How often are you using 1/2oz plus baits for northern smallmouth?

[Turkey sandwich]

On 3/2/2019 at 9:43 PM, MIbassyaker said:

 

An important thing to add: The In-Fisherman classification pertains to stretches of rivers, rather than entire rivers, so a single long river will tend to progress through the "ages" as you go downstream.

 

FYI, A synopsis of the river and lake classifications, as pertain to smallmouth, can be found in the IF Smallmouth Handbook, of which used copies can usually be found dirt-cheap on Amazon. It's an excellent bang-for-the buck buy:

https://www.amazon.com/Smallmouth-Bass-Fisherman-Handbook-Strategies/dp/0960525432/

It's a pretty cool topic to learn about.  You'll find massive changes from cold, less fertile headwaters all the way through big, fertile rivers.  You'll also notice big changes in species and forage from one end to the other.  

[clayton86]

How much does a spro BBZ-1 swimbait weigh 

[MN Fisher]

On 3/14/2019 at 10:23 AM, clayton86 said:

How much does a spro BBZ-1 swimbait weigh 

Depending on which one - anywhere from 1/4 oz to almost 5 oz.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spro_Swimbaits/catpage-SPROSWIM.html

[fishballer06]

1/2 to 3/4oz swimbait heads with a 3.8" Keitech. Lake Erie, 20-35' normally. But I'll also use these heavy jigheads in as shallow as 3-4' and bang them off the rocks just like a crankbait. 

[J Francho]

2 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

But I'll also use these heavy jigheads in as shallow as 3-4' and bang them off the rocks just like a crankbait. 

Try a big football head with the Keitechs.  They do a nice "kick out" when the head bangs off rocks.

[FryDog62]

Probably 2 ways:

 

•In the Fall on rock piles on Rainy Lake... 15-25 fow.  I use a 1/2 to 3/4 oz football jig + craw trailer.

 

•3/4-1 oz Dark Sleeper to grind along the rock or sand bottom/shoals/reefs.  Bait does best when it skims/grinds the bottom and the DS has a tendency to float up... so the heavier weight keeps it down and yet it’s very compact despite the weight for those small jaws.

[dodgeguy]

On 2/22/2019 at 4:16 PM, J Francho said:

Pretty much any deep crankbait or jerk bait I throw is 1/2 oz. or better.  When fishing tubes, I like the Big Dude 3/4 oz. tube jigs.  Drop shot weights, I start at 1/2 oz., and usually use 3/4 oz.  Jigging spoons I use are all 3/4 oz.

Caught my pb smallie in 50ft of water on a 1oz. Spoon.

[A-Jay]

1/2 oz and above all the time - 

Crankbaits, lippless baits, blade baits, swingheads, football jigs, and don't even get me going on topwater !

 Also, my PB in Michigan choked a 3/4 oz Shpinnabait ~ 

Why does the baits weight matter ? 

A-Jay

[clayton86]

On 3/14/2019 at 10:34 AM, MN Fisher said:

Depending on which one - anywhere from 1/4 oz to almost 5 oz.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spro_Swimbaits/catpage-SPROSWIM.html

4.4ozs it’s the 8” slow sink. River smallies in western NY

[BassThumb]

Heavy tubes, heavy dropshot weights in the waves/wind, heavy football jigs, swinging football heads with craws, Rapala DT 10/14/16, LC Sammy 100, and LC Pointer 100.

 

I think just about everything else I regularly throw is under 1/2 ounce.

[fishballer06]

17 hours ago, J Francho said:

Try a big football head with the Keitechs.  They do a nice "kick out" when the head bangs off rocks.

I'm going to stock up on some football jigheads. I watched a video recently with Mark Menendez and he said that a football head, because of the way the weight is distributed, stays down deeper better than a traditional swimbait head. 

[J Francho]

10 hours ago, clayton86 said:

4.4ozs it’s the 8” slow sink. River smallies in western NY

They're tuned in to the little 'bow released by the DEC,  Same reason there's a TON of northern pike in that creek I took you to.  Pike Smash the BBZ there as well.  I'd be willing to bet that SB bite exists in the Genny, but then I'd have to fish the Genny, lol.