Living in the Midwest we are really blessed, we get to witness
center stage the 4 seasons that Mother Nature sends our way
every year. In the fall we get to choose between grabbing
guns or continue on with rods during the fall months, leading
us up to the ice fishing season. You gotta love ice fishing;
fishing through a little hole, on ice thick enough to drive
a truck on but the 20 below nights are what make it a little
tough to get through the winters up north. That could be why
many people across the country question our sanity but all
I can say to that is just once all they have to do is go fishing
for smallies one spring on one of the Great Lakes and they
too will be asking where we buy some of those warm winter
cloths.
Being a diehard bass fisherman for almost all of my life
I was hooked on largemouth ever since the first largemouth
grabbed my cork popper working its way across the lake surface.
Many a days when I was not playing baseball as a kid I would
be wading the lake a block from my house with fly rod in hand;
seeing how many fish I could catch that day. Most of the times
gills were my target fish but I would hang closer to the pads
to see if I could get a few bass to bite every chance I could
get. Once I started to tournament bass fishing I was introduced
first hand up close and personal to Mr. Bronze back and to
this day if I have to choose between largemouth and smallmouth
I would have to say smallmouth is the fish that I would pursue
day in and day out, if I had a choice, but for now I get my
Great Lakes smallie fix about 6 times a year.
Springtime is the most interesting smallie bite of the season
in my opinion. Smallie start to head into the shallower cuts
off of the main lake to start to spawn. This movement will
be like many other lakes except when you are fishing the Great
Lakes there is more water and with more water is the bonus
of more fish. During the spring you will see waves of fish
come in and go back out as the next wave moves in. On smaller
lakes the smallies will be in and out in a few weeks but on
the Great Lakes the spawning season can last close to a month.
Once ice
out happens and the sun starts to do its work you will see
water temps start to climb and you will see the first wave
of smallies starting to make their trek towards the shallows.
Smallies will start by holding in deeper water outside the
spawning areas waiting for the temps to reach the low 50’s.
When the smallies are in the deeper water they are schooled
tight so if you can find one you will likely find more in
the area. The target depth to look for here is 8ft to 12ft.
If the day is warmer they will move shallower but if you are
faced with a cold front conditions they will move deeper to
ride out the weather change, so make the proper adjustments
with current weather conditions.
When fishing these conditions looking for pre-spawn smallies,
jurk baits make a perfect choice to cover water looking for
biters. My first choice in this style bait is a Rapala Deep
X-Rap when the smallies are sitting in the deeper 10ft to
12ft range. This bait will get down deep enough to get bites
when the smallies are just starting to come out of deep water
and starting to stage waiting for the temps to start to rise.
Another bait choice that will fish deep is the new X-Rap Shad.
Cast this bait out, pull it down and use a stop and go retrieve
back to the boat.
If the smallies are ridding out a cold front passing though
I will switch and use an Outkast Touchdown Jig rigged with
a Spider Grub. Smallies will hold close to the bottom during
cold front conditions so to get in their zone nothing works
better than a Touchdown Jig. Cast it out let it settle to
the bottom then go to work. Drag the jig along the bottom,
and work slow as the smallies will be shut off and in a non
chasing mood so if you think you are fishing slow enough fish
even slower during tough cold front conditions.
As water
temps climb to the high 50’s
smallies will be on the move shallower it is time to break
out the suspending jurk baits. If the smallies are active
a #10 X-Rap will get the nod, if they are still on the slow
side I will opt to use a #10 Husky Jurk. The difference
between the two baits is the X-Rap is a slash bait and has
a little more side to side action than the Husky Jurk does.
When the smallies are active and eating X-Rap will be the
bait of choice but when they are little subdued Husky Jurks
will get you more fish by the end of the day.
When the
temps reach the low 60’s smallies
will start to roam the shallows looking for areas to spawn
and food, this is when you start to see action like you
have never seen if you have never fished the Great Lakes
before. It is key that you still cover water with subtle
baits. In my years I have found that a simple grub and jig
combination works best for when the smallies are just hitting
the shallows. Outkasts Money Jig tipped with a Fat Tail
Grub make a perfect combination. 3/32oz, 1/8oz and 3/16oz
Money Jigs tipped with Green Pumpkin/Green Flake Fat Tail
has been the best combination in the spring with Watermelon/Red
Flake running a close second for me. Fishing this bait presentation
is simple, make your cast and slowly start to reel. When
the line straightens out set the hook you have a bite.
If the bite is slow or you are faced with fishing through
a cold front try a Money Jig tipped with a Stick Worm. You
can fish this bait combination in two different ways, one
is to swim the Stick Worm back to the boat or two you can
fish it with a traditional lift and drop retrieve. If you
are going to swim the Stick Worm fish the bait just like you
would the grub. Make your cast, count down the bait to the
level you want to fish at, and slowly start to reel. When
your line tightens set the hook.
If you are looking to fish the Stick Worm with a traditional
lift and drop method make an adjustment to the Money Jig size
before you start. If you are using an 1/8oz jig for your grub
fishing down size the jig to 1/16oz or 3/32oz. This will give
the bait more glide as the bait falls; this is key in getting
the smallies to bite when conditions are tough. Make your
cast and let the bait settle to the bottom; with the smaller
jig this may take longer so be patient but pay attention as
the bait falls. With the lift and drop retrieve of this bait
many of your bites will come when the bait is falling so pay
close attention as the bait falls and when you pick it up
to move the bait, many times this is when the strike will
happen. With either retrieve let the smallies tell you what
they want.
Do not
let another spring pass before you decide to take advantage
of the Great Lakes smallie bite. Tactics are pretty easy
grab yourself a handful of jigs, a few tails, some jurk
baits and away you can go. When the smallies hit the shallows
it’s all over except for
the catching part.
One important point try not to target smallies that are sitting
on beds, let them spawn. There will be enough smallies in
the shallows that you will not have to target spawning fish.
If you do catch a few please remember to release all spawning
smallies to tend to the task at hand.
Make some memories please remember to practice CPR (Catch,
Photo and Release). The future of fishing is in your hands.
For more timely bass tips and tactics please log onto www.fishinginsider.com
If you would
like to read more from Scott Petersen, visit his web site Fishing
Insider