WAY OFF Topic...........Reelfoot lake fishing.

[ilbucksndux]

Wanting to go to Reelfoot to catch some bluegill next month. I have never been there and looking for tips/suggestions..........not your fishin hole. Plan on taking my boat so I dont need to rent one.

[Greg Massey]

Just be careful of all the underwater stumps and fish were you see all the other boats....you will also see your share of snakes, so again be careful and stay off the lake if it's much wind at all....good luck...  also have you a good heavy duty push pole....if you get hung on a stump and you will....

[ilbucksndux]

I have heard about the stumps. I just didnt want to crowd in on anyone. I dont like when people do that to me.

[Mabren2]

I went around 7 years straight from high school through college around 15 years ago. Didn't do a ton of bluegill fishing, so not much help there, although we did decide to take a break in the shade from time to time and didn't have much trouble finding them.

That said, you couldn't pay me to take my boat to that place. Stumps are literally everywhere, and not visible from the surface. I've seen locals shoot across the lake, and I will never understand how they are able to do that. I've hit stumps one after the other in the dead center of the biggest portion of the lake, there's no rhyme or reason. If I ever took my boat I promise you I would not break no-wake speed, and I would still bet money that I'm going to do some form of lower unit/prop damage.

I've warned a few of my local friends that were taking their boat that they should reconsider, and they all just laughed it off thinking they would be so much better off than a junky rental. They all hit something, and they all said they would never be back. Meanwhile, I could literally run circles around them in the junky rental, because they were scared to move.

Don't take this the wrong way, because I love the place. I just think the constant fear of nailing a stump in your rig will ruin your trip. I'll admit that if you're trying to troll a bank casting the john boats stink, but for bluegill fishing I would do a rental every time. You will get to your spots quicker too. Unless things have changed, all the hotels/cabins there include a john boat rental, gas and bait, and they were all pretty reasonable packages. I would seriously consider those options if I were you. In any case, be careful and good luck!

[tha bugman]

Never knew the fishing was so good there.  Sounds like the package deal is the way to go if not too pricey


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[Bill Cooksey]

Wanting to go to Reelfoot to catch some bluegill next month. I have never been there and looking for tips/suggestions..........not your fishin hole. Plan on taking my boat so I dont need to rent one.

The stumps can be a hassle, but they really aren't a big deal unless you get hung in a very heavy boat. There are boat channels all over the lake where you could run a 22' Bullet wide open, but you have to know those channels. Otherwise, just take it easy and you'll be fine. I'd highly suggest fishing with a guide at least one day just to get a jump on the learning curve and fill a cooler. Also, if you have side-scan on a depth finder, you'll find all the beds you can stand. Other than that, if nothing else works just take the boat down a tree-lined bank and dip crickets in every likely spot. You'll catch fish.

[Greg Massey]

We always rented boats for what fishing we did on the lake...first time i fish the lake we had these boats with motors inside of the boat with wood seats..the boats all leaked and you were out on the lake depending on a 3 1/3 hp - 5 hp lawn mower engine...man those were the days...the boats were made of wood...they call them some kind of name...We fish it about 4 times and said we would never go back...lol

[Bill Cooksey]

"they call them some kind of name"
They were called "Lake Boats." Before motors became dependable in those boats, they were equipped with oars which allowed you to face forward to see where you were going. The oar system was patented. You can see them in a movie, I believe it was "The Fugitive," where they were chasing an escapee through a swamp. The swamp was actually Reelfoot.

OP, unless your boat is huge, heavy and you have a really old motor, you really won't have a problem unless you try to run fast where there's not a channel. The old Lake Boats were still in common use right up 'til shear pins were replaced with slip-clutches in outboards. I've never torn anything up on my boats there, and I'm not exactly an old hand who knows all the runs. Just treat it like any other swamp or flooded timber area you've been in, and you'll be fine. The bream fishing is unreal.

[Greg Massey]

"they call them some kind of name"
They were called "Lake Boats." Before motors became dependable in those boats, they were equipped with oars which allowed you to face forward to see where you were going. The oar system was patented. You can see them in a movie, I believe it was "The Fugitive," where they were chasing an escapee through a swamp. The swamp was actually Reelfoot.

OP, unless your boat is huge, heavy and you have a really old motor, you really won't have a problem unless you try to run fast where there's not a channel. The old Lake Boats were still in common use right up 'til shear pins were replaced with slip-clutches in outboards. I've never torn anything up on my boats there, and I'm not exactly an old hand who knows all the runs. Just treat it like any other swamp or flooded timber area you've been in, and you'll be fine. The bream fishing is unreal.

Some people called them stumpjumpers ....lol....