DALE HOLLOW WINTER SMALLMOUTH

                                                                       By Jim Duckworth

      The wintertime on Dale Hollow is heaven on earth when the bite is on and colder than a deep freeze when it’s not. Here are few things that might help you have the trip you want.

       The most important thing is to stay warm. With today’s clothing this isn’t a problem, dress in layers so that you can peel them off as it warms. Second a good set of boots is a must, get boots with at least 800 grams of Thinsulate and a good pair of wool socks and your feet should stay toasty. Boots for fishing should be half a size larger so that you don’t restrict the blood flow with the heavy socks. If your feet still get cold go to the bank occasionally and walk a little. With the water at winter pool theres no telling what you will find On the shoreline, I call it shoreline shopping and I have found some neat stuff. Also take the time to make a couple of rock piles for the spring and fall fishing.

      One of my favorite ways to catch winter Smallies is with a bait I hot rodded and Charlie Brewer at Slider Lures makes. It was a Whirly Bee which was originally designed for Crappie that worked very well for Smallies but it had a few short comings for the bigger fish. Now we call it the Jimmy D, we took the small number 4 plain hook and took it to a Daiichi Bleeding Bait number one hook, this accomplished 2 things, It got more bites because of the red, and the hook had a much bigger bite gap to get around the jaw of a good fish. The Daiichi hook is also much harder and sharper. Next we raised the weight of the bait by fifty percent which allowed us to throw it much farther and in clear water that really helps. Last we took off the old style crane swivel and put on a high quality ball bearing swivel which allows the blade to spin about twice as fast.

      Now I fish this bait in the same places I fish the other baits listed below, main lake points and pockets. I throw it on a 6 foot 6 inch Berkley series one spinning rod medium action, with a Cardinal 674 reel and 6lb. Trilene XL line. I throw the bait to the bank and let is helicopter down a ways and slow roll it back to the boat with not a twitch in the rod tip, a total do nothing retrieve. A lot of the bites will be on the fall and a lot of the bites will be right at the boat so stay tuned in. Every day is a different day in the way they will bite so pay attention to the fish and do what they want. You can get these lures on our web-site www.jimduckworth.com or on line at www.sliderlures.com or at several bait shops.

        The bite in the winter can be Very light so gloves are not a good thing. Try heater packs in your pockets and occasionally warm your hands. I myself have a heated rod handle and I don’t have to wear a glove on my rod hand, it stays warm and sensitive to that light bite.

     Lets talk about the best bite, besides the Jimmy D there are two other good ways to catch winter smallies up here at Dale Hollow ( or any other clear highland reservoir.) The best and most known here is the Float and Fly, the  Jimmy D, and the last is live bait.

          The next way I like is the Float & Fly, now this is a pretty time consuming fishing operation and requires real patience and time to learn. Small line, small float, an 8 foot  FLOAT & FLY rod and on the rod I use a 674 Cardinal reel with  6lb. TrileneXL line. I use a 1 inch weighted float and A Jim Duckworth Fly. I designed these flys myself just for winter Smallie fishing and they do a fine job. I have them made by a fly shop in Florida who also make my patent pending float which is side weighted and camouflage painted to hide it from the fish and detect light bites. In the clear water I feel this is a must especially for big fish that have gotten wise to a bright orange bobber above their prospective meal. I sell a Float & Fly kit on our web-site with everything you need. It has 12 assorted flys, 3 weighted floats and a nice Plano box. I also include a nice instruction sheet in the box and a discount coupon to buy my Float & Fly video which I filmed at Dale Hollow. In this video we teach all you need to know about this method and show you on a map exsacty where I am fishing so you can go to the same places I do.

          Now to fish the Float and Fly think bluffs and points on the main lake, let the waves and ripples on the water do the work. Get the float close to the bank and fish the fly down 8-14 foot deep depending on weather conditions. Remember to set your drag light with this light line a big Smallie can pop your string in an instant, this is why I like the center drag Cardinal 674 reel, it has the biggest and best drag there is.

           The last way to catch Smallmouths in the winter is live bait. Now fish your live bait in the same places that you fished your Jimmy D, and Float & Fly. I use 6 LB Trilene XL and a 1\0 Daiichi bleeding bait circle hook. Put a small split shot up about 18 inches. Let it settle to the 10 to 20 foot and watch your line as it goes down. I fish this on a 6’6 Fenwick HMG spinning rod and a 674 Cardinal spinning reel, center drag.

      Also it is good idea to carry an extra set of clothes in a sealed waterproof bag in case someone falls in.

Remember wear your life jacket set the hook and may the fish be with you.