His trolling is precise and methodical. He makes certain his baits run through, above and below the baitfish. He takes the time to present his bait from several directions. He also varies his speed.

To accomplish all this, he follows a loose "S" pattern with his boat. That means trolling around the tip of a point, down along the creek mouth or channel and then back out and around the next point.

When fishing such areas, he uses live shad for bait. His preference is for the little ones. Two inches is about right. His reasoning is simple: The shad at this time of year are small. Why show the stripers something that doesn't look natural?

He also keeps a rod handy on the deck of the boat rigged with a white bucktail jig. That's in case he sees birds feeding. He points out that if the birds are feeding and diving on the surface, there will be hybrids or stripers under them. The only reason the birds act that way is because there are injured, crippled or shredded baitfish floating toward the surface.

If Jenkins sees this type of activity, he immediately heads toward the action. Not too fast, however. He eases his boat to within a few yards of the school and immediately begins casting.

Jenkins is a serious advocate of light tackle, especially considering the size fish he's after. He believes it generates more bites and offers his clients more excitement. His equipment preferences include Ambassadeur 6500 casting reels, spooled with 15-pound-test monofilament line and mounted on 7-foot medium-heavy-action rods.

Cherokee Reservoir -- 30,000 surface acres and 400 shoreline miles -- is located east of Knoxville, near Jefferson City. Accommodations are easily available and reasonably priced. There are at least 20 improved ramps around the lake. One will be near where you want to fish.

West of Cherokee, you'll find Norris Reservoir. Since 2003, this one has fallen on hard times, but it's coming back, coming back strong.

According to Doug Peterson, TWRA Fisheries Management biologist for Region IV, the 2003 striper kill -- there are no hybrids in Norris -- was not as bad as originally thought. Recent evidence suggests that many fish over 15 pounds survived and are doing well.

Just as important, the little ones are growing fast. And there are plenty of little ones to grow. More than 100,000 stripers have been stocked in Norris each year for the last six years. That averages over three per acre, fairly high.

The recovery has also been helped by the implementation of special harvest and creel regulations imposed on the lake. At this time, between Nov. 1 and March 15, anglers are permitted to harvest one 36-inch striper per day. At all other times of the year, anglers may harvest two fish, 15 inches or better. The purpose of this regulation is to avoid high numbers of released fish during warm-water periods when survival rates are low.

To take advantage of this great striper venue, pay close attention to the forage base. Most days, the stripers will hang below the huge schools of shad that roam about the lake. They're looking for an easy meal as the dying shad, injured and helpless, sink down into the depths.

Look for the shad and stripers around creek mouths, inflows and in shallow coves. This is where you'll find warmer water, especially along the north shoreline.

According to Peterson, the most productive area of the reservoir is the Clinch River Arm. It offers 73 miles of fishing opportunities. "That's where most of the big ones are caught," he said.