# ReelFoot, TN



## Luns (Feb 10, 2010)

Hey guys anyone got any reports on Reelfoot? Me and a buddy are headed down there for a few days on Saturday. Im going for bass so any reports on the sowbellies would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## London calling (Dec 12, 2008)

Great place to fish try @ the duck blinds and back in the pads. Lost one at the boat that the guide said would have been 8 lbs easy .he caught on that was 7 plus. We threw snag proof frogs in the pads and spinnerbaits should work @ the duck blinds. There are also tons of crappies & jumbo gills. Try the cypress tree and stump fields for them. Cats are @ there too. Be carefull running your boat lots of under water stumps that are murder on your outbaord.maybe get a guide the first day to cut the learning cure but s/b a good time. let us know how it turns out.

LC


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## Luns (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice man, i hope to hook into one of those 8+ pound hogs in there. We went there last year but at the wrong time of year only hooked up with two 4lber's. Any certain color you would advise over others?


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## London calling (Dec 12, 2008)

The bass in the pads like snagproof style green frogs with a white belly. fish the pockets and holes.You'll get explosive strikes. if you miss them have another rod ready with a worm or other soft plastic to toss into the same hole.The duck blind bass liked spinner baits 1/4 to 3/8 oz in white or charturse.Fish them paralel to the strucutre. A lippless crank would be good @ there this time of year too. The weather can be all over the place so come prepared for anything. The panfish were caught on minows and 1/16 - 1/8 white tube or marabou jigs. I'm sure other colors would work and could be better but thats all I had. Also don't be surprised if a big cats takes your bait in the cypress trees.

LC


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## Luns (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice man, im praying for good weather and spawning females!


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## London calling (Dec 12, 2008)

Tight lines and bent rods , Look forward to pics of your hauwgs 8 @ )


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

i was the one that went with luns last year and we caught more sheephead than anything, even on bass lures! scum frogs are one of my favorite lures and i have plenty of spinnerbaits, so hopefully this year turns out better than luns getting 2 nice bass and me a couple 8 inchers. i wont complain about my several catfish though! along with bass id also like to get some of the big crappie. i have a couple little george lures that demolish 12-14" bass around here. would those also work for bass and crappie at reelfoot this time of year?


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

Please post how you did. I'm leaving for Reelfoot Thursday, mostly for crappie, but any info would be appreciated.


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## Luns (Feb 10, 2010)

Only report i can give you is good luck, we had great weather but great weather and great fishing weather are two totally different things. Saw crappies in baskets but nothing to write home about.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

My stock-in-trade answer when asked about Reelfoot Lake is - DON'T GO!!! 

With all of the other great fisheries within 6 to 8 hours of Greater Cincinnati, why would anyone in their right mind, except perhaps bass fishermen, choose to go to Reelfoot Lake???

There is a reason that they populate the sport shows annually - they have no repeat business. Reelfoot Lake is a fishermen's tourist trap.

No water, few quality fish, stumps, high winds, shallow john boats, etc., etc., etc.. 

I spent my one and out at Reelfoot many years ago, and was smart enough to scratch it off of my list of places to revisit.

When I find a place I like I stick with it. I've been to Spanish, Ontario for up to a month each for the past 20 years, and have just returned from my 15th trip to Pickwick Lake, Tennessee.

Stick with the winners and away from Reelfoot!!!


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

i was the one with luns at reelfoot and heres what we caught

luns: 2 bass biggest of which was around 15 inches, 2 catfish around a foot each

me: 15 inch bass, 2 decent crappie, a yellow bass, a 2 and a 3 foot gar, a 20ish inch bowfin, 7 catfish from 16-24 inches, and a bullhead.

i have absolutely no complaints about the place we stayed (cypress point), but fishing was very slow. marked crappie, bluegill, and yellow bass all over my portable fish finder and boated next to nothing. casted all over stumps and pads and shoreline cover for 3 bass between 2 people. even when we threw a live shad at a bass we could see...it showed very little reaction!!! every time we throw a shad within 10 feet of a bass at the home pond it gets demolished. ive also never seen a bass flee when i cast a texas rigged finesse worm only weighted with a split shot well past it either. since the coves were filled with gar, i pulled out my gar lures and tried for those. apparently gar are now scared of an unraveled piece of nylon rope that resembles a minnow and even a live minnow itself!!! nylon rope right across the snout draws lots of strikes on a day with good conditions at home. although early, i was hoping to get more than just 7 catfish in 4 days when i fished a few hours after dark every night. i finally found the right bait though and cought 6 of the 7 in 1 night. go to the fish house and take the guts from the fish barrel. dont get the meat, bones, or heads, jsut cut out the nice soft, smelly, nasty guts. i tried using a whole crappie head for big catfish and it kept getting the leftover guts picked out of it, but once i put guts only on i had no trouble getting fish at night inside the boat harbor. i also had 2 straightened and broken circle hooks when i put a whole fish head on limb lines. my suggestion is put most of your effort to catfish at night as thats what i seemed to get best once i found the right bait. best of luck to ya!


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

Returned Sunday, and fishing was tough. The system that blew through Friday pushed us off the lake and shut down what bite there was. We did catch some huge crappies, biggest I'd ever caught, but they were few and far between. Also saw a few nice baskets, but many more light ones.
I caught crappie, white(or yellow) bass, bluegill, sheephead, catfish and a gar. Lake was about 2 feet high, so the stumps were not as much an issue.
Stayed at Blue Bank, and everything was above expectations, service, food etc. were all awesome, the dock hands were a great bunch of kids. The fishing was just tough.
BTW, met several guys who had been coming to Reelfoot for years, and they were saying they had never seen the lake so hard to fish. I'm convinced that the up and down temps this spring have really confused some of the fish. I don't think they know if it's time to spawn, past time, or pre spawn.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

cantsleep said:


> Returned Sunday, and fishing was tough. The system that blew through Friday pushed us off the lake and shut down what bite there was. We did catch some huge crappies, biggest I'd ever caught, but they were few and far between. Also saw a few nice baskets, but many more light ones.
> I caught crappie, white(or yellow) bass, bluegill, sheephead, catfish and a gar. Lake was about 2 feet high, so the stumps were not as much an issue.
> Stayed at Blue Bank, and everything was above expectations, service, food etc. were all awesome, the dock hands were a great bunch of kids. The fishing was just tough.
> *BTW, met several guys who had been coming to Reelfoot for years, and they were saying they had never seen the lake so hard to fish. I'm convinced that the up and down temps this spring have really confused some of the fish. I don't think they know if it's time to spawn, past time, or pre spawn*.


This has certainly not been the case at Kentucky Lake, or earlier this month at Pickwick.

A group from Northern Kentucky spent Wednesday through Sunday fishing Kentucky Lake and had similar results to those we experienced at Pickwick Lake earlier this month.
Largemouth fishing has been incredible - 20-50 a day per person, all solid fish. 
This has been the best spring I've experienced in the last 30 years.

It still boggles me that folks continue to aggrevate themselves at Reelfoot. To each his own, but having fished all over the south, take it from an experienced fisherman - Reelfoot is bogus!


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

*BMustang*, I understand the sentiment. However, consider this, I don't have a boat. The packages at Reelfoot enable people like me an easy way to fish lakes that we don't have access to normally. The group I travelled with was as much as about relaxation and good fellowship as it was about putting fish in the boat. We had a great time.

Also, Reelfoot is a very unique and beautiful place to be. The cypress trees and stumps , ditches and swamps, each hold a certain charm. My group (the other three who all lived in Wisconsin and have fished Canada and out West a great) all agree that this lake is just built to be a tremendous panfish destination. The several repeat visitors we spoke with confrmed this. We had a bad three days. That's why it's fishing and we love the good days even more.

I will go back to Reelfoot.


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## Luns (Feb 10, 2010)

Well said cantsleep sometimes its more than just about the fishing, dont let others tell you differently.


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

Luns said:


> Well said cantsleep sometimes its more than just about the fishing, dont let others tell you differently.


I hope *BMustang* doesn't take me wrong.. I've seen his reports from Pickwick and it truly looks awesome. I just know that, even though we all fish for different reasons, we all love to fish.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

No offense meant, and I hope none taken.

You make a good point. Fishing is fishing. Getting away from the norm and making a trip to a destination for a few days relaxation and fellowship is all part of the fishing package.

Your not having a boat point is certainly a major consideration, and Reelfoot does a good job of providing a boat, accomodations, and a place to fish for a reasonable fee.

I guess I have a personal vendetta with Reelfoot because I've been there, experienced the stumps, wind, john boats, sheepshead, etc., and felt really taken in.

I hate seeing them at the sports show every year with the big cooler of slab crappie they bring with them that they netted prior to coming up, and people oogling their fish, only to get down there and meet with tough conditions and dink crappies.

I have been luckier than most in that I've done over a dozen fly-in Canadian fishing trips resulting in plus-40inch Northern Pike. We have fished Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories for monster lake trout during their short 6-week season. I have fished an incredible smallmouth fishery at Lac Beauchane in Quebec, and I make an annual month-long trip to Spanish, Ontario for rest, relaxation, and quality fishing. Throw in a dozen trips or more trips to Pickwick, a couple of weeks a year on the Ohio River, and I probably do more fishing in a year's time than some do in a lifetime. I've owned three boats and have put them all to good use. I know what's out there, and I just hate to see folks get their hopes up and then dashed by spending their valuable fishing hours at Reelfoot.

Again, to each his own and I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. The home cookin' at the local restaurants is worth the trip. My only fear is that you will be greeted by similar conditions again, and again, and again.


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## johnnywalleye (Jan 27, 2007)

Fished the week of the 19th thru 24. Cypress Point Resort. Service was great. I am an old guy. Really appreciated the service. Young men helped us into the boat and out of the boat. They made sure we had bait and gas. Told us where to fish. Best service I have ever had on a fishing trip. Did not catch a lot of crappies. First year in many that Reelfoot was froze over in the winter. Screwed up the fishing cycle. I did catch a 15 in and 3 14in crappie. Goin back next year.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

johnnywalleye said:


> Fished the week of the 19th thru 24. Cypress Point Resort. Service was great. I am an old guy. Really appreciated the service. Young men helped us into the boat and out of the boat. They made sure we had bait and gas. Told us where to fish. Best service I have ever had on a fishing trip. Did not catch a lot of crappies. First year in many that Reelfoot was froze over in the winter. Screwed up the fishing cycle. I did catch a 15 in and 3 14in crappie. Goin back next year.


It's all about great service !


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## CrappieKiller (Mar 14, 2008)

If you hit the weather right you will have the crappie trip of your life. If you hit it wrong, then you better have plenty of beer! Seriously, we have been going to Reelfoot for the last 15 years and I have nothing but good things to say about the place. Reelfoot is like any other lake, once you learn how to fish it you can catch fish even on days when 90% of the other people don't go out. Great place!


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## CrappieKiller (Mar 14, 2008)

Also, I don't think you could go to Ontario for four days for $259.00.


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