Does anybody on this site fish here? I grew up in Kingsport, and haven't been on this lake but 5 or 6 times my whole life. Thinking about spending some time out here and looking for any info anybody can give. Thanks in advance!!

Mountainman

I haven't fished it in a long time, but I've been planning making a trip down just to be the first one to post on it!!!!!!!!!!!! I hear the trout on the upper end bite like sharks in the winter!

Thats what I hear, and there are several local tourneys there all summer long. I've heard stories of 5 and 6 lb LM coming out of there, as well as some nice SM. I plan on spending some time over there the next few weeks.

Mountainman

hey me and fishingirl live in k-p but we rarley fish the lake we always fish below the damn.ive never really done that good but she always does.i think she know the good spots and wont tell me.she got a 25in rainbow there a few years ago,ive been told there are some real big ones in there but i have yet to see them.but anyway good luck in the lake part of pat henry.

Patrick Henry is a good lake to try. Ive had some VERY good days on the lake and some Very BAD ones to boot. Alot of generation mixed with a good baitfish population has produced some quality fish over the years. Finnesse baits are a mainstay on this lake. Small worms and jigs are consistent fish catchers. It really depends on what time of year you are fishing and how much water is being pulled and has been pulled thruough the lake. One word of caution....alot of debris can be floating in the lake, usually towards the dam if they are pulling water heavily. Night fishing can be hazardous to your lower unit (trust me...lol).

Brownfish pretty much summed it up. I fish Pat Henry quite a bit in late spring and summer. At times it can be awesome and other times you'll find yourself wishing you'd stayed at the house. Its a nice little lake to get away from the weekend crowds (however, in the summer there can be lots of stinkin jet skis to contend with). I usually do pretty decent here. As stated earlier, small jigs, tubes, and finesse worms will usually be the ticket. My bigger fish usually come on flukes or spinnerbaits. There are some big ones in there, I've seen numerous 6lb and 7lb largemouth come from this lake as well as many smallmouth over 5lbs.
The fish here are widely scattered and tough to pattern, their feeding is centered around the generation schedule. You'll usually catch one here, one there, no consistancy. As Brownfish said in his post, all the current in this lake can cause it to be very trashy and it can be very hazardous to run especially at night. If you do fish at night make sure you have a good spotlight, it gets very very dark here at night too.
The water in this lake stays very cool year round because the water from the bottom of Boone Lake flows directly into it. This causes the fish to spawn later in the year. I've seen fish on the bed here in June and July. You'll usually find the warmer water down towards the dam and the cooler water upstream, which is a great place for trout.
There is no shortage of cover to fish in this lake, it can be overwhelming. Over the years, i've learned to target isolated pieces of cover to catch the majority of my fish. The main thing to remember here is to slow down and have patience. I've found that when i fish too fast i dont do near as good as when i fish slow.
They fish rodeos out of the Warriors Path Park ramp every Saturday night from 7pm to 12am in the summer and usually have a good turnout. I've seen close to 50 boats in these tournys before, but usually they average around 20 boats. The size limit for all fish is 12 inches. Sometimes it takes 15lbs to win, and at times 5lbs will get you in the money.
I enjoy fishing this little lake. It is a beautiful place to fish. Its a good place to go and relax and get away from the weekend crowds on the larger lakes. You won't get the numbers here like you would at Douglas or Cherokee, but the potential to catch a good fish is always there.

Thanks a million, guys! Really appreciate all the info. Will let y'all know how it turns out when I make it over there!

Mountainman