Fresh Start On Smallies

[silvercliff_46]

I fish almost exclusively for large mouth, and some pan fish. I fish a flowage (reservoir) small to you, large to me of almost 1800 acres. It is located in far northern Wisconsin. Slightly stained water. Lots of structure (some say to much). Some rocks, some gravel, sand, weeds, plenty of deep water. Northern Pike, musky's, walleyes, large mouth and my DNR friend says a very healthy small mouth population.

The thing is I have only fished smallies on rivers and don't know a darn thing about smallies in lakes or reservoirs. I have 50# braid on my rods, which includes a half dozen bait casters and another half dozen spinning rods, a couple of flippin' sticks also decked out with braid. I fish shoreline wood, docks, and slop.

I have a ton of frogs, hollow bodied swim baits, some solid body swim baits (I rarely use). Lots worms, creature baits, lizards, a few cranks baits (also rarely used). top water spoons, spinner baits, etc. It is a pretty good selection for large mouth, at least it serves me.

So what do I have to do to go after smallies??????

Oh yeah, I use 8# test floro or mono on a spinning rod, using straight line spinners, small safety pin spinners or ball head jigs (crawfish color) with twister tails in rivers. I cast up stream and reel back just faster then the current past cover (trees, large rocks etc.), while slipping the river.

[00 mod]

Keep fishing....smallies fish just like LM....well almost, but they eat the same things and can be caught on the exact same lures!

Jeff

[Crestliner2008]

Assuming you have a boat, learn to use your sonar to find structure with bait fish on it. I you find deep, off-shore structure with bait, the smallies will not be far behind. Learn to drop shot. Never leave home without a suspending jerkbait tied on one of your rods as well. A plethora of information is contained in the articles at the lead in to each section, as well as up at the top. Good Luck!

[silvercliff_46]

Thanks, I didn't know I had any replies to my inquiry. I sent for a couple of books by a local guide in the area. I'm sure he won't reveal his hot spots, but he should have some helpful info in his books or his reputation as a guide would suffer. Funny the wife and I have fished these lakes for years and never came up with smallies. As I said we are bank pounders and slop fishermen. Never happier then when we can flip, pitch or skip in or around wood, or slide something over the slop. Who knows maybe we can get along with some of those bronze back red eyes.

[Fishing-Vol]

Lipless cranks, 3" swimbaits, craws, eels, goby's, spinnerbaits.

[WCCT]

1/2-3/4oz football head with a 4-5" Yamamoto Hula grub in natural colors, like green pumpkin, watermelonseed, or my favorite #176.Throw this around any rock you find and you will catch smallmouth. You can drag this or hop it, let the fish tell you what they want. My other fall back technique for smallmouth is to drag a c-rigged 4-5" lizard or a baby brush hog in watermelon candy. Go with a 3/4-1oz. weight. I prefer the cylndrical type(Mojo). They seem to come through the rock better. You can even throw a lighter weight with your spinning rod, this would work very well too.

[Big Fish Rice]

Smallmouth bass are wolves. People think they always have to down size for the tigers, but my best bait was a largemouth bait that I used for flipping and pitching - the Owner Yuki Bug.

Like stated above, jerkbaits are killer. In my experience, smallmouth travel serious distances on resevoirs; I'm talking miles and miles a day. They are there one minute, gone the next. Cooler water temps and clean water is very important.

Lipless crankbaits in early Spring are very effective, especially your red, brown and orange patterns. As summer approaches and after the spawn, try and back off your main points. You'll often find them schooled or suspending 20 foot over very deep water.

My point here is that if you start exploring new water and use your tools to help you located smallmouth, your efforts will most likely be rewarded. If you take anything away from this, be sure to do (1) thing - always have chartreuse or pink colored baits on the boat when fishing for smallmouth. They can't stand bright colors

[roadwarrior]

4.8" Keitech Swing Impact Fat

I rig them on a 3/8 oz head.

[Mitch G.]

Smallies love Crayfish!!!!...Keep that in mind when choosing your colors....browns,greens, oranges,reds have always worked for me whether it comes to cranks and jigs....they also seem to prefer chartreuse cranks over the white(pickerel love the white ones here in NJ)...good luck...they are easy to catch once you locate them...fish similar like LMB....FISH ON!!!

[Mitch G.]

4.8" Keitech Swing Impact Fat

I rig them on a 3/8 oz head.

I like that combo also but I fish the 3.8 and even the 2.8 FAT Keitech and I slaughter them at certain times of the year!!!.....I wish these Keitech's were cheaper because they are only good for 1 or 2 fish before the tail rips off or perch bite them off!!!

[Senkoman12]

Smallies love Crayfish!!!!...Keep that in mind when choosing your colors....browns,greens, oranges,reds have always worked for me whether it comes to cranks and jigs....they also seem to prefer chartreuse cranks over the white(pickerel love the white ones here in NJ)...good luck...they are easy to catch once you locate them...fish similar like LMB....FISH ON!!!

the like chartreuse plastics too. i got chart. senkos that smallies just love

[Dave T.]

I fish almost exclusively for large mouth, and some pan fish. I fish a flowage (reservoir) small to you, large to me of almost 1800 acres. It is located in far northern Wisconsin. Slightly stained water. Lots of structure (some say to much). Some rocks, some gravel, sand, weeds, plenty of deep water. Northern Pike, musky's, walleyes, large mouth and my DNR friend says a very healthy small mouth population.

If you are fishing the same lake, and there is a good population of smallies, surely you have caught some smallies already? If you haven't, then the population can't be as strong as your DNR suggests?

Anyhow, if you want to target the smallies a bit more specifically, work the rock structures a little more. Isolated big boulders are usually a smallie magnet. Still, you should be finding them in some of the same areas as the LM bass.

As far as lures go, the guys have already given you some great info. I like to downsize a bit for smallies, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I've caught smallies on lures that were bigger than the smallie. They are pretty much "fearless", and very aggressive most of the time.

[silvercliff_46]

If you are fishing the same lake, and there is a good population of smallies, surely you have caught some smallies already? If you haven't, then the population can't be as strong as your DNR suggests?

Anyhow, if you want to target the smallies a bit more specifically, work the rock structures a little more. Isolated big boulders are usually a smallie magnet. Still, you should be finding them in some of the same areas as the LM bass.

As far as lures go, the guys have already given you some great info. I like to downsize a bit for smallies, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I've caught smallies on lures that were bigger than the smallie. They are pretty much "fearless", and very aggressive most of the time.

Actually NOT! We pitch and flip shallow water wood along the bank, or fish the slop bays. We have been successful on large mouth, but NEVER caught a smallie. I have caught northern, musky, even walleye along the banks, and a brook trout at a feeder creek. We have caught our share of smallies in the river that feeds the chain of four flowages.

Thanks to all for the tips.

I guess my problem knowing where to look for them within the flowages. In rivers I fish them like I would trout, current breaks, deep holes etc., but still water???

[TimJ]

you already have one smallie location...head to that feed river mouth. fish the mouth and deeper hard structure or distinct weedlines in that area. whatever works upstream may work at the mouth too. match the hatch. good luck.

[silvercliff_46]

I bought a book by a local guide. He covers early season, spawn, post spawn, but when it got to summer location, all he spoke of was river fishing. What about summer locations in northern flowages? Rocks, gravel, sand, points, they are pretty much deep water critters, right?

[Dave T.]

Where to find smallies in summer has a lot to do with the size of the water and weather conditions. In a small lake, smallies can be found feeding in the shallows during low light hours, and then deeper as the sun starts getting high. If it's a cloudy day, they can be almost anywhere. In a big lake, smallies are not going to travel miles to get to shallow water. But they may find a "hump" of some sort that is shallower and move to that hump to forage. Obviously, a good Fishfinder, and knowing how to use it is extremely helpful in finding structure. Whatever the case, you HAVE to pattern them for the most part.

Again, if you have any reasonable rock structures, you WILL find some smallies... sometimes lots of them. Crayfish and other smallie food love rocks... and Smallies LOVE crayfish. If you can find a rocky point that has a shallow shelf on top, and quick access to deeper water, you WILL find smallies there.