Most of the Cumberland consists of a limestone bottom, and rocky structure makes up the majority of cover across the lake. Anglers can easily find rocky banks and points that drop off quickly to deeper water. The sheer size of the lake, coupled with deep clear water and rocky structure, provides an ideal home for smallmouth bass. Not to mention the lake is full of alewives, threadfin and gizzard shad, which offer a strong forage base for hungry bronzebacks. Smallmouths can also feed on crayfish and other minnow species that populate the lake. Cumberland's 18-inch size limit on smallmouth bass should provide anglers with solid numbers of good fish every year.

Ironically, the smallmouth bass fishing on Cumberland is often overshadowed by its reputation as being a premier lake for trophy striped bass. For the lake's size, there is simply not a whole lot of fishing pressure placed on the smallmouths, especially during January. Threadfin shad are also known to form huge schools during the winter months and can potentially attract large numbers of feeding smallmouths. This is a perfect time for die-hard bass anglers to dress warm and be on the water.

Over the years, my father and I have also experienced a great deal of success fishing the banks around the Fall Creek and Conley Bottom sections. Once again, the key is finding bluffs, points and rocky banks located near deep water in these areas that are holding baitfish. You can save an enormous amount of time by utilizing your depthfinder to pinpoint suspending schools of shad before you begin fishing. Paying close attention to your fish-finder can be the difference between a hot action-packed trip or a bone-numbingly cold, fruitless January outing.

In addition, the slot limit on Dale Hollow smallmouths seems to be increasing the overall number of trophy-class bass in the lake. The slot limit was implemented back in 2000 and requires anglers to release any smallmouths caught in the 16- to 21- inch slot. Furthermore, anglers can only keep one fish above or below the slot limit, allowing more smallmouths to survive and mature. During the past couple of years, I personally have caught more and bigger smallmouths on Dale Hollow. I strongly feel that the strict slot limit will continue to have a profound impact on the lake in years to come.

Dale Hollow is a super-clear, deep lake that covers well over 20,000 acres at normal pool in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee and offers 620 miles of beautiful shoreline. The bottom consists of gravel, boulders and broken rock. Submerged vegetation such as coontail and several types of pondweed can also be found on sections of the lake. There are miles of prime smallmouth banks that include river bend bluffs, rocky points and slides made up of broken boulders, clay and timber. It's almost as though the lake was customized specifically to meet the needs of smallmouth bass.

The craft hair on the jig will puff out and pulsate when suspended below a fixed float, directly mimicking the action of small baitfish. Generally, you want a stationary float that is fixed around 8 feet or more above the fly. This will enable the jig to suspend at the desired depth and the bobbing float will move and add a lifelike action that will drive the smallmouths crazy. This simple technique can potentially heat up the fishing on a cold January day on Dale Hollow.

Without a doubt, Dale Hollow, Cumberland and Laurel River lakes can generate some rod-bending, drag- slipping action for smallmouth bass during the winter months. Consequently, all of the tactics and strategies mentioned in this text will work on all three of these lakes. So what are you waiting for? January is definitely the time to throw on some extra clothes, break out the hand warmers and give these tactics a try in order to tangle with some bronzeback bruisers right now.