Smallmouth Bass Techniques

[sholgate]

I have been doing relatively well on the Schyulkill in the greater Reading are, but have not been hooking larger fish. 90% of the fish I catch are in the 6-11" range with only a very few over 12".

Is it (in your opinion) because ...

- Not many fish over 12" to be hooked.
- Not fishing where the big guys live.
- Big guys are smarter and pickier.
- Big guys spool easily.

The info on this particular link has been more informative to me than many of the books out there. Thanks guys.

 

[JeffK]

An 18" smallie can be an 8 to 10 year old fish, so it is a rare bird and pretty street wise. In the Delaware I find the larger fish in deeper runs - generally not really in the pools, but where the water is maybe at least 4 ft to 5 ft deep and a pain to fish. Even in the deeper runs there are seams and bubble lines where more fish seem to be. There are some hotspots that are just big fish spots, but don't ask about those. Drop offs around creek mouths are good too. In a bigger river I just fish the better spots a lot and now and again a big fish bites.

I live on a small stocked trout river that also holds plenty of larger smallies. They are a pain to catch. The hang out in impossible spots to fish or they are cruising. The cruise around and occassionally bust into the shallows after minnows. The most reliable time to hook them is when they bust into the shallows, but you have to be at the right place at the right time. The only answer I have found is to spend plenty of time watching to spot better smallies and get a handle on their habits and then fish a lot to get them when they are vulnerable. Wish I had an easier answer, but IMHO big smallies are tougher to fool than big trout.

 

[sholgate]

Jeff.

Your words have strong medicine. The fact is, I have homework on the river. What you, and others have been saying is that many bass does not mean that grandpa lives there too.

I am going to experiment with longer leaders (I use about a 10-12' usually), maybe find some shot for even the heavier "Deep Clousers", and focus more on the deeper holds.

PS - Any information is wiser for me, and I appreciate the response.

Steven Holgate

 

[rckrego]

If you're adding extra weight to your clousers, and if this doesn't offend your sensibilities, try adding a rattle to them. might help with the pigs.

 

[sholgate]

I am willing to try anything (within reason), the species intrigue me. It is more of a challenge than I expected. I am getting the numbers, now I would like to land some larger ones. If a 14" smallie can fight like that, I can't wait until I fool one over 15" ... that is, if i can.

Thanks again.

 

[jayL]

sholgate,

I grew up fishing the skuke in that area. The majority of my larger bass came dead drifting unweighted "yamasenko" worms wacky rigged. The occasional twitch helped, but it was predominantly dead drifting. I used the 4 and 5 inchers, mainly in black, baby bass, and watermelon.

I'd imagine you could tie something similar with thick chenille, but figuring out how to imitate the buoyancy and action of twitching a wacky rig is a head scratcher. If you don't know, wacky rigging is just hooking it through the midsection (the fake egg sack), much like a child or uninformed idiot would rig it.

This was absolutely killer for larger SMBs wherever I found them.

 

[sholgate]

I was trying to stay with Fly Rod. I grew up on the Susky near Tunkhannock, PA fishing with my Dad for catfish. I haven't fished with a spin rod in a while, but a thought.

This morning I did somewhat better. I only caught 3, but all of them between 10-12". All of them caught on a pretty heavy deep clouser
(I voted against the split shot because I usually tangle.) in 12-18" of water, BUT it was running hard. I believe I am on to something. More experimentation to come. And I may even make a visit to the mini-jam on the Little J.

 

[jayL]

I wasn't suggesting you drop the fly rod. What I was suggesting is that it may be possible to imitate the action of the senko worm with it. I just don't know how.

Don't go to the little j for the jam! You'll end up very lost! It's the big j.

 

[gfen]

Dear Internet,

Smallies on poppers are awesome.

Your pal,
Gary!

 

[wetnet]

How weighted are your buggers? I fish bead head with lead wire under dubbing. I cast and wait to give them a chance to sink. Catch little ones and a couple of rock bass once in awhile but I fish smallies so much slower than trout. I twitch, strip fast and wait, twitch, strip fast and wait. It's almost painful but I get some nice size bass. I also fish Zonkers and some jigs which I'm not sure are official fly fishing flies and I have to be really careful casting them as not to hook an ear. My favorite is still the weighted woolly bugger. Best of luck and send a pic when you hook up on that lunker!

 

[sholgate]

Weight. 14+ turns of .025 lead and tungsten or brass bead. Pretty heavy. But that is of late. I have been finding bigger bass in the combination of fast current AND depth. It has sort of changed my approach to SMB.

 

[TossinFlies15]

Rleep2,
If you could maybe post some pictures of the flies you were describing that would make me and my pants very happy. I've my my best success on the flies I posted below. The thing i love about bass in general minus deer hair poppers and such everything is simple to tie and can be knocked out in less than 3-4 minutes

 

[gfen]

Gartside Gurglers are as good, to me, as any hair bug, quick to turn out and easy to fine tune on the water.

http://www.jackgartside.com/step_gurgler.htm

 

[wsender]

gfen wrote:
Dear Internet,

Smallies on poppers are awesome.

Your pal,
Gary!

thumbs up. i love popper fishing for bass. that's how i primarily fish for them.

 

[midgeman]

Been crushing the smallies on the Mac! Smallies are agressive right now on top. I've been using half inch poppers and landing very, very, very nice fish. Too bad the susky isn't wasn't was 10 years ago.... Damn I wish I fly fished then. The Mac has been much better than in years past and I'm thankful I live so close. I'm looking forward to the fall so I can fish for stacked smallies on the susky. There still is a better chance of catching a smallie of a life time just north of Duncannon.

 

[jkilroy]

For all you having difficulties with SMB I would reccommend going to a outbound line with streamers, that always produces, provided your casting in a likly area, structure, shaded bank, big rocks, and bridge structure.. Using a floating line with clousers, unless the water is shallow and you know the fish are there, dosen't work for me. The streamers have to get down. The other sure fire method is dead drifting a crayfish under and indicator. If you do that the rig has to be set-up properly, weight and depth of indicator above split shot. Bob Clousers book would also help. Top water is fun for SMB provided they are being coorprative. Fishing SMB on the top is always harder to keep them on.

 

[j_man]

I have had some great nights fishing the Juniata lately and all the big fish have been shallow. I know Galloup did a bunch of research and 90 percent of big fish come from 3 ft or less.

I got a 20 incher 2 nights ago on a tiny blockhead popper and last night one 20 1/2 on a pearl clouser. Not sure where they are coming from but it has been a blast.

Todd

 

[TossinFlies15]

Midgeman
Hahaha isnt this the truth. Something is so sketched up about that once great river. My neighbor down the street is 80 somthing and has 10 pound bass mounted from back when he caught fish on i kid you not nail clippers that were stipped and painted to resemble a frog.