Deep Water Finesse (By: Matt Alliston)

Deep water smallmouth with "a little finesse"

My favorite time of year is quickly approaching.  I pray for cold days, bitter winds, snow, sleet, and cloudy overcast days.   You may be telling yourself, man this guy is crazy, but rest assured as the evenings begin to get cool and the days shorten, my anxieties increase.

Being from the south, I always hated the thought of winter in Kentucky, because it seems that the sun never wants to shine.  It is here on these cold winter days where I have found my fire and it burns deep down in the clear cold water of “The Hollow." 

Nestled in the hills of Southern Kentucky and Northern Tennessee, Dale Hollow lake is one of the world’s finest and most famous smallmouth fisheries.  Sprawling over this hilly terrain is 27,700 acres of beautiful, scenic, gin-clear water, packed full of trophy sized smallmouth. 

Dale Hollow currently holds the world record smallmouth, which weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces, and was caught in 1955 by D.L. Hayes of Leitchfield, KY. 

Today, Dale Hollow is managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), which has since implemented a slot limit for the entire lake on smallmouth bass.  The limit allows one fish under 16 inches long per day and one fish over 21 inches long per day to be kept by an angler, which protects the average fish (17 to 20 inches) from being harvested.

Besides being known as the "smallmouth capital of the world" thanks to it's world-

record prowess, this creel limit has propelled Dale Hollow into becoming one of the most sought after fishing destinations in the world, especially in the winter.

There are many approaches to catching wintertime smallmouth on Dale Hollow, including the common practices of the float-n-fly technique, heavy spider and football jigs slowly drug across the bottom, and hair jigs and silver buddies bounced around the depths, but my focus and reason for this article is to spend a little time to tell you about my favorite “finesse technique” for chasing these cold-water beasts. 

Gearing up
Wintertime can be tricky, so having the proper gear and right approach can yield a much greater success. 

My rod of choice is a 7’7” G-Loomis Bronzeback Series in medium heavy action complimented by a Shimano Stradic reel spooled with eight pound Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon and my bait of choice for this time of year is a Smalljaw Shaky Jig made by Punisher Lures.
 
The biggest challenges I hear from other fishermen on Dale Hollow comes from the intimidation factor of fishing a deep clear water impoundment while trying to locate where these skittish fish reside.  Feeling a bite in 30-50 feet of water can be tough, but being able to set the hook can be a story in itself--which is why I specified the exact setup I prefer for wintertime smallmouth. 

The fluorocarbon reduces line stretch and is virtually invisible in clear water.  The line diameter I choose, eight pound test, allows for a smaller jig to sink fast, but still gives enough strength to fight the fish properly after it is hooked up. 

The rod length gives added cast-ability and enough backbone to set the hook hard at these depths.  Also, the G-Loomis rod has a very fast tip, which helps present this bait in an erratic fashion that will trigger more strikes. 

The “Smalljaw Shaky Jig” is no ordinary 1/4 ounce jig.  This little fellow is unique due to its size and shape.  The use of living rubber for the skirt material offers a breathing action while submerged and the lead head of this jig is shaped like a peanut, which is also a common nickname for this small profiled bait.  The jig is also matched with a light wire hook for easy penetration with this setup. 

The colors I use are very simple and made to emulate a crawfish scurrying around on the bottom.  That is why I choose a simple brown with some green or orange accents.  I tip the jig with a Zoom tiny chunk in avocado or watermelon red and for a little “home cooking,” I mark the tips of the chunk with a little chartreuse and garlic marker.

Bait presentation

The biggest key to using this finesse jig is with the right presentation, while making sure you keep the bait in the strike zone.  It can be a challenge to feel such a small lure in this depth of water and it takes a lot of focus and patience to slow down and present the bait in the correct manner. 

This might be the biggest hurdle to overcome when switching up from your normal summertime approach.  Once you have made your initial cast you want to watch the line very close, releasing additional line as needed to make sure the bait gets to the bottom on every cast, while making sure the lure does not fan back towards the boat as it sinks.

Once the bait is on the bottom, you want to pick up the slack line and let your rod tip do most of the work for you.  Instead of popping and bouncing the jig with a lot of movement from your wrist and arm, you basically want to shake the jig in place while trying not to move it a great deal. 

You only need to turn your reel when slack gets in your line, which is very similar to fishing a shaky head worm, hence the name “Smalljaw Shakey Jig."  My wrist never moves more than an inch in either direction, letting the rod tip give the perfect movement to the lure with minimal effort on your part.

As the jig falls with the contour of the bottom make sure you stay in contact with the lure at all times.  Occasionally, stop your approach to make sure you are on or near the bottom. 

Once you’ve got the presentation down, you have to pay attention to the location of your lure while keeping a close eye on your line.  Smallmouth bites are at times very finicky and hard to detect. 

We all like to feel the thump that is unmistakable of this species, but unfortunately, they don’t always cooperate in giving us that rush on the initial bite.  Many times with this finesse bait, the bite is very subtle and hard to detect.

You always want to stay in contact with the jig and pay attention to your line.  If you feel that you’ve lost contact with your bait, quickly jerk straight up, because it is likely a world class fish has already inhaled your lure.

Another common bite is when the fish picks the bait up and swims at or away from you.  A lot of times your only indication will be visual, as you see the line moving.  At this time the fish has the lure in its mouth trying to figure out if in fact your lure is a crawfish that it was looking for. 

If you notice either of these things going on, bear down, cross its eyes, and hang on for the ride!  I have always heard the old timers say “Hook sets are free,” and I've never been charged for one.  So, when in doubt, set the hook!

Locating fish

Locating these majestic fish on my lake of choice can be very difficult at times and often made more difficult than it actually should be.  It’s very daunting when you look at this lake, because

everything looks good, but all is not. 

My best advice is to pick a small area on the main lake or in a major creek and begin to dissect it.  Start on the main points close to where a channel swings and begin to work your way back into the creek or pocket.

A common phrase you will see and hear is the mention of "points and pockets."  When fishing the pockets associated between two points, the fish usually move around using all of the area. 

With my approach, I will start on the outside of a pocket with my boat positioned right in the middle and begin to fan cast from point to point, hitting everything in between.  I start near the bank on the point and work my way through the pocket to the next point, and the majority of the bites will come right in the middle between the two points. 

Once you have located where the bite is in that given area, move around to different parts of the lake emulating the same conditions and presentation to put a pattern together.  Many times you will be able to duplicate the same areas and presentation and once you find a few you can pretty much call your shots as you move around to different parts of the lake. 

A common mistake I see a lot of fishermen make is to get a bite or two in one area and they begin to camp out for extended periods of time. I typically make no more than 15-20 casts per stop before I pick up the motor and move to a different location. 

The next location may be 200 yards away, but I never sit and wait for that bite because once the fish know you are there they will most likely avoid anything presented to them.  I spend the day focusing on finding active fish that have no idea I am in their area. 

Where to go
The home of Dale Hollow Lake, Celina, Tennessee has all that we fishermen need.  Grocery stores, gas stations, Dale Hollow 1-stop for baits and last minute fishing needs, home cooking or fast food, and Horse Creek Resort for first-class hospitality and great lodging at the water's edge.

Also, check out www.smalljaw.com when planning your trip to get updated and detailed fishing reports. 

The time is near.  So, gear up, dress warm, and enjoy what Dale Hollow Lake has to offer--world class fishing and scenery that is unmatched by anything I have experienced. 

Don’t forget to take a break and look around at the wildlife, because it is second to none. The lake is teaming with bald eagles, waterfowl, whitetail deer, and many others gifts that Mother Nature has left us to enjoy.  Good luck and tight lines!

--Matt Alliston

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