How to target smallies

[bassin95]

i live in Nashville and bass fish all the time. i am pretty good at knowing where to find LM's and spots all year round but am ignorant as to where or how to target smallies. i find schools of smallies from time to time (once a year) but they are few and far between. there is a great population of smallies in tennessee so i would like to know how and where to fish for these. thanks

[smallieking]

unlike locating largemouths by looking for visible shallow cover   u want to use your electronics to find deeper rocks  

[Bassnbrett101]

alot of times they'll sit on shoals and ledges too!  and they sit around weeds the same as smallies but try to fish a little deeper.  these fish like access to deeper water.  I read somewhere about hair jigs?  try those you're supposed to let it fall and once it hits the ground lift your rod tip up and let it fall in a pendulum.  i tried it last year for a couple casts and i actually got a few bites on it, it'll prob work better down in tennessee tho

[bassin95]

sounds right. i don't have the best eletronics in my boat right now so that could be the reason that i have not been able to find the offshore structure where smallies live.

i read about the hair jigs in bassmasters a few issues ago also. thanks for the advice.

[Bassnbrett101]

anytime, up here all the smallies will school up in about ten feet in the rivers and i catch them on small jerkbaits. in the lakes i use bigger deeper diving jerkbaits and shakeyhead worms for my bigger smallies.  but then again up here their the most prevalent species

[bassin95]

its frustrating to me bc i want to be able to say today i know where the smallies are hangin like i do with LM and go after them. i see guys weigh in some nice smallies in my club tournaments and i say i have absolutely no idea where he caught that fish.

i have been throwing the shakey head for a few years and have never caught a smallie. i had no idea that smallies like shakey heads.

thanks for the feedback

[fishizzle]

Someone forgot to mention points

Deepwater rocky points if any

But definately they like 10'water like Bret said

If your electronics are lacking read this to search and powerfish deeper water till you find them http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1191455282

[bassin95]

there is alot of really good info on the link. i ordered a lowrance GPS unit and it should be coming in the mail next week so hopefully i will be able to find smallies with my front depth finder and GPS unit.

great advice. thanks

[thetr20one]

Clearer,deeper,rockier and more offshore here for the most part here.