Things That Go Bump In The Night & Bass Tales

When the phone rings in the newsroom after midnight something's up. Especially when it rings more than once and the callers are from the same area. This morning it was the earthquake. And one woman was either a light sleeper or was awake at the time. And she has an accurate clock. "I think we had an earthquake here in Niota. It happened at 2:27." You are correct. 3.3 magnitude 3 miles west southwest of Niota, TN at 2:27 am. (I wonder if she works for the USGS?) Small earthquakes in the Tennessee Valley happen more often than you think....or notice. According to the USGS here's a list of small earthquakes in the area just since April:

1. This morning 3.3 Niota, TN
2. 10/1 1.6 Vonore, TN
3. 8/23 1.6 Sweetwater, TN
4. 6/27 2.5 Tellico Plains, TN
5. 6/20 1.2 Niota, TN
6. 6/08 2.6 Franklin, NC
7. 6/08 2.3 Benton, TN
8. 5/24 1.7 Vonore, TN
9. 5/24 1.9 Charleston, TN
10. 5/23 2.3 Niota, TN
11. 4/14 2.8 Vonore, TN

I'm not sure how to transition from things that go bump in the night to bass tales, but here goes:

Pictured above are some of the bass I bumped into on Sunday in the Tennessee River. They seemed to be amused by our underwater exploration. But when I think about their behavior, I'm sure it was motivated by their stomachs more than anything. When you stir up the bottom, here comes the bass. And I think they're trying to scarf up whatever was hiding in, under, or around the old bottle or can you pick up. (More on that in tomorrow's post.)

Weather-wise it's the same old for the next couple of days. Morning fog, warm afternoons and no rain. A front will come through Friday night with a slight chance for an isolated shower or storm, but general rains are not likely. Mostly sunny and cooler this weekend. Enjoy!