In this video, professional bass angler Brandon Coulter shares his go-to baits for fishing the Tennessee River. Coulter breaks down his favorite bass lures by season, starting with prespawn and the must-have lipless crankbait. He also discusses the effectiveness of the bladed jigs and flat-sized crankbaits during this timeframe.
COULTER’S TACKLE LIST (retail links)
- LIPLESS CRANKBAIT – Berkley Warpig Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- VIBRATING JIG – Berkley Slobberknocker Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- JERKBAIT – Berkley Stunna 112 Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- TOPWATER PROP BAIT – Berkley Choppo Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- SOFT PLASTIC STICK BAIT – Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- FLAT-SIDE CRANKBAIT – Berkley Frittside Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- TOPWATER POPPER – Berkley Bullet Pop Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- SWIM JIG – Berkley PowerBait Swim Jig White Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- SPINNERBAIT – Berkley PowerBait Power Blade
- CRANKBAIT – Berkley Dredger Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- FOOTBALL HEAD JIG – Berkley PowerBait Football Jig Buy at Tackle Warehouse
Moving on to post-spawn, Coulter reaches for topwater lures such as prop baits and how to fish them under bushes in shade spots to target fry guarders. He also discusses his love for the wacky rigging springtime bass, especially during the post-spawn period.
Coulter then dives into the importance of fishing the shad spawn, a prime feeding period for Tennessee River bass. Swim jigs and spinnerbaits are a few of his go-to shad spawn lures. Matching the hatch is essential, so variations of whites tend to perform the best.
As summer approaches, Coulter stresses the importance of throwing a big crankbait to trigger bass as they shift to offshore ledges. And if the bass are tuned up on crankbaits or want something slower, Coulter recommends a football head jig for slowing down and catching kicker fish.
Finally, Coulter discusses the fall season and how he returns to his prespawn go-tos. Lipless crankbaits, bladed jigs, and topwater lures work excellent for bass targeting shad in the backs of pockets. Coulter’s lure selection guidance will help anyone looking to up their Tennessee River fishing game.
