Larry Self.

OCTOBER
Topwater Rivers
Smallmouth Bass
The list could go on and on from the Buffalo and Duck rivers from Nashville on the west, or all the streams in the eastern reaches of the state. Some of the best topwater action all year is going to occur for smallmouth bass on the Holston and Nolichucky rivers.

As far as the Nolichucky River goes, you cannot go wrong with a Tiny Torpedo. You’ll want to work it fast and with plenty of action to make the bigger smallies angry. You’ll catch a bunch from the river dingers on up to 4 pounds plus in size. Don’t overlook the fast water beneath shoals for staging bass. Smallies forage in the fall, and the top is the best way to attack the Nolichucky.

Likewise, the topwater bite on the Holston River is fabulous in the fall. You can literally boat smallies all day long with black buzzbaits and Pop-N-Image Jr’s in the waters above the steam plant on the headwaters of Cherokee Lake. It’s nothing to catch over 30 brown fish on topwater lures, and many of them will be in the 3-pound-or-better range.

NOVEMBER
Tailwaters And Creeks
Trout
Just because it’s November doesn’t mean trout can’t be found. Tailwaters and your favorite summer creeks are still alive with rainbows waiting to be caught, especially on fly tackle. Plus, there’s far less of a crowd on streams than in the summer months.

Thanks to delayed harvest measures on streams like Paint Creek in East Tennessee, November is a fine time to find yourself wading for trout. After Oct. 1, trout have to be released until March. It’s worth your efforts with some of the big trout stocked in mountain runoff streams.

Other key areas include the tailwaters of Watauga Lake and South Holston Lake. The fall is not so much a dry fly time as it is a time for nymphs and Woolly Buggers. Anglers drive in from Virginia and North Carolina as well as other surrounding states to take advantage. The rainbow trout fishing can be very good in the winter.

DECEMBER
Dale Hollow Lake
Smallmouths
Most anglers wait until the first of the year to break out the Float-N-Fly rods. If you do, you might just miss some of the best bobber action that occurs just as the water temperature hits 50 degrees at Dale Hollow. The better news is you can find them up and down the lake now.

In the late winter and early spring, boats beat the banks with Float-N-Fly rigs from First Island all the way to the lower end of the lake. In December, the fish are much more widespread as water temperatures fall through the 50s. You can catch quality smallies from within the Kentucky waters all the way to the dam in December.

Average depths for your fly setup will be from 8 to 12 feet and deeper at times. The hallmark of smallmouth bass fishing is boating a big 21-inch-plus keeper on 4-pound-test. Forget your drag and learn to back reel to put the biggest smallmouths in the boat.

Find more about Tennessee fishing and hunting at:TennesseeSportsMag.com