However, at the same time, he also recommends the Powell River Arm. "It's better than most anglers think," he said. "Its remote location holds down fishing pressure, but the habitat is just as good as in the Clinch."

It's 56 miles long and offers not only great fishing but also spectacular scenery.

Regardless of where they fish, however, most successful anglers on Norris troll live bait -- shad to be specific.

Norris is located just south of La Follette and north of Knoxville. It's easily accessible from the north or south from I-75. (There's a La Follette exit off I-75.) Several major highways provide good access from the west or the east. Accommodations are available throughout the area at reasonable prices. Thirty-eight improved ramps circle the lake.

A word of warning about Norris in January and February: Yearly water level fluctuations of 45 feet or more are common. That exposes thousands of shallow rock points, underwater humps, bars and ridges. They're sitting there, quiet and patient, waiting to claim your lower unit. Boat with care; if you don't, you'll be sorry.

If you want a true trophy striper -- one that leaves no doubt about your fishing prowess -- take a look at the Cumberland River. The stretch through northern Tennessee is rapidly developing a well-deserved national reputation for big fish. And winter on the river is one of the better times to search for them.

Now, you won't catch many at this time of year in the Cumberland, but those you do catch -- if you can get them in the boat -- will be something to write home about.

Striper guide Brian Bihl (visit his Web site at www.wegonefishing.com) earns his living on the Cumberland. He's spent years fishing for big, trophy-sized stripers. He rates it as the best venue in the country.

"Sure, several lakes around here will get you more numbers, but not size . . . not like those in the river," he said with enthusiasm.

According to Bihl, the key to catching big fish during the winter is to fish clear water with big bait. When he says big, he means it. His recommendation is to use live skipjacks between 12 and 21 inches long. He'll use gizzard shad if he can't get skipjacks, but only as a last resort.

That size bait is not easy to come by under the best of circumstances. Sometimes you can capture them with a cast net, but at other times, it's best to catch them on hook and line. To do that, throw a tiny jig on ultralight tackle around the mouth of a clearwater inflow. If you lose your jig, don't worry. A bare hook with a sliver of tinfoil and a small sinker will work just as well. In fact, they'll bite on just about anything in your tackle box if it's little.

In short order, you'll find that catching skipjacks is about as much fun as catching stripers. Skipjacks are a hard-fighting, high-jumping fish.

Bihl typically fishes his bait off three lines running from only one side of the boat. Experience has taught him that extending lines from both sides of his boat is more trouble than it's worth. The river is not wide enough to properly control lines on both sides of the boat, and if there's other boat traffic, it's nearly impossible for one boat to pass the other.