Its
winter and water temperatures have dropped into the mid to low 40-degree
mark in the Midwest. Catching lethargic bass
seems like an impossible undertaking. The only sane thing to
do during this time is to stay home and check out The BZ Board on the
Bass Zone website. Nevertheless, anglers will be anglers and
that means we go fishing, no matter how cold it gets. One effective
technique for catching bass during this time is Tightlining. The
Tightlining technique originated from anglers fishing TVA (Tennessee
Valley Authority) lakes that are cold and gin clear. During the
winter months, the TVA draws their lakes in east Tennessee down below
pool levels, sometimes up to 30 feet. Having limited cover available
and ultra-clear water clarity, anglers experience success catching
big smallmouth Tightlining with ultra-light fishing line and small
jigs.
The
majority of anglers have read or seen fishing shows about the float-n-fly
technique. It catches bass in cold water conditions
off structure; however, it requires an angler to use awkward equipment
compared to what anglers normally use. The act of casting can also
be impractical with a bobber 9 to 15-feet from the jig. Float-n-fly
experts that have cast this set up for years have developed a specific
technique for casting; however, for the average angler forget it, your
line, bobber, and jig become one wicked mess. Plus trying to
land a big smallmouth while struggling to remove a bobber from your
fishing line can mean losing fish; especially, if you are by yourself. Tightlining
on the other hand uses conventional spinning tackle, 7-foot rod, ultra-light
line, and a small jig.
Finding
information on Tightlining can be almost impossible. Lucky
for us novice Tightliners, Nathan Light, a renowned Tightlining guru
from east Tennessee, has come out with a DVD called Light on the
Water, Learning the Art of Tightlining. (See www.tightlining.com more
information on the DVD). In
the DVD, Light covers all the basic information on equipment, places
to fish, fighting a fish, knots, and the best time and conditions for
Tightlining. When watching the DVD it's important to pay
attention to the knot Light ties. The knot does not tighten down
on the eye of the jig but has a loop to allow the jig to sit horizontally
in the water when retrieved.
When
Light is Tightlining he uses quality 4-pound co-polymer fishing line
with a Shimano Sprex 2000 on a Kistler 7-Foot LTA medium action rod. For
a jig, Light uses the original size Uglyhead Jig (www.uglyheadjigs.com)
almost a 100% of the time when Tightlining.
When
Tightlining Light explained, "Anglers should look
for a 45-degree bank with river rock, rip rap, or black slate; these
banks warm up fast after a couple days of sunshine." "An
angler should simply cast out towards the bank and shake their rod
tip as they slowly reel in the jig," Light continued, "The
key is to cover lots of water like fishing a crankbait and keep the
bait off the bottom but close to it." "Another crucial
part of Tightlining to be successful is water clarity, the lakes out
in east Tennessee are gin clear; so cloudy days and light wind are
better for catching bass," Light added. Light also pointed
out that the small jigs were "brush magnets" and to not
fish them too close to cover. Normally, Light likes to sit with
his boat in 20 to 25-feet of water, cast towards shore, and work his
jig all the way back to under the boat than reel it in.
It's amazing that any angler could catch and land big
smallmouth bass on ultra-light fishing line and small jigs. Light,
however goes against conventional wisdom and puts numbers of large
smallmouth in the boat. So forget about that bobber and go Tightlining
for some of the most exciting fishing you will have this winter.
Brad
Wiegmann is a full time fishing guide on Beaver lake and
Lake SWEPCO in Northwest Arkansas. Brad guides for Largemouth,
Spotted, Smallmouth, Stripers and White Bass. He is also a free-lance
writer who's weekly column "Speaking of Fishing" appears
weekly in several local newspapers. You may also see him doing
seminars, working outdoor shows or featured in outdoor magazines such
as BASSMASTER Magazine, Outdoor life and Arkansas Sportsman. He
also fishes the FLW Tour, Stren and local open tournaments. He
is currently on the Pro staff, promotional staff and guide programs
of numerous tackle manufactures, lure companies, and fishing related
companies. You can contact him at (479) 756-5279, at bwiegmann@cox.net or
visit his website at www.bradwiegmann.com for
more information.
