Dale Hollows Guide to the best Smallmouth fishing in the World

Fishing Report

05-07-2008

Congratulations to Keith on his personal best Smalljaw. This 5lb 6oz smallmouth was caught on a 4 inch swim bait out on the main lake. Keith is on of the best smallmouth fisherman I had had the pleasure of sharing the boat with. Keith, after spending a full 2 weeks on the Hollow is reporting fish are hitting grubs, swim baits, finess worms, spinnerbaits and jigs. Most fish are being caught on the main lake flats as well as some creeks. Lake is up to summer pool and won't be long before that night bite. Good luck ans see ya on the water. Ar

Night Time Jig Bite

  The first opportunity for fishermen to hit the water after dark in search of the elusive Dale Hollow smallmouth bass comes in May when the weather warms up enough for them to stand the cooler nighttime temperatures without wearing cumbersome cold-weather gear.

Safety

The most important thing to keep in mind when this time comes is SAFETY.  There's nothing like watching smallmouth break water in the moonlight, but nothing is worth risking your life.

Your boat and gear needs to be in good working condition, because the lakes are totally different after dark.  Running lights are a must and having your batteries fully charged is important in order to power the necessary electronics used when night fishing.

Especially in the early season when the water level is high, a powerful spotlight is needed to search for dangerous floating debris.  Nothing is more frustrating than to have an equipment-damaging collision, which could put an end to any fishing trip.

It is also a good idea for a nocturnal angler to inform someone of their departure time, the area of the lake they plan on fishing, and when they may return from their night on the water.

Early Season

In May, when the early night fishing season begins, smallmouth with be in a post-spawn pattern.  The fish will be feeding heavily and up shallow roaming the banks for anything they can find to eat.

The key to finding the bite is to start off in the feeder creeks, targeting areas from secondary points all the way to the back of these creeks.  A focus should be put on points, cuts, and transitions--including areas close to the spawning flats with cover, such as wood or grass. 

The utilization of a 1/4 oz. black hair jig trailed by a small plastic chunk with the tails tipped with garlic scent is a successful tactic during this early part of the season.

Fishermen should make a long cast up tight to the bank--close enough "to splash water on dry ground, “so to speak, and let the jig fall to the bottom.

Once the bait has sunk to the bottom, it is best to raise the jig about two feet with the rod and let it fall again.  Be ready for a strike at all times, because smallmouth sometimes hit the jig on the cast or the first fall.

As the month progresses and the water temperature starts to rise, the fish will start moving a little deeper each week, but usually no farther than the eight to 12-foot range.

As the month of June arrives, smallmouth will start to move and may be found from the secondary creek points towards the main lake points.  Some could even be found on creek and main lake bluff walls.

These fish will still be fairly shallow and in the eight to 15-foot range looking for areas abused by heavy daytime boat traffic, which creates stained water.

Sticking with the 1/4 oz hair jig, night fishermen will need to slow things down a bit and fish the jig all the way back to the boat in order to have success.

Mid-season

During the months of July, August, and September--most night fishermen's favorite time of year, air and water temperatures begin reaching summertime highs.

The daytime boat and Jet Ski traffic is also at its peak and boaters are churning up the lake, creating an abundance of stained water, especially out on the main body. 

Besides that, those not on the water during the day are at home with the air conditioning turned up on high, forcing the TVA to crank up their power generators to keep up with the demand--creating a slight current in the river channel of the lake.

Smallmouth like current, even slight ones created by water being pulled through the dam, and they love to feed on crawfish in stained, churned-up water where the cover for their prey has been put in a state of disarray.

Night owls looking for the seasonally nocturnal smallmouth thrive during these three months thanks to the combination of these two bite-boosting factors.

This mid-season change signals a time to switch gears a little bit and start looking at the main lake with a 3/8 oz. hair jig in order to get down a little deeper.  Fishermen should turn their focus toward deep water points, flats, and drops--all adjacent to the river channel.

By this point in the night fishing season, smallmouth have had sufficient time to start putting on some weight after the spawn and are healthy enough to become really upset when you stick them in the 15 to 35 feet depth range.

Late Season

As the after-dark season winds down during the month of October, the nights are starting to cool off a little.  The fish have really put on the weight after feeding all summer and they are starting to move towards the fall pattern.

This is a time to start looking for fish both on the main lake and in feeder creeks.  Smallmouth should be really schooled up during this time.  If there is one fish there to be caught, then there are usually several more.

Moon phases

During the summer months, it seems better success comes during the new moon phase when only stars dominate the night sky, but don't overlook the full moon--which can also be very rewarding. 

With the moon full, fishermen may want to look for places that are in the shade of the moon, even though some bites definitely come on a place that is directly in the path of the moonlight.

 This was written in hopes of helping anglers out with their next adventure into the darkness of the night, and to encourage them to always remember to be safe. 

Dale Hollow is a different lake once the sun goes down and the nocturnal life begins to awaken.  Remember to take time to listen to all the different sounds Mother Nature has to offer and look up on occasion to view the heavens above in between bites, because you'll be glad you did!

Greg Brisendine

Dusk to Dawn Guide Service

Seasonal Migration

First of all smallmouth, unlike largemouth, move more up and down rather that latteral. You have to break this down into seasons. The two major migration times are, of course, Spring and Fall.
 Winter is the most predictable time of year in my book. Once they take up an area to spend the winter, it is a matter of them moving up or down depending on the weather. They like to spend the winter on deep humps and sharp breaks. They generally will hold on a break in 20 - 30 feet of water, but 50 to 80 feet is very close. If there is a few days of useasonably warm weather, the will move up to as shallow as 15 feet, but rairly shallower than that in winter. Some smallmouths winter on the main lake, and some in the major creek arms. The fish that winter in the major creek arms will not be far from spawning habitat. Unlike the main lake fish, the creek fish will spawn on sharper banks than the main lake fish. The main lake fish will spawn on flatter areas, and someti mes a good distance from deep water. The creek fish will always be one or two casts from deep water.
As the water temp starts to warm in the upper 40's, they will start to leave those sharp breaks, and stage on the points leading to their spawning areas. The fish in the creek arms will always be the first to go. Their is a great deal of fish that stay on, and spawn on the main lake. Those fish are always the last to go. When the water temp hits 50 or a little above, they will really start to feed up for the spawn, and start to really get aggresive. They will stage on the points leading to the spawning pockets in the major creek arms. There will also be a great deal of fish that will stage on the points leading into some of the smaller creeks. These smaller creeks will warm the quickest, especially after some warm spring rains that stain the water up. That stained water absorbs the sun better than clear water, and sometimes can be a couple of degrees warmer than the clear water. You will notice, as you fish this time of year, that the males will be the first to move in.

They will start scanning the shallower points, and pockets for places to build a nest. The larger females will be close, but a little deeper.
When the water temp gets into the mid to upper 50's, things really start hoppin. The males will be on those shallower points and in the pockets, feeding heavily for the spawn. This is when you can catch them fish right up in the bushes in two feet of water. This is the time that those fish that were staging on those smaller creek arm points, move in. When the moon gets right, the male will build his nest and the bigger females will move up and spawn. After the spawn is over, those bigger females will move deep for a few days to recover, but still will not go very far. Smallmouth don't take as long as people think to recover from the spawn. The males will remain shallow, and guard the nest. These fish can still be caught, and they will remain shallow until the water temp gets uncompfortable for them. Let me state, that this is the one time of year, that smallmouth will move up regardless of how bright the sun is or the weather. Once they make the move up to spawn, regardle ss of cold fronts or high preassure days, they are there for the duration.
Once the water temp hits the low to mid 60's, it is time to hit those main lake flats. Not that those fish in the major creek arms, or the smaller creeks have gone anywhere, it is just time for those main lake fish I mentioned earlier to do their thing. They will just be a little more active and feeding heavy for their spawn. The grass will just start to emerge on these flats, and the crawfish will be moving into it to feed for their spawn. The smallmouth will be right behind them.
After the main lake spawn is done, the smallmouth will remain on those flats close to the grass, and in the pockets in the creeks until that water temp starts to get at a uncompfortable level. This usually is right around 70 degrees. This is when they will back off to the deep water humps and sharper slate banks to spend the summer. Some fish will even move back to creek channel bluffs, and main river channel bluffs, where water temps are more compfortable, only moving up at night. This pattern will hold for most of the summer.
Fall is like spring in reverse. Typically, sometime in late September early October, the years first cold fronts will move in, and start to drop those water temps. This is the time of year for blinding fog banks that keep you running very far at all. For me, this is the time to hit the creeks. For whatever reason, there is a major shad migration to the creeks in the fall, and the smallmouth will be right behind them. If I pull into a creek in the fall and don't find bait, I will not be there long. This is a good time of year to watch those loons. If a creek is full of loons, there is bait. Put the trolling motor down and start to fish. Also, watch for main lake jumps in the fall. A lot of times the Kentuckys will school shad to the surface early and late in the day, and the smallmouth will be right there with them.
Smallmouth will remain in these creeks as long as the bait does. Not that there isn't plenty of main lake fish to be caught, I just feel these fish are more predictable this time of year. They are there for one reason, and that is to eat.
I have found that after drawdown, there are a lot of mainlake fish that will move back into the same grass that they spent the spring. Now a lot of this grass will be out of the water and dead, but there is still a lot left in the water. These fish will be feeding heavily for the winter, and are really easy to catch. This is one of my favorite times of year. You can really load the boat on these grass edges, where they drop off into deeper water. These fish will remain there until the water temps drop below the 50 degree mark. This is when they will pull off and move to their wintering areas.
I hope this helps someone out this year with their fishing.
 
Keith Palmiero
SmallyChasers Guide Service

 

About Us | Contact Us | ©2006 Smalljaw.com