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

[Hollada]

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

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

Maybe....?

[gim]

On 4/20/2021 at 6:21 AM, 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. 

This is exactly what I was going to say. Spring pre spawn in lakes and summer bite in rivers is pretty much how I try to approach it. In fact, I don’t even try to fish rivers in the spring for brown bass, and once the heat of summer is on, I avoid the lakes they reside in too.

[Ohioguy25]

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This is exactly what I was going to say. Spring pre spawn in lakes and summer bite in rivers is pretty much how I try to approach it. In fact, I don’t even try to fish rivers in the spring for brown bass, and once the heat of summer is on, I avoid the lakes they reside in too.

When you say rivers do you mean large rivers like the Ohio or Mississippi or does that include creeks as well?

[Scott F]

57 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

When you say rivers do you mean large rivers like the Ohio or Mississippi or does that include creeks as well?

I’ve never fished big rivers like the Ohio or Mississippi. I’m talking about mid-sized to small rivers and creeks.

[Ohioguy25]

2 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I’ve never fished big rivers like the Ohio or Mississippi. I’m talking about mid-sized to small rivers and creeks.

Interesting, is this because you think they are difficult to locate in rivers/creeks in the spring or just that they are not that active and more finicky?

[Scott F]

12 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Interesting, is this because you think they are difficult to locate in rivers/creeks in the spring or just that they are not that active and more finicky?

Early spring can be great in rivers. The biggest fish of the year are often caught during this time. The problem with rivers in spring is the unpredictability. If you are fortunate enough to have some stable weather, and the rivers aren’t blown out by spring rains it’s a great time. The prespawn period for lake smallmouth is the best time to find smallies shallow and hungry. In the lakes I fish, they go deep pretty quickly after the spawn is over and are never as easy to find for the rest of the year. Just about at that time, river fish are over the post spawn and are active and shallow and will be up until the ice starts to form. 

[gim]

Completely agree with Scott.  Although I will occasionally fish the Mississippi River up here in the north, its not the massive wide reservoir-type river you think of further south.  I mostly fish a tributary that is not big or deep enough to get a standard boat in.  A kayak, canoe, or jon boat is required and by far the best smallmouth fishing is July-August.  When the lakes start to get tough here in midsummer, that's when the river bite is on.  And I mostly use topwater shallow subsurface lures.  Spring time in these rivers is fast, murky current and the water is still quite cold.  Not saying its impossible in that situation but it can be borderline dangerous in a small craft like a canoe.

 

The lake I fish for smallmouth is mostly Mille Lacs.  Its a large, round-shaped lake and the fish are shallow pre-spawn so I can find them easier.  Once they spawn, they head out into the abyss and then finding them becomes significantly harder.

[J Francho]

40 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I mostly fish a tributary that is not big or deep enough to get a standard boat in.  A kayak, canoe, or jon boat is required and by far the best smallmouth fishing is July-August. 

Sounds just like the Susky here and in PA.

[gim]

20 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Sounds just like the Susky here and in PA.

 

Some of those medium/smaller rivers are untapped resources because they lack the depth and access that a bigger craft needs.  The river I fish rarely has other anglers.  Last season it had more though because of the covid crowd.

[J Francho]

16 minutes ago, gimruis said:

because of the covid crowd

I think there's a market for dual purpose bait scent/hand sanitizer.  We could do a branded mask giveaway at the product launch.

[Born 2 fish]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:07 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

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

Absolutely for me