Need help from smallmouth bass guru's

[al cannia]

Fished a lake that has largemouth and smallmouth,fished the first day for largemouth.Tried 3-8' depths early and then deeper water,sunken trees,points after 11am till 1pm.Thru cranks,jigs,worms,C-rig with ringworms and 5" power jerk shad and Nada,nothing,no bass(one 8lb walleye on a chomper spider jig)The next morning we were at the dam trying for smallies,no topwater bite,nothing on crankbaits,nothing on tubes,triesd the C-rig with the 5" jerk shad and they would bang it once and no way to get a hookset,tried smaller hooks,bigger hooks and still the same results, one big bang and no fish.Switched to spinning tackle and C-rig with lighter line,lighter weight,got 2 fish and lost both before they got to the boat,kept trying for 2 hrs and gave up,frustrated.Am going back to same lake,what should we do differently?Water was 78* air temps ranged from 60am to 90 daytime,no breeze at all both days,water was 1' visibility,cloudy/slight algae bloom,3 class sizes of shad swimming in schools meaning they have alot to eat.Ok Guru's, all ears on this side of the screen

 

[Ken Neeley]

What size body of water?

Are the levels up or down due to the dam?

How often do they draw water?

Current?

 

[Tim Jeffers]

Al - I have a hard time finding the smallies when the water temp is that warm. When I do find them, they're deep (15+ ft), but often times schooled up. Dropshot or tube w/ half ounce jig has worked for me, but that's in pretty clear water. I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say.



TJ

 

[al cannia]

Lake is 6-7 miles in length,1600acres,no more than 1/2-3/4 wide at its widest point.Lake is drawn down about 6-8' from full pool at this time,no current that i noticed,no inflo.The lake is madeup of two creek arms one coming from the nw and one from the sw,where they intersect is where the dam is,so the lake is sort of in the shape of a V with some coves here and there,some standing trees in water,some to 15' of water.A few rock/sandstone rocky areas,with deep water right off the shoreline,samething near the dam.The lake has alot of structure,good drops to deep water,some points drom 4'-28' in a matter of 2-3 boat lengths.The lake also has Whitebass,Wipers,walleye,Catfish,Pike,Crappie,Perch and a few others,and not much was caught by anyone.I know the hot weather they have had for 2 months has alot to do with it,but there has to be something we can try to fool the Bass.Max water depths that I found were a few places of 40-45',most of the lake is 12-25'.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

First off don't get frustrated....that's one of the first rules of Brownfish fishin':lol:

Seriuosly, smallies will be a little more active here in a few weeks once the water temps start dropping. I'll start most of the times when the temps start headin into the 70's and dropping for the best fall fishing. Good thing is it will last a lot of times until iceup just about anywhere in the country.

Headin' down to Dale myself around late Oct/Nov timeframe depending on weather and water temps.

Fish points and pockets around secondary ponts close to the deepest water you can find on the lake...if it has rock structure..all the better because it seems to me to attract more baitfish than the grassy areas which will be dying off and will actually give off certain toxins from what I've read and experienced myself. I like rock bluffs and points but, it really ALL depends on where the baitfish are. Don't even attempt to waste your time unless you've spent time to find out where the baitfish actually are because it will change almost day to day in fall.

I can tell you it IS my favorite time of the year to catch em' and they'll hit just about anything when you do find them. It'll be feast or famine most of the time:lol:

BTW...check out my library of just a few and look to see what time of year some of those fatties are...and that's just a small sample. Should see my office and fishing room at home