By Aaron Kephart
May has been a bit different than usual this year, primarily because our water temperatures were well below traditional averages (I haven’t seen water temps this low in May on Hiwassee in a number of years). However, that doesn’t mean the fishing has been slow; in fact, May has been an absolutely fabulous month on our Murphy area lakes, and we have caught some big numbers of trophy fish. What it does mean is that the traditional patterns and locations are a couple of weeks behind, and that trend will probably continue into June. With that in mind, here is a quick rundown as to what to expect on Hiwassee, Apalachia, and Chatuge this month.
We have been on a phenomenal striper bite, with most fish coming on live herring, some on big gizzard shad, and a few starting to come on topwater. The key has been to use the absolute biggest herring you can possibly find. We have caught a bunch on the typical live bait rigs (free lines, weighted free lines, down lines, planer boards, etc.), but a huge part of our success has been on unweighted spinning rods, pitching baits to precise locations without a weight. Light tackle is a super fun way to catch these hard fighting fish, and it is something I try to specialize in; however, keep in mind that you only get a few pitches out of each bait, so make sure you have plenty. We have also been catching some enormous hybrids at times. June is typically one of the best months of the year for numbers of stripers on this lake, and with the cooler water temps I only anticipate the bite to be even better than usual. Another thing that has been interesting about our stripers this month is the sheer numbers we are catching in the evenings. Mornings are typically always better on blueback herring lakes, but our evening trips have been phenomenal lately (often better than the morning trips), and the only thing I can attribute it to is the fact that we have had a much weaker than usual morning herring spawn so far this spring.
As a side note, I am currently participating in data and DNA collection for our wildlife resource people in order to look at the origins and, I assume, overall health of our striper population in Hiwassee. This process requires a fin sample for DNA tests and also some really quick paperwork regarding fish length, weight, and other general information. If you wish not to participate in this study while you are on a guide trip with me I understand, but I would appreciate any cooperation in regard to gathering this information.
The smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass have also been doing their thing. We are seeing a mix of prespawn, spawn, and postspawn fish, due primarily to our crazy weather. However, we have run into some big ones. The anticipated, and advertised, closure of the Apalachia ramp did not come to fruition due to other needs downstream on the Tennessee River chain, so if you are interested in a trip there we should be good to go. As far as other species, the crappie are finishing up their spawn, and by the time you read this the night bite for them will be in full swing. By the way, a night fishing crappie trip is always a blast, so if you are interested in some tasty filets consider one of these trips. The walleye are a bit behind due to the water temps, and although we are running into some we aren’t yet catching our typical big May numbers. I anticipate early June having a better than usual bite for them this year because of water levels and temperatures.
To sum it up, June is shaping up to be a month where we can probably catch whatever you are after. It is looking like an almost perfect storm of delayed warmup and emerging early summer patterns, and I am very much looking forward to it. Whether you are looking for a cooler full of crappie, big stripers, some tasty walleye, or some catch and release smallmouth or largemouth, June should have it all, and I hope to hear from you. Have a great day!
Aaron Kephart is the Owner of Mountain Lakes Guide Service. To book a guided trip on one of the Murphy area mountain lakes, contact him by phone at 865-466-1345 or by email at mtnlakesguide@outlook.com Check out his website at http://www.mtnlakesguideservice.com and catch him on facebook@mountainlakesguideservice.
