Turkey sandwich

I've never given much thought to how self-aware fish are or how accurately they judge scale. I do think that there's a lot to this when it comes to consistently targeting big fish and presenting efficiently is pretty interesting. How often do guys ignore presenting appropriately to wind and current, especially on lakes? How often do anglers think about how fish take prey? How much do guys buy into which treble hooks the fish take as an indicator of how aggressive the fish are versus how they're ACTUALLY taking the bait?

@PatrickKnight. This holds true most of the year. During the spawn, generally larger fish spawn first. During a large hatch or forage migration, you may have a mix of different sized fish feeding on the same prey in close proximity, and during the winter months, you may have a wide variety of fish also stacked up together (especially in rivers).

A while back, I recall a post asking if bass will eat perch and whether perch colored baits are effective. Also, bait size comes up pretty often. How big is "too big"? Since the Fall, I've been doing a lot of reading on this stuff, and it's been very, very helpful in my understanding of what I'm trying to trigger with a 4wt fly rod, an 8wt streamer rod, all the way to my jig and crankbait sticks. This picture popped up on my Facebook feed and it's a perfect example that dominant predatory fish, regardless of species, will take some big ass baits! Here on the bass side, we know that bass will take some pretty large meals. The more I get into fly fishing, the more I dig guys like Kelly Galloup that regularly fish huge 5-10" streamers for brown trout. The more I see stuff like this, the more I believe that once a fish reaches predatory size (large enough to primarily feed on fish and not invertebrates), that their habits change dramatically, regardless of species. Now, I'm not suggesting that they won't still eat insects, nymphs, etc, but that their entire feeding habits change dramatically. It can effect where they hold, why they strike, when they hunt, and as they become larger, more dominant predators, their willingness to forego eating tons of small meals in exchange for larger, less frequent "feasts". Granted, local forage will always be the primary indicator of a predator's diet, but this idea leads me to believe that larger fish will, most likely, even forego standards like crayfish if given the opportunity to feed on baitfish that are easier to digest. (Totally just a theory, but not without evidence) One of the reasons I dig the big streamer fly anglers is because most of them have been heavily influenced by watching B.A.S.S, FLW, pike, and musky anglers. Most of the flies these guys are throwing are more like 7" jerkbaits, swim jigs, and crankbaits and 12"+ jointed swimbaits than anything you'll see in A River Runs Through It. Look up Double Deceiver of Game changer patterns, if you aren't familiar. It's pretty eye opening and amazing how much they've changed the fly game by following bass anglers. It's literally changed their sport. I also think that there's a TON that bass guys can learn from the big streamer fly anglers. For example, they tend to care a lot more about how baits present in currents than 95% of bass anglers I've ever been around. One of the big takeaways has to do with how most predators take fish. While a pike might T-bone prey, bass and trout lack the kind of teeth necessary for that to work. So, generally they position to take bait head first (other fish) and tail first if possible (crayfish). Spiny pectoral and dorsal fins can kill a fish if they go the wrong way, especially with madtoms, sculpins, sunfish, and perch. Similarly, learning how to present "drag free drifts" with high vis braid has changed the way I approach virtually all finesse fishing, and it's paid off tremendously. Anyhow, here's Ike with a solid bass choking on what looks like close to 10" of perch... Head first.

There's something to this. I think that this approach changes a bit throughout the year, but generally it's true. In my experience, the more dominant a predator, the more likely that fish is going to control the best feeding positions - the ones that allow them to hold while expending the least energy, in the most comfortable conditions (temperature, light, oxygen, etc). For example, in the heat of the summer, you'll rarely see large smallmouth in the middle of very fast water. However, find a ledge/large Boulder, etc at the tail end of those riffles, and odds are good you'll find larger smallmouth just 10-20 yards from dozens, of much smaller fish that are forced (due to predatory dominance) into much, less efficient hunting grounds.

Senko, Ned rig, and jig-grub are all pretty easy to fish and should hang up no more than anything else. You will want some bottom contact (usually), but get there with as little weight as possible and they should be fine. Those are also some of the easiest ways to present in current.

man... I think the fish just very specifically don't like you.

yep. Thats early spawn/late prespawn happening.

congrats!!!

That is a monster!!

This might not be the right section of the forum. In short, both will present near the bottom and keep contact. A Texas rig will keep your bait in more frequent contact and will generally, be on the bottom. A Carolina rig will generally keep your bait suspended off of the bottom. If you check out the search feature, there are some really in depth posts about both, how to fish them, and where each shines.

@Preytorien is totally spot on. I don't throw inline spinners all that often these days, but they're a good tool to have. They're one of those baits (like a 4" grub) that tend to catch great numbers and can be effective in most conditions, even when they aren't taking much else. If I were to throw them more, I'd likely use a ML Fast rod in the 6'6 - 7' range depending upon the water I'm fishing. Also, understand their limitations. Certain sizes and blade styles do not present well in faster water. They also shouldn't be your first choice around weed beds or if you need to present near/on the bottom. Also, it's not uncommon to get catch almost entirely short fish, rock bass, perch etc while throwing them. If you were to only have a handful of baits for fishing river smallmouth, you should also include grubs, senkos/Ned rigs, tubes, and your popper of choice to cover more ground without breaking the bank. All of those can be fished on a Med Fast of ML Fast rod pretty well and will cover a lot of common conditions. I also own a pair of Orvis waders that I really like. Whatever your brand preference, most fly fishhing companies make quality waders that are breathable (cannot stress the importance of breathability versus neoprenr, etc enough). Also, a comfortable pair of felt soled boots are super important in rocky streams and can literally be life savers in cold water.

Oh, wow. That's definitely a bit wonky. I haven't had a chance to get on the river for smallmouth yet - hopefully next weekend. We certainly haven't seen 60 degree water temps here in PA yet - at least on any streams or gauges I've seen. I've been in trout mode, tying flies, or working on rebuilding my kayak trailer so far this spring. I'm chomping at the bit for a few really good weekends soon.

If you're taking the time to pick live bait, I cannot overstate the effectiveness of hellgrammites and (where legal) madtoms where either is present. Both will out fish live crayfish 10:1 on the Susquehanna, Delaware, etc. and are as simple as flipping rocks and holding a seine.

Nice! It's hard to beat drifting a Senko or Ned rig. Similarly, a 4" grub on a ball head jig or tube also make great, simple substitutions. They can both be fished similarly on the drift, or you can add action which is great if he has a shorter attention span. Cheers on crushing them with your son!

Great fish and I'm jealous of the weather! What kinds of water temps were you seeing down there? Moving in to spawn yet?

That said a size 2 Clouser can put smallmouth in the boat almost as readily as a grub or tube. I would love to book a trip with him while he's still around. He's the streamer OG and such an encyclopedia of smallmouth knowledge. That said, if I only get one lure and we're talking numbers under most conditions, it's going to be a 4" grub. Tubes are a very close second. If it's one fly for smallmouth, it's going to be a Clouser Minnow.

Obviously, safety first, but this can be a really good time to find concentrated fish and hit current seams if you can find a protected spot to position out of the current. If the water is dirty and high, you can present bigger, louder baits with the same drag free drift technique.

Lots of good suggestions, but I think simplicity goes pretty far. A swim jig isn't my first choice in heavily stained water unless they aren't active enough to bite a spinnerbait/chatterbait, so I don't reach for black swim jigs that often. Generally, I fish mostly either white, or something likely to match the forage in whatever body of water I'm fishing. The fish do not care how many strands are in your jig's skirt, if it's Arkansas Red Craw or Red Arkansas Craw or Red (A Craw Formely From Arkansas) in color, or if you've trimmed exactly 3 bristles from the weed guard. 95% of the time, a "close enough" color presented well will outfish a perfect color presented poorly/ lazily.

This is best read in the voice of Frank Rizzo.

I haven't gotten out on Stillwater here yet. I've still been chasing trout. The crazy weird weather we've had has been less than ideal for getting a predictable bite out of them, either. Water levels have been all over the place. This spring has been silly. Very, very silly.

Depending upon the fish activity, flow, depth, and conditions, regardless of whether it's a Ned rig or similar grub/jighead, etc, the weight I'll use can vary from 1/16 to 1/4 oz for a drifting presentation. Something that helps is to understand that upstream casts and peeling additional slack line will allow the bait to fall freely to the bottom because the biggest part of what's dragging it up in the water column is the tension of your line. For these types of presentations, I cannot stress enough the value of braid with a FC or copolymer leader. The braid will allow you to see takes, mend your line to match the current speed to keep your drift closer to the bottom and and keep a more natural presentation. The best resources you can find on fishing this style are generally fly fishing videos. Go to youtube and search for topics like "drag free drifting nymphs", "basic nymphing", and "mending fly line". Good luck!

Wow! Luckily the ice is finally gone here in PA, but water temps have been sitting between 38-42 pretty much everywhere I've seen. We need a solid, very warm week to get things back on track and to get things moving. It sounds like you've got at least another month.

With the right conditions, you can get on a good pre-spawn topwater bite or fall bite, too. Unless the water gets really cold early, I'll throw them into late November.

I still haven't made it out for bass. This weather has been ridiculous. I got snowed on this weekend on both Pine Creek and the Lackawanna.

That's a pretty killer 2 days. Main stem near Harrisburg?