Deep Small Mouth preferred method?

[Coldbasser]

Just an addendum to how deep & more specific to techneque preferred 

cheers

rick

[TnRiver46]

If they are suspended or if the bottom is deeper than 50 ft, I like to throw a 1/8 oz jig head with either hair or a gulp minnow on it. If they are on bottom from 15-30 I like a shakey head or small tube. If they are on bottom deeper than 30 I break out the heavy metal.  I have also caught them with topwater when they were near bottom in 19 ft......... gin clear water though

[J Francho]

Drop shot rig or jigging spoon are the two main things I use.

[webertime]

Carolina Rig and Drop Shot if they are relating to bottom.  Suspended I'd go spybait or big spook.

[Deleted account]

I prefer to jig a spoon of jig head/plastic, but often they prefer a drop-shot.

[Josh Gann]

Carolina rig if they on bottom , if suspended I've found praying helps lol.

[Oregon Native]

3 inch senko or similar style bait on a 3/16 jig head.  Either dragging across bottom or shaking in front of nose.  Have fished this up to forty feet with good success.  Color is important too.

[Coldbasser]

Thanks I'll be trying these techniques this season ???

[haggard]

Discovered fishing only two seasons ago and deep smallies have become my favorite. Home lake is 40 ft max. For the first two seasons on the lake I used 12 lb test mono with Texas rigged 4 and 5 inch worms with bullet weights 1/4 and 3/8 oz. Biggest problem was sensitivity and ended up gut hooking too often (fortunately was able to free the hook and release the fish in most cases).

 

This season I plan to really focus on deep smallies and will try 40 lb braid (for better sensitivity especially when deep, hoping to reduce the gut hooks), using two techniques: a) Texas rigged 5 inch worm (either straight or with paddle tail) with 3/8 oz bullet (gets it to the bottom faster), working it either on the bottom or swimming it back to the boat mid column, and b) skirted jig (3/8 to 1/2 oz) with a crawdad trailer, working it on the bottom.

 

 

[EGbassing]

I tried a kastmaster from the bank today and it seems like it would be a great lure for jigging out deep. Never tried it from a boat though.

[TnRiver46]

14 hours ago, haggard said:

Discovered fishing only two seasons ago and deep smallies have become my favorite. Home lake is 40 ft max. For the first two seasons on the lake I used 12 lb test mono with Texas rigged 4 and 5 inch worms with bullet weights 1/4 and 3/8 oz. Biggest problem was sensitivity and ended up gut hooking too often (fortunately was able to free the hook and release the fish in most cases).

 

This season I plan to really focus on deep smallies and will try 40 lb braid (for better sensitivity especially when deep, hoping to reduce the gut hooks), using two techniques: a) Texas rigged 5 inch worm (either straight or with paddle tail) with 3/8 oz bullet (gets it to the bottom faster), working it either on the bottom or swimming it back to the boat mid column, and b) skirted jig (3/8 to 1/2 oz) with a crawdad trailer, working it on the bottom.

 

 

I don’t think I could get 40 lb braid to sink 40 ft with an anchor on the end! Haha

[Crestliner2008]

Hard to be a blade bait jigged off the bottom if they holding tight. Cruisers can be taken with a light colored jerkbait in the smaller sizes. But an awful lot depends on the water clarity, forage base and temp of the water.

 

I don't usually do as well in the early season with the drop shot. Not until the water temps get about 60 degrees. Not saying it won't work, just other presentation appear to work better - for me.

[OkobojiEagle]

I don't like to bass fish deeper than 20' and beyond 30' I look for shallower fish or go home.

 

oe

[J.Vincent]

Drifting and Dragging Tube Jigs , when Smallmouth are relating to the bottom in water between 10 and 25 foot deep, sometimes as deep as 30ft. This is a classic Great Lakes approach 

[T.A.L38]

On 4/8/2019 at 2:50 PM, Coldbasser said:

Just an addendum to how deep & more specific to techneque preferred 

cheers

rick

Drop Shot

 

The majority of my big smallmouth fishing is done on the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario (Canadian side). The fish traditionally sit anywhere from 10-50ft of water. My main method is the Drop Shot. I use a VMC Spinshot drop shot hook. Go too line would 8lb Sufix Elite. You can comfortably downsize to 6lb but check the line after each cast if you're fishing around current and rock. For weight I usually end up throwing a 3/8oz. It is quite common in some of the harder to get, honey holes, to throw down a 1/2oz weight because of current. I want my soft plastic to stay in place a lot of the time and just bounce it momentarily (not gospel, just a strategy I've found effective). If I use a scented plastic, all the better. It almost always increases my hook up rate no matter the conditions. Look for no further evidence than Josh Bertrands 2018 Bassmaster Elite win on the St. Lawrence. Josh was using the 4" Berkley PowerBait Max Scent Flatworm and the 3" Gulp! Minnow. I have used the Gulp! Minnow on the St. Lawrence and it's definitely a producer. I truly believe scent is a major key in the drop shot method. Finesse worm, minnow and leech style plastics work best. 

 

Rod - 7tf. Anything Medium, Medium Light with a fast tip. Some guys up here prefer extra fast tips because the Smallies have a tendency not to smash a drop shot, they'll just pick it up. You'll get the odd crack but its not a lot.

 

Reel - A spinning reel 6:3:1 will do fine. I've used a Daiwa Revros 2500 for 3 yrs now. Simple reel with an excellent drag! Worth a lot more than its price in my opinion, but I am biased. 

 

 

[Boomstick]

I primarily use a drop shot when targeting smallies on the bottom, and increase the weight to maybe 1/4oz if I'm in 20-30ft of water so it can get down there. Carolina rigs also work great as well, but I find the drop shot to me more versatile. I often fish a small lake that is mostly shallow but has a deep size that's around 100 ft deep, so I can switch out my weight and go from working shallow to deep rather easily in lakes like this.

[Jleebesaw]

Down to 20 ft. or so I will use 3 or 4 inch tubes. I use 3/8 tube jigs almost exclusively, regardless of depth.  Berkely power bait tubes in gobie magic are great on the st lawrence river. 

 

I also dropshot like everybody else. I rarely fish deeper than 30-35 ft.  Pick almost any lure for dropshotting. Smallies aren't picky eaters in my experiance. Finding them is the hard part. Once you know where they are they usually hit about anything. I like the kvd finesse worms though. Anything with a similar shape would be good I'm sure. Skinny in the middle so they wiggle in the current is the idea.

 

Also, if they are suspended in 20 ft or less, they will sometimes get after topwater baits. Smallies treat topwater baits like they hate them. It's my favorite way to catch them. They get super aggressive. Super spook junior is my favorite topwater bait.

[A-Jay]

On 4/10/2019 at 11:27 AM, Crestliner2008 said:

Hard to be a blade bait jigged off the bottom if they holding tight. Cruisers can be taken with a light colored jerkbait in the smaller sizes. But an awful lot depends on the water clarity, forage base and temp of the water.

 

I don't usually do as well in the early season with the drop shot. Not until the water temps get about 60 degrees. Not saying it won't work, just other presentation appear to work better - for me.

My experience mirror's much of what @Crestliner2008 noted.  'Deep' smallies for me vary by season.  25 to 35 feet is the general deep smb zone.  Blade baits, rattle baits fished like a blade bait, and 3 to 4.5 inch paddletail swimbaits on 3/8 to 3/4 oz jig heads do most all my early and late season deep water smb heavy lifting.  During warm water periods I'll add a drop shot and a spybait to the deal.  

On most of the super clear water lakes I'm on, these are my go to drop shot.

A-Jay 

[Crestliner2008]

Those are some fine looking plastics A-Jay! Going to have to give those a whirl this season.

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Crestliner2008 said:

Those are some fine looking plastics A-Jay! Going to have to give those a whirl this season.

I think your local smb population will find them most appetizing.  And just a heads up, they are very soft; allows for super life like movement but they can not be associated with durable at all.

Makes a great search drop shot bait. 

A-Jay 

[roadwarrior]

Alabama Rig

 

[NYWayfarer]

My arsenal consists of a Drop shot rig or tubes for deep Smallmouth.

[Coldbasser]

A-Jay 

your post are great but also expensive as the dang Bait monkey keeps leading me by the nose to get some baits of which the colors look very enticing indeed. 

 

I will be trying as many of the techniques as I,can muster this year 

 

thanks

Rick

[A-Jay]

On 5/3/2019 at 6:59 PM, Coldbasser said:

A-Jay 

your post are great but also expensive as the dang Bait monkey keeps leading me by the nose to get some baits of which the colors look very enticing indeed. 

 

I will be trying as many of the techniques as I,can muster this year 

 

thanks

Rick

Thanks Rick. 

Clearly, I have a problem.

A-Jay 

 

[Vilas15]

I don't have much success with deep smallmouth once they move out for summer, but working to improve that. Plan is to focus on dropshot, heavier tubes, and lipless cranks come warmer weather in 20-25'.