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Tennessee SPORTSMAN August 2008
Beat the heat on Tennessee's best trophy smallmouth lake by night-fishing. Expert Stephen Headrick explains how to catch 'em.
Almost everyone wko knows anything at all about fishing in Tennessee knows that Dale Hollow Lake is the premier place to go to tangle with quality smallmouths. Not only is it home to the state- and world- record smallie, it consistently produces excellent catches of quality-sized bronzebacks. An angler can hang a 4-pound smallmouth on any cast.
Some of the hottest fishing of the year occurs during the coldest time of the year. All winterm the smallmouth bite remains good with the float-and-fly method.
Springtime, of course, is a favorite time to be on the lake for most anglers. the pre-spawn, spawn and even post-spawn are when some of the best fishing of the year happens. unfortunately, afterward we must face summer.
The summer months can be the most frustrating time of the year for smallmouth anglers. the water temperature soars, the fish go deep, and the lake is crowded with recreational boat traffic. Not a good combination for enjoyable fishing.
However, good bass fishing still exists through the summer months is  one is willing to change tactics a bit. Most seasoned Dale Hollow anglers and guides will turn almost exclusivley to night-fishing during the hot months.
Stephen Headrick, a professional guide and owner of Punisher Lures, said, "Fish can still be caught during the day on Dale Hollow in the summer, but it's just lots tougher."
Recreational boat traffic is tremendous  on the lake. Headrick said, "Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we have about two to 2 1/2 million tourists come through there."
Headrick has been fishing Dale Hollow Lake for years and has helped pioneer many of the fishing methods used on the lake. He's also been one of the foremost proponents of the float-and-fly method and has helped introduce it to thousands of anglers on not only Dale Hollow Lake, but also in many other areas of the country. He is a much sought-after seminar speaker and travels extensively teaching other anglers how to master techniques to take bronzebacks on their favorite lakes. it is with good reason he has been given the name the "Smallmouth Guru."
As with Headrick, fishing guide Bobby Gentry has been targeting smallmouths on Dale Hollow for over 20 years. He has fished and guided throughout all seasons and all types of weather conditions. He absolutely loves fishing for smallmouths at night. Not only is the summer smallmouth bite better during the dark hours, but also the cooler air temperature makes fishing much more comfortable for the anglers.
Sunlight is a second big detriment to angling, according to Headrick and Gentry. It is well known that smallmouths hate light and the guides believe smallmouths avoid sunlight penetration pretty much all year except for a brief time during the spawn. this makes nighttime much more conducive to the smallmouth bite during the bright days of summer.
Even when fishing at night, one must still remain cognizant of the light. Headrick explained, "Night-fishing on Dale Hollow has a lot to do with the moon. If the moon is out bright, we fish around the rocks or the shady banks. During the dark phases of the moon, we fish the grass."
Grass is a great place for all types of bass forage to hide. it also makes a nice place for smallies to ambush that same forage.
Dale Hollow has a couple of different grasses the guides like to fish. Coontail grows about 15 to 20 feet off the bottom and is mainly fished during the springtime. Skunk grass, on the other hand, grows only a couple of feet off the bottom and is what the anglers look for in summer when night-fishing. It seems to hold more baitfish than the coontail.
Spinnerbaits are the preferred bait for night-bite bass, according to the pros. They both like to use a short-armed spinnerbait as it provides plenty of much-needed advantages over a standard spinnerbait.
Both Headrick and Gentry claim the short-armed spinnerbait will pick up much less grass than others. Contrary to what many other anglers may say, they also feel the bait better.
Gentry said, "I like the short-arm a lot of times when I'm fishing brush and grass combinations. If you've got a laydown or something that's got a lot of weeds in it, you get the same effects with a short-arm, but you just don't pick up as much grass."
Another advantage is better hookups when the bass don't hot the bait just right, Gentry explained, "Sometimes when fishing a spinnerbait, the bass will take the blades. Sometimes you'll be slow-rolling and you'll feel the blades stop and set the hook and miss the bass. A short-armed spinnerbait will help eliminate some of that."
Slow-rolling is the technique used during the darker phases of the moon. to get the most from the technique, it's crucial to slow the retrieve to an absolute crawl, according to Headrick. He said, "A lot of people like to feel that blade turning. To me, it's not so important to feel that blade turn. I just like to slowly swim it. Sometimes I fish it so slow I don't even think the blades turn."
When the moon is brighter, that's the time to look for shady areas. Shady banks are predominately what the pros seek. They will also pull up on rocks or humps on the bottom, but they'll always fish the shady side first and most extensivley. the smallmouths will relate to the shade at night just the same as they do during the day.
There is not as much cover in the lake as there was once. However, the shade actually functions as cover. not only is this important to smallmouths, but baitfish will actually seek out the shade as well.
Shady banks with grass on them are by far the best locations. For someone not familiar with the lake, these areas can be difficult to find. However, if you can locate the dirt red clay banks, you've found grass.
Another technique that works well with the short-armed spinnerbait is a yo-yo presentation. Headrick believes the smallmouths tend to suspend more during the full moon period, so using a yo-yo method will actually bring the bait up in front of the fish more.
Smallmouths start getting into this summer pattern shortly after the spawn subsides. In late May and early June, the water temperature will usually start climbing above the 70-degree mark. This is when the guides turn to night angling,
They start off with 1/2-ounce spinnerbaits in the early part of the night fishing season. By late summer, they are throwing baits in the range of 3/4 to 1 ounce. Some anglers who fish the lake regularly like even bigger spinnerbaits, up to 1 1/2 ounces.
The reason for the gradually increasing weights is that the fish continually go deeper throughout the year. Headrick said, "As summer progresses, we go deeper and deeper. the reason is, the hotter it gets, the deeper the thermocline gets. And don't let anyone fool you. Fish do get below the thermocline."
The pros buck the system and go with bigger blades too. Often, the larger spinnerbaits will have big No. 6 Colorado blades. Headrick explained, "As summer progresses, you go with bigger blades. A lot of people will say you're defeating the purpose by going to a heavier spinnerbait and bigger blades. Well, it's not defeating the purpose. We go with heavier spinnerbaits with bigger blades because of flash."
The flash mimics baitfish and attracts smallmouths. At this time of year, the bass are feeding on threadfin shad, alewives and crayfish. It's very important to represent natural forage as much as possible, which brings us to the next important step -- color presentation.
Gentry said, "Color is always important and Punisher has come out with some new colors in spinnerbaits that you just haven't seen before. We've been catching a lot of fish on these new colors, which better represent forage to the bass."
One particular color that Gentry prefers is the green pumpkin with red skirt. Another very popular color is aptly named the Dale Hollow Craw. It is green pumpkin pepper with chartreuse in it.
There is much more to choosing the right bait color than many people realize, according to the pros. colors don't look the same underwater as they do in the boat, and they don't look the same in various parts of the lake.
Gentry explained, "In Dale Hollow, or any other lake, you're going to have varations in color in that lake. Rain and runoff can stain the backs of creeks and other areas of the lake, while the main lake may be much clearer. You always try to mimic forage and baitfish. When you've got variations in water color that makes that bait appear different to the bass, that's where the plug and hunt game is with your color sequence."
Light penetration is the most important thing to consider when choosing color, according to Headrick. He said, "On a sunny day with light penetration into off-color water, the bait will look one way to the bass. On a cloudy day in off-color water, it may look very different.
Bobby Gentry has done a little diving and has discovered this to be very true from a fish-eye's view. He has been 28 to 30 feet down and been right at the thermocline line where cool and warm water meet. He described the view as a blur "like heat coming up off the road." He described how different the bait looks while being pulled through that blur as opposed to other areas.
"I don't know what the fish are seeing down there, but I know it's something totally different from what we see up there in the boat," he said.
Headrick is a strong believer in keeping tabs on the moon phase while night-fishing. He believes that the light penetration from the moon not only affects the way a spinnerbait looks to the fish, but it also changes the color of crayfish and the way natural forage appears to the bass.
To stress his belief in the moon phases, he recapped his night-fishing techniques by saying, "The two things you have to master to fish at night are these. Number one, you have to remember fishing method and bait presentation through the moon phases. Next, you have to consider color presentation through the moon phases."
Tackle plays a big part in success with these baits at night too. Headrick likes using a 7-foot, medium-heavy rod with a fast tip. He uses a bait-casting reel with 12- to 14-pound Fire Line, but said some other people prefer even heavier line.
Headrick uses Fire Line only a couple times out of the year, and night-fishing is one of them. He said he likes to use it in midsummer because of its sensitivity and stretch resistance.
Gentry, on the other hand, has a little different approach to tackle. He said, "From a guide standpoint, some of my clients are not real heavy hooksetters. I like a fast tip, but a little more backbone in the rod. I usually use a 6- to 7-foot rod. I also have to use spinning tackle a lot, because many of the people I take fishing aren't comfortable with using baitcasters."
Fishing Dale Hollow Lake at night is no easy chore. Even the guides and other locals who are on the lake daily will say it can be a very daunting task at times to find the right areas.
Obviously, for someone who doesn't know the lake as well, it's really tough to get out there, run up and down the lake in the dark, and find areas that hold bass.
There are two ways one who is not familiar with lake can go out there and find fish. The first is to get out on the water in the daylight, go around and mark likely looking areas with GPS coordinates and then go back after dark to fish them. However, this takes much and effort and can cut into actual fishing time.
The other way is to actually enlist the help of a guide or other seasoned angler on the lake. Gentry said, "Sometimes people will come down here and hire a guide for a day and let them show them where and how the fish are being caught at that particular time of year. Then they can go back out by themselves and catch some fish."
A convenience store in Celina, Dale Hollow 1 Stop, is a favorite hangout for local anglers and guides and funtions as the home base for Punisher Lures. Headrick, Gentry and many other local anglers are often in store and more than willing to share their knowledge of the lake. Gentry said, "If you catch me or Stephen (Headrick) down at the 1 Stop, we'll be more than happy to mark some spots on the map and show you where the fish are being caught. It's tough out there at night, so don't hesitate to ask. We love to help other people catch fish and come dow here and have a good time."
There are numerous choices of where to launch on Dale Hollow Lake. Of course, some of the locations cater more toward the angler than do others.
Among the more popular locations with local anglers: Hendricks Creek Resort (www.hendrickscreek1.com), Cedar Hill Resort (www.cedarhillresort.com), and Horse Creek Dock and Marina (www.horsecreek-resort.com), Also, the Dale Hollow Marina (www.dalehollowmarina.com) is another very popular launching spot.
Stephen Headrick may be reached by phone at 931.243.6133 or online at www.punisherlures.com. The Dale Hollow 1 Stop and Punisher Lures are located at 5750 Burkesville Highway in Celina.
Bobby Gentry Guide Service may be reached by phone at 270.427.1419 or by email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. His website is www.bobbygentry.com.
Dale Hollow Lake has long had the reputation of providing excellent smallmouth bass fishing and offering anglers a chance at a real trophy. Regulations imposed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) help ensure the quality of the fishery for years to come.
Current regulations include a slot limit of 16 to 21 inches. Only two fish per day may be harvested by anglers, but no fish may be kept that fall between those length parameters. One fish less than 16 inches and one fish more than 21 inches may be kept.Â
Fortunately, most anglers understand what it takes to build and maintain a fishery of the quality found at Dale Hollow. Very few anglers actually harvest smallmouth bass from the lake. Occasionally, someone will catch a real whopper and want to keep it for the wall, but even then, many people will take a photo and some measurements and opt for a reproduction mount rather than removing the fish from the lake.
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