Fishing (Finding?) Smallmouth Bass in the Spring

[AJ Hauser]

Good morning brothers. I've got the itch. No, not one that requires a cream or an ointment or a salve... I got bass itches. 

 

I'm gearing up to fish here in the Midwest (northern Illinois) and one of the things I've noticed over the past 5 years is that smallmouth bass tend to use some of the creeks for some of the summer. During May and June there is a shallow creek that gets absolutely loaded with smallmouth bass. Some in the 20" range over 3 pounds. It's a blast, but as we get into July and then through the rest of the year... the only thing you'll find in that same creek is a dink here and there. The water gets cleaner & clearer but also much shallower, and the big gals are gone. 

 

The only thing I can figure is that said creek dumps into a large nearby river (the Illinois River) and when it gets hot and shallow, they vacate for the deeper, cooler water, even though it's also dirtier and has lower visibility. 

 

I'm curious how you guys would approach this since it's only March right now. The water around here is still very cold, but it will be warming soon. Do you think that the creek is filling up with smallmouth bass because they are spawning and then hanging around? Do you think they're just in there to feed and it's not spawn-related?

 

We have another river that is connected but it sits far away from the creek. There are several dams along that river, and I know that guys will fish them at certain times of the year. Do smallmouth "move up" in river systems and make their way to dams early in the season for... reasons? 

 

This info is going to help me plan out a starting point so I am on the water chasing bass earlier than ever before, instead of fishing dead water for hours hoping for a random bite. 

 

Thanks! 

[raydomz]

Following this thread…

 

My experience and waters sound very similar to yours so I’ll share what I’ve learned. 
 

I target smallmouth and pike in my creeks/river/“lake”.
 

In the late winter (now), I find that jigs, neds, and especially free-rigs will pull the bass that are present out from their hiding spots. There are not many, but those I find tend to be larger. A slow, methodical breakdown of all cover works for me. I find large pike respond to larger plastics free rigged (creates a slow fall I can then control), smallmouth seem to prefer a stick/ned dragged slowly along the bottom. I avoid most all of the open areas of the creek - I only move to cover I can repeatedly hit. 

 

It isn’t until around the end of March and into April that I start to see the smaller ones roaming. Then it’s game on. They bite anything, and it lasts until about November. 
 

During the hotter parts of the year where the water drops and clears up I go all-in on tiny under-spins and jerk baits. 
 

There are fish out in the lake that my creeks dump into right now, but getting them to bite is a crapshoot this time of year. 2 days ago I felt the urge to get out and enjoy the weather and had to resign to the fact that it turned out to just be a nice day on the water with my kids, not a mega fish catching day.

 

All that said, pick up some Berkeley Gilly’s, some hula sticks, and find the cover. There are a lot of snag-free rigging options, pick what you feel most confident in and go hunting. 

[raydomz]

Forgot to include this in my last post. Although it’s cold, you can find ‘em!