Quote:
Originally Posted by tnduxcaller
I have fished Center Hill for years trolling for walleye on the lower end. Center Hill, I believe, has a LOT of catfish in it, because we always catch them while trolling. We were trolling one time and caught 9 that day. I can show you places with the depth finder where there are LOTS. I do not think noodlers in lakes catch that many. Percy Priest has lots of catfish.
Concerning the TN River, it gets a lot of pressure from rod/reel, trot liners, and noodlers. It is unreal how many catfish come from it, below the dams and in the lakes. If you go to KY Lake in the summer, one of the favorite things to do, is bottom bounce in 40 ft of water. You will see a lot of boats doing it for miles up and down the lake. I have done it.
TWRA set a catfish limit on the large brood fish of 1 per day over 34". Here is what I think is bad and is hard to stop. There are a lot of these private pay to fish lakes/ponds that have tournaments popping up all over the area and in other states. Some people catch a fish over 34" and sell it to one of these ponds and they are taking TN fish to other states to stock their private pay lakes for their tournaments. I do not think it is happening on a large scale, but it does happen.
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Fishing has always been one of my favorite hobbies since I was a kid. I only started bass fishing about 4 years ago. Catfishing was what my family did when I was younger. I can't even count how many hours I've spent bottom bouncing on the TN River for catfish. Your post brings back a lot of fond memories from my childhood. My family has a couple of lake front lots in Lobelville on the TN River. We built a cabin and a dining area. Every year when I got out of school for summer and winter break that's where I went until my hormones started going girl crazy. My grandparents would load up the motor home and off we went. I grew up on the banks of that river fishing, running trot lines, and hunting arrow heads. I just wish someone would have taught me about bass fishing way back then. Now bass fishing is my life and I'm starting to really get the hang of it. Remember that I said this that one day in the next 2-4 years I'm gonna be fishing and competing in some of the biggest bass tournaments in the country. That's my dream and I just got a lot later start than I wish I would have.