Need help finding bigger smallies on my home lake

[hawgchaser]

I have a place on Greers Ferry Lake in central Arkansas. I have been fishing this lake since I was 5 y/o and I am now 32. I know the lake inside and out and I catch big LMs, walleye, hybrids, crappie, and a bunch of smallmouth. The lake has a lot of smallmouth in it.

HOWEVER, I can NOT find any size to the smallies. It is a deep clear lake with most of the cover being rocks, creek channels, and humps. There are a lot of 3 and 4 pound smallies in the lake but I can't find them. I can catch 20 smallies a day but they will all be 10-12".

I throw drop shot zoom finesse worms, watermelon gitzits texas rigged, spot removers with watermelon black finesse worms, and 5" stick baits.

Is there anything that you guys would recommend to find the bigger fish? Colors? baits? techniques? I am stumped!

[dgquail]

Do you know anyone else that hammers the big girls on that lake? Maybe the bigguns come out to feed at night?

[sm4life]

I haven't fished your lake but the best lures for the big ones are tube jigs, pumkinseed or brown- peppered with black. Also crawdad jigs. slow drift or bounce off the bottom.

[NorDoor]

Pre spawn is your best chance at the larger fish.Up here we fish the first break leading to their spawning areas with jerk baits and tubes.

Jerk baits being king in cold water.

[Phishin Fillip]

I hear the fat ika is like magic in lakes.  Just rig it weightless with gamakatsu 4/0 ewg hook backwards and pop it along the bottom and the let it fall.  This could be especially deadly on the big ones right before the spawn worked over a drop-off.

[alarcher]

This sounds like a question for Road Warrior, he seems to catch nothing but monster smallies.  

[roadwarrior]

The real question is not "what to fish", but "where to fish". Start with structure in, or adjacent to, deeper water. Steeply sloped main points are classic examples; "drops" or ledges, humps, large boulders or rock piles are others, but the focus is moving away from the bank!

Suggested lures: Jerkbaits, 3 1/2" Gitzit, 3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade, Fat Ika, GYCB Single Tail Hula Grub and hair jigs. Topwater, Spook or Sammy, is another choice early and late. Others may suggest crankbaits, but I have never caught big smallmouth with them.

Good luck!

8-)

[hawgchaser]

RW,

I suspect you are right. I know how to catch a lot of smallies but nothing of size. I need to focus on deeper water I believe. A local guide told me he thought most people fish the bank too much and need to be casting on the other side of the boat away from the bank.

Thanks and I can't wait to get back after them. Nothing fights like those little guys!

[roadwarrior]

Nothing fights like those little guys!

Well, except the bigger guys!

Seriously, when smallmouth reach 4-5 lbs their bulk comes into play. Whether this is more strength or a combination of power and water resistance, I don't really know, but the difference is exillerating!

8-)

8-)