We catch them on Dale Hollow SUPER DEEP! I caught some nice Smallmouth this past December suspended in 70’ over 175’! The baitfish held at 60-70’ almost all winter last year, and the Smallmouth adjusted to keep feeding on the Alewives. Having to fizz Smallmouth in cold weather doesn’t seem normal, so I only used this technique during a tournament, resorting to jerkbaits when fun fishing. Hard to pass over nine BIG arches around those bait balls, knowing you could kill the fish by bringing it to the surface.
What Mike calls tightlining, we call Damiki Rig or drop shad. When I think of tightline, I think of what Nathan Light does with the Gulp and 1/8 oz ball jig head with 4# mono.
This is not tightlining, this is basically a damiki rig vertical presentation, Tightlining is a cast and let the bait pendulum back to you technique. We don’t tightline vertically in East Tennessee !!
That is correct. I live in East Tennessee on Watauga and Holsten lake. This is Diminki fishing. Tight lining is a lighter head that we normally throw out towards the bank and barely shake the rod tip and keep the slack reeled up. Great smallmouth technique. And yes. We use a loop knot preferably 1/8 head.
This was a great video on a technique I have been wondering about for years. Great info on everything about this technique. Every specific piece of this technique was covered. Excellently done.
Nice tip Ike! Those VMC MOONEYE JIGS have been a favorite of mine for years. I'd recommend using a LOOP KNOT to anyone fishing this rig. There are several advantages to using a loop knot on your jigs as opposed to a Palomar or standard fisherman's knot. The main thing is a perfectly natural horizontal presentation in the water. It'll give your jig a better action when twitching and will always settle in a natural horizontal position. Using a loop knot, you'll never have to worry about repositioning your knot on the eye after unhooking a fish or a few casts or whatever.
I used to think the same thing! Until I tried looking at the lure in my kitchen sink. The boyancy of the bait makes it sit perfectly level when in the water, even when it’s angled when looking at it out of the water. I immediately went right back to the Palomar!
WRONG!!!!! I live in East Tennessee my 2 home lakes are South Holston where this technique became poplar and Cherokee. Tightlining is a COMPLETELY different technique used to contour bank not fished vertically at all. Also a technique made popular on the two lakes mentioned above. What your are referring to is the Damiki or drop rig. I’ve been using both and have videos on both for years.
If this helps any I use a 10ft walliemarshal rod and a long wood slip cork for crappie in 30ft of water during winter. So yes I don't see why not. This is on a deep water dam face in my case.
Luke Barnes yes for sure man! I use the same technique for crappie fishing with a smaller bait, and I’ve caught a lot of big bass while crappie fishing. Started using it on one of my bass set ups with a bigger bait and was hammering them from banks on a lake, even caught my biggest crappie while doing that fishing for bass lol 18 1/2 inches.
My disagreement is that it doesn't look like an injured bait fish, it looks like a resting suspended bait fish just hanging around doin nothing. Injured fish dart around erratically like a weightless fluke...unless its already dead.
Better yet, you can do what I always do when fishing a jig. Tie on the jig with a loop knot. Not only does it give you a better action, it will always present your lure in a natural horizontal position, and you never have to worry about repositioning your knot on the eye after unhooking a fish. ;)
I don't agree with the loop knot crap if your retreving and jigging it and want more action sure loop knot it is. But in this case you want a hard knot to make it sit as horizontal as possible in my opinion.
I am a Bass fisher for sure, but this is a technique we Walleye fishers have been doing FOREVER here on the Detroit river. Apparently the Basser's needed to rename the technique to make it their own. NOTHING NEW HERE!
For better horizontal.... slide the knot back on the hook eye. Krazy Glue if necessary. It's not rocket surgery. Tip: use an improved clinch knot with 10 wraps. That LONG knot (facing backwards) will get it even more horizontal. Your exact presentation works very good for walleyes in both still lakes and flowing rivers.
The max scent minnows are my “hack lure”-if I can’t catch much running different baits...when I want to catch just something...the flat nose Minnow pretty much is automatic lol
Mike has caught me more fish on his rigs than any youtuber, the Chicken Rig just destroys. I truly believe that Mike has the best rigs and Tactical Bassin has the best knowledge, although I am sure Mike has the same. Both of these together has helped so much in extemely pressured area's. Thanks for all of your videos!!
Use a small line counter reel to repeat exact depths. Put the reel on free spool and thumb it down slowly. Setting spool tension for slow drop helps a lot.
Hey Mike, what leader knot are you using with such light line? I have the problem of breaking my lines when cinching my knots. Just curious, I've given up on FG knots because of this.
Cherokee Lake and Douglas Lake are my two home lakes . Some days i can leave the lake and be tempted to stop by Walmart and by a for sale sign for my boat lol. Thanks Ike for this info i'm definitely going to give this a try next time i hit Cherokee this fall.
Derrick, this technique is very popular on Cherokee on South Holston, around here we all call it a Damiki Rig, because a lot of guys use the 3" Damiki Armor Shad. The VMC mooneye jig like Ike is using works great. I use the flat nose minnow on the drop shot but going to try it out this year on the damiki rig. Video fishing is a blast, good luck
Bro my ultimate dream is just to meet you one time. I am truly the biggest ike fan and always have been. Your such an awsome dude . tight lines bro. Maybe my dream will come true one day. I live in okechobee fla hopeing you will do a tournament here cuz i will be there to route you on. Keep it up bro. Not gay but love you bro lol
Definitely not tightlining. That's damiki rig or drop rig. It's for vertical fishing. Tightlining is casting and retrieving on a "tight line" while shaking the rod tip.
