Smallies

[Bronzeback]

what are the best lures for smallies and best waters. I'm not an experienced angler i'm just trying to catch these things. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[BD]

:) A bass question on Walleye Central! How dare You! :)
The only time I fish for smallmouth is when I am on Lake of the Woods, the sun is shining, and the lake is calm. In other words when the Walleyes are in hiding. Fishing for Eyes is allways better when there is an overcast or in the early morning or late evening so bright days are left to the smallies and snakes. The bass seem to like flashier baits like the Mepps Elix spinners or plugs likeTad Pollys, Flatfish or Lazy Ikes that have a wide side to side action when retrieved slowly. Worm fishing (real or plastic) is also good. When trying for bass I start out with an Elix spinner with a stinger and a worm trailer, or a Lazy Ike on shallow structure. In pads I like to crawl a Flatfish or an OK-Doke (no longer made) on the surface.

[badmisterevil]

Try Riversmallies.com

[River_eye]

You want to throw different things at them during different stages that they are in.

generally, spring time yields the best action. They are up really shallow, somtimes less than a foot, on rocky shorelines. What you can try are surface popper baits. Throw them in really tight, then pop them and let them sit, this makes for great entertainment. Although, the presentation I find most productive is a black or unpainted 1/16 oz. jig with a dark plastic on it. Berkely power grubs work fairly well. throw it up tight and let it hit bottom and let it sit for a second, then jig it up in a big sweeping motion and let it sit again, and so on. After they leave the nests you can use spinners and such. If they're there, they will hit just about everything, if you have it in their face long enough.

River eye

[WAeyes]

This time of year I find them moving into a warmer bay enjoying the afternoon sunshine warming up water temps. One of my favorite methods is casting a small 1/16 oz. tube jig in white/yellow combination tipped with a maggot. I fish this under a small bobber so the lure is always in the strike zone. If there is wind let the waves give the lure its action, otherwise give the bobber a slight twitch, twitch, twitch then pause to allow a fish to strike. Sound similar to crappie fishing? Deadly in the early spring, good luck.

[rcd567]

On the Missouri River System, I usually use the same lure types that I use for walleye, only smaller. Shad Raps, Walleye Divers, Risto Raps, ect. After catching my limit of walleye (4), we usually fish for smallies.

Hope this helps.
Bob

[Ron Anlauf]

Top smallmouth waters inlcude monster lakes like Erie and Ontario, as well as many smaller natural lakes scattered throughout the midwest, and many of our rivers, like the upper Mississippi. Good choices for baits include plastic tubes, (especially early in the season), crankbaits like the Rattle Trap and Rattle Rap, and top water baits like the Zara Spook and Rapala Skitter Pop. Color choices should always be accompanied by something in a crayfish pattern. Of course if you want to cheat you can try leeches or redtail chubs.( Just kiding about the cheating part) Smallies hit redtails with unbelievable ferocity. Location will almost always include rocks, especially the shallow variety. The exception would be late in the fall period where they can be found holding on deep rock and gravel flats and humps. On some of our natural lakes it's not unusual to find smallies in thirty feet of water or more, at this time of the year.

Ron Anlauf

[Glenn_S]

Come over to the Bass Fishing Homepage:

www.wmi.org

Glenn