The purpose of this article is to give you an insight
into what is needed to have a successful day fishing the boils below the
dams. The dams I am referring to are Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill. I’m
sure the same basics truths will hold true for fishing the boils of others
dams such as Watts Bar. I just do not take the time to drive to Spring
City because Loudoun and the Hill are only 20 minutes from my home.
I’ll start with bait. Live bait out fishes artificial
at least 10 to 1. Honestly, the ratio is probably more than that.
No need to drive somewhere else to catch your bait. Shad and skipjack are
more than abundant below the dams. At Fort Loudoun we catch shad in one
of two places. For most of the summer, we catch our bait directly below
the dam along the rock wall on the left hand side. The closer you get to
the dam the better. Look for eddies created by large rocks protruding from
the bank. These eddies will hold large numbers of shad. You can reach these
eddies in one of two ways. In my opinion, the best way is by boat. This
method only works if there are two people on the boat. I drive the boat
and position it about 15 feet off the rock wall while Kevin throws the
net into these eddies. Typical summertime bait catching is about 5 minutes,
usually two or three throws and we have a days bait. The other method is
to park your boat against the rock wall, tie off and walk up to these eddies
with a 5-gallon bucket of water. After catching a bucket full, walk back
down to your boat and transfer your bait to your bait tank. The only problem
here can be stressed bait. If you put too much bait into the 5-gallon bucket
and do not immediately get them back to your bait tank it will stress them
to the point they will not be effective. I suggest putting no more than
a dozen in your bucket before transferring. The other place we will catch
bait at Loudoun are the two coves downstream of the launch ramp. I prefer
the second cove below the Tellico dam. Here start directly below the dam
where the water is released. I suggest using your fish finder back
in this cove. If you do not catch bait directly below the dam, work the
entire cove using your fish finder to locate the bait. At Melton Hill you
can catch bait against the rock wall to the right. However, I do not catch
bait here. Melton Hill is a much smaller dam and the current seems to be
much swifter. There are less eddies and you may have a hard time getting
your net to sink. I have witnessed people catching bait off the bank with
cast nets. I prefer to go downstream from the launch ramp a mile or so.
Go past the first island and take the first creek mouth on the left about
300 yards past the island. Follow this creek all the way to the back. You
should see small bait flipping. Most of the time it will take you about
45 minutes to catch three-dozen or so shad. It is only about two feet deep
at the back of this creek. After a couple of throws you will have spooked
the bait within close proximity to your boat and have to move to another
section of the creek to continue catching a days worth of bait. You can
catch bait in the middle of the creek, but it tends to be larger bait.
At both dams, smaller bait definitely out produces larger bait. We will
typically pick up four or five larger gizzards and try them at various
points throughout the trip, usually to no avail. Don’t get me wrong. We
have caught nice fish on big bait, but for the most part even the big fish
are feeding on the smaller bait because it is much more prevalent. One
last tip, and this applies more to Loudoun than Melton Hill. In the heat
of the summer, water temps will reach about 75 degrees below Loudoun. Bait
will start to stress after a couple hours in the tank. If we catch bait
at Loudoun, we will put two bags of ice and a couple drops of chlorine
remover in the tank to drop the water temperature. This makes all the difference
in the world. By dropping the water temperature, our bait not only stay
alive longer, but become a lot friskier as well. We all know the importance
of lively bait.
Now that bait is out of the way, we will talk about
terminal tackle. I love summer fishing below the dams. It is simply awesome
to go out and catch 20 or more stripers in two hours and leave because
your arms are tired and your belly sore from the butt of the rod. While
this is great fun, we need to keep this precious resource in mind at all
times. Using the right equipment is a must. I personally love to catch
the biggest fish on the smallest tackle, but this time of year and type
of fishing is not when you do that. I use medium-heavy or heavy weight
rods with 20-pound test. I have the drag cranked down as far as possible
without snapping the line. You need the fish to be as green as possible
when he gets to the boat. Do not use a net to lift the fish out of the
water. If at all possible, keep the fish in the water the whole time. Just
lip the fish, remove the hook, and release the fish. I usually use
a one and a half ounce or two ounce weight to get the bait to the bottom.
Bumping bottom is where you want to be most of the time. I personally use
a Carolina rig with about 5 feet of a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. I like
using the fluorocarbon leader because it is more abrasion resistant than
monofilament and this helps when bumping bottom and when trying to land
fish from a rocky bottom. I typically use a 1/0 hook, but depending
on bait size may go up to a 3/0. I also use a kahle hook. I
recommend kahle or circle hooks because 96 percent of fish are hooked in
the corner of the mouth. These hooks also prevent most instances of gut
hooking and because most of the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth
it allows for an easy and quick release.
Just remember, while water temps are cooler
below the dams, the fish still need to be landed quickly. Do not go down
there with 12-pound test and a flimsy rod. If you do, you will kill every
fish you catch. This is especially true at Loudoun where water temps are
about 10 degrees higher than the Hill. I have heard reports of several
fish floating downstream on Loudoun and have witnessed several myself.
These are fish that have been caught below the dam on light tackle. Hopefully
I shared some information that will allow you to enjoy a successful trip
to the dam of your choice. Good luck and I’ll see you on the water.