Drop Shotting For Smallies (Where Are They?)

[BigSkyBasser]

I'm more of a smallie fisherman when it comes to tournaments, but up in Western Montana I have yet to perfect finding them consistently when a tournament depends on them. I will avoid beating banks for Largemouth if I know I can get even a small limit of smallies. I know generally where to look during any given day  but they just seem so inconsistent as a fish. Anyone have good tips for consistently locating schools of smallies in deep water during summer tournaments?

[Felix77]

For me it's about covering water to find them.  I use a spinnerbait to find them and then slow down once I get a sense that there is fish in the area.

[reelnmn]

From my experience large smallies will consistently use particular areas that are advantageous to them.  Look for small ledges, long tapering points, humps, isolated grass or rock.  Side imaging is invaluable in finding these pieces of cover and structure.  When you find these areas its all about rotating through key spots to try to be there when they are.

 

Also, lakes can vary significantly.  If there is any current fish will position and move more like river smallmouth which behave more like the here today gone tomorrow you seem to be experiencing.  Drop shot is the only technique I have the utmost confidence in.  If there are fish in the area I WILL get bit.  So from there it is all about moving around an area to locate larger fish.

[BigSkyBasser]

Yeah that is what I'm seeing because we mainly fish a series of dammed rivers with huge deep isolated humps off of points ranging anywhere from 25-45 feet. Unfortunately the water levels and current fluctuate so much that the smallies are constantly on the move. That's the Nice Thing about smallmouth though being that because of their aggression, you will get bit as long as a bait is infront of their face. I've been experimenting with casting a jig up a point and working it really slowly back over the descending edge. It's tedious but will produce almost as much as a dropshot will here.

[JeziHogg]

I fish ds a lot. I look for about 10+ feet of water with large boulders and fish each boulder 360 then move onto the next one. Also I start off with a small 3 inch bait like a twitch tail minnow then once I find the smallies I'll upsize to a 4.5 inch FAT roboworm to try to get the larger ones out of hiding.

[Crestliner2008]

Well, I've been drop shot fishing for smallie since 2002 and have never gone looking for smallies on structure per say. It's probably a good starting point, like a map is, but you can't just fish a point or hump with nothing on it. Paramount to my fishing success is searching for BAIT, not fish or structure. If I find a decent bait ball down there, the drop shot follows quickly. I've found such bait balls on flats, drop offs, and even humps and points. But the "type" of structure is not where it's at for my neck of the woods.

 

Sometimes the bait is strung out with small clumps here & there. That's tough fishing. You can usually pick off one or two here & there, but it's not very consistent. Better is when you find a large ball of bait such as this:

 

 

and this:

 

 

Up here, the main forage is smelt. However, in lean smelt years, yellow perch and other species of panfish become the dominant forage. You can always determine the type of forage by putting down your drop shot. Constant pecking at your bait indicates yellows. No picking indicates smelt. We have verified this time & time again by both hooking the bait and with the use of an Aqua-View camera. When you do find decent, thick congregations of bait, regardless of "where" it is found, the smallmouth will not be far behind. I guarantee.

 

Here are a few pictures of what I was able to land & release just yesterday, utilizing this strategy. Took 11 smallies in 6 hours of fishing:

 

 

 

And here's two pictures of the best fish taken on 9/10/14:

 

 

 

My methodology may not be the best in every part of the country, but it sure is where I would start.

[Dwight Hottle]

Nice bag. Smallies do like those smelt.  

[BuckMaxx]

Crestliner hit the nail on the head!! Great observations! I use the very same tactics that he does. I don't get caught up in the finding structure  oriented smallmouth on my graph. You are lucky if you ever see one as they hide in the rocks. I too look for smelt ( or your lakes food source). My lake is loaded with bait, but it has to be the right bait. Smelt are notorious for suspending 30' down over 80 feet of water. There are likely smalleys with them but you won't see them, catching them is even harder. The may be in the baitball one minute and 25 yards away the next unless they are actively feeding. I find the baitballs that are related to a hump or a point some sort of structure that will give the smalleys a place to congrate to attack the bait. Thus makes the water you fish much smaller and you are more likely to catch them. Also watch for birds. If they are hanging off a certain point. It is likely they have found an active bait ball.

[bucktailnick]

Bait is the key when it comes to deep water smallie fishing in the summer. The bait usually hangs around the structure. If you find the structure, you find the bait, you should find the fish. Drop offs are another key element as baitfish stack up on the drops. Try using a deep driving crankbait or a jigging spoon. Cranks that dive to 20+ feet. Don't be afraid to go too big either.