We my fishing companion and I consider ourselves non typical fishermen because we do not fish bass tournaments and fish out of the way places,also depending on where we fish we try to catch fish that most fishermen avoid. One of our favorite places to fish is the Tennessee river because it offers everything that a fisherman loves no matter what species of fish they are looking for.

One of my favorite catches is the Small Mouth bass because it is a ferocious fighter,the small mouth is hungry and will attack your lure with such ferocity that you think there is a king mackerel hitting it . The small mouth looks exotic because its eyes are red and the colors of its body look like no other species of bass,it thrives in cold swift waterways and does not do well in ponds or warm water that is why theTennessee river system is perfect for them. Normally I use a artificial worm or live shad to catch them but have caught them on a count down rapala and a spoon but the best luck we had is with shad. Fishing right below the wilson dam in the muscle shoals area you can easily catch shad to fish with is easy and you dont have to spend extra money on live bait. Schools of shad skim across the top of the water darting and jumping because they are being chased by bigger hungry fish, when you see these large schools just pull your boat along the side and stick your dip net in and scoop them up then presto you have live bait.

I use a Okuma reel because it beats the hell out of my old abu garcia for the fact that im not fighting it to keep it from backlashing for the firs tinitial cast of the day,now I love my old abu but getting it dialed in is a hassle but after about 30 minutes its ok. Really it sux because I hate untangling backlashes. The new Okuma Akena that I purchased a few months ago is much better because no more backlash,also there is no gear noise just a fine fluid like feel that nearly makes you think its hydraulic. Its not expensive as the abu garcia but I have to admit this is the best money I have ever spent on a reel.