The dam stretches for more than a mile across the river, with the powerhouse on the south end and the locks on the other. Holt said the tailrace below the dam offers excellent fishing in March when the generators are running.

He fishes the tailwater using three different methods: sitting in the slack water to the side of the powerhouse and casting into the current; drifting in the current using his trolling motor for control while casting upstream; and casting upstream while sitting in an eddy pocket behind the unnamed island immediately downstream of the dam.

Holt targets fish waiting in the current breaks for shad to come through the spinning turbines. He does this by reading the water.

“When the water is running,” the angler explained, “the current breaks -- boulders and rock shoals -- below the surface are visible because the water will be swirling. Instead of running slick, it breaks up behind those rocks, giving you a good idea of what you are fishing.”

Holt’;s favorite lures for fishing the tailrace are a 5/8-ounce spinnerbait with two willow-leaf blades, a jerkbait, a fluke rigged on a 1/2-ounce lead head jig with a 4/0 hook, tube lures or grubs. Of these, the spinnerbait is his primary lure.

When fishing from the slack water, Holt is casting across the current.

“Cast upstream,” he advised, “and let the current work for you, just keeping your line tight enough for the blades to turn. Let it sweep around and through the rocks.”

When performing controlled drifts, Holt is casting against the current.

“Cast upstream,” he continued, “and maintain just enough tension on the line to stay in contact with the bait. Once it passes behind the boat, quickly reel it in for another cast.”

Holt cautioned that the biggest mistake fishermen make is not controlling the boat during the drift.

“Run up to the dam,” he instructed, “shut the motor off, and jump on the trolling motor to keep the nose of the boat into the current. Trim the motor up to reduce drag. You can slow the boat’;s drift a lot with the trolling motor.”

To fish the tailrace, launch your boat at Fisherman’;s Resort in Big Nance Creek on the south end the dam.

To book a guided fishing trip with Barry Holt for the many species available on Tennessee River reservoirs, call (256) 383-7481 or e-mail him at bassnut306@aol.com. For more information, visit his Web site, www.fishchasers.com.

WEISS LAKE LARGEMOUTHS
Mostly in northeast Alabama but with one arm reaching into Georgia, Weiss consistently produces some of the best largemouth fishing in the state. Its waters are enriched with nutrients flowing from the watersheds of the Coosa, Chattooga and Little rivers.

The lake covers 30,200 acres of dropoffs, deep channels and stumpfields on large shallow flats. Weiss also has wide coves with grassy shorelines and numerous boat docks. Unique to the fertile reservoirs of the Coosa River, Weiss only has an average depth of 10 feet.

Jason Tucker of Cedar Bluff is a long-time guide for crappie and striped bass, but he also competes in bass tournaments. He has won the Weiss Lake Team Championship tournament six times.

That trail holds two tournaments in March, one is the first weekend and the other is later in the month. Tucker said each takes a different technique to win.

“The first weekend,” he noted, “the fish are staging, but by the second tournament, all those fish have moved shallow to spawn.”

Tucker is in his element when largemouths are staging at creek mouths. He’;s an expert at fishing ledges and catches heavy stringers in this situation.