By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks hope you’re staying warm. The fishing has been on fire we are catching a mixed bag on our trolling trips. with the majority being spotted bass. I’ve had some great trips casting live minnows, working the shoreline and fishing deep schools. Most of the bass have been from five to 40 feet deep but it seems like there moving a lot because every trip is different. Catching some good yellow perch mixed in too.
My best days have been overcast with light breeze. Every once in a while we will get a good surface feed, and when we see this, you just can’t beat an ex rap jerk bait or a kytech fished slow. This is the best time of year to really watch your fish finder. Most days, you’re better off covering a lot of water, scanning for big schools.
This probably isn’t going to be the best time to take kids, as it’s been really cold early in the morning. If you do, bundle them up good, and if they get cold, consider cutting the trip short.
Be safe, and when you catch a warm day, take a kid fishing!
Ronnie Parris is owner and head guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, N.C., heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, www.smokymountainoutdoorsunlimited.com; (828) 488-9711.