Punisher Lures :: Fishing Lures, Bass Jigs, Hair Jigs, Spinnerbaits & More!

Share this Mister Wong Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Simpy StumbleUpon Slashdot Furl Yahoo Technorati Newsvine Googlize this Blinklist Facebook Wikio Export PDF Print E-mail Tags Dale Hollow Lake Dale Hollow fishing smallmouth fishing fishing smallies smallmouth fishing on Dale Hollow spinnerbaits Punisher Lures Punisher Spinnerbaits Punisher jigs smallmouth guru Stephen Headrick jerkbaits fishing grass on Dale Hollow float-n-fly float and fly fishing bronzebacks bronzebacks on Dale Hollow

Published in BASSMASTER October 2005

AS TWILIGHT STEALS the glimmer from the clear, green water, Stephen Headrick finally takes pity upon me.

"I think you had some bites last night but just didn't know it," he says. "Tonight, pop that jig off the bottom; reel a little, and then watch your line as it falls."

"You'll see the bite." 

Thirty minutes later, I understand why some of Headrick's friends call him the "Smallmouth Guru" of Dale Hollow Lake. 

I've already boated two bass, compared to the night before, when I caught nothing from dusk until early morning.

Regardless, Headrick is again, by far, the better angler this night. As he did the night before, the owner of Punisher Lures catches more and bigger fish, including several bronzebacks of 4 pounds or better.

The third in our party, guide Bobby Gentry, is not impressed. "We don't even get the net for a 3-pounder," he says with a grin. "That's how good this lake is."

For decades, this rugged and scenic impoundment has been noted as a fishery that produces big smallmouth, including David Hayes' controversial 11-15 world record, as well as a 
10-14 and a 10-8 just a few years ago.

But now, Gentry says, a protective slot of 16 to 21 inches and proliferation of coontail, milfoil and other grasses have turned Dale Hollow into a lake that produces staggering numbers of 3- to 5-pound fish, as well as trophies. Fish boated by him and his clients he adds, average nearly 4 pounds.

"Everyone knows that smallmouth bass relate to rocks and offshore rockpiles," says the guide who works out of Hendricks Creek Resort on the Kentucky side. "But over the years, grass here has gotten thicker and Dale Hollow fish have changed. They relate more to the grass year-round, but especially during the summer."

During two nights in June, we catch 15 bass in the 3- to 5-pound range in the grass, with the Guru, of course, accounting for most of them. Despite doing everything right during the battle, he also loses one that probably was much bigger.

All of them bite craft hair Punisher jigs that Headrick makes at his Dale Hollow 1 Stop in Celina, Tenn. With their flexible hair that repels water and flares with the slightest movement, these baits, paired with plastic chunk trailers, seem the perfect complement to the vegetation.

"This jig simplifies bait selection on Dale Hollow," Gentry says. "You can use this bait year around. Just take your time and it will come right through the grass."

Gentry throws that jig at night from June through September, because of clear water, warm temperatures and daytime boat traffic.

"The smaller fish are along the shore," he says. "That's why I fish the grass on the offshore humps, where the smallies are bigger and get hardly any pressure."

As the water cools and vacationers go home, Gentry becomes a sunshine angler and adds jerkbaits, finesse worms and spinnerbaits -- on windy days -- to his arsenal.

Fall is the toughest time, he adds, as more water is pulled through the reservoir and the smallmouth follow bait along the creek channels.

"I'm still fishing grass," says the guide. "But I try to track the fish, watch their movements."

He does so, he explains, by remembering that smallmouth have a tendency to move vertically, while largemouth tend to move more in a horizontal fashion.

As the water temperature drops below 50 degrees, Gentry starts fishing a float-n-fly above the grassbeds in the creeks. He typically uses a 1/16 ounce jig, light line, and a 10-foot rod to catch brownies that key on dying baitfish as they flutter down the water column.

As with night fishing during the summer, this, too, is one of the best times to test your tackle against big smallmouth.

"Actually, the slot has helped us start catching quality fish all year long," the guide says. "When you fish Dale Hollow, you can expect one at any time."

In spring, spinnerbaits, tubes and grubs, along with jigs, will take bronzebacks as they begin to move up in anticipation of the spawn.

"They come up on flats with dithces running into them," Gentry says. "I love this time of year because the fish don't go (spawn) all at the same time."

Before the bass nest, Headrick adds, Bandit and Hot Lips crainkbaits in red and crawfish colors are among his favorite baits. Once the bass are on bed, he says, a preferred technique among local anglers is to fish shiners, either on a tight line or under a bobber.

"After the spawn, the big females will move out to 15 or 20 feet of water," Gentry says. "They're lazy, and they'll suspend. That's the time to catch them on topwaters like the Spit 'N Image."

"I just go out off the bank from where they spawned and fish the outside edges of the grass."

Spring, summer, fall or winter, the grass is where it's at these days at Dale Hollow.