Winter is one of the most dreaded seasons to many passionate bass anglers. But to some anglers of Dale Hollow Lake located on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky there is no better time to fish for smallmouth bass. Dale Hollow Lake, the home of the reigning world record smallmouth has been a legend for its ol’ brown fish for more than fifty years since angler D.L. Hayes caught the eleven pound and fifteen ounce monster. Since that great day in fishing history, Dale Hollow has gained a great reputation by producing many smallmouth bass near the ten-pound mark. It is believed by many that the cold, clear, deep waters of the legendary smallmouth fishery can be difficult to fish in the winter the as the suspended bass often develop lock jaw. This thinking has changed since local anglers have developed and improved an innovative cold-water fish catching strategy known as the Float N’ Fly.   


     According to Stephen Headrick (pictured above and left) , owner of Punisher Lures and known to many as “Smallmouth Guru”, the technique is credited to one of his mentors, an East Tennessee bass angler Charlie Nuckols. First developed as a technique to teas sluggish smallmouth bass to bite in the frigid clear Tennessee water the technique has become a legend of its own. Nuckols, who was the owner of Bullet Lures, pondered as to why the bass that had become lethargic were nearly impossible to catch once the water temperature dipped below 45 degrees. Nuckols could find the fish and could see them on his graph. However they were virtually uncatchable with known tactics even with winter go –to lures such, as jigging spoons were not touched by the chilling bass.        





  Nuckols solved the mystery by suspending smaller bait at the depth the bass were suspended and the rest is history. The success of the technique abolished the hope of a reaction strike, replacing it with a subtle suspended bite size offering that the bass did not have to exert energy to receive. Experimenting with tiny crappie jigs to imitate suspending lake minnows, he placed beneath a bobber at the suspended depth, and he caught bass. Refining the theory even more he had developed a winter smallmouth bass necessity, and soon discovered that it worked for spotted bass and largemouth bass as well. Charlie Nuckols drowned in a boating catastrophe in 1996, just as his revolutionary bass system was catching on with smallmouth anglers. A generation of anglers has continued to improve the original concept. Professional guides such as Bob Coan, and Bobby Gentry have helped over the years to keep Dale Hollow Smallmouth and The Float 'n' fly in the fishing news.     


  With Stephen Hedrick at the helm, Punisher Lures continues to perfect the concept with experimentation, in fact it was Charlie Nuckols that encouraged Stephen Headrick to makes his own flies after Stephen suggested to Charlie that he add a little larger hook, and Charlie responded by telling Stephen that there was plenty of room for other companies to make the small Float N’ Fly jigs. And with Charlie Nuckols help providing contacts for the materials from a near by toy manufacture Punisher Lures was born. Stephen learned to fish on Dale Hollow with some great men other than Charlie Nuckols, such as the legendary Billy Westmorland his knowledge of the lake and the smallmouth have helped him to earn his nickname, “Guru”. Stephen has developed friendships throughout the fishing industry with some of the top names in the sport, but he remains grounded in the small town of Celina Tennessee raising his family.     


 The Float 'n' fly is the perfect presentation for the clear cold water between forty and fifty degrees. However for some reason is even more effective when the water is in the lower forty-degree range. In the past this was the temperature range that signified the end of the season to many anglers. The smaller float 'n' fly jig now made by several companies, is a bait that the bass can eat with out any energy being depleted and suites their appetite since the metabolism is so slow a larger meal couldn’t be easily digested.         


 Smallmouth bass suspend in winter can be caught by learning to read the water. This gives anglers the best chance of locating them. Some of the classic locations include steep sloping banks especially where there is a visible change in the make up such as where rock meets clay. Points with rocks that are adjacent to deep water are also a good location to look for smallmouth bass. Look for bass suspending from ten to fifteen feet deep in these areas, even deeper on sunny days, and set your bobber just above the depth that you are seeing fish on your electronics. The choppy motion of the water is usually all the action needed to get the attention of the lethargic bass.  A complete float n' fly kit with everything needed (pictured above) can be purchased from the Punisher Lures Website.   

  Visit The Smallmouth Guru’s website for more tips and techniques. www.thesmallmouthguru.com   and www.punisherlures.com     

Photograph credit: Preston Moore at www.DaleHollowFishing.com .
Special thanks to Stephen and Preston for your help.