The difference is that Bob uses one ounce weights with a large bobber to keep the bait at the desired 30 foot level. He lives by Buck Perry's old formula, "Control speed and Depth and you will catch fish". He uses a bobber stopper and a slip bobber in these cold CLEAR waters. The Circle Hooks that Bob uses are very good at Lip Hooking all of the fish and the beauty of this system is that very young anglers can begin to experience BIG fish of 4 to 6 pounds without having developed great skills. For older anglers this method relieves that shoulder pain from casting 8 to 10 hours a day. I have developed serious bursitis in my shoulders over the years and I have a hard time casting more than 4 to 6 hours.  A full day of slow trolling shiners and I was in great shape. I did not even have to take the usual dose of Alleve to alleviate my shoulder pain.

Load the reel with the power pro, the green color helps to camouflage the line, then slip on the slip bobber, and then the bell sinker. Tie on the swivel and then a 1.5 to 2 foot leader of Seaguar Fluorocarbon line. The Seaguar Fluorocarbon is an integral part of this system. Fluorocarbon disappears in water, having the same visual properties. Tie on a circle hook and you are ready to go .

Start looking along bluffs and points for bait fish and set the depth of the bobber to approximately 1 foot above the bait fish. Smallmouth eyes are on the top of the head and they will be under the baitfish and will move up to hit bait. Set the trolling motor to 35 feet or to 5 feet deeper than you are finding the bait fish. The Motorguide PTS will keep you on that depth contour, and steer itself allowing you to fish. If you are by yourself this is a terrific advantage and even more so with 2 anglers, who can concentrate on the fishing rather than on the depth finder.

Watch the bobber at all times. The Okuma Bait Runner will hold the line while allowing the fish to run with the bait. The Okuma Reel has 2 drags. One for the main drag that you are used to, the other is for the bait runner function. You set the drag just tight enough that the line does not slip off the reel while trolling at half mile per hour speeds. When the fish hits he can take line with almost no resistance. Wait for the fish to begin to pull the bait runner drag then crank down engaging the normal drag of the reel. Point the rod at the fish and set the hook. The 7 foot All Pro APX Rods medium is perfect for this application. The fast tip with plenty of backbone is the proper tool. After a little training from Bob even I could not miss a fish. 

Our first day on the lake was the second of 3 Blue Bird Days in a row. No clouds and plenty of sun. Bob pulled up on a point near the dam, and dropped the first line down showing me how to set the Okuma Bait Runner for free spooling. No sooner had the second bobber hit the water than the first bobber went down. Bob hooked a small 2 pounder and handed me the reel and said here you go writer catch a fish.I obliged reeling in the very healthy dale hollow smallie. We fished 5 hours the first day and caught several more including a 4 pounder seen to the right.

Day 2 started a little earlier. We attempted to catch some fish shallow on surface baits but the high blue skies had the fish deep. Bob suggested we move on to slow trolling and I was eager to make the move after the nice fish of the previous day. We again started on a main lake bluff working our way around a point. What a great day of fishing. We started out with a  2.5 pound Spotted Bass, then the smallies kicked in. The first good bite was on a bait check, which indicated the fish might have moved a bit shallower. Bob had me adjust the line to 25 feet, and the smallies got to going. First was a nice 4pound 2 ounce thick chunk, then came a 4pound 6 ounce fish followed by another 4 pounder. Each fish looking bigger than the last. Some long and healthy, some shorter and FAT.

We finished up the day with a good 2 and a half pounder and a 1 and a half pounder that pulled drag like he was a heavy weight.

Slow trolling live shiners is a great tool. All of the fish we hooked were caught on the edge of the lip. Several of the fish the hook came out with almost no resistance. All of the smallies were released unharmed and no fish were eaten to produce this article, just like in the movies.

Fall fishing offers some great opportunities to mix up your day. In late October when you have cloudy days you can fish early on the surface, switch to throwing blade baits if the fish are deep and when you get tired of playing yo yo with the blade baits you can switch over to the slow trolling shiners method.

Final Notes from the Author:
I really enjoyed this method of fishing. It allowed me to do more looking around, although Bob was constantly on me to WATCH THE BOBBERS.. the sound of the reels letting out line usually lulled me from any day dream soon enough to hook the fish. With Dale Hollow Lake in full Fall Foliage colors this is the way to fish and to enjoy Mother Nature's bounty and beauty.  When trolling like this you want the line about 30 yards behind the boat. I recommend heavier leader instead of lighter due to the length of line out. The Seaguar 10 pound Fluorocarbon should be tough enough to handle the situation without spooking the fish, and still work on big walleye which will also hit this rig. This allows for a healthier hook set, and will result in fewer break offs including those caused by sharp teeth on walleye.

Thanks to Bob Coan of Celina Tennessee who was my guide and mentor for this article. To reach Bob, you can visit his websites.. www.BobCoan.com  or www.BobCoanFishingGuide.com
Or Call Bob at his toll free number
1-866-233-2471
EMAIL: bcoan@twlakes.net