28-2009
I
fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. James Storie and Mr. Todd Ballard.
Action got started out quickly this morning and then die for us mid
morning. Todd had his line broken on one of his fist cast-and I did
on a Rapala DT10 www.rapala.com
later in the day. The 3 fish above are the largest for the day plus
a bonus Walleye which was the 2nd that I have caught in the past two
weeks. Normally we catch some good eye's on X Raps
www.rapala.com this time
of the year. We did have the opportunities but failed to put them in
the boat. I had 1 Smallmouth on today that I know of. Where
the brown fish were today I'm not sure but I will be back on Tim's
on Thursday and Friday of this week and will update you then.
Hopefully James, Todd and I will hook up again in June. Over all it
was a tough day but Todd and James hung in there and we fished all
the way back to the ramp. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-24-2009
The warmest day on the water this year provided
David Kimery, Lyle Smith and I with fun and challenges all at the
same time. We did a lot of moving to catch our fish but the moves
were well worth it. With the air temp
over night holding in the high 50's we started out with 60 degree
water temps this morning and as the day progressed we gained another
4-5 degrees. We caught fish on a variety of baits. Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
Rapala DT6, Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com and Luhr Jensen Speed Traps
www.luhrjensen.com. We saw
largemouth on the bed in a couple coves but all of our Smallmouth
were spawned out. With the weather holding the way that it is it
won't be long before Tim's is going to bust wide open. I still have
scattered open dates for May and June and the bite is just going to
get better and better. I'm extending the special rate through the
month of June so if you are interested give me a call at
615-765-7303 or e mail me at
rickm@dtccom.net . I will be back on Tim's three days next week
and will keep you posted on the results. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-23-2009
I fished Tim's today with Mr. Greg Cole who is the
manager of the Nashville Bass Pro Shop. Greg and I have been friends
for several years and it's always great when we can share a boat
together. When we got to the lake it was slick as glass and stayed
that way for 90% of the morning. A storm blew in and the wind picked
up some, but died immediately after it was over. We had several
smaller fish we threw back and all of our fish but 1 was caught on a
Rapala X Rap www.rapala.com
All Pro APX Rods
www.allprorods.com and 8 or 10 lb test line. Water temps early
was 58 and warmed above 60 by the time we left. Greg and I are
going to do it again soon. I'll be looking forward to that. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-21-2009
WOW WOW WOW!!!!!! That just about sum's it all up
in 1 three letter word. David Honey and I were on fish from day
break until noon. All the fish you see above are different fish, no
duplicates and not all of what we caught (or lost) on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com. These fish would
absolutely nail the bait the big Rock Fish that David is holding
weighed in at 23lbs and listen to this. David caught it on 6lb test
line and took 45 minute to an hour to land it. No much more to say
except I look forward to fishing with David again soon. Rick
Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-18-2009
I had a great time today with Collin Williams and
his uncle Dan Collins from Birmingham Alabama. Two good folks that
love to fish. Dan got started off quickly with a beautiful 4lb
4oz Smallmouth caught on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com And then
things got tough (at least for us) quickly. We finally went to a
Prowler 4 inch Finesse worm
www.prowlerlures.com on a shaky head and caught several Spots. I
did have one good Hybrid on and it just pulled off...that's 3 good
fish this week that I have lost. I better get out the hook hone.
More to come next week the Lord willing. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford W/O 4-13-2009
This has been a challenging week to say the least.
I made a tongue in cheek statement a couple weeks ago to a friend
that I wasn't going to fish anymore this year if it was cold. Well I
had to eat my words this week. I fished Monday with Kathy Landeau
and JD Collier. Tuesday and Wednesday with Larry Rentz and today
Thursday with Sassan and T.F. Nur. These are some of the fish we
caught. Everyone of these fine folks hung in there under some tough
weather conditions and it was much appreciated by me. Everyday
except today felt like a winter day. Luhr Jensen Speed Traps
and Spinner Baits did the trick on the fish that we caught
www.luhrjensen.com We did
have on (and saw) 2 Largemouth about the size of the fish Larry is
holding in the lower left hand picture. Both jumped a couple times
and away they went. I have 1 more truip this week on Saturday and I
will update you then. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-9-2009
I took a few
days off to get caught up on all the things that should have been
done weeks ago! As it turned out with all the bad weather the first
of the week it was a good choice. I did get out yesterday with good
friend Jerry Williams. Jerry and I met in Woodbury and road over to
the lake together. On the way I told Jerry I wanted to fish water
that I haven't been on this winter/spring. So we decided on putting
in at Devil's Step and fishing the color. Water temp's was in the
mid 50's when we got to the lake and rose to 60.2 in a couple areas
that we fished. We caught and released 8 Smallmouth and 1 Largemouth
(Jerry wouldn't let me take his picture) The wind would blow
then die and we caught all of our fish before 10:30am. The Speed
Shad www.lurhjensen.com was
our most productive bait but we did catch a couple on a jig and
spinner bait. I have 5 guide trips next week so I will keep
you posted as the week progresses. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-1 & 3-2009
I fished
Wednesday with Chuck and Robert Campbell and truthfully struggled
all day. Water temps were in the mid to upper 50’s and we did have
some color in much of the lake. The only real good fish we had on
(bragging size) jumped twice and away she went. Last night we have
severe storms-tornados and high winds all through Tennessee, so I
didn’t know what to expect as the temps dropped as well. I fished
with Marty Youngblood and the numbers were up but the over all
quality was down. Most of the fish caught today was on a #7 Rapala
Shad Rap
www.rapala.com All 3 of these men were exceptional to fish with
and hung in there through our constant moving trying to locate some
good fish. I will be doing another trip with Robert and Chuck late
this spring or early summer and with Marty sometime by the end of
the month. Until next week...Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tims Ford 3-31-2009
5 of 12 that Jerry Steakley and I caught on Tim's
Ford today on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com We had to move allot and it was a tough 12
to put in the boat. I'm suppose to be back on Tim's 2 more times
this week so I will keep you up dated. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-25-2009
I fished with Brent and Ken today on Tim's and
battled high winds and rains all day. We caught and released 10
Smallmouth-Largemouth and Spot combination and we also lost 2 other
fish that was much larger than any we caught. These guys were great
to fish with and hopefully we will be able to do it again under
better weather conditions. Speed Trap have sure been good to me.
Until Next week Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Daniel's Spring Break
Yesterday Daniel and I was on Tim's Ford catching
5lb Smallmouth (see post below) today he wanted to wade the river
and we caught 1/2lb Bass and Rock Bass. But I want you to look at
something. Scan down and look at his smile from yesterday then look
at it from today.....exactly the same! It doesn't matter the size of
the fish, it just matters that he and I are doing it together. I'm a
blessed man. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-23-2009
What a fantastic 6 hours with my youngest son
Daniel who is out on Spring break this week. Big fish was 5lb 15oz
which is my 2nd all time Smallmouth on Tim's (6lb 2oz largest) We
also had a 5lb 2oz and a 4lb 9oz. We lost 3 other fish which one was
very heavy and I'm sure it was another Smallmouth. Once again SPEED
TRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
www.lhurjensen.com I always give Daniel his choice on what
we do on break so it appears that we will be wading the river for
Rock Bass tomorrow. I have another guide trip on Wednesday on Tim's.
I will update you then. Rick
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-1902009
I had the privilege Tim's today with Mr. Mike
Steele and his 9 year old son Zack. We arrived at the lake about
9:00am and for the most part the lake was dead calm, not a breeze in
the air. Luckily for us the wind picked up around 11:00am and the
bite picked up immediately. Mike caught the 1st Smallmouth he had
ever caught, a nice 3lb 4oz chunk and leave it to Zack he caught the
biggest fish of the day that topped out at 5lb 4 oz. Way to go Zack.
We lost 3 or 4 other fish and had several short hit's. Every fish
was caught on a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com All in
all a decent day with 2 good folks to be in the boat with. Mike you
have a real fisherman on your hands. Until next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-17-2009
Great day on the water with Mr. Ken Jenkins. Fog
didn't lift until 9:30am, water temps up to 53 plus. And all I can
say is SPEED TRAP-SPEED TRAP-SPEED TRAP.
www.luhrjensen.com
More to come this week, Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-16-2009
No wind, multiple moves and a total of 9 bites for
the day. 8 Small mouth and something swimming around with a Prowler
Grub in his mouth from breaking me off.
www.prowlerlures.com I
caught 4 on the grub and 4 on the Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com . 52
degree water and some color in the back of the creeks. More to come
this week. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-10-2009
I fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. Robert Marcom.
Robert has been a good friend for several years and has been on a
good grub bite. We took Roberts boat a sack for of grubs and jig
heads and put a mix of 15 Largemouth, Smallmouth and Hybrid in the
boat. The majority of our bite came early in the day and
decreased for us the later it got even with the wind. Prowler makes
a great variety of plastics including the grubs that I was using
today. www.prowlerlures.com
I should be back out one more time this week and I will keep you
posted. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-6-2009
Luhr-Jensen Speed Traps
www.luhrjensen.com score
again. I had 12 Largemouth Smallmouth mix today. My partner for the
day had to cancel because of illness in the school system where his
son's attend so I headed down there by myself. Water temps
from 47.3 to 51.3. I was on Tim's yesterday just briefly but a back
ache did me in early. Didn't hardly get my boat in the water until I
was loading back up. I guess that's part of being a senior
citizen. Until next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-26-2009
I had a great day on the water today with Mr. Kent
Turner. Kent and I caught and released 21 Smallmouth/Largemouth mix.
All 21 was caught on a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com
Water temperature ranged from 46.7 to 49.1. This is the 2rd time
that I have fished with Kent and he is a good fisherman and great to
be in the boat with. Until next week. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-24-2009
After being down with the flu for a whole week it
was good to be back on the water. Jerry Steakley and I fished Tim's
yesterday and worked our tails off for the 5 Smallmouth and 3
Largemouth that we caught. The two above were our best fish. One
came on a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com and the
other on a Whirly B. Most of the day we had little to no
wind, much like what you see in the upper right hand picture. Jerry
is a good friend and always allot of fun to fish with. I will be
back on the water Thursday and will update you then. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-13-2009
I fished Tim's this morning for 4 hours and the
Largemouth would nail the Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com that I have been
throwing. These are just a few of the fish I caught today-and
these are all different fish. Water temps are rising and it won't be
long before everything breaks wide open if the weather stays nice.
It will be a few days before I can go again but I will keep you
posted when I do. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-09 &10-2009
What a difference a day makes on Tim's. Yesterday
a good friend of mine Ron Kairdolf (top left hand picture) struggled
all day. Ron is holding our largest fish for the day which was
caught on a Whirly B.......Today was a different story. The pictures
above are just some of the fish that I caught today-these are all
different fish. I left the house at 8:45am and headed back down to
Tim's I decided to scout around for some warmer water and when I
found it I also found a bunch of good fish. Everything I caught
today was on a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap owned by Rapala
www.luhrjensen.com Once again
I did the best I could picture wise being by myself....What a day. I
have open dates...If you are interested contact me at 615-308-9936
or rickm@dtccom.net Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Pond 2-09-2009
Just had to share some of the 11 bass and crappie
that Daniel caught at the pond this afternoon on (MY) Creek Minnows.
The smile as I always say "Tells It All"! Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-06-2009
I
fished Tim's Ford today by my self again from 7:00am until noon. My
partner backed out right at the last minute so I was on my own again
as you can tell by my picture taking abilities. Or lack there of.
Water temp was around 45 degrees just about every where I fished
today and the wind was at least 10mph. All I fished was creek
minnows and they paid off with 7 Smallmouth and 1 Largemouth. I
broke off one heavy fish and lost another one around a cable on a
dock. ****Warning***the State Park ramp is getting close to being
unusable because of the water level. Devils Step or Turkey
Creek will soon be the best bet if it gets much lower. When I got up
in the parking lot I met the young man in the lower left hand
picture. His name is Koda. You can tell that he has already
figured out how to run the boat and no doubt he will be a good
fisherman someday. Nice to meet you Koda, catch a big one the next
time your out. The young man in the top left hand picture is
my youngest Daniel. He wanted to try some of the Creek Minnows in
the pond when he got home from school this afternoon and he scored
with a good one. Way to go Daniel. Hopefully I will be on the water
2 days next week. I will keep you posted. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-29-2009
I had a great time on the water today with Bob
Gray and Ron McCormack. Water temp was 45 degrees when we put in at
7:30am and never warmed much today. Our first stop was interesting
to say the least. Between Bob, Ron and I we had either 8 or 10
runs on creek minnows and couldn't keep them stuck enough to get
them in the boat. Through out the day Bob had his line broken twice
and I had mine broken once. We had multiple pick up and drops. They
were finicky to say the least. What a great day. I look
forward to fishing with them again this summer. I have mixed dates
still open for Feb-March. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-23-2008
I fished with Mr. Jason McCanis today on Tim's
from 7:00am until noon then I fished by myself until 2:30pm.
Picturesd above are our best 3 of 7 that we put in the boat today.
Lurh-Jesen Speed Trap
www.luhrjensen.com was the best for us again today. Over all it
was tough, I talked with 3 other boats all having about the same
results or less. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-13-2009
A little slower on Tim's today compared to last
week but I will take 8 Smallmouth and 1 Spot any day. The batteries
in my camera died on me so I only have 6 pictures to share with you
today. Lur-Jensen Speed Traps did the trick again today. I had 11
total hits and as I said put 9 of the 11 in the boat. Water temp was
47 degrees and as the day progressed the wind picked up. It rained
and snowed a little and the brown fish would nail the Speed Trap.
Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-08-2008
What can I say put Wow! 19 Smallmouth and 4 Spot's
all on a Lure-Jensen Speed Trap. These are all different fish. I
caught multiple fish within serveral yards of one another and they
would hammer the bait. I started out throwing creek minnows but it
was way to windy. I picked up the Speed Trap
www.rapala.com and never
laid it down the rest of the day. I did the best I could with the
camera since I was by my self. I set the camera up on the butt seat
and set the timer. I stayed on the windiest banks that I could find
all day. 48 degree water temps. I have dates open if you are
interested in a trip. E-mail me at
rickm@dtccom.net or call
615-765-7303 or 615-308-9936 Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-02-2008
Back several weeks a go I got a call from Mr.
Walter Gregory from Plainfield Indiana wanting to fish for
Smallmouth on Tim's on his way back home from a vacation in Florida.
We met today in Manchester and put in on Tim's about 8:00am. Air
temp was in the mid 40's and water temp was 48 degrees. We didn't
have much help with the wind today but that certainly didn't stop
the brown fish from gobbling up the creek minnows we were throwing
at them. You can see the size of the minnows we were using in the
bottom left hand picture. Just a great day. Walter your good to fish
with and I enjoyed sharing the boat with you. I have serveral dates
still open for this winter and I'm running a special for the month
of January. Give me a call @ 615-765-7303 or e mail @
rickm@dtccom.net for more
info. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-29-2008
Whata great day with my youngest son Daniel on
Tim's Ford. Our largest Smallmouth weighted 4lb 2oz and the largest
Largemouth was 5lb 1oz on the old digital scale. DT 10's and Lure
Jensen Radar 10's did the trick today. It was foggy when we first
got to the lake and the water temp was 49 degrees but warmed as the
day progressed. We moved a multitude of time trying to cahse what
little wind we had. Just a good day with my youngest. Rick
Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-26-2008
I had an absolutely great day on Tim's Ford with
my two son's, Rick Jr. and Daniel. All we did 95% of the day was
pitch creek minnows . I don't get the chance to have them both out
with me at the same time very often, so today was a blessing. I'm
going to try to get back on Tim's 2 or 3 times next week. 49 to 51
degree water and 10-15 mph winds today. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-18-2008
Just a quick update on Tim's from my trip there
yesterday. Not a particularly great trip but I did get some more
hours on my new motor. The fog was thick all day long,
as a matter of fact there was several times when you couldn't hardly
see across the river channel. I caught and released 1 Largemouth and
5 Kentucky's (all about the same size upper left picture.) And 1
Hybrid on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com I missed several fish today on the minnows. They
would swim away with the bait and you could feed line but when you
set the hook the minnow would be scaled about 1/2 way up. I tried
smaller minnows but they won't even look at them. 51 degree water
and clear in the middle portion of the lake. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-16-2008
Back several weeks ago I made mention that my boat
was still in the shop when I was on Doug Markham's radio show. After
the show I got a call from the gentleman above. Mr. George Duckett
who lives on Tim's Ford. George was kind enough to ask me to come
and fish out of his boat with him and today was the first chance
that I had to do so and I had a great time. When I met George
at the lake at 8:45am there was a stout rain and 10-15 mph winds and
it was 36 degrees. We ran to our first spot where I had caught a
couple fish last week and bang within the first 45 minutes we had 5
hits and only put 2 of the 5 in the boat. George had one up to the
boat that jumped 1 more time and got off. Then....then....then...the
wind died and the lake got slick as glass and the bite got tough.
Somewhere around 12 noon we ran into some Hybrid, George caught 1
and I had 3 more on and had my line broken. They are tough on that
6lb test. Off the water at 1:30pm. I had a good trip with a good guy
and look forward to fishing with George again.
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-13-2008
After having boat trouble for more than 3 months
which has kept me off the water I traded boats the first of this
week and went to Tim's to do some of the break in on the motor. I
took 8 creek minnows with me and 1 other rod and that was it.
Between motoring around at 3000 rpm for an hour then 4000 for 2 I
managed to hit a few places that normally give up a fish or 2. I
managed to catch 6 Smallmouth and 1 Largemouth (7 total) with 5
being caught on creek minnows, 1 or a DT 10 Olive Green and 1 on a
Whirly B.......1 more trip next week should finish 75% of the break
in. It feels good to be back at it. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 12-02-2008
I fished Tim's Ford with a good friend Jerry
Steakley yesterday. Water temp was in the low 50's with some color
in the Dry Creek area and then clear just about every where else. We
put in at the Bass Club and fished all the way to the mouth of Lost
Creek. We had 5 total bites in 7 hours and put 4 of the 5 in the
boat. 2 Smallmouth and 2 Largemouth. Just a tough day but I was
happy to get back on the water. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 11-07-2008
How many ways can you say "It rained all day"? I'm
not sure but that is exactly what John Elliott and I had all day
yesterday on Tim's, and it was a cold rain. John is holding our 2
largest fish of the day. John caught the Rockfish on a lipless crank
bait and I caught the Hybrid on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com We had three
others on and even had a hook broken off on a very big fish that was
stripping drag 100mph. Lake water temps are in the mid 60's and
down, the lake is falling at a rate of 10-11 inches per day. It
appears that the Corp is going to take the lake "All the way down"
to winter pool this year. There is plenty of water on all the ramps
now but as the lake drops it might be a good idea to check ramp
conditions out on a regular basis if you are going to fish this
winter. Smallmouth and Largemouth fishing has been spotty over
the past several weeks but the Crappie fishing has been good around
docks that have structure. I want to thank John for using his
boat yesterday, mine is still in the shop. The past 6 months have
been a motor nightmare for me. This to will past! Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-29-2008
I fished Tim's Ford yesterday with Paul Moore from
Henderson Ky, and Dan Cook from Chattanooga Tn. Both Paul and Dan
are out door writers for various publications and was on a
tour of Tennessee lakes set up through the Franklin County Chamber
Of Commerce and Tim's Ford Marina. The lower unit went out of my
boat 10 days ago and so we did the trip out of a pontoon boat
without a trolling motor which was interesting at best with the wind
blowing 10-12mph. We did the best we could in the 4 hours we were out.
Paul is holding our largest fish of the day caught on a Prowler Soft
Shad www.prowlerlures.com dipped in JJ's Magic.
www.jjsmagic.com We had other good Smallmouth chase our
baits back toward the boat but never committed. I have no idea what
the water temp was yesterday but will give you more information this
next week. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford Update Oct 23-2008
Just a quick update on Tim's. I haven't stopped
fishing I'm just taking it easy and saving my gas $$$$ until things
pick up. Fishing has been spotty at best over the past couple weeks.
I have been several times with mixed results and nothing to brag
about. Several guys that I know that Smallmouth fish on Tim's every
week have struggled big time. The water temps as of the first of the
week is still in the 70's and bait is primarily in the channels.
Some have moved back into the creeks which will be the trend as the
water temps drop. All of this will pass as we get the colder rains
and winds that have to be on their way. When this happens everything
will take off and all of this down time will be no more than a faint
memory. Stay tuned Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-13-2008
I was on Tim's today by myself and things picked
up a little. Water temp was 72.3 degrees and I had a great wind all
day. To help you judge the size of the fish my seat is 18 inches
across.....The Smallmouth was 19 1/2 inches and destroyed a swim
bait first thing this morning. I had 2 bites on the swim bait and
switched over to a white spinner bait after that and caught 7
largemouth. I had 5 keepers out of the 8 for the day......I will
keep you posted Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-9-2008
Tim's remains slow for Smallmouth, Largemouth and
Spots. TBG Guide Jon Simmons and I fished yesterday and it was
brutal. We spent 6 hours doing nothing but hitting the areas that
have been the most productive over the past several weeks working a
variety of lures and depths. We had a 1/2 dozen hit's and one good
fish on and that was pretty much it. One interesting thing was these
areas have been holding bait but none yesterday and as a whole bait
was difficult to find. Water level didn't seem to be down much over
last week and the water temps are creeping closer to the low 70's
and high 60's. I rescheduled my Saturday guide trip with a family
from Brentwood for a day in November. We are just in that "In
between Time" on Tim's. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 10-4-2008
This was the day of could have been. Let me
explain. I fished yesterday with two great people. Larry and Rebecca
Cole from Dalton Ga. We met at the State Park ramp and was headed
out right at day light. Water temp was 73.5 degrees and for all
practical purposes zero (0) wind. I had warned Larry in
advance that things have been improving but still tough and we found
that to be true today. Now to the could have part. Within the
first 2 hours we lost 3 good (let me repeat) good fish we also lost
some in the 1 1/2lb range that we just couldn't get in the boat. By
all means after 9:30am it was just tough. We ran back to the marina
around noon for a short break and a friend of mine was pulling out.
He had 2 small fish all morning. When conditions are like this
you can just about bet that missed opportunities will come back to
bite you....and it did. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-30-2008
I fished Tim's Ford this morning by myself
preparing for a guide trip this week end. Truthfully it was just
plain tough from the out set. I had one Smallmouth (above) on a
Storm Swim Bait www.rapala.com
around 7:30am and didn't have another fish until 10:30 then I caught
one more Smallmouth and 4 Largemouth in the 16-17 inch range all in
an hour or so. I had to be back in Woodbury by noon so I had to load
the boat and head back. Water temp is still falling with the
cooler days and nights, there is a lot of bait scattered every where
and a few fish (today) busting in them. Not much more to say....I'll
give you another update this week end. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-19-2008
I
fished today with Mr. & Mrs. Ben Wilson from Amarillo Texas. Water
temperature on Tim's has dropped to 76 degrees and with these cooler
nights it should continue to drop. We didn't see much surface
activity this morning, the wind (15mph +) kept the bait down so we
worked main lake points and a couple wooded banks to catch the fish
we had. I had a great time with the Wilson's and hope to fish with
them again when they are back in Tennessee. I will keep you posted
on Tim's trip frequency will increase as we move on into Fall and
Winter. Rick Mcferrin www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-09-2008
It was a very interesting and action packed 5
hours this morning on Tim's. No huge fish but allot of them. I
fished a totally different area of the lake today and caught and
released 6 Smallmouth, 8 Largemouth and 12 Hybrids all caught on a
Storm Wildeye Suspend Shad
www.rapala.com and a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
dipped in JJ's Magic
www.jjsmagic.com I lost several fish by trying to hoist
them over into the boat. The Hybrids weren't as large as the ones
that I have been catching but fun none the less. My seat is 18
inches across so that will give you some idea of the size of the
fish. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 9-2-2008 & 9-4-2008
Daniel (my youngest son and I ran down to Tim's
after he got out of school Tuesday afternoon just looking for
Hybrids. Daniel is holding the 2 largest that he caught. By the way
ol' Dad is a good net man! If you want just 1 good reason to take
your kids fishing-all you have to do is look at his face it tells it
all. Storm Wildeye Shad
www.rapala.com and a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com did
the trick today. Today I fished 4 hours with Mr. Kent Turner and had a
extremely tough day. 2 in the boat and 3 more hits was all we
managed. We decided to pack it in early and do it again in a few
weeks. As I have said before some times your the windshield and some
times your the bug. I don't have to tell you which I was today. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-25 & 29-2008
I
fished Tim's Ford 2 times this week. Monday the
25th I fished (4 hrs) by myself again and had 7 total. 3
Smallmouth-3 Largemouth and 1 Spot. (4 Keepers out of the 7) A
pearl Prowler Soft Shad with the tail dipped in JJ's Magic Chart
worked again. Sorry I don't have pictures-laying them in the seat
just doesn't do them justice.
www.prowlerlures.com
www.jjsmagic.com Today (29th)
I fished with Mr. Don Scarbough and we had a great 4 hours. The
Prowler Soft Shad and a Storm (Owned by Rapala) Suspending Wildeye
Swim Shad paid off big today. We had very little help wind wise and
it took several moves but we were able to connect on some good fish.
The key was staying around bait and keying in on suspended fish. The
Wildeye Suspend Shad works great for a quicker falling bait and the
Soft Shad for a slower descent. The Suspend Wildeye Shad comes in
over 12 colors and 5 sizes. The Prowler Soft Shad in multiple
colors and you can't go wrong with any of them. If you don't have these two baits you need to get some-they
work...Thanks Don for a very pleasurable day. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-21-2008
Sorry for the pictures I was by myself again today
and to far away from the State Park to get someone to hold the fish.
I just don't like taking pictures of fish in the floor because it
doesn't do justice to their size. But-no choice today. The seat
these are on is 18 inches across to give you some idea of their
size. The Hybrids in the floor were in the 4lb-5lb range. I caught a
total of 9 Hybrid, 4 Largemouth and 3 Smallmouth between 6:00am and
10:15am. Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com was by far my best bait. I did catch
a couple on a lipless crank bait as well. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-19-2008
I fished Tim'
s
Ford this morning by myself and had a
great 4 1/2 hours. As a matter of fact I ran back to the State Park
Marina and asked Jody if he minded holding 5 that I caught before
7:30am. I appreciate him doing that, it's very hard to take a good
picture when you are by yourself as you
can see from the picture to the left. That Smallmouth was 18 1/2
inches long but the pictures doesn't do it justice. Also with the
water temp still at 82 degrees it is tuff on fish that you keep in
the well for any length of time no matter how good of a system you
have. I caught and released 12 Smallmouth and Largemouth and never
had a fish that wasn't a keeper, and several of them were just flat
good fish any day. Prowler Soft Shad did the trick once again. They
are hard to beat.
www.prowlerlures.com. I hope to give you atleast 1 more update
this week. I'm booking trips for the rest of the summer-Fall and
Winter-give me a call. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 8-14-2008
This
week I had the pleasure of fishing with Mr. Ed Evans of Murfreesboro
Tennessee and Mr. Chris Moxey from Charlotte. We caught and released
a mixture of Smallmouth, Largemouth and Spotted Bass in the 2 days.
We caught fish on a Rapala DT 10
www.rapala.com A Secret Weapon Buzz Bait
www.secretweaponlures.com
Prowler Soft Shad and Finesses Worm
www.prowlerlure.com Water
temperatures on Tim's this week was right at 81 degrees and the
water level has dropped 18 inches or so. Although we did
manage to catch several fish you had to work for everyone of them.
No wind to amount to anything and a mixture of sun and clouds both
days. Dog days will be gone before you know it and the water temps
will continue to plunge as we progress on toward fall and winter.
Just going to get better and better. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 7-29-2008
I haven't been on the water for 20 days due to my
boat being back in the shop. I have my fingers crossed that I will
have it back sometime this week. I fished today with Mr. Larry
Ludlam and Mr. Wendell Phillips. We fished out of Larry's boat and
for not being on the water for 20 days we did pretty well. We caught
and released a mixture of Smallmouth and Spot's most of which we
caught on a Prowler Soft Shad, a Prowler Chunk and jig combo
www.prowlerlures.com and
live crawfish. Truthfully the craws didnt pay off like I thought
they would. Good day with 2 good guy's to fish with .
I HOPE....I HOPE....I HOPE...this
will be the last week without my boat. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 7-09-2008
TBGI Guide Jon Simmons and I teamed up on Tim's
Ford today and had a great time throwing a Lake Fork Live Magic
Shad. These baits come in 4 different sizes and each had
unbelievable swimming action. For those of you that might not
be familiar with Tim's it's a deep clear lake and most of the time
you can see the bass coming to attack these baits. As always
the wind was a vital part of our success today as well as
keeping our boat out in 25'-40' of water and swimming the Magic Shad
near suspended fish. Blue bird sky's, 83 degree water and 94 degree
air temp was the conditions we were faced with today. We will be
giving you more information, tip's and updates as we go along. A big
thanks to Mark Pack and Ronnie Parker with lake Fork for helping us
out. We look forward to a long working relationship. Rick McFerrin
www.tennessebassguides.com
Back On The
Water Tim's Ford 6-27-2008
First let me say
that it feels great to be back on the water. My boat went into the
shop on 6-7-2008 and I just got it back this week. For the 1st day
back Daniel (my youngest) and I had a good-un! We
caught-hung-lost-had our lines broke on more than 20 today fishing a
pattern that paid off for me last summer. We only fished 5 hours
until it got hot-by then we both were ready to go. Some of these fish were
suspended over 50 feet of water or more-none less than 35 feet.
It was great to see Daniel have so much fun-does my heart good. More
to come next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 6-6-2008
I fished Tim's today with Ed and Morgan
Evans. This was a 13th birthday present for Morgan and we had a good
time together. But now are you ready for a woe-is-me story? As I
stated in my posts from the past 2 days it had been tough (at least
for me) on Tim's. That is up until today-well let me explain.
I couldn't put any real pattern together Wednesday and Thursday-the
fish we caught were good but they were just 1 here and 1 there. I
went back in my notes last night 4 years and found a notation or two
about a stretch in June of that year that sounded just like this
week. I checked out the pattern from 4 years ago and yes it worked
today.....now the only problem is that we couldn't put them in the
boat. Ed and I both lost several Smallmouth and Largemouth much
larger than what we have pictured. Morgan had 2 or 3 big Smallmouth
just miss here bait at the boat-so close you could have just netted
them. It was good to get them figured out but aggravating not
putting them in the boat......Prowler Soft Shad all the way
www.prowlerlures.com I can just here someone now
saying...that's why they call it fishing and not catching.
Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 6-5-2008
It has been a very tough two day's for me on Tim's
this week. A high pressure system is setting directly on top of us
so the bite was slow and you had to work for everything you got.
Pictured above are some of the fish that I caught with Mr. Steve
Thomas and Mr. Thompson Brown. Not pictured was some Spots and a
Walleye. Secret Weapon Spinner Baits
www.sectreweaponlures.com
Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and a Rapala #10 X Rap
www.rapala.com We covered a lot
of water and fished a variety of areas to catch what we did. I had a
good time with these guys and just wished the conditions was better.
Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-30-2008
First let me say that I appreciate the phone calls
wondering where I've been since there hasn't been a post for
the last 10 days. Daniel (my 12 yr. old) just got out of school for
the summer and he and I have been doing a lot of yard work catch up
and just hanging out together....just taking a little break. I
fished today for the 2nd time this year with Joe and Shelly Durbak.
Over all it was a little tough but we kept at it and caught some
good fish a a Rapala #10 X Rap
www.rapala.com and Joe lost a good Smallmouth on a Rapala #6
XRap Shad. Oh Yes I also caught a big flat head catfish on a DT10.
Every fish was caught on a shad colored pattern. Joe and Shelly are
great to fish with and hope to do it again.....Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-20-2008
Today I had the pleasure of fishing with last
years winner in the youth division of Flippers tournaments that are
held on Old Hickory Lake. Kaleb Larkin and his father Jason met me
in Manchester this morning at 4:00am and we headed toward Tim's. We
had a great day catching and releasing over 20 Smallmouth,
Largemouth, Hybrid and Rock Fish. Lure selection was very simple and
very effective. Prowler Pearl Soft Shad, Prowler Watermelon
Red 5in Jr. Lizards, Prowler Watermellon Chunk on a jig
www.prowlerlures.com and a
Rapala Shad Pattern #10 X Rap
www.rapala.com We had a great time and Kaleb did a great job. I
look forward to fishing with this father/son team again. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-15-2008
I
fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. Greg Cole Manger of the Nashville
Bass Pro Shop and we had a blast. these are some of the fish we
caught. We had a mixture of Smallmouth, Largemouth, Rock Fish
and Hybrid. Most of our fish was caught on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and
many of these fish would blast the bait. We had several short hook
ups and lost fish as well. We still could see some spawning
Largemouth and hopefully the next moon will finish that up. Great
time with Greg........Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-13-2008
What a great 1/2 day that I spent with Mr. Will
Steih and 5 year old son Jack. It was 45 degrees when we met at the
dock this morning at 5:45am. I can assure you that the early hour and cooler
temperatures didn't hinder Jack at all. This young man is
going to be a great fisherman. At one point Will and I was talking to one another
and Jack threw out the other side of the boat. It wasn't long before
he said I've got one....the one is in the top left hand picture, his
first ever Hybrid and yes except for a little help at the end he did
it all his self. Way to go Jack. Will I appreciate the day
with you both and for your witness. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim"s Ford 5-9-2008
TBG Guide Jon Simmons and I had a 2 boat trip
today with Mr. Patrick Evener-Mr. Harry Hazlehurst-Mr. Thomas
Evener-and Mr. Paul Hildebrand. The pictures above are some of the
fish that we caught today. Once again the Rapala X Rap Shad #10
www.rapala.com paid off big time
as well as a Prowler 6 inch Worms in lighter colors
www.prowlerlures.com Good
bunch of guys and a lot of fun. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-07-2008
I fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. Ralph Laubacher
and Mr. Matthew Laubacher. Matthew is stationed at Arnold Air Base
here in Tennessee and soon will be deployed to Afghanistan. We
appreciate Matthew for his service and pray God's protection upon
him. Ralph, Matthew and I caught a mixture of Smallmouth, Spots,
Walleye (not pictured) Hybrid and Rockfish. Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and
Rapala X Raps www.rapala.com did
the trick again. Rick McFerrin www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-5-2008
High preasure, blue bird sky's and little wind was
the conditions that David Honey and I was faced with today on Tim's.
We moved a lot and managed to put a few in the boat on a Rapala #8 X
Rap. Our largest 3 are pictured above. Over all it was just plain
old tough. This is my second time to fish with David and we had a
great time. We will be doing it again in 3 weeks or so. Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 5-1-2008 & 5-2-2008
A good customer of mine had to reschedule a trip
that we were suppose to have taken on 4-29-2008 so I only fished
Tim's two days this week. On Thursday 5-1-2008 I fished with the
brother and sister team of Bonnie Fly and Thomas Baker. On 5-2-2008
I fished with the father and son team of Richard and Dan Di Perna. A
Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com and a Rapala #8 X Rap
www.rapala.com paid off again. These are just
some of our pictures for the past two days. We caught
Hybrid-Smallmouth-Largemouth-Kentucky's and Walleye over these past
two days and had a great time with Bonnie, Thomas, Richard and Dan.
This is the 2nd time I have fished with the Di Pernas and we are
going to do it again this summer. Thanks to all for a good two
days...Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
TIM'S FORD 4-26-2008
I had another good day with Mr. Masahiro Iwagaki
on Tim's Ford. The pictures above are of our larger fish all
caught on a Prowler Soft Shad.
www.prowlerlures.com Our bite was very good early and at
least for us it got thinner and thinner as the day progressed. I
will be fishing with Masahiro in May and will look forward to that
trip. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-24-2008
I fished Tim's Ford today with Wayne and Vicki
Barnes who have a house on the lake at Estelle Springs. When Wayne
called me he said that he wanted to fish the river and learn some
new areas and techniques. We fished for several hours in the river
and it was dead. By mid-morning the sun was getting high so I
suggested that we make a run to the areas where I have been on fish
so off we went. It didn't take Vicki long to hanging multiple
Smallmouth and a Kentucky. This was a birthday present for Vicki
from Wayne and you can tell by the look on her face she had a good
time. By the way she is "Gooood" with a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
We had multiple short hits on Smallmouth and Hybrids and for two
trips in a row 2 broken lines, one on a Secret Weapon Spinner Bait
www.secretweaponlures.com
and one on the Soft Shad.
Happy Birthday Vicki.............Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-22-2008
Good day on Tim's today with Mr. Jay Arnold. All
of our fish today came on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com and a
Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com . We had multiple misses and short hook
up's and even a broken line on top of all of that. I back
tracked on several areas that had been producing prior to this moon
and they were there. Hang on we are close to some great days on
Tim's. Great day with Jay and he and I will be doing it again in May
and June. I have scattered dates open in May and June and special
pricing on multiple trips. Rick McFerrin (6150765-7303)
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-14-15-16-2008
For the past three days I have fished Tim's Ford
with Mr. Joe Walsh and Mr. Steve Fields. We were faced with several
challenges. (1) 3 days of high pressure and blue bird sky's (2) Bass
are on the bed (3) a major spring cold front moved in the past week
end (4) the first two days it was in the 30's when we put the boat
in the water and 41 today. (5) Full moon and an early bite. We
managed to over come some of these simply by working our tails off
and moving, moving, moving. The pictures above are just some of the
fish we caught in the past 3 days, plus we lost 3 big largemouth and
had our line broken once on a big hybrid. All of our fish were
caught on a Secret Weapon Spinner Bait
www.secretweaponlures.com
in zero water. Joe and Steve already booked a trip for May 09....2
great guy's 3 tough days...but persistence pays off. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-14-2008
It was a tough cold mid-April day today for Mr.
Bill Brooks and me. Air Temperature was 39 degrees when we put in
today and the surface temps had fallen almost 3 degrees. We caught 3
and missed 3 or 4 more in the first 2 or 3 hours and then everything
died for us. Most of our fish came on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
and a Rapala DT6 Crank Bait
www.rapal.com Unless something changes I will be back on the
water 3 more days this week and will keep you posted. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-11-2008
I
fished 4 hours today on Tim's with two great people Joseph and
Shelly Durbak. The trip was in jeopardy almost from the beginning
with huge super cell storm systems and tornado activity moving into
middle Tennessee. I always say I like wind and today I had all I
wanted. (30-35+mph) With the Smallmouth being on bed and the high
winds I decided to key in on the Hybrids. With the cells
moving in we started hitting areas where I have been on fish over
the past several weeks. Joseph and Shelly put 5 Hybrid in the boat
before the cell phone started ringing every few minutes telling us
to get off the water. We are planning another run at this sometime
in June for some early am top water action. . I look forward to the
next trip. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-8/9/2008
I
fished Tim's Ford the last two days with Mr. Michael Brock, Mr.
Ronnie Brock, Mr. David Seibel and Mr. Bruce Jarvis. The pictures
above are some larger fish caught on a Prowler Soft Shad
www.prowlerlures.com
on a Mustad #4 wide gap hook
www.mustad.com and a Secret Weapon Spinner Double Willow
Leaf blade
www.secretweaponlures.com. Tim's will just get better and better
as we enter into the late spring and early summer. Water
temperatures are rising andfish are being caught on a variety of
baits and techniques. I have some scattered dates open in May and
June. The early morning top water bite will be in full gear by then
so give me a call (615-765-7303) or e-mail me at
rickm@dtccom.net Rick
McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 4-7-2008
I
fished Tim's today with Mr. David Honey from Tullahoma. We put in at
the State Park to 53 degree water temps-summer pool and more
floating stuff in the water than I have seen on Tim's in a long
time. There was wood pallets-huge logs-cooler-parts of people
docks-you could just about name it and it was floating. We started
out slowly and then finally got on a good pattern that yielded some
good fish all on a Rapala DT6
www.rapala.com We caught Largemouth, Smallmouth, Hybrid
and a 5lb 10oz Walleye. I had a great time with David and we are
going to do it again in May. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-31-2008
This will be the only post for this week. I'm
taking the rest of the week off for revival in my church but
will back on the water 5 days next week. I spent 1/2 day with David
and Cardin on Tim's Ford yesterday with mixed results. The
Smallmouth bite was tough but we did put 2 good Hybrid and Rockfish
in the boat on light line (6lb Test) I have fished with David
3 times now and will be doing it again in the middle of the summer
when I get back on the daytime deep water dock bite. Water
temperature remained in the low 50's even with the cold front that
had pushed it's way into the middle of our state. I look forward to
fishing with them again this summer. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-29-2008
I
fished today with Massahiro Iwagaki and friend Okeki. These guys are
great to fish with and the language barrier didn't make any
difference when you start putting fish in the boat. We started out
like I have been over the past week fairly fast and then we had some
storms blow in that drove us back to the ramp where we stayed almost
a hour or better until it blew over. We went back out to less wind
and clearing slies. It took a little looking but we found them
again.16 Smallmouth in the boat and 5
lost. 2 Hybrids and 2 broken lines. All in all a good day with 2
good guys. We are planning to fish together in April and May as
well. Wind on the right banks was hard to come by but when it did it
paid off. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-28-2008
What a great day with Mr. Dee Eakins on Tim's
Ford. The bite started out quickly on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com and then
switched over to a Whirly B later on in the day. Not only did Dee
catch some bragging size Smallmouth, he will also be telling the
story (a true one at that) about the 2 big fish that he lost right
at the boat that were much bigger than anything you see above. Just
a great day...6 of 12 shown above. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3/25/ 2008 & 3/37/2008
Tuesday
Doug Markham (Doug Outdoors) Tim White (Rapala Pro Staff) fished
Tim's to shot a video for Doug's new T.V. show. Tuesday was a high
pressure clear day and although we had wind the bite was tough all
day. Tim is holding the largest of the day caught on a Rapala X Rap
www.rapala.com We are
going to do it again in May. Yesterday I fished with Mark and James
Schwartzkopf from New Jersey. We had a much better numbers day
putting 14 total in the boat. We also lost 6 or 8 that just came
unbuttoned. Most of our fish were caught on the X Rap as well and
when things slowed down a Prowler Drop Shot Worm on a shaky head.
www.prowlerlures.com
Great time with everyone. Water temp was 51-52 degrees and a good
wind out of the south east. I have scattered dates open in April and
May and Tim's will only get better give me a call. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-24-2008
What a great day with 2 brothers-Mr. Don Collier
and Mr. JD Collier. JD lives in Wisconsin and Don lives in Ohio and
they are here on a short vacation. It was 32 degrees air temp-51
degree water temp and a light snow shower when we put in this
morning but things heated up quickly. For the day we caught 12
Smallmouth, 1 Largemouth, 1 Spot, 1 Black nose and 5 Hybrids.
Pattern? Simple, Wind-Wind-Wind was the key for us today. The
stronger the better. Whirly B's did the trick. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim"s Ford 3-20-2008
Daniel my youngest has been on break all this week
and we have been busy doing allot of other things so this was my
first time on Tim's this week. I met Mr. Kevin Israel at the ramp
and 6:30am and we already had blue sky's and 34 degrees air
temperatures. For those of you that don't live in Tennessee we had a
major storm with 50 mph + straight line winds, tornados and a 40
degree drop in air temperature since 2:00pm yesterday. All in all
today turned out good though with us putting 11 Smallmouth and 3
Largemouth in the boat. All were caught on either a Rapala DT6 Shad
or Crawfish colored crank bait
www.rapala.com. Our largest 2 are pictured above. Kevin I had a
very enjoyable day....your great to fish with. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-15-2008
All you have t
o
do is look at Lewis face to
see that this young man had a great time today chasing those brown
fish. I met Mr. Ronnie Richards and son Lewis in Manchester
and they rode to the lake with me. We put in right at day light and
the storms were already moving quickly our way. On our 2nd stop
Lewis caught the biggest Smallmouth that he has ever caught (Way to
go Lewis!) The lighting drove us back to the ramp twice early on and
I guess we sat out 1 1/2 hours or more waiting for things to clear. But
all in all we had a good time and our biggest Smallmouth weighted in
at 4lbs 4oz right on the nose. Rapala DT6's in Shad
www.rapala.com was the ticket
for us today. I had a good time with Ronnie and Lewis and hope
to do it again in May and see if we can't put Lewis on some big
Hybrids......Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-13-2008
I fished 1/2 day with Mr. Jay Arnold today on
Tim's Ford. We spent the first 2 hours without much wind but when we
could find some it paid off. Rapala DT6's
www.rapala.com paid off
again today. Water temperatures was just above 50 degrees and the
rains that we have coming in this week end should help as well. Hope
this helps. I have some scattered dates available if your interested
in a Tim's' Normandy or Woods trip. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 3-11-2008
I have been off the water the past several days
because my boat has been in the shop-just picked it up after the
trip today. I fished Tim's today with Mr. Danny Woodard and Mr.
Bubba Crouch and had a great day. We put Bubbas Triton in the water
(thanks Bubba) right at day light and caught 5 at our first stop and
then the wind died. I explained to the guys to just hold on and when
the wind picked back up we would be back in the fish an that's
exactly what happened. 20 total for the day with several misses. All
on Rapala DT's and Whirly B's......Guys I had a great time, hope to
do it again soon. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Normandy 3-3-2008
I met Jerry Steakley in Manchester at 5:45am and
we put the boat in the water at Fire Lake on Normandy about 6:30am.
The sole purpose for the trip was to catch some of the big spots
that Normandy is known for. Water temperatures was in the high 40's
and the wind was already 10-15mph but that was clam to the 25-30mph
we had later in the day. No matter where you went you just
couldn't get away from the the wind. We even had water come up over
the front of the boat a couple times and it would work you to death
just to keep the boat where you could make a decent cast. We did
manger 10 total for the day and lost 3 others. We had 4 Spots 5
Largemouth and one big black nose Crappie. Normandy is another
good choice here in middle Tennessee. Hope this helps Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-29-2008
I fished with Mr. Ronny Murray today on Tim's and
I think this had to be the coldest rain that I have had on my hands
for a long time. True to the weather mans norm, the temperatures
never reached the 50's as forecasted and the rains that was going to
blow through early never did. But I not complaining It was a
Smallmouth day and once again they would hammer the bait. 9
Smallmouth and 2 Largemouth for the day. Good days ahead on Tim's
give me a call. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-25-2008
I met Mr. Bob Hinds and his son
Cody at the state park ramp at 7:00am. Cody
just
turned 15 years old and this was a birthday present from his dad.
Things couldn't have worked out better for Cody. It didn't take me
long to find out that he knows his way around a boat and fishing
equipment. Cody also isn't bashful about putting the big fish in the
boat. Things started out quickly with a 4lb 14 ounce Smallmouth the
slammed a Rapala DT10 Parrot crank bait off the 1st windy point that
we stopped on. www.rapala.com
Then later Cody hooked up with some bragging size Hybrids on a
Lure Jensen Krocodile spoon
www.lurejensen.com. The largest Hybrid was knocking on 8lbs and
was the largest fish that Cody has ever caught. Way to go Cody!!!!
All these fish were caught on light tackle All Pro APX 7' Medium
rods www.allprorods.com
and 6 or 8 pound test P-Line.
www.pline.com Things will heat up quickly on Tim's as we enter
into the spring season. I have scattered open dates available so
just give me a call (615-765-7303) if you want to get in on some
great Bass/Hybrid action. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-15-16-2008
I had a
great day on Tim's today with Mr. Don Schleicher and Mr. Chris Zimmerman. Many of you know Don from being one of the premier
Striper guides in the south. We were on fish from the get go and caught
fish at every stop except for 2. The Smallmouth and Largemouth would unload on
either a Rapala DT 10 Parrott or or DT 6 Parrott colored crank
bait. www.rapala.com Because of their
design the DT Series baits reach their depth potential quicker that any other
crank bait that I have ever used. When you combine that with a side by side
action that emits a sound that can only be achieved by a balsa wood bait it
becomes extremely effective. I throw these on 6lb P-Line
www.pline.com and on a 7' Med All Pro
APX series rod www.allprorods.com .
What a combination! Today I fished with Mr. Jim Sipes and Mr. Earl Hull of
Franklin Tennessee. The going was a little tougher today but all of our fish
still came on the DT10 same color and basically in the same areas. Jim is
holding our largest fish of the day in the lower left hand picture. Hope this helps you on your next trip. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 2-5&7-2008
I fished Tim's Ford today with my favorite
fishing partner, Daniel my 12 year old son. Daniel is holding two of the fish
he caught today. One on a Chartreuse Buckeye Shad
www.buckeyeshad.com and the other on
a Parrott DT10 www.rapala.com Water level
is up about 18 inches and the water temperatures have risen to 48-49 in some
areas. There is a lot of color in the Rock Creek-Dry Creek areas as well as in
the backs of many pockets and coves. I fished the 7th with Mr. jay Arnold and
we didn't have any picture fish. Tim's continues to be off and on just about
like every where else in the state. More next week. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-31-2008
I fished Tim's Ford today with Mr. Thomas
Ebbecke from New Field New Jersey. We had a good amount of wind today
after 8:00am and we keyed in on the points that had the mot chop. Just like
the first of the week these fish would hammer the bait and there wasn't any
doubt in you mind when the hit.....Man nothing like a Smallmouth slamming a
crank bait. DT 10's did the trick again.
www.rapala.com I'll be fishing with Tom again
in a couple weeks and look forward it. More to come stand by. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-28-2008
I fished Tim's Ford today with Ron Kairdolf from Murfreesboro. We
put in right at daylight to 27 degree air temps and 44.3 water temps. We
searched until noon for wind....any wind.....but to no avail them near 12:30pm
the wind picked up and so did the brown fish. These Smallmouth would almost
knock the rod out of your hands when they it. As a matter of fact I had one hit
so hard that it stripped the drag and still didn't get him stuck...sometimes
hard to understand. Today Rapala DT10 Parrott was the ticket
www.rapala.com Largest was just over
4lbs. I'll be back on Tim's Thursday and will update you them. Rick Mcferrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
Tim's Ford 1-25-2008
First let me say this was a cold but fun work day that I spent
with Mr. Ken Jenkins on Tim's Ford planting Porcupine Fish Attractors
www.porcupinefishattractors.com
and spending a little time throwing some new baits from Sworming Hornet Lures
www.fishheadspin.com and DT's
from Rapala www.rapala.com Just a heads up I
will have new articles written on all 3 of these exciting products in the next
month or so. My web site is in the process of being changed and I hope to have
these up on the "New Look" shortly. Ken and I originally planned on
meeting at 7:00am but with the bitter cold we pushed back until 9:00am and it
was still a chilly 17 degrees when we reached the lake. Water temperature ranged
from 42 to 47 in various parts of the lake and there was zero wind any where.
We put in at Holiday Marina, built and loaded several attractors and proceeded
to drop them at the following GPS coordinates @#$%^&*()_+ something must be
wrong with my key board. After that we worked a few areas loosing 4 Smallmouth
on DT's and catching 1 on the 1/8 ounce Fish Head Spin with a white beetle tail
dipped in Red JJ's Magic
www.jjsmagic.com....Fun relaxing day....I will be on Tim's 3 days next week
and will update you each day. Rick McFerrin
www.tennesseebassguides.com
