Winter Smallmouth

[Northern Strain]

I live in Indianapolis and fish on the white river, i don't know if any of you have heard of it but the deepest parts I fish are maybe 12-16 feet at most. The weather is getting colder,and  I was just wondering what your ideas were on catching them in the winter.

[roadwarrior]

Minnows on a split shot rig.

8-)

[Fat-G]

Minnows on a split shot rig.

8-)

Yeah baby, that's the best and easiest way to catch smallies. Definitely use this technique!

[iceintheveins]

I would even try plain jigheads tipped with waxworms if you can't get them to hit anything else. I catch smallies through the ice here in Colorado by accident fishing for perch and crappie.

[Crestliner2008]

I'll jump in! Two of my most productive presentations (on rivers), when the water gets down to the low 50's & less, are blade baits and a wacky rigged Senko on a heavy drop shot. But it only works if you can find them bunched up in key areas. It's all about location, location and location!

Works for me!  

[J_Pearson]

I'm up around 15min. or so from Wawasee, IN and I've had sucess with some smallies up this way recently with a 3/16oz Bite-Me sparkie jighead tipped with a Poor Boys Craw Daddy. Its a fairly finesse presentation, but very natural and a nice snack for a fat brownie!  

Stick 'em!

-JP

[DpDvr]

Minnows on a split shot rig.

8-)

Yeah baby, that's the best and easiest way to catch smallies. Definitely use this technique!

What size and type hook do you use for this?

[roadwarrior]

#4 or #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook.

When you fish with this hook, NEVER "set the hook."

Lower your rod tip when you detect a bite, then FIRMLY

lift the rod tip and reel. Maintain pressure on the fish at

all times.

8-)

[NewAngler]

Live Minnows?! How do you hook them?

[roadwarrior]

Up through the lower jaw and out the upper

jaw. This keeps their mouth shut so they don't

drown. Don't be frugal, smallmouth like lively

baits. Put on a new minnow if yours isn't frisky.

8-)

[Gregory25]

The Float & Fly technique is very effective way to catch Smallmouth in clear water lakes. I use to live in Indianapolis and know the White River is shallow in some areas, but it is clear water, so I think the Float & Fly would work.

[Paul Roberts]

RW, what about location...what would you look for?

[ctbassnut]

They do bunch up good at this time of yr. I have a few different ways of targeting them. My favortie is usung a bladebait, but also love using a small black hairjigs. When looking for them try and find deep humps and work them SLOW from every angle you can. When using livebiat i just use my drop shot set up and hang that rod over the edge of the boat and work a lure at the same time until i find them. once you do find them. try a small slider grub, hairjig or bladebait. they will all work good. Make sure you only lift the bladebait up about 6in off the bottom. As soon as you feel the blade viberating let it fall again. The grub and hairjig should be working so slow you can't stand it. If you think your going slow enough..guess what your not..Slow down somemore. Small lifts with your rod tip and reeling in your slack is what seems to work best for me. That is my favorite fish and time to fish for them that time of yr. i know this may sound nuts to you, but also don't knock it. try using some of your ice fishing gear to. jigging rapela's, and hopkin spoons can be deadly once you found a good school of them. i have had some 5 fish bags in the 20lb range on average using all these tactics up in ct. best of luck finding them and when you do..Have fun bud!!!

Opps..ialmost forgot about the spidergrubs!!!

[JDK.]

#4 or #6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook.

When you fish with this hook, NEVER "set the hook."

Lower your rod tip when you detect a bite, then FIRMLY

lift the rod tip and reel. Maintain pressure on the fish at

all times.

8-)

thats my secret dont let it out.. best hook ever for live bait and you will rarely gut hook a fish..

Live bait is good in dead of winter on TN River no doubt.. i still think a slow rolled spinnerbait or deep crankbait tearing up the bottom will still do very well

[roadwarrior]

RW, what about location...what would you look for?

Structure in current; the front of islands in a river;

drops and pools; isolated humps, boulders

or rock piles and any type of isolated cover

surrounded by deep water.

8-)

[riversmallies413]

for fishing in current you want to pitch your presentation upstream from your structure points and let it flow past the structure? throw it at the structure and let it sink? I do alot of my fishing either wading or float tubing in a river and i am kind of having a hard time targeting certain structure from any direction except casting down stream and reeling back up stream. Obviously you want to work all the angles on a piece of structure, im having a hard time fishing structure from a cross current perspective. Any tips?

[SuskyDude]

for fishing in current you want to pitch your presentation upstream from your structure points and let it flow past the structure? throw it at the structure and let it sink? I do alot of my fishing either wading or float tubing in a river and i am kind of having a hard time targeting certain structure from any direction except casting down stream and reeling back up stream. Obviously you want to work all the angles on a piece of structure, im having a hard time fishing structure from a cross current perspective. Any tips?

If you want your bait to drift by a target, cast upstream of it. How far depends on the speed of the current and the depth of your target. The faster/deeper the water, the further upstream you should cast if you want to have your jig bouncing on the bottom as the current sweeps it past the target.

When standing directly across stream from the target, casting a few feet past it, as well as upstream, will help to compensate for your line bowing in the current.

Hope this helps.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Minnows on a split shot rig.

How much weight and leader? Are you trying to weight the bait down to stay in one spot or adding weight for the minnow to struggle against?

8-)

[roadwarrior]

The split shot is placed 18"-24" above the hook.

I fish the Tennessee River. The weight is used to

maintain contact with the bottom. The perfect drift

has the weight occasionally ticking the rocks.

[jacobhookem]

I would try using a small worm on a drop shot rig

Or

A double tailed hula grub on a small football head.

[bassattackerdad]

Jacob, is that what you're going to try next week?

Dad

[A-Rob]

I think the best way to catch winter smallies is to head south haha I can't help much as my lake is iced over in the winter, in fact its probably iced over by now haha. I tried fishing in 40 degree water once, got a pike but no bass. I tried everything I could. Hopefully you have more luck brother

[lousyfisher]

The temperature in the ohio river today is 36, is it too cold for smallmouth?    I usually fish below the hannibal dam because of the smallie habitat, but the current is fast.  Would they still be up close to the dam or would the smallmouth move farther downstream where the current slows some?

[SPAZ]

The temperature in the ohio river today is 36, is it too cold for smallmouth? I usually fish below the hannibal dam because of the smallie habitat, but the current is fast. Would they still be up close to the dam or would the smallmouth move farther downstream where the current slows some?

I'm sure you can catch fish year around but there was an article in the recent Bassmaster and most seemed to agree when the water hits 39-40 deg it gets a lot tougher.