Dale Hollow 11-25-2011
 

Went to Dale Hollow with nephew and caught several nice Small Mouth on Trout and Crappie Magnet. Not really big fish but plenty big for 3# test line and 3# test leader. It was not a good day...talked to a couple of his fellow guides that day and they had clients but did not have many fish. Went looking to catch Black Nose Crappie but either could not locate or they were off also. Got to get back to Nickajack.

Interesting. How deep were you fishing, and how far off the bank?

bd

Early morning was just off bank...probably 15 to 18 feet of water. Later in the day about 35 feet of water....and fish were at 35 feet.

Regards

Nice smallie. I have always wanted to take my flyrod lakeside in the winter when the so called float-n-fly bite is on and fish a small bait fish pattern under an indicator. Most FnF people only fish 10-15ft deep anyways so you could get that deep on a leader then use a slip float so it pops free after the bite and slides down.

A fish like the one you caught would be great on a 5wt. A really big one would be a handfull. I'd be willing to bet up in Horse Creek you'd catch smallies and trout that way in winter.

My nephew caught several on the Float'N fly that day. We had to wait on the fog to lift and we had 3 fish and was not 300 yards from the ramp. I was tossing the Trout and Crappie Magnet. The Trout Magnet is just as effective being used on the Float'N Fly as any other jig...maybe more so. My son and I have proved that at Center Hill. The only problem with the Trout Magnet and Small Mouth is the size of the hook...but really when you look at how many fish caught vs how many that the hooked pulled out or was not ever set I will stick with it because Small Mouth for whatever reason love the thing. I had one Smallie pull off the Trout Magnet that day...and it was a good one. I was using a Light action and an UL rig that day...it was a blast.

Regards

Wow, 35 feet is much deeper than I expected. I guess you must have been fishing the trout magnet under a slip float?

I'm thinking along the same lines as Travis. I've been trying to work out how to catch the winter Dale Hollow smallies on a flyrod for a couple years now. The trout magnet is fairly similar to a flyfishing setup, so if I can ever work out the depth and location, I ought to be able to do it.

bd

Are you guys vertically fishing them or waiting to fall that depth?

My grandfather used to pound smallies and panfish on Center Hill with a light jig rigged on two poles. He'd cast one out as far as he could throw it, then sit that rod down and cast the other. As one would fall he would work the other back in, cast, then pick up the other and repeat.

He fished that way for years out around deep points and channel bends using some really light jigs because they had more action.

When I caught Smallies on the Trout and Crappie Magnet I was casting..counting it down...and then retrieve. When you use the Float'N Fly method it is usually set to a depth of 15 feet. My nephew was using that method that day and he caught several using the Float'N Fly. I did not have my 9 foot rod with me...but will when I go back in December. That will work fine with a fly rod...as to the weight I don't know...as long as you can get a good hook set. Up there almost everyone uses a Punisher Jig completely smeared with a garlic or Shad scent...quite messy. But I am telling everyone that the Trout Magnet will work just as good with no scent on it at all. That is a proven method there and that is great but I don't want to deal with those scents. I have done the Float'N fly using Trout Magnet with great success at Center Hill. I don't see it being any different at Dale Hollow. I think that when they are slightly turned off the Trout Magnet may work better due to the much smaller size. But I understand those that fish with the scents that it is working good for them so why switch.


Regards

I do both Travis....and you are exactly right...the light jigs to me are far better. The Float'N Fly method is much easier in the Winter because you can keep the jig in the zone the fish are in much longer than when you are casting.

Smallies on The Hollow <'TK><