Dale Hollow's Guide to the best Smallmouth fishing in the World
Fishing Report
08-30-2010
Night time fishing is hot right now with reports of 15 to 25 per night being caught. Fish are being caught on jigs and creature baits in depts of 10 to 30 foot of water. Water doew some with heavy generation but with all the rain levels seem to be normal. Water temp still warm and due to depts and temps be careful with the fish and handle them with care and get them back in the water as quick as possible. Also take your fizzing needle with you just in case. It is our job to make sure the fish are safe for future generations to come. Ar
2nd Annual Smalljaw Members Night Tournament Winners
08-28-2010
As some of you know I have been known to be "scared of the dark" and so therefore do not fish at night. But, I must say Sat night was beautiful out under all those stars. I can see how them folks eat this night fishing up. I have to also say I was realy tired and ready for bed after the event. Lots of fish caught and lots brought to the scales. Only 1 team can win first place and that team was Team Weaver/Torbet taking 1st place with 3 fish total brought to the scales with a total weight of 6.37 lbs with their over cominng in a 3.81 lbs.This is the 2nd year in a row for a first place finish for this team and can say they are the team to beat. Nice job guys. 2nd place was Team Parsons/Jolley with 3 fish and a total weight of 6.31 lbs and an over that took big fish for the event that came in at almost 22 inches and weighed in at 4.53 lbs. 3rd place was Team Averitt/Harmon with 2 unders and a combined weight of 3.90 lbs. Continued
Its a Keeper
Stepanie caught this nice smalljaw one night while fishing with her husband. She and her husband John are avid night time smallmouth anglers during the summer night time bite. This fish was weighed and measured and weighed at Horse Creek and puts her in the lead for the competition between some of the members on the site. This nice fished came in at 4 pounds 9 oz and measured 21.75 inches.
New Rod and Reel Give Away!!!!!
One of our sponsors wants to get involved and make some things better. Rob Martinek wants to give away a new rod and reel. The combo I will pick out and let you know what I have decided on and also let Rob know when you talk to him what kind you would like it to be as well. For example a spinning outfit or baitcaster and what brand. The retail value will be around $350. All you have to do is give him a call and get a quote on boat insurance or any other insurance. That is all, even if you decide not to use him you still get you name in the hat. We will do this twice a year and for now we will start today and end this in Septrmber.(has been extended). Then we will do another one. So give Rob a call and let him and Met Life save you some money. Make sure you tell him you are from smalljaw and want in on the drawing. I will post the names in the forum once a month when he gives me the list of names that have called him. You can contact Rob @ 615-824-7577 or toll free @1-800-928-0029 or just click on the link on the here. Thanks Rob for helping out the Smalljaw Family. Andrew
3rd Annual Smalljaw Members Tournament Winners
12-13-2009
I would first like to say thanks to all the help and support that makes this event so special. Keith, Greg, Sonny, Mitch, Brandon, thanks for all your help. The tournament was a huge seccess with 42 total boats and 63 total fish brought to the scales. Dinner was great and had lots to to give away thanks to our great sponsors. Congratulations to our winners Team Gottschalk/Canterbury with a Big fish Day 2 that was worth $700 and a 1st place finish with a total weight of 12.52 lbs. 2nd place was a close race with a first year team of Hawks/botts that took home $525 for a total weight of 10.58 lbs. 2rd place was won by Team Arms/Arms with a total weight of 9.78 lbs that paid out $310 and $700 for thier nice big fish on Day 1. 4th place was Team Langley/Smith with a total weight of 8.39 lbs and a pay out of $120. 5th place was taken by Team Potter/Genrty with a pay out of $90 and a total weight of 6.95 lbs. The Big Green Fish Pot was a race for sure with a lot of them brought to the scale with hopes of winning this event. Day 1 winner was team Jolley/Parsons with a 3.71 lb green fish and a pay out of $350. Day 2 winner was Team Snow/Kirby with a 4.45 green fish and a pay out of $350. Continued
Horse Creek Westmoreland Winners
12-06-2009
Day 2 was short and sweet for a few. With only 5 hours to fish there were still some elusive smallmouth that were caught. 10 out of the 70 boats were lucky enough to weigh fish in. There were 17 total fish brought to the scales with 5 of them over 21 inches. One paid off big time. A 5.30 lb fish was brought to the scales that took first place and big fish day 2. Congratulations to fellow Smalljaw Members, Team Lumpkins/Robertson with on a first place finish and a total weigh of 8.72 lbs with 2 fish total for the tournamen and took home a total of 2600 dollars for their win. 2nd place was won by Team Sadler/Seasor (also a smalljaw member) with a total weight of 8.08 lbs and a nice kicker that weighed in at 5.20 lbs.and a nice purse of $1140. 3rd place and another smalljaw Team of Taylor/Taylor with a total weight of 7.98 lbs and a purse of $760. Congrats to all of you on your win..Continued
Spring Grub Bite By: Kieth Palmiero
Spring Grub Fishing
It’s coming, and it’s coming soon! For me, it is the superbowl of Smallmouth fishing. I wait impatiently every year for it, and it is right around the corner. The spring grub bite! When that water temperature starts to teeter around 55 degrees that is when I pick up my grub rod, and don’t put it down until the water hits 70 degree mark. This usually starts around mid March, and ends sometime in May. I am not saying you can’t catch them earlier than this, but I am usually throwing a jerkbait from 49 degree water till 55 degree water. I also am not saying that this bite will not last longer, because it will. I have caught them right into June, but the bite is early, and dies fast.
Equipment:
I like to use a longer rod when I am grub fishing to help with the hook set. I fish a 7’6” All Pro Atlantis Series rod, with a quantum energy spinning reel. I spool my reel with Suffix 6 # braid. I do not like to fish mono, because it has way too much stretch for a good hook set on a long cast. Fluorocarbon will work fine, but you will not be able to cast as far, and I feel this is very important for this type of fishing. If you do use fluorocarbon, I would not go over 8# unless the water has some color to it. I used fireline for years, but the suffix braid last much longer than the fireline, and casts just as well for me. I then attach a small barrel swivel to the braid, then about a 5 to 6 foot 8# fluorocarbon leader. I have tried every uni-knot known to man, and they work o.k. for a couple fish. Then, if you don’t retie, you will break off at the knot. I personally do not want to take the time to retie every couple of fish. Continued
Finesse Jig Fishing for Deep Water Smallmouth (By: Arsmallie)
Finesse fishing is taking fisherman to new heights these days. Finesse fishing is not only helping more and more fisherman catch bigger fish, it is also helping them to catch more fish. We all know that smallmouth bass like smaller baits at times, especially the lakes with a lot of fishing pressure or deep clear water. There are many types of finesse baits out there on the market, one that I use on a regular basis or my goto bait is the jig. I use a 1/4 oz rubber jig with a small tiny chunk on the hook. I like a brown or brown and green jigwith a avocado or green pumpkin trailer. I also like to spike the tips of the tails in orange or chartruse. Most of the crawfish in this region are a broenish green with orange or chartruse pinchers. I like the natural presentation.Continued
Turnover (By: Arsmallie)
Its getting about that time of year again where lake conditions change over night. I am talking about a lake turning over. The is where the bottom lake temps meet up with the surface temp. This is when most anglers stay away from the water due to fishing conditions becoming tuff. The water color changes overnight. Most lakes becomes a rusty brown color but on the Hollow, for the past few years is has been called "black water." By this time of the year the fish have move up in the creeks and pockets off the main lake. The fish are still there but seem to move shallow where the most oxygen can be found. They will pull up right on the banks in or around the pockets they are in and sometime even move shallow to the very backs of the creeks. The most important thing to remember here is that the fish are out of their comfort zone during turnover and moving shallow. Move in on them slow and quiet, this will help you find them. Once the oxygen starts to settle and the lake begins to clear up then you will find them moved back in thier comfort zone and began feeding deep again. Most sections of the lake turn over a different times so if you are still not comfortable fishing in water that is turned, move to a different section and find the clear water. Ar
Using your Electronics 101
Now that fall and winter is approaching and the fish are pulling up, It's time to find them deep. I normally like to start with thebluff wall and creek channel bends and points and start watching my graph to find fish holding on the drops. This is when they first start to pull up and head into the creeks. Then I like to look for river channel bends and ride down the river channel looking for fish holding on the ledges. This is the time of year when you can see the fish on the graph come and hit you bait. I like to turn my graph ping speed on high, sensitivity up around 85 to 90%, scroll speed up high, sound and noise rejectors on medium. By just adjusting these settings you will be able to move and cover deep water faster and hopefully stay on fish for the day bite. This picture was taken while fishing a creek channel bank catching fish moving out to the river channel. Good luck this season and hope to see you on the water. Ar
Passing the Torch (By: Arsmallie)
After 8 years of patience and short days on the water, I have finally passed the fishing torch onto my son. As my parents so graciously passed it onto me, Ialso have passed it on. There is no greater feeling in the world than watching your little ones succeed and gain confidence in the things they are envolved in. Fishing is. Fishing is one that takes time and lots of patience as a learner and a teacher. My son Drew has taught me more than he will ever know. I put a fishing pole in his hands at the age of 3 and he caught his first fish. We would take trips on the boat to the lake for a short 1 to 2 hours. Each time we would go we would bluegill fish when they were on fire. No sit and wait kind of thing. We would have to go slow everywhere we went in the boat because he was scared to go too fast. Now days the boat does not go fast enough. We started bass fishing a few years ago and I found that taking him during the right time of year was the key. That time is usually in May after the spawn. I also found that a longer spinnning rod works much better. More control and longer cast. You can back them off the bank alittle more and stay away from the hang ups. But if you need some help on these issues just ask Drew. Ar
Fishing the Football (By: Jeff Renneisen)
I often get asked the specifics of how to fish the football head jig. I would like in the following article to lay out a few guidelines for the football head jig.
I would like to start off with a little history on the football head jig. I probably get a call a week from people saying that they would like to buy the new jig they saw on TV, the football head. This is a huge mistake; this jig has been around for decades. Mostly popular in the north and west and in its early days called a roller or rock jig. After a few bassmaster top finishes the football jig was finally recognized for what it has always been for decades a fish catching machine. The popular use of gps units and the new emphasis on fishing offshore structure has also led to the explosion in the football head jig market.Continued
