Where are the big smallmouth bass at this time of year?

[007]

Hi all,

 

As you may have seen from my recent Silent Lake I know where to find small smallmouth bass..... but where are the big fish at this time of year?

 

Let's say your fishing a typical Canadian shield lake - lots of rock not much weed, where would the big fish be?

 

What depth would they be at? Would they be hanging around humps, rocks or logs or all of them?

 

Is it best to fish the shoreline in the evening but fish deeper during the day?

 

What baits/lures should I be using? If using tubes - do I vertical jig on bottom or cast and retrieve from a boat?

 

Lots of questions I know - but looks like I need some help to catch a decent smallie! Any tips and tried and tested methods would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Cheers

007

[Muskieman]

there are a few lakes that i fish in tha canadian sheild that are rocky, 2 hrs North of River Valley ,On, hwy 805 area. Google it.

#1 Gull Lake, gin clear where the average Bass is ' bout 18" and a biggun is 22-23.

and just three miles away is Cummings where tha bass are of an average of 12-15 and a biggun is

17-18". Ithink that it varies from lake to lake .

and just another 10 minutes over is Secret Lake where the bass is very small where a biggun is 12".

so i think it all depends on the lake you're fishin'

 

tightlines.

 

Randy

[MJL]

I don't fish for bass much but I have spent some time on shield lakes.

 

Before I owned a fish finder I used to troll around the shoreline of a lake with a live-bait rig consisting of a Lindy no-snag sinker + barrel swivel + 3ft of fluorocarbon leader + circle hook + leech/worm/grub. It was simple but effective (provided the lake wasn't too large). Failing that, I would zig-zag across the lake to try to find them (usually I didn't have to)...Alternatively you can use a minnow lure and fan-cast to cover water. A few pros told me that shield lake bass are very nomadic but once you find 1 fish, you find lots more...I would have to agree. They can be on humps, under fallen trees and along rocky shoals.

 

Once I found a fish, I either anchored up (when I could) or drifted/paddled around over the same spot I caught the fish...Usually I would pick up lots more. Most of my success was at dawn or in the evenings. I still got the odd fish at high-noon.

 

I caught both my PB smallies from Algonquin park (both in the 19-20 inch range)...I think my dad also has his PB from Algonquin park as well (his slightly smaller than mine of course )

[bucktail]

look for areas that offer a quick transition between shallow and deep.

These fish are not stupid they have seen many presentations. Stealth and a drop shot presention is your best bet.

[singingdog]

Well, that't the question isn't it? Where are they? (A way better question than "What lure" or "What colour") I was on Big East the other day - a classic rocky shield lake with SM and splake in it. I loaded up all my "deep water" tackle and searched the drop-offs, rocky shoals, flats with boulder transitioning into sandy bottom..... Finally found the fish, big ones and small ones, right against the shore in small pockets of weeds that had a downed tree nearby. Caught fish right into mid-day in 3-6' of water on weightless plastics after dragging tubes and diving cranks around all morning.

 

SM, in my limited experience, are very nomadic in clear shield lakes. Lots of articles will tell you that they go deep in the dog days of summer. In the last week, I have been catching them out of the weeds, acting more like LM than SM.

[OhioFisherman]

Try fishing points of land that jut out into the water, off of the mainland or points of islands. There are usually a lot of different water depths associated with the points that can provide comfort zones and feeding areas for them(and other species. It is usually a shorter move for them to go up or down the point for comfort and food. Spend less energy, grow bigger.

 

A dropshot is one way to fish points, you can also jig a tube, lift and drift over the side, a good depth finder helps a lot. Smallies usually show up on the bottom or very near it sometimes in groups. They school more than largemouth and tend to be similar in size in the school. Jig and pig will work also browns, dark greens, black have worked best for me. I will cast tubes and drift them.

 

Smallies will also bite well at nite and tend to move near shore, I have caught them in a foot or two of water at nite, any weeds or other stuff, broken rock, wood, helps. Docks, streams entering the main lake are also spots to try, first edge near a stream mouth can hold fish waiting for food to wash down.

 

You can also troll a small crankbait that will run deep to locate them, you want some bottom contact though, just a bump of of the bottom or rocks once in a while. Early or late, in closer, mid-day deeper. An edge off a weed bed or flat if there is any.

 

Look for baitfish while your on the water, they will follow or herd them.

[007]

Thanks for the great tips guys. Next time I will try to find some of those drop-off/transition locations and persist with the tubes and crankbaits until I succeed. I think the next place I go to I will be camping near a rocky headland - so sounds like a good spot from shore or boat. If those small ones are anything to go by - I can't wait for the fun of catching a big one!

 

Cheers

007

[Mahumba]

I'm surprised nobody said open water.

 

Watch for baitfish busting the surface over very deep water (over 30 feet deep). Cast a whacky rigged senko right into the middle of the fray and hang on!

 

I did this last weekend and I was over 50-90 feet of water and the smallies would hit the rig with-in 3 seconds. So the rig only sank maybe 3-5 feet. I also caught 2 walleye in this fray. We call these schools of bass "wolf packs" as the bite doesn't last long. I search bait busting the surface a lot and do really well over deep water.

 

Try it out.

 

Roger