East Tennessee Outdoors Watauga Lake winter smallmouth bass
Published 12:29 am Friday, January 17, 2020
Photo Contributed Micro rainbow trout minnows (six inches or under) are the perfect winter bait for bass on Watauga Lake.
Photo Contributed Winter is one of the best times of the year to catch smallmouth from Watauga Lake.
BY DANNY BLEVINS
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Want to catch smallmouth bass for the table? Want to catch smallmouth bass in the five to seven-pound range? Wintertime bass fishing is your time on Watauga Lake.
Winter is the perfect time to catch smallmouth from Watauga Lake and the best part is many of them will be in the three to seven-pound range. The secret is so small it will fit into the palm of your hand. The rainbow trout minnow.
Watauga Lake is a special body of water that is deep enough to support a good trout population. Every winter the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stocks thousands of trout to supplement the population of the lake. Many of these trout are micro-trout or trout that are usually less than six inches in length.
Many of these trout cruise around the shoreline for several weeks and search for food. They are the perfect size of baitfish for predators such as smallmouth and walleye so they attract these larger predator fish.
Huge smallmouth and walleye patrol the points of the lake looking for these trout minnows so they can fatten up before the spawn. To put it simply, where the baitfish are the predators will be there also.
Next comes the fun part. There is a rule established by the TWRA that allows any angler to use rainbow trout minnows for baitfish if the trout minnows are under eight inches in length and if you have a receipt from where you purchased the minnows.
The receipt must be in your possession and have your name on it and the dealer’s name, address and license number on it.
The easiest way to use these minnows is to find a point on the lake and set a fishing rod with one of these live minnows on it, but understand this is a waiting game.
I know anglers who fish all day for only a few bites but the bites they get are from fish that are wall-hangers. Other days these same anglers may catch nine or ten fish that are three to six pounds. There is a reason they call the sportfishing and not catching.
One disadvantage to fishing with trout minnows is many of the smallmouth will swallow the bait and you will have to keep the fish. You can still catch and release them, except now you can release them in hot grease because these fish are some of the best-tasting fish in the lake.
There are a couple of things to remember about this type of fishing. First, dress warm and brave the cold because colder weather will often trigger these big fish to bite.
Second, always, and I do mean always, have a receipt for your trout minnows. Sooner or later you will be checked by a TWRA game warden, and you will get a hefty fine if you cannot prove where you got your trout minnows.
Do not try to catch them yourself to save a little money. It is not worth the risk.
Finally, remember that only rainbow trout can be used for these minnows. You cannot use brown trout or brook trout for bait.
Some people do not agree with fishing in this way, but as always, I fish for the photo and for the plate. These fish are delicious and they are fun to catch.
Personally, that is all I need to break the winter blues.
