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Published in Tennessee SPORTSMAN March 2005
The month of March brings many changes. Old Man Winter loses his grip to the milder temperatures of spring. the days get longer. More daylight increases the amount of time the water is exposed to the warming rays of the sun. To the smallmouth angler, thse are welcome changes because rising water temperatures will make the bass more active.
According to Bobby Gentry (contact him at BobbyGentry.com), a well-known smallmouth guide on the famed Dale Hollow Lake, "Anglers need to change tactics as the month progresses. I'll use a float-and-fly rig early in the month when the water temperature is 55 degrees or less. Late in the month, I'll switch to crankbaits or spinnerbaits when the water temperature increases."
Anglers need to understand that water temperature will dictate where the bass can be found and what technique to use.
"When the water temperature is below 55 degrees, the fish will suspend over structure like points, humps and grassbeds ot they will suspend next to the bluff walls," Gentry explained.
This is why he opts for the float-and-fly, a simple rig consisting of a small bobber and a samll hair or feather jig or fly. The jog or fly is attached to a line 10 to 15 below the bobber. With the aid of an 8- to 10-foot rod, the rig is cast and allowed to settle. The small jig will then hang slightly above or among the suspended bass.
He then uses a slow retrieve while gently shaking the rod tip parallel to the lake's surface. The gentle shaking will give the fly a lifelike action and the small profile will make it an easy target for the lethargic smallies.
When the water temperature is above 55 degrees, the smallmouths will begin to stage on ledges or sharp dropoffs close to spawning areas.
"They still may be holding at 20 to 30 feet deep, but on a windy day, they will move much shallower," Gentry said. "These pre-spawn fish are real aggressive and will readily take a spinnerbait or crankbait."
Quite often, on cloudy and windy days during March, the smallies can be found stacked up on windblown rocky banks.
Once a likely area is found, Gentry reaches for a a spinnerbait or crankbait.
"I've had great catches on the smaller profile spinnerbaits," Gentry said. "I think it closely resembles the size of the shad they're feeding on then. If they're ignoring a spinnerbait, I'll try a crankbait."
Gentry relies on a Luhr-Jensen "Hot Lipps" for his cranking needs. He prefers to cast the straight-lipped trolling model. The trolling model will dive deeper than the express models. He and many others who fish Dale Hollow prefer to use red crayfish-patterned crankbaits in March.
Suspending jerkbaits are also a good choice on a windy day on Dale Hollow. Jerkbaits offer smallmouths a big meal and have the right action in cool water. Smallmouths are notorious for following the bait all the way back to the boat. Sometimes simple adjustments, like changing lure color or retrieve speed, will take these fish. It's also wise to keep a rod rigged with a soft plastic handy. The fish that spook when they see the boat will often take a floating worm or fluke-type bait uses as a follow-up.
"When people ask me where to fish in March," Gentry said, "I tell them to fish the midlake section. This area has a lot to offer."
He prefers the midlake area because the water is consistently clear in the spring and water clarity means everything when using jerkbaits or floating a fly.
Also, several large creeks enter the lake in this area and the creeks tend to warm first in the spring. Baitfish will often seek out the warmer water in the creeks and the smallmouths will follow.
"Anglers can fish the midlake area efficiently," Gentry explained. "If you find fish holding on submerged grassbeds or bluff banks in Hendricks Creek, the scenario can be duplicated after a short run to one of the other creeks in the area like Pusley Creek or Roberts Hollow. You'll spend more time fishing and less time running."
Another midlake area that Gentry targets in March is Kemper Flats.
"Several years ago," he recalled, "I discovered that the smallmouths will be on the flats a lot sooner than you would think, especially if we had a mild winter. I'll start fishing the flats while most anglers are still in the creek. After several warm days, they'll roam the flats feeding and looking for spawning grounds. But if we get another blast of cold air, that will send them back to the ditches or cuts that run through the flats."
From a meteorological standpoint, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." From a professional smallmouth guide's standpoint, the smallmouth fishing on Dale Hollow, during March "comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion."
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