Confidence is King

[Schleprock]

Originally Posted by Texas_Rig

Started from the bottom now we here! Anyone on here under 40 may understand where that first line comes from. Man I tell you, going into last week I was as down as I could be. But now after 2 days on Dale Hollow last week and another day today; I feel like Kevin Van Dam. I absolutely crushed them on DH again today. The largemouth are in the backs of creeks and pockets on wood and in bushes. Every fish I caught today came on a spinnerbait and a buzzbait. Can't wait to get back out there again tomorrow. I think some of these fish are spawning in the bushes because I had a few roll on my buzzbait and never eat it today and they never gave a second chance. And they are very very fat. Me and a couple buddies had a tournament today and I had 21lb 15ounces for the win and 4lb 15ounces for big fish. I don't have any pictures but I do have witnesses. I told the guy that was holding my bag while I was weighing them with a scale to let me take pictures before he let them go but I guess he forgot or was upset that his 18lbs didn't win.

What color buzzbait? I think I only have a black one but I do have spinner baits , headed up there tomorrow morning but fishing out of Byrdstown

[Texas_Rig]

Notorious, the smallmouth were chewing good today. I didn't even hardly fish for Them to much today and caught 10-12 and only a couple were under 3lbs. I was catching them on main lake points leading into creeks and pockets and I was also catching them on that big main lake flat covers the entire bank just east of holly creek. The key on that flat was to fish in the ditches where the ditch runs up to the bank. Every smallmouth I caught today came on a 3.8" keitech in rainbow shad color on a half ounce swimbait head.

The largemouth did a complete 360 today. I spent most of my day trying to figure the largemouth out but I just couldn't make the right adjustments from yesterday. I was catching a lot of my largemouth yesterday in buck bushes and the water fell about 6" overnight and I think that was enough to make Them evacuate the bushes. I would fish for 1.5-2 hours trying to find largemouth with very little success and then I would go smallmouth fishing for about 30 minutes and catch a few. I did that all day. I wish now I would have just stuck with the smallmouth all day. Good luck out there.

[Schleprock]

Do you guys know anything about Mitchel creek marina area of the lake? looks like its only 75 minutes from me and looks like there are a lot of small creeks


I'm debating whether to put in there or Sunset marina

[Texas_Rig]

Originally Posted by Schleprock

Do you guys know anything about Mitchel creek marina area of the lake? looks like its only 75 minutes from me and looks like there are a lot of small creeks


I'm debating whether to put in there or Sunset marina

Mitchell creek has some great spawning habitat in the back. I haven't been in there this spring. I've focused mainly midlake just up from Mitchell creek. It's a pretty big creek in that you could fish in there all day and never cover it all. Almost all of my experience in there is in the back 3rd of the creek. I'm gonna spend a day in there next time I go. That area of the lake produces a lot of nice smallmouth and especially that creek. I've never been as far up as Sunset so I have no experience up there.

[Schleprock]

Originally Posted by Texas_Rig

Mitchell creek has some great spawning habitat in the back. I haven't been in there this spring. I've focused mainly midlake just up from Mitchell creek. It's a pretty big creek in that you could fish in there all day and never cover it all. Almost all of my experience in there is in the back 3rd of the creek. I'm gonna spend a day in there next time I go. That area of the lake produces a lot of nice smallmouth and especially that creek. I've never been as far up as Sunset so I have no experience up there.

Thank you for the advice

[notorious]

Fishing was tough on the Hollow, however I anticipated that with Texas saying the water was falling...with the continued drop in water SM have moved out further. No LM caught, the SM I caught were on wood and super light bites with the largest 3lb ...never felt her, they all came before 1000 on a bitisy bug...threw swim baits for about an hour and was only getting hits so I changed to the jig. Talked to a guy in a Red/White Skeeter from Gallatin...who confirmed they are on wood and super tough bite who caught 15# in hours last week. Put in at Horse Creek..SWT 55, Indian Creek 55.6, Green bouy is gone, Red Bouy is gone, Long Branch 56.3, Lick creek 56.5, Mitchell Creek mouth 57.6, across from Galton Hollow 57.6. Pdiddy and I stopped fishing at 1330 and cruzed back home. Same ol story a day...week late for the best fishing the hollow has produced in years.



Money shot with PDiddy giving SM a Kiss.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by notorious

Fishing was tough on the Hollow, however I anticipated that with Texas saying the water was falling...with the continued drop in water SM have moved out further. No LM caught, the SM I caught were on wood and super light bites with the largest 3lb ...never felt her, they all came before 1000 on a bitisy bug...threw swim baits for about an hour and was only getting hits so I changed to the jig. Talked to a guy in a Red/White Skeeter from Gallatin...who confirmed they are on wood and super tough bite who caught 15# in hours last week. Put in at Horse Creek..SWT 55, Indian Creek 55.6, Green bouy is gone, Red Bouy is gone, Long Branch 56.3, Lick creek 56.5, Mitchell Creek mouth 57.6, across from Galton Hollow 57.6. Pdiddy and I stopped fishing at 1330 and cruzed back home. Same ol story a day...week late for the best fishing the hollow has produced in years.

I can confirm the tough bite. The bluegill weren’t even on. As you said the bite was very light. The JDM UL rods I was fishing picked them up very well though. I only caught 4 fish but 2 were pigs. Caught on 2.5# test line with 6’ 10” Graphiteleader UL rods using a Sow Bug colored Trout Magnet. I’ve been doing this for a few years up there....meaning the spring bite. In my opinion the best is yet to come.

Regards

Regards

Money shot with PDiddy giving SM a Kiss.

[Texas_Rig]

Originally Posted by notorious

Fishing was tough on the Hollow, however I anticipated that with Texas saying the water was falling...with the continued drop in water SM have moved out further. No LM caught, the SM I caught were on wood and super light bites with the largest 3lb ...never felt her, they all came before 1000 on a bitisy bug...threw swim baits for about an hour and was only getting hits so I changed to the jig. Talked to a guy in a Red/White Skeeter from Gallatin...who confirmed they are on wood and super tough bite who caught 15# in hours last week. Put in at Horse Creek..SWT 55, Indian Creek 55.6, Green bouy is gone, Red Bouy is gone, Long Branch 56.3, Lick creek 56.5, Mitchell Creek mouth 57.6, across from Galton Hollow 57.6. Pdiddy and I stopped fishing at 1330 and cruzed back home. Same ol story a day...week late for the best fishing the hollow has produced in years.



Money shot with PDiddy giving SM a Kiss.

Dang I hate that Notorious. Did you fish that big flat that I was talking about? It's been loaded with SM for at least a couple weeks. Most bass boats I've seen have been fishing way out on the edge of that flat and deep water, but I've focused my time in the ditches but close to the bank and have done very well there. If for some reason your not completely understanding what I'm describing just give me a call if you still have my number and plan on going back. I was really hoping you would get on that flat and have a stellar day.

[Texas_Rig]

Nice fish Alpha!

[Texas_Rig]

Originally Posted by Schleprock

What color buzzbait? I think I only have a black one but I do have spinner baits , headed up there tomorrow morning but fishing out of Byrdstown

Sorry Schleprock I just realized you asked what color buzzbait. I was throwing a 3/8th ounce black war eagle buzzbait. I almost always throw a buzzbait with a black blade. I always remove the skirt and add a swimbait or a frog. I've been using a 3.8" swimbait in a bluegill color at DH.

[Schleprock]

Originally Posted by Texas_Rig

Sorry Schleprock I just realized you asked what color buzzbait. I was throwing a 3/8th ounce black war eagle buzzbait. I almost always throw a buzzbait with a black blade. I always remove the skirt and add a swimbait or a frog. I've been using a 3.8" swimbait in a bluegill color at DH.

No problem, went to Mitchel Creek today , had a tough time , couldn't get a pattern going , at 2pm I was shut out and was tempted to leave , noticed that the water temps hit over 60 so I just committed to a spinner bait and started hitting every piece of wood I could find , ended up with 6 fish, all 4 largemouth were decent size between 15-18" , one 13" spot and a 12" SM

Really crazy, by 5pm the water temp was 64 degrees in the creeks

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Texas_Rig

If for some reason your not completely understanding what I'm describing just give me a call if you still have my number and plan on going back.

I would have had to wait in line...I was watching it...but took the same pattern and replicated it in other spots. Just old and tired and was having fun being on the water. Almost went to the fingers channels, hit the Turkey Foot and busted one. In Knoxville next Friday, Back on the hollow the next two weekends...if your up there..hollar at me and we will talk.Walleye will be on the banks at night...time to stock the freezer!