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Hello from the Excel 230 Elite.

With a few days of temperatures in the 80s until the middle of next week, fishing should be on the upturn. Surface temperatures have dropped a couple of degrees and fish have responded.

Cloud cover and early starts or late day finishes have made a world of difference in the bite. With scattered rain and the chance of storms, the catching outlook is looking good. Throw in some steady current being pulled and the fish’s dinner bell is ringing.

I had guide trips Saturday and Monday and the results couldn’t have been different. Saturday saw very little current and partly cloudy conditions. The fish were very scattered and even with great Humminbird electronics showing concentrations of bait and other fish, the bite was lacking. We ended up with a few keepers and a huge drum that decided the Pico crank looked like a meal. A rare keeper smallmouth came on board also.

Monday saw a good deal of current and a mixed bag of species that all took advantage of cloud cover to put the feed bag on. Our best locations were flats between 12-20 feet deep next to deeper water. We hit an area that had a school of nice catfish, both blues and channels.

My clients were meat fishing and the catfish were welcomed same as the several crappie, yellows, and a nice largemouth bass.

They were amazed at the strength and durability of my ACC Crappie Stix 16 & 12 foot rods. Having a catfish well over 5 pounds 70 feet back on a 16’ rod with the boat moving almost 2mph made for a long, exciting fight. The ACC rods were up to the battle. So were the Pico crankbaits.

Nearly all of our action was during the time the clouds hid the sun. Once the sun burned through, the action slowed a bunch.

I would encourage those of you who want to be on the water to check weather forecasts and avoid high winds or storms, but use the clouds to your advantage. Sadly, we experienced another drowning last weekend. Being safe on the lakes can’t be stressed enough.

Recently I saw a youngster being towed on a tube-type device without a hint of a life jacket. This is not only terribly stupid, it is illegal. Children can’t determine what is safe or illegal. It is up to adults to keep them safe. I would love to see the adult involved with this be banned from owning a boat. Putting a child in danger is inexcusable. I was not in a position to intervene but would have normally.

The lake levels are slowly falling toward the 358 foot level. Falling water means current. TVA has an app called TVA Lake Levels. I use it daily to set the water level offset on my electronics, avoid gremlins, and decide areas to fish based on the amount of current. Learning to use current in your fishing will make you a better fisherman.

Be careful out there. Wear your PFDs. Watch out for others and help those who need it.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.