Guys fishing smaller rivers - what sort of areas are you targeting this time of year when you know most have dropped their eggs - you fish current or strictly target the banks?

[Ohioguy25]

I’m still sort of new to spawn fishing.  For those fishing smaller rivers in areas where the fish have begun spawning, are you focusing on the beds exclusively; casting along the bank and if so are you throwing finesse exclusively? I have heard any fish you catch on a bed is simply picking your lure up and moving it off the nest and not actively feeding.  Was curious if this was true or if they would attack anything that came near it. 

 

For those continuing to target normal feeding areas; ie current seams and eddies, do you find that the mature fish (presumably females) go directly into this pattern after dropping eggs and aggressively hitting moving presentations like swimbaits and topwater? 

[PaulVE64]

Oh my,

The females rest alot during and post spawn.

But they do put on the feed bag asap.

Personally I'm throwing at seams, not at beds

[Spankey]

Creek points, rock banks, shoal like areas. I just kicked off my bass season Sunday. Didn’t set the world on fire but managed a few runt smallies. 
 

I’ve been at this a long time. I never could figure out all the spawn stuff. I’ve always been a loss with that stuff. I think smallies up here spawn late. And not all at the same time. 
 

I think our weather is gonna break for the good this weekend. Start putting these colder temps behind us. I Trout fish creeks here that hold smallies that generally would be hitting by now. Baits I’ve thrown so far, would have been hit in the past season. 
 

They’ll turn on like I light switch. I can’t overthink something I don’t know much about. 
 

 

[Susky River Rat]

From what I have seen you won’t  find a concentration of big ones from now till fall unless you get some high water. I’m not saying you won’t catch some It just won’t be high numbers of them like the other seasons.

 

I usually see an increase in numbers but smaller fish. Where a month ago I’d see less fish but more size. 
 

hit your normal areas as well as spawning areas. It’s a river fish move a heck of a lot more.

[bowhunter63]

Ours here in Missouri have Adhd. Just keep moving and casting . Hit all the obvious spots. You will find them 

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

From what I have seen you won’t  find a concentration of big ones from now till fall unless you get some high water. I’m not saying you won’t catch some It just won’t be high numbers of them like the other seasons.

 

I usually see an increase in numbers but smaller fish. Where a month ago I’d see less fish but more size. 
 

hit your normal areas as well as spawning areas. It’s a river fish move a heck of a lot more.

So you’re saying fall is the only time you see mature fish schooled up or does that apply to prespawn as well?

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So you’re saying fall is the only time you see mature fish schooled up or does that apply to prespawn as well?

Prespawn and fall into early winter. its just what I have noticed here. 

[Ohioguy25]

5 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

Prespawn and fall into early winter. its just what I have noticed here. 

A lot of people seem to think when they’re nested is the easiest time or do you not fish beds?

[Susky River Rat]

3 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

A lot of people seem to think when they’re nested is the easiest time or do you not fish beds?

I think prespawn is easier just what I experience.  It’s also a regulation here to not make repeated casts at fish in beds. Even in that respect I think the females are there a gone because of other predators in this river. 
 

Edit:

 I also think this only applies to the susky and juni. You cannot make repeated casts at visible beds. For awhile it was also a closed season and you couldn’t fish for them at all.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Darnold335
Added clarification on a regulation

[Ohioguy25]

13 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

I think prespawn is easier just what I experience.  It’s also a regulation here to not make repeated casts at fish in beds. Even in that respect I think the females are there a gone because of other predators in this river. 
 

Edit:

 I also think this only applies to the susky and juni. You cannot make repeated casts at visible beds. For awhile it was also a closed season and you couldn’t fish for them at all.

Interesting, thanks. Should honestly be a regulation everywhere, judging by the incredibly healthy smallmouth population in the Susky watershed I’d say that’s a conservation effort that works!

[Susky River Rat]

26 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Interesting, thanks. Should honestly be a regulation everywhere, judging by the incredibly healthy smallmouth population in the Susky watershed I’d say that’s a conservation effort that works!

10 years ago that wasn’t the case. It has rebounded but took a long time to do so. 

[Steveo-1969]

On 5/10/2023 at 3:55 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

A lot of people seem to think when they’re nested is the easiest time or do you not fish beds?

I think people who say bed fishing is easy haven’t bed fished!

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Steveo-1969 said:

I think people who say bed fishing is easy haven’t bed fished!

100% correct, same with people that say live scope is cheating/too easy 

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

100% correct, same with people that say live scope is cheating/too easy 

Tried my hand at it today, was humbling to say the least. They are on their A game!

[cvaicunas69]

9 hours ago, Steveo-1969 said:

I think people who say bed fishing is easy haven’t bed fished!

Yea I saw a few bedding LMB in a canal adjacent to the river I was fishing today, decided on the way out that I would humor myself for a moment and take a few wacks at it. I quickly realized why I never target bedding fish.. I would like to say it is solely born out of an attempt to conserve the resource, but in truth I just find it frustrating.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Tried my hand at it today, was humbling to say the least. They are on their A game!

Yeah people say they don’t bed fish because it’s easy, I’m the opposite. I don’t bed fish because it’s way too hard. I can’t see them and when I do see them I can’t catch them . Great way to get skunked, spawn is the only season around here where it’s a struggle to catch nice SMB. Summer, fall, and winter they will eat a bait 

[MIbassyaker]

Interesting subject.  I'm going to be totally unhelpful and say I don't fish smaller rivers until July-August, when I know how to find productive spots.  I seriously do not know how to find river bass earlier than that.

[ATA]

I think so far you are the winner of having longest title for a post in the Bassresource.

[Susky River Rat]

11 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Tried my hand at it today, was humbling to say the least. They are on their A game!

I only ever had one good day doing this. I think because I was bank fishing a small canal with weeds up to my waist. 

[Ohioguy25]

14 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yeah people say they don’t bed fish because it’s easy, I’m the opposite. I don’t bed fish because it’s way too hard. I can’t see them and when I do see them I can’t catch them . Great way to get skunked, spawn is the only season around here where it’s a struggle to catch nice SMB. Summer, fall, and winter they will eat a bait 

Yeah truthfully never understood why people hype spring as the best time to catch big fish.  Sure they may be more active in prespawn feeding than summer but it’s so inconsistent and each particular stage so short lived that it stresses me out more than anything.

 

I floated yesterday and it was one of the most stressful and disappointing days I’ve ever had on the water. I think in order to successfully fish beds you need to have two feet planted firmly on the ground, them picking it up and moving it off the bed is so soft and happens so quickly you only get a brief moment to set the hook.
 

While it may not be easy I still find catching them when I am fooling them into actually stalking and eating something far more satisfying than sight fishing and essentially trapping them on the nest.

[Standard]

While I have targeted bed fish, something about it just doesn't feel right to me.  Also, finesse fishing isn't really my jam.  I'll target areas just outside likely bedding spots in case any are roaming around.

 

I'm heading up to one of my favorite smallie spots shortly for the fishing opener here, but I have a feeling it's gonna be a tough time as they're probably actively spawning and just getting on to beds.  I may end up doing more pike fishing than anything.

[TnRiver46]

@Ohioguy25, the spring hype that you hear about is for areas outside the Ohio river valley haha

 

although there is a guy that I follow on IG that catches big smallies out of the great Miami this time of year, granted he catches them all times of year 

[Jeff Zurawski]

I'll still fish the spawning areas.  It seems smallmouth and rock bass use some of the same spots around here, with the smallies doing their thing first and then the rock bass moving in later.  I think big post-spawn female smallies will hang in the general area and feed on the rock bass. 

 

I'll also fish the feeding areas like you described.  There are good numbers of smallmouth out in the shallow riffle water eating a buzzbait or super shallow running crankbait. 

[PaulVE64]

Last year I started playing around with trout streamer patterns on micro jigs.

I use weights from 1/16 to 1/8 oz and add some feathers and flash with a deer hair head.

So far this spring it's been on fire for +3# smallies laying in deep pools beside current. If I can make the cast i can deadstick the lure right into the bottom of the pool. Wait 20 seconds and twitch it a bit. Slam.