# Question for you southern impound fishermen



## onthewater102 (Dec 17, 2015)

When your water temperatures are in the mid to upper 40's what would your approach to fishing a 1500 acre power generating lake with natural flow of roughly 800 cfs this time of year (winter) and a peak flow during power generation of roughly 3500 cfs. Other facts include:

Max depth behind the dam is ~100'
There are two branches, only one has significant natural current.
Dominant predator species in the lake include LMB, SMB, Carp, Crappie & Perch (both yellow & white in large #'s)
Inconsistent landlocked alewife (small shad) population (fluctuates greatly year to year based on peak summer dissolved oxygen content)
Strong populations of forage including white suckers, bluegills, perch, shiners & minnows & crayfish.
The bottom composition is mainly steeply sloping with lots of rock (softball to basketball size with occasional boulders) but there are areas of gravel humps and silt flats too, a few sheer ledges, only a dozen or so building foundations, no standing submerged timber (all cut to the stump before the lake was filled), numerous submerged stone walls outlining old farms ~2 acres each & only one submerged road running along the original riverbed.

Curious what your approach to finding fish & what baits you'd be using. I've done very well here on an inconsistent basis, and have very little cold-water experience but there aren't similar bodies of water in the area that are fished regularly, and most in-state guys have a terrible time with this lake in general despite sampling done by the state indicating it has huge populations of both big largemouth and smallmouth.

Map is of the lower stretch of the river showing the stretch from the dam to about 2 miles upstream:


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## Brine (Dec 17, 2015)

LMB fishing - I'd head straight to the creek due north on the map starting with areas around that 20' hump at the mouth with the graph looking for signs of life. And then every area that has a mix of shallow water with deep water nearby. Ledges would be my theme. 

My go to search baits in cold water to fish different depths of the water column. 

1. Soft Plastic Swimbait on a jig head (clear water)
2. Spinner Bait - (stained water) 

Once you've located the depth the fish are holding, I switch to:
1. Appropriate depth Jerkbait (if suspended)
2. Jig/shakey head (if on bottom)

I'd probably have a spoon and drop shot handy as well. 

Naturally, all the baits should be worked at a snails pace (terribly difficult for me)

The bite will probably be better later in the day and I'd stick to the rock banks that receive the most sun.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 18, 2015)

You would probably consider the water clarity to be gin-clear. 6'+ visibility for sure.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 18, 2015)

Funny thing is - most guys I know up north swear off spinnerbaits in the cold water during fall/winter - however after ice-out they reach for a Colorado blade spinnerbait to go attack the 39-44 degree water...why conventional wisdom says it won't work in the fall but will work in the spring eludes me, but hearing someone suggest slow rolling a spinnerbait along makes good sense to me.


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## Bigwrench (Dec 18, 2015)

Around SWVA and East TN there's a little secret called the Float & Fly !! Soon as the water temps get 50 I start fishing that through the winter months. Some huge smallies have been caught on these gin clear TVA lakes in the winter months using this technique. Absolutely a go to in the cold water months


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## Brine (Dec 18, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> Funny thing is - most guys I know up north swear off spinnerbaits in the cold water during fall/winter


Better for you they keep swearing it off then... :LOL2: 

I would rather throw a 3/4 or 1oz spinnerbait over a deep diving crankbait any day. Wind is a bonus, and blade separation is key to being able to crawl it along and have the blades still turn. 



Bigwrench said:


> Around SWVA and East TN there's a little secret called the Float & Fly !!


I've never tried it, but I've studied up on it quite a bit. Just can't force myself to put on a bobber :LOL2:. I've seen plenty of big spots caught that way. Would be fun to go with someone who knew what they were doing and had good setups. Sounds like a good idea to try out on this lake =D>


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## Bigwrench (Dec 18, 2015)

Brine said:


> onthewater102 said:
> 
> 
> > Funny thing is - most guys I know up north swear off spinnerbaits in the cold water during fall/winter
> ...




First few times out by myself I was bored to tears and swore it off then I had a buddy that knew how to fish it take me out on South Holston (VA/TN line) and we had a BLAST !~ Needless to say I learned a lot that day and went and bought me a BPS float & fly rod and never looked back ! its the craziest thing catching those big smallies on what has to be the smallest hook I have ever used ! 

heres a resource to consider for tips 

https://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/tips/post/a-complete-lesson-in-float-fly-from-the-smallmouth-guru-2


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## onthewater102 (Dec 22, 2015)

Hmm...even in open water 20' deep...that certainly describes most of the zones they inhabit this time of year. Finding them on the electronics seems to be relatively easy, putting them in a chewing mood on the other hand...much harder.


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