Smallmouth Bass questions

[limeyangler]

Hi all,

 

I'm off to a Lake that i've been to twice and skunked both times for Lakers. On the second time out 2 years ago i was determined to catch a fish before we left so started throwing a mepps around for pike and discovered the lake was full of smallmouth bass. However, that was in mid july and the bass were hitting almost anything and everything we threw at them , even hitting topwater poppers , all in 30' FOW.

 

My question is though, what would be a good approach at the moment? Given that the ice is only just gone and water temps will be at most 45 degrees C throughout.

 

Where are the bass likely to be? what baits?......and yes...bass is open all year here in zones 4 and 5.

 

Any help/advice/insight would be much appreciated...thanks all in advance.

[Leecher]

I don't know Simon but if the ice just gone.... I would use a slow presentation for them.... jigs rigged with live minnows might be your best bet

 

Haven't fished for them this early cause it's trout opener soon and usually don't target bass cause opener is in June but I think jigs should get you onto some

Hopes this helps and good luck to you

Jacques

[GBW]

Simon, do you have a Rapala "count down" lures? Or any sinking Rapala's in a slow offering may work as well.

I know that when I was trying a baitcaster for the first time I was using a large Storm Thunderstick and was nailing them almost every cast (mind you I wasn't after bass as walleye season was open and bass wasn't)...

[limeyangler]

I don't know Simon but if the ice just gone.... I would use a slow presentation for them.... jigs rigged with live minnows might be your best bet

 

Haven't fished for them this early cause it's trout opener soon and usually don't target bass cause opener is in June but I think jigs should get you onto some

Hopes this helps and good luck to you

Jacques

 

I've never fished for them this early either Jacques as i'm usually still out on the snowmachine drilling holes for Lakers! I'm just wondering what they will be doing as its surely too cold for them to be even staging for the spawn.....but i've got 3 doz small to large minnows and i'll give that a go....slowly. Thanks for the advice.

 

 

Simon, do you have a Rapala "count down" lures? Or any sinking Rapala's in a slow offering may work as well.

I know that when I was trying a baitcaster for the first time I was using a large Storm Thunderstick and was nailing them almost every cast (mind you I wasn't after bass as walleye season was open and bass wasn't)...

 

I dont have that exact lure...but i googled it GBW and have similar lures....will throw a couple and work it slow. Thanks man...i'll be posting a report later tomorrow....let ya know how i get on.....i'm pretty excited...heading out at stupid o'clock to pick up my buddy...better try get some zzzzzzs

[GBW]

Good luck Simon. A Rapala of most kinds will work as long as it's slow... Hence the "count down" question. Live biat. it should work too. Also try your normal walleye fishing lures...

[steverowbotham]

smoke tube fished slowly on bottom or a dropshot minnow

[Ben_Daniels]

I'd go with a suspending twitch bait(Husky Jerk/X-Rap) or a natural colored tube... fished slower than you think you should go. Using a reel with a low gear ratio helps me slow down a lot. I'd look at a map and find drop off's where fish can go from shallow to deep quickly.

Here's a link that might help.

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Early-Spring-Smallmouth-Bass-Fishing---Locating-Pre-Spawn-Smallies!&id=3932074

 

-Ben

[Cudz]

I caught a nice fat close to 3 pounder yesterday by accident while fishing for perch in the Orillia perch festival. It was in about 9ft of water and I was drop shotting a pink and white micro tiube. Vey small lure miving really slowly.

[Garnet]

Just look where the sun will set. Those few bays over there will be the first to warm up. Start in the middle of the bay right were depth changes to 10-12 ft. Then check both pts and secondary pts. as the day goes on move shallows.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

fish smaller bays and narrows if possible as sometimes they'll warm a bit quicker.

 

i think steve's suggestion of a natural coloured such as smoke is always a good idea for a starting point as a bait. fish them slow and be ready for some light, walleye-like pickups. i've also seen early sluggish fish clobber lures like rattlin' raps, perhaps out of sheer annoyance. post pics! i have to wait until the end of june.

[Whitespinnerbait]

Might want to try 5'' gulp sinking minnow wacky rigged ..Watermelon or green party mix...cast out...near drop offs and shoals.... let fall...hang on tight...

[uglyfish]

use a tube dragged along bottom. start deep, look for small breaks or transition areas of sand to gravel and so on. move ur way in from there.

[limeyangler]

thanks for the tips guys, tried almost everything....not a bite! did get a couple of trout and a surprise musky though

[Garnet]

Finding them is the problem, what to catch'm with not that hard.

[TC1OZ]

 

Caught this beast a week an a half ago hunting pan fish. Slip float, split shot, and a hook/live worm. It just came out of no where and took the bobber under. Had quite a bit of fight to it.

 

[marth11]

two words, jigging spoons

[JPD]

Simon, the smallies will be staging deeper. If water temps are still high 30's to low 40's look from 24-40 feet of water on rock piles or sand rock transitions as they will use them as lane ways and holding spots to the shallower water as the temps warm up. Smelt color tubes and hair jigs are great but you have to fish them really slow. Drop shot and jigging spoons will also have their time and place. Don't bother with reaction baits like cranks and jerks if they are still in the deep water... the bottom contact baits will win 95% of the time.

 

Fish breaks in front of spawning flats which will be 4-12 feet of water with scattered rock. These areas will load them up when the water is in the high 50's to low 60's. They won't be far away from there before hand so concentrate your search efforts to deeper water in front of these spots.

 

JP

[TC1OZ]

Simon, the smallies will be staging deeper. If water temps are still high 30's to low 40's look from 24-40 feet of water on rock piles or sand rock transitions as they will use them as lane ways and holding spots to the shallower water as the temps warm up. Smelt color tubes and hair jigs are great but you have to fish them really slow. Drop shot and jigging spoons will also have their time and place. Don't bother with reaction baits like cranks and jerks if they are still in the deep water... the bottom contact baits will win 95% of the time.

 

Fish breaks in front of spawning flats which will be 4-12 feet of water with scattered rock. These areas will load them up when the water is in the high 50's to low 60's. They won't be far away from there before hand so concentrate your search efforts to deeper water in front of these spots.

 

JP

 

Sounds like you have your own fishing show... oh wait!

 

Lots of good info! <3