Where Are The Big Ones?

[NWAbasser]

Obviously it's the question everybody wants to know. Where are the 20"+ fish? 

Maybe it's silly to even ask. Their in the water stupid! I fish nothing but creeks and rivers for smallmouth and ask the weekends go by I'm catching more and more fish lots of 8-12" fish and my biggest so far is probably 16" or so, hard to say cause I rarely measure a fish that looks smaller then that. But I have yet to catch or see a fish that looked over 20". Is this common? I fish crooked creek in my area a lot and its known for producing good fish but I haven't seen it for myself yet. Are the big fish off doing their own thing or should I just keep attacking the areas I know hold fish in hopes of eventually catching a good one? 

 

Side question, what do most of yall use for taking water temperature? I'd like something accurate mainly but fairly inexpensive. 

 

Thanks for all the tips... Jaycob.

[Way north bass guy]

I’d say for most creeks and smaller rivers, a 20” smallmouth would

be a giant and very rare. Certainly some areas where there’s lots of high nutrient food, or an area where they can migrate to a bigger lake for parts of the year, you might find larger bass, but mostly your gonna find smaller ones, not that there’s anything wrong with fighting a whole bunch of feisty smallies in the current. 

As for water temps, from shore or wading I’d get either a small pool thermometer or a small digital one like you’d have in your kitchen window with a small length of wire and probe. 

[cyclops2]

St Lawrence River is like a lake with plenty of islands & feeder creeks. So there are all types of big SMB available. There are the traveling school of big bass.  The SCATTERED individual in a lingering feeding area. Or a small group of them moving as needed for new spot of food.  The RARE big / HUGE lone one under docks & boats like a Large Mouth. 

 Or a big moma cruising the open areas looking for anything. 

SMB are not really ambush fish. They will attack anything. At any depth. At anytime. Sun or no sun.

 

That is what makes them tougher to catch from shore. They eat fast & a lot. Then move to the next place.  So your going to have a hard time from bridges or shore. Keeping up with them. If you can find a DEEP DARK hole in a bend of a river ? Good chance of a lot of ALL bigger fishes being there.  Quite often.

[mod479]

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 8:35 PM, cyclops2 said:

St Lawrence River is like a lake 

 ?  I don't think so Tim. I'd be hard pressed to call it a Lake. It's a river, and fishes like one 'til you end up down close to Lake O. (and even then) 

 

Since I'm here, I'll take a shot at answering the OPs question. Been a while and I feel like typing.

 

It's anyone's guess where big summer smallies end up in the heat of the summer, just go find 'em.

 

Yeah, they can become ghosts. Highly dependent on available forage, boat traffic, recreational people, heat/humidity, weather and sunlight, water conditions... etc... it can and does change daily. You've heard it before..."Here today, gone tomorrow."

 

Don't bog yourself down with the above quote. They're still out there somewhere.

 

That being said, I've caught 6 SMB @ 20" or better this year. 5 of the 6 have been quite shallow... less than 10 feet. The exception was in about 25-30 feet of water, right on the break. I've been on the water A lot this season, that in itself will increase your odds of bring a big one to hand. Time on the water. 

 

I've also had a couple dink days myself, but since I have a strange love of fish in general it's fine with me. Their aerobatics are just as fun to watch. To assume you'll get a 20+ every outing...LOL.   

 

OP, don't beat the spots producing dinks day after day, go explore some new water. Fish different baits. Fish bigger baits. Big topwaters (walkers, props) and big soft jerkbaits will produce big bronze this time of year and moving forward.

 

Since you said you fish small creeks and rivers:

 

Find the main channel and it's edges and work that deeper cooler water. Every obstruction/current break nearby should get your attention for obvious reasons.    

or

Find the fastest flow. I mean get right in there. The Dam, the Waterfalls, the rapids, the plunge pools...etc. Anywhere you have better than average flow. Why would they be here fighting that current? Easy feeding ops when they end up in a good lie, AND moving/churned up water is cooler, more oxygenated, it also blocks out some sun rays. All the ingredients for finding bigger SMB. In the heat of the day, they stack up in these areas. Later in the evening, they might move to those shallower flats and gravel bars to feed for a while. Learn how to fish these high current areas and you will be rewarded. You may need to use more weight than you're used to in order to get to these fish.

 

I take water temp with a 1 dollar floating aquarium thermometer. Great thing to have with you to see the differences in temp at different areas of the same river.

 

Good luck and have faith.

 

 

[cyclops2]

I have fished  the same 1 square mile area for 10 years. 1 time they where feeding as a large group in clear 5 ' water at 4 pm in my bay. 4 other times they were resting on the bottom in 30' of clear backwashed area. Rest of the time I do all other fish.  Drum, Perch Pike. Some areas are just not S M B areas. Other people have spots that they go to & limit out.

 

Oh well.

 

[cyclops2]

Oh no Mr. Bill.

 

Old 1 eye is going out to harass the S M B.  Someone call the N Y F & G office to ticket him !!

 

Why waste the time & money on him ?  They are safe.

 

Need proof ?

 

I reeled in what is a nice Jack Perch from 80 feet out on a 1.5"  Rapala floater.  In 5'  of clear water at 2pm. 15' from the boat the SMB of 8" long opens mouth.  Why N Y F & G NEVER checks me out in my N J registration numbered boat. They just toot 2 times without slowing down.

 

Yesterdays high point of fishing. 

[roadwarrior]

On 7/28/2019 at 1:21 PM, NWAbasser said:

Obviously it's the question everybody wants to know. Where are the 20"+ fish? 

Maybe it's silly to even ask. Their in the water stupid! I fish nothing but creeks and rivers for smallmouth and ask the weekends go by I'm catching more and more fish lots of 8-12" fish and my biggest so far is probably 16" or so, hard to say cause I rarely measure a fish that looks smaller then that. But I have yet to catch or see a fish that looked over 20". Is this common? I fish crooked creek in my area a lot and its known for producing good fish but I haven't seen it for myself yet. Are the big fish off doing their own thing or should I just keep attacking the areas I know hold fish in hopes of eventually catching a good one? 

 

Side question, what do most of yall use for taking water temperature? I'd like something accurate mainly but fairly inexpensive. 

 

Thanks for all the tips... Jaycob.

Bull Shoals is a good option for you, especially for bigger smallmouth in June. This year our best trip

was June 5th and 6th with over 40 smallmouth including several around 5lbs and our big bass just

under 6lbs.  Most of our fish were caught on Gitzits.

 

[senile1]

I just saw this thread so this may be too many days late.  I believe the creek of which the OP  (@NWAbasser) speaks is the famed Crooked Creek of Northwest Arkansas.  There have been 6 and 7 lb smallies taken from that creek and lots of 4s and 5s.  From my reading, it is one of the best, if not the best, smallmouth waters in the area for trophies.  My understanding is the lower end of the creek east of Yellville is the best place to find numbers of these trophies.  However, it is the most difficult part of the creek to navigate, can be dangerous in high water, and in dry years the flow even goes underground in some places.  Trophies have been caught in the water west of Yellville but there are a great number of smaller fish in that part of the creek.