Is the prespawn spring smallie bite really that much better than the summer action?

[Ohioguy25]

I’ve heard for years now that spring is just straight fire, but that is not what I am currently experiencing. I had some luck in late March but since then just a few here and there.

 

While it’s possible I’m just not making the right presentation I tend to doubt it’s quite as exciting as I’ve been led to believe without some intimate knowledge of spawning habits and the ecosystem you are fishing.  I catch a dozen fish every trip during the summer months, but the water temp has been jumping all over and with erratic rain storms it’s hard to believe there is any kind of consistent bite this early in the year. 
 

Wouldn’t it make sense that as the water warms up they feed more as it increases their metabolism? Is Spring really better than summer?

[Spankey]

I feel your pain. By maybe 40+ years worth. Early season is a struggle for me. Your results are the norm for me also. I could never really put a pattern to the early spring prespawn times. I’m not gonna spin myself into the ground over it. I just keep trying at it. My Smallies turn on like a light switch. One week they seem not there than the next a switch went on. I’m gonna struggle a bit yet. It will come together. Mid May seems to produce nice fish. Summer will be here soon and some type of pattern can get established. I’m already looking forward to September and October. 

[Dwight Hottle]

He!! yes. Prespawn is the very best time. The fish are heavier & feed up for the spawn. Your just not finding them. They will be less likely to school up before spawning than afterwards. So you have to keep looking for them. Once you find some good spots with structure & depth & bait relatively near their spawning areas the same spots will be good year after year. Smallies winter all grouped up in deep water then they disperse in smaller groups looking for warmer water & bait. They gravitate to spots within a reasonable range of their spawning area. They will move from deeper water to shallow water during the day depending on bait movements. 

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

He!! yes. Prespawn is the very best time. The fish are heavier & feed up for the spawn. Your just not finding them. They will be less likely to school up before spawning than afterwards. So you have to keep looking for them. Once you find some good spots with structure & depth & bait relatively near their spawning areas the same spots will be good year after year. Smallies winter all grouped up in deep water then they disperse in smaller groups looking for warmer water & bait. They gravitate to spots within a reasonable range of their spawning area. They will move from deeper water to shallow water during the day depending on bait movements. 

So you think you catch significantly more fish in spring than summer?

[Dwight Hottle]

17 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So you think you catch significantly more fish in spring than summer?

Yes but especially bigger fish. 

[A-Jay]

20 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

I’ve heard for years now that spring is just straight fire, but that is not what I am currently experiencing. I had some luck in late March but since then just a few here and there.

 

While it’s possible I’m just not making the right presentation I tend to doubt it’s quite as exciting as I’ve been led to believe without some intimate knowledge of spawning habits and the ecosystem you are fishing.  I catch a dozen fish every trip during the summer months, but the water temp has been jumping all over and with erratic rain storms it’s hard to believe there is any kind of consistent bite this early in the year. 
 

Wouldn’t it make sense that as the water warms up they feed more as it increases their metabolism? Is Spring really better than summer?

Guess it depends on who you ask.

I will say most definitely;

especially for big brown bass.

A-Jay 

[Allen Der]

Spring is just getting started in the north.  It's going to snow tomorrow.  late april into may is what I consider spring

[TnRiver46]

20 minutes ago, Allen Der said:

Spring is just getting started in the north.  It's going to snow tomorrow.  late april into may is what I consider spring

We’ve got a forecasted low of 32 coming up also with a slight chance of snow, but I bet that will be the day the smallies are biting like

sharks!  It snowed in the smokies this weekend up high. 

[Fishin' Fool]

On 4/18/2021 at 7:26 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

I’ve heard for years now that spring is just straight fire, but that is not what I am currently experiencing. I had some luck in late March but since then just a few here and there.

 

While it’s possible I’m just not making the right presentation I tend to doubt it’s quite as exciting as I’ve been led to believe without some intimate knowledge of spawning habits and the ecosystem you are fishing.  I catch a dozen fish every trip during the summer months, but the water temp has been jumping all over and with erratic rain storms it’s hard to believe there is any kind of consistent bite this early in the year. 
 

Wouldn’t it make sense that as the water warms up they feed more as it increases their metabolism? Is Spring really better than summer?

 

Yes but the weather is more unstable and unpredictable in the spring but if you can get a few days of stable weather with 2 guys in a boat you can have days of 40 to 100 fish. I strongly recommend you make a trip to St Clair in the spring. My buddies from the east side of the state are out now every weekend catching 4 to 6 pound smallmouth. In the next few weeks the biggest ones will have spawned and will start moving out to deeper water. I think what's easier about the spring is the fish are more spread out and easier to catch. Summer can be more challenging because the fish group up in schools but if you find the right school you can do well.

[Bluebasser86]

Everyone raves about the spawn, but prespawn is where it's at. Heck I'd rather fish the winter/coldwater period than the actual spawn. 

[Scott F]

If you are talking about lake fish, spring is definitely best right up until they lock on the beds. For river fish, summer is better. Easier to locate and much more consistent. Lake fish go deeper as the water warms and they stay shallow all summer in small to medium sized rivers. 

[Steveo-1969]

I fish a river and every spring I look forward to the smallmouth showing up on the bank in pre-spawn because I catch bigger fish than the summer. The water temp has been low 50s for a couple weeks. This past weekend the water temp was 55 and the smallmouth just magically appeared on the bank. I caught 15 fat pre-spawn smallmouth where there were no fish the week before.

 

 In the summer I will need to wade and cover lots more water to find those numbers and the fish will be smaller on average.

[TnRiver46]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Everyone raves about the spawn, but prespawn is where it's at. Heck I'd rather fish the winter/coldwater period than the actual spawn. 

Me too! Been saying that for years, but it just falls on deaf ears 

[MGF]

Well, in my river last year was pretty typical. I caught my biggest the second half of may but the numbers were way better in the summer. Before may all I got were a few dinks...they just don't seem to be in my part of the river earlier than that. 

 

This spring the water is low...low like in August. That means that a river trip is one way...down river. There is no motoring back up. I just lost a vehicle. With low water and only one truck there's no river fishing.

[J Francho]

I have the best luck in the dead of summer.

[TnRiver46]

53 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I have the best luck in the dead of summer.

I like that time of year too. Dead of winter and dead of summer are my favorite, they move around more in spring and fall 

[Ohioguy25]

13 hours ago, Scott F said:

If you are talking about lake fish, spring is definitely best right up until they lock on the beds. For river fish, summer is better. Easier to locate and much more consistent. Lake fish go deeper as the water warms and they stay shallow all summer in small to medium sized rivers. 

Bingo, best answer. I think people generally assume everyone fishes lakes/ponds. I’m not sure why this is, people are lazy? Nothing compares to a wild scenic river.

7 hours ago, J Francho said:

I have the best luck in the dead of summer.

No doubt, same. It’s basic biology, warmer the water higher their metabolism. Also far easier to locate them as they’re almost exclusively in current when the heat saps the oxygen out of the slack water.

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

No doubt, same. It’s basic biology, warmer the water higher their metabolism. Also far easier to locate them as they’re almost exclusively in current when the heat saps the oxygen out of the slack water.

I've only fished in real current for smallies a few times.  During the spawn, they are scattered on spawning flats.  The rest of the year, they are usually on predictable structural elements.  I could also say it's easier once they get to winter areas, but It's tough to get out there.  The few times I have, fishing has been amazing.  There's a reason there so many articles about transition times like fall and spring: no one has it nailed down.

[TheBasslayer]

The only Smallie fishing I do is in the Kalamazoo River, and since my pb Smallie is like 0.75 pounds, then I don't have a say in this. But I'm guessing since Smallies like cold water, then yes, the bite would probably be better.

[TOXIC]

We plan a trip to Lake St Clair every May.  Looking forward to our trip this year.  We hope to get the first wave of spawners moving in and feeding up and spawning.  Depending on weather we have hit that bonanza more than once.  If we are too early, we have to fish deep and go for the prespawn.  The ideal time to hit it for numbers is when the first wave finishes and the second wave is moving up.  That way you can fish the prespawners, post spawners and some on the beds.  For 18 years this pattern has held.?

[Hollada]

7 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

We plan a trip to Lake St Clair every May.  Looking forward to our trip this year.  We hope to get the first wave of spawners moving in and feeding up and spawning.  Depending on weather we have hit that bonanza more than once.  If we are too early, we have to fish deep and go for the prespawn.  The ideal time to hit it for numbers is when the first wave finishes and the second wave is moving up.  That way you can fish the prespawners, post spawners and some on the beds.  For 18 years this pattern has held.?

Numbers have been pretty darn good so far.  I’ve been on the pond since March.  I like April a lot more than May - much less pressure and as many or more fish!  Don’t forget you’re JD. ?

[TOXIC]

2 minutes ago, Hollada said:

Numbers have been pretty darn good so far.  I’ve been on the pond since March.  I like April a lot more than May - much less pressure and as many or more fish!  Don’t forget you’re JD. ?

Always have an adequate supply.  We had to change cottages this year.  Still on the island but fearing high water the owner of our usual cottage opted out of renting.  We found another and it’s huge but probably won’t be able to keep all the boats in the water.  

[Hollada]

8 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Always have an adequate supply.  We had to change cottages this year.  Still on the island but fearing high water the owner of our usual cottage opted out of renting.  We found another and it’s huge but probably won’t be able to keep all the boats in the water.  

Water is actually down about a foot and a half. 

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, Hollada said:

Numbers have been pretty darn good so far.  I’ve been on the pond since March.  I like April a lot more than May - much less pressure and as many or more fish!  Don’t forget you’re JD. ?

Might JD be Tennessee’s most famous export??? Just guessing at the acronym.....

[padon]

On 4/20/2021 at 12:27 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Everyone raves about the spawn, but prespawn is where it's at. Heck I'd rather fish the winter/coldwater period than the actual spawn. 

amen same for largemouth for me. i hate showing up and seeing fish on beds. if i do i will usually head to another part of the lake where i think they may be done

most of my smallmouth fishing is in rivers. summer is no doubt better in summer for numbers. simply because of the water level stability. having said that if the river is stable for the prespawn my biggest fish were certainly caught in the spring.