Pre-spawn for smallmouth in small streams

[Ichthus]

Just started fishing small streams for smallmouth last summer. I'm wondering if there is any good pre-spawn fishing in these small rivers and streams. If so, when would things start picking up? When would you advise stopping to respect the spawn?

I'm in the Lancaster area and would be fishing the Conestoga and some other smaller streams. Any information would be helpful.

 

[jifigz]

Smallmouth fishing should really be picking up right about now. I don't ever stop fishing for smallmouth because of the spawn, but I also just don't target fish that are actively spawning or on their beds. Like all good things in nature it is stageared as a safety guard so "not all eggs are put into the same basket."

 

[Dave_W]

Ichthus wrote:
Just started fishing small streams for smallmouth last summer. I'm wondering if there is any good pre-spawn fishing in these small rivers and streams. If so, when would things start picking up? When would you advise stopping to respect the spawn?

To some degree, it depends on the size of the stream.
Small creeks - think your typical stocked trout stream - don't usually have any bass in them until summer. Look elsewhere.

For larger waters such as Conestoga, there will be resident bass year round. I start hunting pre-spawn smallies right about now. The magic data is water temps getting up to and above 40 degrees. This is when pre-spawn bass will start to get more active.

Most years, I'll target river bass until about mid to late April. When I first see bass on redds, which is usually sometime in the later part of April (sometimes much earlier if flows are low), I usually go chase trout or something else.

 

[Solitariolupo]

Smallmouth will stage up at the bottom of the creeks soon then they will swim up the creeks when they are a certain temp. Mostly all summer they should be up in the creeks. Around fall thry will swim back out. If anything about quitting fishing for them just look for them if they look like they are spawning on the beds I wouldn't target them and if you happened to catch them just return it to the water as fast as possible.

 

[Ichthus]

Thanks for the information everyone. I really appreciate all of the replies.