When is the best time to fishing smallmouth in TN? Is Late December ok?
Hoovinator asked:
Im from Michigan, and Im going to be going to TN late December into early January, and I was wondering what I will be able to fish at this time. Me and my cousine will be squirl hunting, and we would like to go fishing as well. Just wondering what fish would be in season, and how the fishing is at this time of year in TN. We will be near Livingston, if that helps. Thanks for you help, best answer wins 10pts.
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Im from Michigan, and Im going to be going to TN late December into early January, and I was wondering what I will be able to fish at this time. Me and my cousine will be squirl hunting, and we would like to go fishing as well. Just wondering what fish would be in season, and how the fishing is at this time of year in TN. We will be near Livingston, if that helps. Thanks for you help, best answer wins 10pts.
April 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
no, i think small mouth are more march. you can probably catch walleye, or sunnies, or pike
April 24th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
As a matter of fact, the floating fly technique was developed on Dale Hollow Lake precisely at that time of year.
The fish will be suspended. Best bet is to look for the red banks. Then use your depth finder to locate the schools of suspended fish. A floating fly, jigging spoon, or even a vibrating bait, counted down to where they are, can promote hits.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:58 am
I have fished the Chattanooga area at that time of year. If you target smaller ponds (that warm up during the day) and small to medium- sized creeks you can catch Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass, small Pike, Bluegill, and in some places Walleye.
Here are some suggestions for success:
1. Lures- Small 1/8-1/4 OZ Jig & plastic grub can be very productive. In general, ANY small soft plastic can be deadly. A 4″ Charlie B “Slider Rig” can be esp productive.
2. Line- If you haven’t already, downgrade the diameter of your main line to 4-6LB test. (I like to use Berkley Fireline 4/10 with a possible leader of 6-8LB Flurocarbon.) Not only does down-grading allow a more stealthy presentation but it helps in casting smaller sized lures.
3. Do a search for lakes and ponds in that area. ANY small body of water can hold decent fish in the South. (I once fished a retention pond behind a Lowes for “Sh*t’s & Giggles” and caught 4 Largemouth Bass over 5 pounds EACH; IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY!) So don’t discount little small streams and ponds; they can be GOLD MINES!
April 28th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
In the southeastern part of the US if you’ve got the patience to fish slow enough, you can catch smallmouth all through the winter. The already stated float and fly method with a bobber and small hair jigs works on days with a little wind to move the rig up and down for you will work. On calm clear days you can fish with suspending jerk-baits fished very slowly or by dead sticking a senko style bait. You can also crawl a tube or small bucktail jig across the bottom with good results. If you focus on a river, the temp won’t fluctuate as much since the water stays “cooler” pretty much year round.