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Posts: 49
| Took out first time musky angler and client Clayton Cornell from Chattanooga. He nailed a 48" that killed a DC-10 at the boat with no warning early on fishing a flat then got to fight a 52" brute musky I got him hooked up to trolling a channel breakline with a Chad Shad crank bait just after it had come off bottom bouncing over the gap of a side feeder stream cut. It was fun watching as that Fenwick Elite Tech doubled over in his hands and load up on the head shakes of that fish. Looking forward to the big girl bite this fall and winter in Tennessee.
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Posts: 1000
| Those are some gorgeous fish. What are water temps down there? From the looks of the trees it looks like the equivalent of MN september. It'll be exciting to see what gets caught down there this season! |
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Posts: 2097
| Nice catches. |
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Posts: 49
| Temps are low 60s to high 50s. Starting to book winter trips in prep for closed season |
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Posts: 1247
Location: Walker, MN | Those are some great fish! Looks like fun. |
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Posts: 218
| Is there a closed season? I have never heard of a closed season on Melton Hill. Is this something new that I have missed? |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | Southshore - 11/9/2013 5:11 AM
Is there a closed season? I have never heard of a closed season on Melton Hill. Is this something new that I have missed?
Pretty sure he's refering to closed season in northern states. |
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Posts: 1267
Location: E. Tenn | The season is open year round in TN. |
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Posts: 49
| Yeah that's what I meant. |
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Posts: 171
| Cory Allen is one of the most experienced muskie fishermen in the south. It's almost unreal how many large fish (50"+) he, his friends, and customers are putting in the boat down in Tennessee! |
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Posts: 49
| Gimme a couple years, Shep. I'll really get my swing down. Been tough gettin my was back in the game after the last rough few years. But I'll get there. |
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Posts: 91
Location: Knoxville, TN | There are a few big fish, but the numbers for the future doesn't look good to me. I am pretty concerned that we see more 48-52 inch fish than 30-38's. |
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Posts: 2097
| Is there a spot across from a factory that warms the water in the winter that always holds fish or is that a myth? |
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Posts: 171
| As long as they keep stocking them, Corey will keep catching them. With all the large fish you have been catching this year, all those 36 inchers you have been catching must feel light! |
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Posts: 49
| There is an excellent population of fish of all sizes in that lake. You just have to know where I look or where to not look per se. Bass guys catch ALOT of 25-35" fish in the backs of the culverts, the shallower creeks arms, etc. I.E. the tertiary spots. The primary spots have an inordinate amount of mature to very large fish, and there is a good population saturation throughout the lake. The 90/10 rule applies but there's a lot of "10" in that lake. I've been hearing nothing but complaints about this fishery for years. Big fish take the best areas. I've have seen some smaller fish in proximity to the large fish areas, but not many. The matriarchs will always occupy the best ecosystems. |
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Posts: 49
| *to look.... Sorry. That typo made me sound like a jerk. Sometimes hard to type on this phone in the cold |
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | Take 2)
Nice job Cory you're just getting started. Take it easy on the locals, "side feeder stream cut"... Is that some kind of new "Structure"? Glad to see your tearing it up, no surprise at all!  |
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Posts: 49
| Delta ridge muskies Jerry.... you would love it. |
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Posts: 218
| Fishing has been pretty slow for me over the past 3 weeks. Going out the next 2 days...hope the fish get a more active. |
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Posts: 1000
| I wonder how temps/growing season will affect maximum size down there. What strain is stocked there?
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Posts: 49
| I haven't been out much due to family visits and a trailer issue but going out hard and heavy soon. Good luck! It's been pretty consistent till the break. |
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Posts: 49
| From what I've personally seen and studying other catches since the stocking and bring privy to some biological data from the lake it seems to be a perfect storm....several strains including Leech and Ohio River strain have been stocked. I know we've taken 50s of both those strains this year. The balancing act of cool water in the summer from the trout tail race below Norris Dam of 46 degrees at its source, the intermittent warm water influx of the steam plant on a population of the fish (not all muskies even know it's on when it's on) and the daily push and pull current between the two dams combined an unparalleled multi tiered forage base there truly is no upper limit to the size of these fish. I firmly believe the upper limits of their genetic potential will be attained if not redefined. Forget geography....muskies don't know what state they're in. Muskies are native to many Tennessee rivers and still reproduce well there are reach trophy sizes (my boat has seen fish to 52" in such rivers and larger have been caught). Melton Hill though, is an entirely unique reservoir that in the years to come will produce entirely unique fish for the region if not beyond. I'll be thoroughly surprised if it doesn't. |
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Posts: 91
Location: Knoxville, TN | The fishery is alot more seasonable than people realize. Yes you catch big fish at times, but most of the times they are hard to locate and not much going on. I know for a fact that the muskies have been hanging out down deep as we have been finding them while striper fishing. |
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Posts: 91
Location: Knoxville, TN | I hate to sound like a buzzkill but this trophy fishery isn't going to last long if they don't commit to stocking larger fingerlings and have tighter restrictions in the steamplant area. In spite of the "hype" it is not as good as it could be or used to be. I know several others with more than one year fishing the lake will agree with me. |
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Posts: 218
| Cory
I think I saw you fishing channel edge Saturday afternoon. How did you do? Muskies have been slow for me, but the weather has been very nice. It makes for an enjoyable day even if I am not seeing any fish. I too think the lake has suffered a significant reduction in the number of muskies. The fish that are caught are bigger but there are fewer being caught. I don't think one can expect to put fish in the boat with regularity. I am interested in getting some idea of the number of hours you put in for a muskie put in the boat (very bad grammar...catch per hour). How many fish have you and your clients caught this year and how many hours has it taken. I am looking to get an idea about the fishing potential of the lake. I will be spending the next 5 months fishing the lake; maybe we will be able to talk.
Thanks
Edited by Southshore 11/21/2013 8:10 AM
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Posts: 49
| I haven't honestly been out much recently due to other pressing things and a subsequent trailer issue but will be making up for lost time. The hours to fish ratio is something I've never really put much into: weather water and individual knowledge will be determining factors in all this. Lets face it there's a reason people going to St. Clair pay Spencer Berman to take them; he knows his stuff. I've got alot to learn but I will say that on all but one full day guide trip I've had we've hooked up with at least one fish, and have landed up to 5 in a day and lost 3 more that day. I'm sure fish were lost in the steamplant but most of the angling pressure on Melton is focused on very specific areas. Conditioning is a real thing. Fish don't learn, their biology his adapts. If a prey item a fish repeatedly strikes results in a stressful experience and has the same lateral line signature each time, over time, they probably won't respond to it, at least with a conventional presentation as readily. I will say I've easily had the best trophy days of musky fishing of my life on this water this far and the expanse and variety of habitat they utilize us a smorgasbord for both angler and fish. I frankly believe there is a very healthy population of all size classes in the lake right now, and while it is not a "numbers" lake per se, I'd take the quality over quantity any day. Reservoirs are a very diverse ecosystem to fish, and Melton throws several other factors into play which not only work to create a very unique habitat for the musky biology to express itself in, but also challenge the angler to shift and adapt alot. I've spoken with many multispecies anglers and across the board even the juvenile size classes are represented well (talk to any bass guy who throw jigs or buzz baits). It's a fascinating fishery, one I fondly look forward to having kick me in the sack on a daily basis but also produce some musky, given the state is now stocking a good solid consistent number of fish a year, that could rival anywhere they swim. |
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Posts: 49
| Oh I was about to say I didn't fish Saturday but that's a lie haha. I snuck out with a friend of mine a few hours late morning early afternoon. We didn't catch a thing. Cest la vie. 3 hours a day of musky fishing does not make.  |
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Posts: 72
| I don't think B davis is trying to talk poop. He is simply stating that melton hill is a great fishery that has to make some changes or it isn't going to be so great anymore. From what I have heard over the years he is correct. |
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