How to find suspended smallmouth without idling around

[NEBasser101]

My buddy and I went out fishing today on a small lake in southern NH. We came across a weird pattern of throwing big glide baits, topwater, and jerkbaits for suspended smallmouth. The alewife were busting on a grass drop off pretty close to shore and we went out deep because we saw a big blow up on the surface. We caught the fish that blew up and stayed out deep for a while. After about an hour, we had pretty much fished the spot out. We got some really nice smallmouth and had one close to 5 follow up the glide bait right to the boat. When I was fishing the spook, I had a 4 blow up on me and when I got him to the boat, he had probably 3 or 4 with him. We were casting at random spots and were getting bit. Are there any ways I can find isolated schools of suspended smallies(I have a trolling motor and a lowrance. Just not a big motor)? Also, what would you recommend using to catch suspended smallies. I honestly dont know how far down they were and how far they were coming up to get our presentations. Any responses would be appreciated. Thank you so much 

[Turkey sandwich]

Pelagic fish like alewife will school up and move all over the place. Usually, the easiest way to find them is by keeping your eyes open for boils on the surface.  Sometimes they boil because they're getting blown up.  Sometimes they just do it without anything underneath them attacking them.  They can be weird like that.  

 

As for baits - jerkbaits, swimbaits, glidebaits, A-rigs, walking baits, and poppers can all be good options when bass/walleye/pike/musky are feeding g on them, but it can be a crap shoot because, well, alewife are silly, silly fish. 

[tkunk]

Birds are usually a good sign, unless they're just sitting on the calm side of structure to take cover from the wind.

[nosdog2]

Scuba gear??

[J Francho]

Follow the gulls. 

[TnRiver46]

We only have gulls in the winter months, they haven't showed up quite yet. The lowrance and fishing lures are the only way I know to locate suspended fish. The problem I have is the fish are always around, they just bite sometimes and sometimes they don't. I was in  friends boat one time and he had a diving mask and snorkel. After a long time of fishing shoals with no success, I jumped into the water to look around and there were smallmouth everywhere, some of them really big 

[lonnie g]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

We only have gulls in the winter months, they haven't showed up quite yet. The lowrance and fishing lures are the only way I know to locate suspended fish. The problem I have is the fish are always around, they just bite sometimes and sometimes they don't. I was in  friends boat one time and he had a diving mask and snorkel. After a long time of fishing shoals with no success, I jumped into the water to look around and there were smallmouth everywhere, some of them really big 

I think I tried that once and the were all laughing and pointing there fins at me

[NYWayfarer]

I like the Rapala Countdown Minnow for suspended Smallmouth Bass. Cast past where you think they are count down to the desired depth and retrieve the bait right through the pack of fish.

[fishing_gd]

This year a bait that really got some attention for suspended smallmouth bass in New England, specifically CT, was the Duo Realis Spinbait. Simply throw one of those guys out on 6 or 8 lb flouro, let it sink to the desired level (if any) then slowly real it in. When I say slow, I mean just about as slow as you can just because the bait has a shimmy while you retrieve it. 

[WRB]

On October 23, 2017 at 2:27 PM, portiabrat said:

Birds are usually a good sign, unless they're just sitting on the calm side of structure to take cover from the wind.

^^^this^^^

We have Grebes that follow baitfish schools, diving down to grab a bait fish and return to the surface to eat it. If you see Grebes or a flock of fish eating birds watch them closely for feeding activity or swimming following the fish schools. When deep baitfish schools encounter structure they must go over it or around it, usually over and that is where bass tend to gather to take advantage of the compressed schools. By watching the direction the school is moving you can get in front on structure and take advantage of the bass there.

You can slowly drive through the birds and meter how deep and the size the baitfish school is and see any bass that maybe with them. If the bait school looks like a cloud spread out, no predators are feeding on them, if the school is balled up, they are being attacked.

Tom

[Oregon Native]

Funny you talked about swimming and looking.  Have done the underwater camera thing for a number of years only from the dryness of my boat however and it NEVER stops amazing me how many fish are around the boat.  It's fun to fish through an area and then go back....Yup...in a nutshell we mostly "suck" at times.  

Good info above on different baits though....love the jerkbait and small swimbait myself.  Pop-R gets a smile or two also.

Tight Lines

[Dwight Hottle]

Tie on a jerk bait & start strolling. You have to cover water but can preselect areas of interest available with desirable structure.