So once the female lays her eggs in a smaller river, do they leave the nest and go hide?

[Ohioguy25]

Or do they stay and guard? Seems to be multiple schools of thought on this.  I’ve even heard they inhale a bunch of their own fry and go on a binge.  Which does science and observation support?

 

I guess what I’m wondering is where should I be looking right now if I want to catch a 20? Everyone says this is the best time of year to achieve this, did I miss my window?

 

[Team9nine]

Was just discussing this with a friend the other day. The males stay and guard, the females leave, but often times with northern SMB, the male is as large or larger than the female, and very protective of the nest and fry.  So I’d just fish around the bedding areas and feel like my odds of a big fish are just as good. 

[Ohioguy25]

31 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Was just discussing this with a friend the other day. The males stay and guard, the females leave, but often times with northern SMB, the male is as large or larger than the female, and very protective of the nest and fry.  So I’d just fish around the bedding areas and feel like my odds of a big fish are just as good. 

Where do the females go, hide/suspend and rest? 

[Team9nine]

Who knows  Probably depends on the river. Studies on ours here in Indiana show that they rarely leave their main pools on smaller rivers, yet they seem to migrate quite a bit on our larger ones. The friend I was just discussing this with thinks they might feed nocturnally, and that’s why we run into them much less frequently after spawning. 

[PaulVE64]

Females go deep but should be found at the first rocky points and structure near the spawning area.

If you find that spot you should catch them for a few weeks entering and leaving the spawning grounds. 

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, PaulVE64 said:

Females go deep but should be found at the first rocky points and structure near the spawning area.

If you find that spot you should catch them for a few weeks entering and leaving the spawning grounds. 

In small rivers?

[PaulVE64]

58 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

In small rivers?

I mostly fish rivers but I was really thinking of my local reservoir which is more like a lake.

On my river I would say the bass are running up the creeks and back channels to spawn and I expect to find the large females nearby on the closest prime structure with larger boulders if I can find that.

[TnRiver46]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:24 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

Or do they stay and guard? Seems to be multiple schools of thought on this.  I’ve even heard they inhale a bunch of their own fry and go on a binge.  Which does science and observation support?

 

I guess what I’m wondering is where should I be looking right now if I want to catch a 20? Everyone says this is the best time of year to achieve this, did I miss my window?

 

You didn’t miss anything, best time to catch a 20” river smallie is all summer long 

[flyfisher]

Big smallies are available all year long.   You just need to change up tactics to an extent.  I have caught the vast majority of my largest smallmouth in dead of summer.

[MassBass]

They guard fry. I don't think nests are as organized and neat as in a lake without current and fluctuating water levels. The hatch seems to happen quick; If you can find young fry there might be a bass or two guarding them. Usually can see the fry skitting around the surface when you bring a lure through them.

[Blue Raider Bob]

I'm sure LM and SM are comparable to their nesting activities. From my personal experience spent observing my pond I can tell you for sure that the female has no role whatsoever in the raising of the young. After egg laying, she leaves. The male guards the eggs, then the fry. When the fry become free swimmers, he constantly circles them to keep them bunched. At this vulnerable time, he frequently breaks contact with his charges and chases away would be predators. Bluegill and bass crowd the fry and keep the male LM constantly busy. I have observed this many times. The school of fry gradually become a loose group of growing bass that eventually break apart and go their own way. I have never witnesses the male feeding on his fry, quite the opposite. I have seen a male bite a duck on the rear when it came to close to his brood. After the fry separate the male may or may not view them as prey. My guess is that he does at some point during his recovery. The female, however in my opinion, has no such scruples about feeding on available on fingerlings if given the chance, although I have not witnessed it in person.

[Ohioguy25]

21 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Big smallies are available all year long.   You just need to change up tactics to an extent.  I have caught the vast majority of my largest smallmouth in dead of summer.

Yeah just gotta find em. If anything it’s probably easier locating them in the summer.

[bowhunter63]

I think they do here in Missouri I hit the River Sunday and they were bunched up. I had an amazing day. It lasted about 2 hours and then nothing. But our weather is colder than normal so I think they’re a little behind. They were gorging themselves for sure. All on a Rage Bug 

[flyfisher]

2 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Yeah just gotta find em. If anything it’s probably easier locating them in the summer.

i have to agree and it always amazes me just how active they can be.  My last big smallie was caught in 89 degree water too.

[Ohioguy25]

17 hours ago, flyfisher said:

i have to agree and it always amazes me just how active they can be.  My last big smallie was caught in 89 degree water too.

Yeah I think spring may be easier from the bank but if you get out there on the water they are almost always going to be exactly where you’d expect in the warmer months.

[J Francho]

First of all, males aren't going to make their bed in current.  They're not like trout or salmon who scatter their eggs.  They find a secluded, calm place for that.  Females may stay on the bed with the male briefly, or leave after the spawning event.

 

On 4/29/2023 at 10:11 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

Where do the females go, hide/suspend and rest? 

 

Sometimes they seek out other suitable males to spawn with.  Non spawning females are usually not far off the spawning areas.  Perhaps waiting to spawn or recover from spawning.

[BassinCNY]

In the rivers around me the largest smallmouth immediately post spawn are in boat slips totally out of the current. One fish per slip and the nicer the slip the bigger the fish. I always thought they were the recovering females because of their size but I don't know for sure. They're there for a week or two and then the slips are taken over by the largemouth and pickerel.

[J Francho]

That behavior sounds more like a male. 

[PaulVE64]

During a late spawn a buddy caught a +6# smallie by dead sticking a senko at a marina.

He didnt move it or feel it. She was just off the spawning beds and slow. She just hoovered it up and didnt move. Took her minutes just to move 10 ft and he said she felt like a mop. 

[Ohioguy25]

22 hours ago, BassinCNY said:

In the rivers around me the largest smallmouth immediately post spawn are in boat slips totally out of the current. One fish per slip and the nicer the slip the bigger the fish. I always thought they were the recovering females because of their size but I don't know for sure. They're there for a week or two and then the slips are taken over by the largemouth and pickerel.

Your rivers have boat slips?

[BassinCNY]

56 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Your rivers have boat slips?

Yes. They're the Seneca, Oneida and Oswego rivers.