Natural springs, if you can find them,
can contribute to incredible fishing
By Curtis Niedermier
S
cattered throughout the hills and hollows of southern
Appalachia, one of the region’s most valuable resources
trickles out of the ground. It flows down rocky draws and
wells up in underground caverns. It even seeps from the very
bedrock. And it’s been sustaining life for folks in the area for
generations.
It’s water, obviously, and it reaches the surface through a
network of springs that have attracted humans since they first
settled the region.
In some parts of the country, but especially throughout the
Tennessee Valley, tournament anglers guard the location of
freshwater springs that trickle or flow into their local lakes and
reservoirs (from under the surface or above) because, at certain
times of year and in certain conditions, those springs can con-
tribute to incredible fishing. One Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit
pro from Alabama says the springs he fishes on the Tennessee
River are the last remaining secrets in bass fishing. Another
from Tennessee claims he’ll talk about any topic in bass fishing,
but he won’t go into detail on how he finds springs.
In other regions, fishing a spring is much less secretive.
And, regardless, finding a spring is by no means a sure bet to
catch a big bag of fish. However, it could be.
Exactly how springs fit into a fishing game plan varies
quite a bit from region to region and season to season. Just
knowing that they’re there and understanding how they might
benefit you is a good first step toward building your own
spring-fed fishing secrets. So we dug into it with anyone willing
to talk.
APRIL-MAY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM
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