Perpetual Tennessee River favorite Buddy Gross has made his way to the place he wanted to start, at around 9:30. “I just couldn’t run past that school,” remarked Gross as he caught a couple quick ones upon arrival, including a 3- pound, 8- ounce smallmouth.
Though Gross wanted to start where he is currently fishing, he saw on his run here that there wasn’t a boat on a popular hole where he knew there was a school of fish. So he had to stop and give it a try. He had to because of the amount of pressure the ledges on Pickwick are seeing. It was a bird in the hand versus two in the bush situation. If he ran past this vacant hole, he may very well pull up on the spot he wanted to start on only to find it occupied by a boat or two.
All the anglers fishing offshore are having to play this guessing game. Deciding whether to stay or go. Knowing that if they do vacate an area, they likely won’t be able to get back on it later in the day. Do you stay on a school even though they’re not biting? In hopes that they’ll turn on when the current kicks in later, presuming that it will?
This is the dilemma Brandon Palaniuk is currently working his way through, not seeing enough activity where he is to stay, but fearful that if he leaves, he’ll just see boats everywhere else he wants to go and then not be able to double back and get on the spot he’s currently on later.
The mental side of ledge fishing is in full swing. All these anglers want to be in a good position on the right spot in the coming hours, when the bite is expected to be best.
