# 01/03/08 - 01/05/08 - G3's New Year's FNF Trip



## G3_Guy (Feb 13, 2008)

I realize this is a month or so old but being new to the board, I wanted to get my feet wet. Below is a report from our trip to Dale Hollow Lake, TN for New Years. I am headed back there this weekend with my family and some friends and will report on that trip as well.

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Well we finally got back from our three day excursion to "The Hollow" and all I can say is... WOW!!! We had an absolute awesome time! The Fishing, the Food, the Fishing, the Fellowship and did I mention the Fishing were one for the storybooks. Let me lay the foundation for this report before I get into the details... Many pictures were taken, so many in fact that I can not post them all in this thread. I will share a few and then provide a link to the Dale Hollow page of my gallery. There you can look over all of the pics from our trip and enjoy. You will notice there are a few pics of my dad and our friend (his partner for the weekend) which have numerous fish in one shot. This took place because my dad did not have a camera and I wanted to make sure we got pictures of everything. He held on to the fish and we would meet up every few hours. I would then take the pictures and all fish were released unharmed and unscathed. I am happy to report that no fish were lost, killed or removed from the lake.

Alright, now on to the good stuff...

We (_me, my dad and two of our buddies_) arrived at Eagles Cove Resort around 7am that morning where it had snowed on us for the last hour of our trip. We checked into our cabin, unpacked everything, changed clothes and launched our boats around 7:45am. It was 6 degrees outside and everything was frozen...







*Day 1 01.03.08*

Launched: 7:45am
Air temp: 6 Degrees
Water Temp: 44-45 Degrees
Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy early with clearing skies in the afternoon.
Location: Upper end of the lake.

The fish bit all day on the FNF with most fishing coming between 8-12' deep. Color did not seem to be an issue as fish were caught on several different ones. 

Team G3 (_my partner and I_) hooked up on 18 fish and was able to land 10 of them. We saw several of the others which got off and they were all nice fish that appeared to be between 16-19" long. Of those we landed, our biggest for the day was 20.5" long and almost 5lbs.

Team Skeeter (_my dad and his partner_) hooked up 10 fish and were able to land 5 of them. Their largest was 20" long and 4.5lbs.

All in all we had a great day with 28 hook-ups between us and 15 nice fish in the boat. Of the 15, there were 0-LM, 3-Spots & 12-SM on Day 1. All fish were caught on the FNF.










*Day 2 01.04.08*

Launched: 7:30am
Air temp: 17 Degrees
Water Temp: 42-45 Degrees
Weather: High pressure and clear blue skies.... Lots of wind.
Location: Upper end of the lake.

This was a much slower day for everyone as the High Pressure which had moved in over night seem to slow them down tremendously. This was a little disappointing since the day before had been so productive.

Team G3 hooked up on 5 fish and was able to land 4 of them. Our largest for the day was 19" and weighed 4lbs.

Team Skeeter hooked upon 6 fish and was able to land 3 of them. Their largest was 20" and weighed 4lbs.

Total for the day was 11 hook-ups and 8 fish in the boat. Of the 8 fish there were 0-LM, 0-Spots & 8-SM. All but one fish was caught on the FNF. The other fish was caught on a small tube bait.










*Day 3 01.05.08*

Launched: 7:10am
Air temp: 27 Degrees
Water Temp: 44-45 Degrees
Weather: Low pressure had moved back in over night. Skies were cloudy all day with variable winds.
Location: Upper end of the lake.

This was the day of all days! The cloudy skies and little to no early morning wind gave everyone a little hope when beginning the day. It would not take long for us to realize how great of day it really would be.  We pulled in on our first point of the morning. On my first cast, I shook the bobber once, looked off at my dad as he was blasting off and when I looked back the bobber was gone. I set the hook, took three cranks and the fish came unbuttoned. My partner through in right behind me, shook the bobber a couple of times and down she went... a nice one that was 19" long. We moved on down the bank, turned around and came back. I landed a 13" KY and then a 17" SM. My partner had 2 more nice fish on and they proceeded to come to the top and spit the lure in his face. So on our first bank we had a hold of 6 fish. We were pumped to say the least. We moved on up the lake where we found my dad. We went over to say hello and see how they were doing. they had two bites and one fish to show for it. We started to take off when they said just go ahead and fish with us here, we aren't really doing any good. On my first cast, the float went down and up came about an 18" SM. I had it right at the boat with my partner getting ready to dip it and the line broke at the hook. The fish just sat there for a few seconds and then took off with my fly. It wasnt but 5-6 casts later when my partner caught the only LM of the trip. It was 18" and around 3.5lbs. My dad and his buddy had seen enough... :lol: oke: They moved and we stayed at it. We moved on down the bank and picked up 2 more around 17' each. We then moved a couple of times hooking up on one or two fish each time. When we came back down, we saw my dad and stopped in again to see how they were doing and to stir the pot a little . When we pulled up they were both grinning from ear to ear... they had found a school of SM and had proceeded to wear them out! They just kept pulling them out of the livewell... all in all they had 10 between 14"-19" and said they had 3 more on bigger than any of those which they did not get in the boat.  :blink:. We fished on up the bank and broke one off then decided to run back down to get out to the wind. We fished a few more banks and was able to catch two more good fish around 19" each. My dad and his partner found us near the ramp around 5pm and once again were all smiles... they had found another school and proceeded to load the boat. This time there were 5 between 15" - 20.5".   So to end day 3.....

Team G3 hooked up on 18 fish and landed 12 of them. The largest was 19.5" and weighed 4lbs.

Team Skeeter hooked up on 24 and was able to land 17 of them. Their largest was 20.5" long and weighed 5lbs.

Total for the day was 42 hook-ups and 29 fish in the boat. Of the 29 there were 1-LM, 4-Spots & 24-SM. All but 4 fish were caught on the FNF. The other 4 were caught on a small tube bait.










*Three Day Total (01.03 - 01.05)*

Team G3 hooked-up on 41 fish and landed 26 of them. Our largest of the week was 20.5" long and weighed 5lbs.

Team Skeeter hooked up on 40 fish and landed 25 of them. Their largest of the week was 20.5" long and weighed 5lbs.

Combined total was 81 hook-ups and 51 landed.

Like I said... WOW!!! We had an awesome trip! It was great memory to make with my dad and our friends. If you ever plan a trip, go to Eagle Cove Resort. We had a 5 bedroom chalet overlooking the water, with a grill and hot tub. We left our boat in the water both nights. All we had to do each morning was wake-up, cook and eat breakfast, drive down to the dock, unhook the boat and go. There was also 3 neighborhood deer which I got pictures of. Like I said, way to many pictures taken to post them all here... check out the Dale Hollow section of my gallery by clicking on the link below or visiting the gallery section of our board. _Note, with several of the fish we took multiple photos to make sure we got a good one._

https://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z136/G3_Guy/Fishing Pics/TN - Dale Hollow/?start=all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DFjh9Q1Rzw










God Bless & Good Fishing!


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## Jim (Feb 14, 2008)

Awesome trip!  

We try to do two of those a year ourselves. The only difference is we catch all the little fish in the lakes we go to :wink:


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## Captain Ahab (Feb 14, 2008)

Great Report - can you post a few pics of how you rig the Float N Fly along with a brief description?


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## shamoo (Feb 14, 2008)

Mr.G3, very nice report I love those SMB pictures, the fact that you had a chance to fish with pops, and I especially love the fact that you practice catch and release, nothing like giving someone else a chance to catch those beautiful fish. Like Mr. Esquired said it would be interesting to hear a little report on the rigging of the FNF. Thanks for the pictures and the report. :mrgreen:


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## mtnman (Feb 14, 2008)

those are some beautiful fish and i must say a great report. good job!


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## Bubba (Feb 14, 2008)

G3_Guy said:


> I realize this is a month or so old but being new to the board, I wanted to get my feet wet.



Don't let him fool ya guys, He just wanted to show off..... :- :lol:


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## G3_Guy (Feb 14, 2008)

Alright... that's enough outta you Bubba!


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## G3_Guy (Feb 14, 2008)

esquired said:


> Great Report - can you post a few pics of how you rig the Float N Fly along with a brief description?



Thanks for all the kind words guys... I really appreciate it. We take an annual New Year's trip to a new body of water each year with a group of friends. It's always interesting whether we catch fish or not... This year we got lucky and did both.

Instead of typing everything out again or copying and pasting a rather long thread... I thought I would just give everyone the link to thread I started over on ETF regarding the FNF technique... 

Click on the link below or Copy & Paste the link into your browser to see it. Let me know if you have any trouble accessing it.

https://www.easttennesseefishing.com/index.php?showtopic=78

God Bless & Good Fishing!


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## slim357 (Feb 14, 2008)

link didnt work for me it took me to a login page. Nice report and pics tho, i hear floatin fly is killer bait but never had any luck with it myself.


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## G3_Guy (Feb 14, 2008)

slim357 said:


> link didnt work for me it took me to a login page.



Since the link didn't work, I'll paste my first post from that thread... There is additional info available if you are interested. ____________________________________________

I'm just a guy that really likes to fish for smallmouth... especially in the winter.

A few notes about the FNF. 

- The colder and nastier the weather... the better they bite.
- Water temp has to be between 40-55 degrees for them to really eat it.
- 8-10' spinning rod is a must
- 4lb test P-Line (I prefer the green mono)
- Small pear shaped bobber
- 1/16 Jigs work the best
- Depth fished is usually 7'-14'

This is a dynamite lure for big winter smallmouth! It has been known to catch a few other types of fish as well... Stripe (just ask Joe), Crappie, Bluegill, Drum, Largemouth & Spots. Around this area Norris, Cherokee and South Holston produce your larger stringers but Chilhowee, Tellico & Loudon produce a few decent fish with it as well. 

I have been using this technique for 12+ years... _now that I think about it I am getting old_!  There have been days on all 3 of the top lakes I mentioned above when I could have weighed-in 25 - 28lbs with my best 5 smallmouth. Understand as with all fishing though, not every day is a good day and some of them can even be humbling. It's still a ton of fun though!

A special rod and real is not a must item but for the beginner, it sure makes life a lot easier. I have taken numerous people on their "first" FNF adventure and because we use mostly light line (4lb) the extra length and action of the FNF rod gives the beginner a little more room for error as they learn the technique (Just ask JOE  ). Remember... this isn't a flippin stick with 20lb braid on it... you have to get use to giving the fish a little time to run and play. For most of your "power fishing" types, this takes a little time to get use to. 

There's no need for you to run out and buy one right now unless you just have the itch and the extra cash... If you do decide you have to have one right away... you can get a good outfit (rod &reel) for around $60 if your a thrifty shopper. Of course you can always pay more if you want too.  

There are all kinds of ways to rig your floats, your line, and your flies but the easiest and most consistent way I have found has been just to use a standard small pear shaped float and a single fly (never tipped as that's cheating... anyone can catch fish with live bait.  ). The smaller the fishing line...the better. Determine the depth you want and then wrap your line around the bottom of the float 2-3 times. This allows you to change depths quickly without tying and re-tying each time you want to adjust. I know several people who use the swivel method others have spoke of and have had success but for me, I like to change depths regularly and this tends to slow me down. Everyone likes to fish a little different though, so find what works best for you and stick with it. 

The type of banks or cover varies as you really need to get a feel for what stage or pattern the fish are at during the time you are fishing. Rocky banks are always a safe bet but can sometimes be distracting to where the fish are really at and what they are really doing. As a rule of thumb I typically start off in deep pockets and work my way to the points and/or bluffs until I determine their location and/or pattern.

As for warm and/or pressured water... I've caught fish on this lure in all different water temps and conditions, but the issue becomes the quantity & quality. This technique is designed to target suspending schools of fish. During the winter months the smallmouth school up, move less and feed less. The fly which looks like a minnow being drug in front of their faces is to tempting as it takes little effort for them to eat. This is why if you locate a good school, you can land several nice ones in a row. The issue I have run into with warmer water is that the fish typically don't school as much, they move more, eat more and want bigger sized bait. Suddenly this little minnow (fly) that was so tempting during the winter isn't even considered worth the effort during the summer months. Again, they can be caught but not as consistently.

Dale Hollow is a great place to use this lure... I usually make 1 or 2 trips a year down there. The lake is loaded with smallmouth so it's a good place to learn the technique. Norris and Cherokee are very good as well though.

There are a few other tricks as well but we'll save that for a later time... A guy cant tell all of his secrets at once.  

*Rule of Thumb*: If you wake up, look out the window and say... "_a man would have to be crazy to fish in this weather_", then you should definitely put your cloths on and go on to the lake. It should be a good day!


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## Captain Ahab (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks for posting that. Do you tie your own flies for this, I still have a million questions, sorry


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## G3_Guy (Feb 14, 2008)

esquired said:


> Thanks for posting that. Do you tie your own flies for this, I still have a million questions, sorry


No problem! I tie some but not as much as my dad... I have a 7yr and 2yr old son so there is not a lot of time for tying, if you know what I mean. My dad has more time on his hands than I do. :lol:


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## slim357 (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks for the info on the float-n-fly.


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## SMDave (Feb 14, 2008)

Great fish, great report, thanks for sharing!


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## BassAddict (Feb 14, 2008)

Man fishing in temps that cold is HARDCORE!!!! Nice catching and nich photos, even better yet is the music on the youtube video!!


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## G3_Guy (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks... glad you liked it. I thought the music was fitting...


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## whj812 (Feb 15, 2008)

Awesome Report for a more awesome trip!!!!! Thank for the post.


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