(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Ott DeFoe learned to fish on the highland reservoirs of east Tennessee, and those lakes and similar ones hold a special place in his angling memories. Asked to describe what makes these lakes similar, he said that they have “more steep banks than flat banks. There doesn’t have to be tons of deep water and there’s usually not a lot of grass, but steep banks are the key.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean that steeper is better. The key in the early season, as winter turns to spring, is that the fish need quick access to very deep water. Usually that means at least a 45-degree angle.
One place he’ll start his search in the coldest weather is at warm-water runoffs. If they’re on one, they’re usually on them all, and while much of the lake will be better in the heat of the afternoon, he prefers these spots in the morning because they hold warm water overnight. Even a 2- to 3-degree difference in water temp can be significant.
When it’s cold, he said that rock cover is his first choice. “No debate in my mind,” he added, explaining that’s why Guntersville’s many bridges are so productive in the early season (even though that’s not a highland reservoir). He’ll also explore docks with brush around them, and in clear water he believes that “anything vertical” has the potential to produce, including seawalls, the face of a dam, or bridge pilings. The fish like to move up and down on them.
While he utilizes a variety of lures in the winter, one Tennessee favorite that’s starting to get some notoriety is “tight-lining,” using a small, minnow-shaped soft plastic on a VMC jighead or a homemade aspirin-shaped head in 3/16- or 1/4-ounce. “It works when a lot of other stuff doesn’t,” he said. “It’ll get a lot of bites when it’s still with no wind,” when even one of his other favorites – a number 5 Shad Rap – isn’t quite up to the finesse challenge. He just counts down the swimbait and swims it back, often with a slight bounce of his rod tip, but being careful to “never just give it slack.” He fishes it on spinning gear with 10-pound Bass Pro Shops braid and a 6- or 8-pound XPS fluorocarbon leader.
In the colder times he also likes a blade bait and tries diligently not to overwork it. He lifts it off the bottom “just enough to feel it vibrate.” On some lakes it works all year round while on others it’s only effective when the shad are dying.
As winter transitions to spring and fish are moving toward their spawning areas, DeFoe cautions anglers to keep up with their quarry’s movements. “One week is a lot of time” when the bass only have 4 weeks to go from main-lake bluffs to the backs of pockets,” he explained. On warmer weeks he’ll look shallower and when it’s colder fishing may be better on the main lake. “They don’t all move shallow at the same time,” he added, but as they move closer to the spawning act they’ll relate more consistently to cover. At this time he likes to engage in a “meat and potatoes kind of fishing,” relying on spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and Terminator Jigs, among others, but his absolute favorite way to fish is with a shallow crankbait, usually a Rapala DT4 or DT6. He also likes to concentrate his efforts in the biggest tributaries because they usually have the biggest populations of fish and more defined creek channels. This is when lipless crankbaits are often at their best.
If you want to learn some of DeFoe's other advice on fishing highland reservoirs, including how early he’ll fish a topwater and which ones he prefers in the pre-spawn, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
