Suspending Smallmouth

[Ivey]

 I posted this on another thread and wonder how others handle these fish. There is one situation I'm finding on the lake I fish, Tim's Ford, That I'd like to toss out. The past few years I've found the Smallmouth bite slowing in many place I've caught them for years. Most of these spots are drop offs near main lake points and after the spawn but can be lake wide.

 Soon after the spawn thru summer and winter the fish seem to move out away from the bank and suspend in or very near large schools of shad. These fish, I believe, are using the big bait schools as structure and as the bait moves so do the SM. three days ago I found a large group of fish on the depth finder located next to a bait ball suspended in 18 ft of water over 45 ft. after casting everything in the boat with no luck, I picked up a drop shot. When I dropped to the fish I could see them on sonar just sitting there looking at my bait. I'd move it up and down, they would follow but wouldn't bite everywhere the bait moved there would be a gang of fish watching but wouldn't bite.

 The next day I thought I'd really trick these fish and brought along some minnows, I'd put on a bait, spark shad, robot worm,  then a minnow with it thought it would really get them, no luck. I've tried everything to catch these suspenders but have not found a way to make them bite

 Has anyone got any suggestions on catching these fish using bait as structure?

[Jermination]

5 minutes ago, Ivey said:

 I posted this on another thread and wonder how others handle these fish. There is one situation I'm finding on the lake I fish, Tim's Ford, That I'd like to toss out. The past few years I've found the Smallmouth bite slowing in many place I've caught them for years. Most of these spots are drop offs near main lake points and after the spawn but can be lake wide.

 Soon after the spawn thru summer and winter the fish seem to move out away from the bank and suspend in or very near large schools of shad. These fish, I believe, are using the big bait schools as structure and as the bait moves so do the SM. three days ago I found a large group of fish on the depth finder located next to a bait ball suspended in 18 ft of water over 45 ft. after casting everything in the boat with no luck, I picked up a drop shot. When I dropped to the fish I could see them on sonar just sitting there looking at my bait. I'd move it up and down, they would follow but wouldn't bite everywhere the bait moved there would be a gang of fish watching but wouldn't bite.

 The next day I thought I'd really trick these fish and brought along some minnows, I'd put on a bait, spark shad, robot worm,  then a minnow with it thought it would really get them, no luck. I've tried everything to catch these suspenders but have not found a way to make them bite

 Has anyone got any suggestions on catching these fish using bait as structure?

They are tough to catch man. We drop the damiki rig here on Cherokee & Norris. VMC moon eye(the jig head is imperative so the bait will suspend horizontally) with either an armor damiki shad, gulp minnow, or zoom tiny fluke. Hold it very still, occasionally pull it up 5-8 feet and slowly lower back down.

 

Other thing i've had some success with is tie on a 3/4 oz spinnerbait, figure out your rate of fall and retrieve it back to the boat slow just below the bait

 

These fish are very hard to catch, if they do bite and you lose one or throw one back in to the school, they call the cops and the party is over. Very difficult to get them to bite after one of those two things happen, i dont know if they release some kind of pheromones or what, but something definitely happens. Keep scanning your main points/islands looking for bait in that 18 foot area, there will be some on one of them somewhere 

[Ivey]

1 minute ago, Jermination said:

They are tough to catch man. We drop the damiki rig here on Cherokee & Norris. VMC moon eye(the jig head is imperative so the bait will suspend horizontally) with either an armor damiki shad, gulp minnow, or zoom tiny fluke. Hold it very still, occasionally pull it up 5-8 feet and slowly lower back down.

 

Other thing i've had some success with is tie on a 3/4 oz spinnerbait, figure out your rate of fall and retrieve it back to the boat slow just below the bait

 

These fish are very hard to catch, if they do bite and you lose one or throw one back in to the school, they call the cops and the party is over. Very difficult to get them to bite after one of those two things happen, i dont know if they release some kind of pheromones or what, but something definitely happens. Keep scanning your main points/islands looking for bait in that 18 foot area, there will be some on one of them somewhere 

I've used the spinnerbait and very little the drop rig you described. With that method i've read to hold the bait above the fish and let them come up to it. Tried that, Deep jerk baits, you name it. I have taken a very limited amount of fish on a silver buddy, allowing it to fall through on a tight line, but this is very limited and bites are days apart. I know these fish can be caught somehow I just haven't figured out how. They're easy to find on Tim's just follow the center of old channels and you'll run across them but getting them to bite is a totally different story. 

[Jermination]

10 minutes ago, Ivey said:

I've used the spinnerbait and very little the drop rig you described. With that method i've read to hold the bait above the fish and let them come up to it. Tried that, Deep jerk baits, you name it. I have taken a very limited amount of fish on a silver buddy, allowing it to fall through on a tight line, but this is very limited and bites are days apart. I know these fish can be caught somehow I just haven't figured out how. They're easy to find on Tim's just follow the center of old channels and you'll run across them but getting them to bite is a totally different story. 

they can be but it's hard to. I usually decide after 15 or 20 minutes my time is better spent searching for fish that are relating to bottom. pull an A rig below the bait, i just cant stand to sling that thing for 8 hours consecutively but you should be able to get a couple takers

[Dwight Hottle]

When smallies suspend on Erie I always targeted them with deep running jerks baits. Strolling with the wind & with long leads behind the boat. Sometimes you mark the smallies on your graph & other times you don't when targeting the bait schools. Walleye & smallies will move away from the boat off to the side & then return after the boat passes. The long leads help with this lateral movement. 

[MickD]

Would not a hair jig fished with little or no motion be a good idea?

 

I think one of my first choices would be a blade bait.

[BassNJake]

Those suspending smallmouth are tough to catch

The techniques involved require no fear of boredom

 

I tried the float and fly for a few winters with very little success except making me want to take a nap

The Damiki rig has been a much better option but I have to drop on 10 different schools just to get a couple of bites

 

If the D-rig isn't getting bites, I'll drop a silver buddy type bait through the school

Mostly do that cuz I'm mad that they wont bite and I just want to scatter them a little for revenge lol

 

Fishing up north I never really experienced the Paul Revere smallies, but down here it's crazy how the whole school will shut down

35 minutes ago, Jermination said:

These fish are very hard to catch, if they do bite and you lose one or throw one back in to the school, they call the cops and the party is over. Very difficult to get them to bite after one of those two things happen, i dont know if they release some kind of pheromones or what, but something definitely happens. Keep scanning your main points/islands looking for bait in that 18 foot area, there will be some on one of them somewhere 

 

[Jermination]

1 minute ago, BassNJake said:

 

Fishing up north I never really experienced the Paul Revere smallies, but down here it's crazy how the whole school will shut down

 

It's wild man, I dont think i've really ever read any literature on it anywhere but its definitely something i take into consideration once i get a school fired up. I'll typically run the trolling motor 40-45 yards away before throwing a 17 7/8 inch smallie back, i've shut myself down too many times 

[TnRiver46]

People who think smallmouth eat anything and aren’t line shy should try to catch these fish. My best is a strike king bitsy tube on 1/8 oz round ball head . If that doesn’t work I try dead sticking a weightless fluke. The only ones I’ve ever successfully dropped on were sitting on bottom. Suspended fish I back off and cast. 

[basscatcher8]

On 2/27/2020 at 8:46 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

When smallies suspend on Erie I always targeted them with deep running jerks baits. Strolling with the wind & with long leads behind the boat. Sometimes you mark the smallies on your graph & other times you don't when targeting the bait schools. Walleye & smallies will move away from the boat off to the side & then return after the boat passes. The long leads help with this lateral movement. 

Dwight

 

Are you using a pretty stout rod to be able to move the bait with that much lead out behind the boat? I've been learning a lot about this technique and just trying to soak up what I can.

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, basscatcher8 said:

Dwight

 

Are you using a pretty stout rod to be able to move the bait with that much lead out behind the boat? I've been learning a lot about this technique and just trying to soak up what I can.

Just using my regular jerk bait rod a St Croix legend elite MHM blank custom by Otter Rods (Mattman). I always used 10lb braid with a mono leader from 10-20 feet long.