Spent the last 3 weekends on the holler. Fishing has been tougher than expected but I am learning winter time on Dale slowly but surely. With the lake being somewhere around 12-14' higher than normal as well as being several degrees colder than normal It's been difficult finding the bass, especially from the kayak! About 3 weeks ago I went down with my dad and found a few bass in the thicker grass edges on small swimbaits, last week was pretty much a total bust for me, I found plenty of bait, grass and all the right stuff just couldn't get the bite dialed in.
This weekend was better, I managed to find a few quality smallmouth on channel banks near grass and more importantly situated on or very near main and secondary points. fish I've been seeing are anywhere from 15-30' and definitely off the banks. I've been playing with the float n fly, not any success YET, but I will keep trying. This week my best bites came on a Football jig and the A-Rig both fished excruciatingly slow. Water temps were anywhere from 49-51, with the lake being pulled really hard right now.
My patience really paid off Saturday with this 22" beast that came off a point on the FB jig in about 20'. I did not weigh her but have had many smallmouth at or over the 6lb mark and I feel safe to say that this one was between 5 3/4-6lbs.
I have to throw out a huge thank you to GeoFisher for really showing me what it takes to locate these big brown fish as well as Rick Hise for helping me narrow down some specifics. You gotta love the knowledge and access to knowledge that this message board provides. I've been a member here for years and can't imagine a better place to share info or meet great folks who love to fish! I plan on heading back at least 1 or 2 more times this winter and will let you all know how it goes!
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