Coulter Says Big Swimbaits Will Attract Big Bites at Douglas

By Pete Robbins 

 

In recent years, when the Big Bass Tour has visited Tennessee’s Douglas Lake in the fall, there’s rarely a gap of more than a pound between the top prize winner and the angler who finishes in 10th place overall. In fact, the delta is often smaller than that, clocking in at around a half pound. That means that hourly strategy is key, because if you have a solid 5-pounder, and you weigh her in at the wrong time, you’re leaving money on the table. 

 

But there’s also strategy at the bottom of the leaderboard. Invariably some comparatively small bass early quality checks at Douglas, and again timing is key. Anglers need to pay attention to the live leaderboard if they want to recoup and possibly exceed their investment. 

 

All of this is made possible and probably by the fact that the lake is absolutely loaded with a mix of bass, but not a lot of giants. Usually the overall winner clocks in at somewhere just south of 6 pounds. But woe be to the angler who assumes he has it all locked up with a “high five pounder” and weighs it in too early or too late. In 2019, a 6.09 took top honors, and from 2015 through 2017, it took a seven-plus. Over the course of the 2015 and 2016 events, seven sad anglers topped the 6 pound mark and didn’t take the top prize. Just when you get comfortable, that’s when you’re likely to be disappointed. 

 

East Tennessee pro Brandon Coulter would aim big this time of year, and go all-in with a shallow pattern from the Dandridge Bridge on down. That’s a lot of water, but for those new to the venue he focused in on Mud Creek and Flat Creek as two key tributaries. He’d also look to the main channel in those areas, for fish that are still hanging out there before heading in to chase bait. 

 

“The river is better for numbers,” he said. “You might win an hourly check there, but I doubt you’d win the tournament.” 

 

For that shallow bite, he’d put the trolling motor on high and cover water. “It doesn’t do you any good in a big fish tournament to catch four 3-pounders out of a creek,” he said. Of course that’s true if you’re looking for a true giant – that’s the tour-level pro in him – but those 3-pounders could earn solid gas money for the angler aiming slightly lower. 

 

“This is a weird time of year,” he said. “The water fluctuates a lot. But I’d go down the bank with a big fish bait like a Berkley Cull Shad, hitting every bit of cover you can find; docks, bushes, laydowns.” 

 

He also said that smallmouth will be in play, at least for hourly checks. That’s key for the electronics addicts in the field, who can find those roaming and suspended fish, but Coulter doesn’t believe that the biggest fish will be done in by the “scope.” He likes old school power fishing, and if you’re not comfortable with a swimbait, then consider a bladed jig like the Berkley Slobberknocker in a color that works well in the given water visibility 

 

As for oddball patterns, while he’d focus on the shallow cover, there’s nothing that says it can’t be won “going down a bluff with a jig,” but again, that’s power fishing. Certainly you can use spinning gear in any of these circumstances, but with fish 5-pounds and larger rare and tricky to catch, you don’t want to misfire on one of those critical bites. 

 

Again, big fish will come, but the key to this game is maximizing your earnings through perfect timing. Watch the live leaderboard and time your runs back to the dock carefully. There will be bite windows and it pays to be fishing when they’re at their peak.