Fishing is a mix of art and science. It requires a detailed expertise, honed through pages of journaling and tracking. But there is the other part — the art. Built from years spent on the water, it’s a guttural, instinctual intimacy.

And that, readers, is what won Dave Mullins his first Southern Open last week at Douglas Lake.

Dave has been fishing Douglas Lake since he could walk. He “just knows” the spots, the personality of the fish, and the angles needed to tempt them to react. What does that mean for the average angler who didn’t grow up with lake-drenched jeans? Is there no hope for us weekend warriors?

We sat down with Dave and asked him:

TackleDirect: Alright, spill it: What can the average angler do to make up for 20 years not spent on a spot? 

Dave Mullins: Journaling helps. You just have to make sure you’re journaling the right information. On Douglas Lake, and a lot of lakes in the Tennessee Valley, it’s all about the water level. These lakes fluctuate so much. If you’re in a similar situation, keep track of structure at different elevations. 

TackleDirect: Speaking of water elevation, you had largemouth deep. What’s up with that?

Dave Mullins: It’s really unique to Douglas Lake. The fish have a definite personality here. Largemouth are usually shallow water creatures, but post-spawn largemouth in Douglas prefer to go deep. I’ve caught them as far down as 50 feet. They almost act like a smallmouth fishery here. In this tournament I caught them in 22 foot – 30 foot water and shallower in 8 foot – 12 foot water. 

TackleDirect: Other than tackle and knowing the honey holes, what helped you snag a 62lb, 12oz bag?

Dave Mullins: Knowing how to set up them right. You need the right angle to present your lures and provoke a reaction. It really matters how you approach their holes.

TackleDirect: Okay, now our favorite part: What tackle did you use?

Dave Mullins: I had four main set-ups: