Kentucky Lake /Smallmouth

[cbelly]

Yeah...I'll be waiting on your call! I learned my lesson...LMAO Hope you don't communicate that way to all your coanglers. Just remember...the boat AND driver will be leaving without you without hesitation come spring time...with the season the Boilers are having...I'll be the last one to ever talk smack...at least about bball...cbelly

[Topwater2004]

An early season Big 10 game, IU ranked 11th, on the road, playing without their best player (White). And the Iowa fans still flooded the floor after the game.

I guess beating IU still ranks up there as the greatest thing some of these schools can accomplish.

[Dave Stewart]

Most of the Smallies will be spawned out with a few still spawning around the week of Mid April as a rule. Late April and early May is post spawn patterns for the most part. If you want to get them on the banks I would suggestmnid to late March or early April. Crankbaits are good for that time but rank behind suspending jerk baits in my book. One thing I have learned over the years is you can't force feed the fish..they will hit what they want...I hope during your trip that they are on the bite you prefer but don't try to force feed them if they want something else...the fish always win out in the end when you try to force feed them...lol.

[Topwater2004]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-29-06 AT 07:36AM (EST)[/font][p]Thanks for the information Dave.

I have a few of the suspending minnows from Smithwick. Gold with orange belly.

I also ordered some of the Stacey King designed Lucky Craft, they were on sale at Bass Pro for $10.99. I hope they work because that was more than twice the price for a rougue.

[Dave Stewart]

Hopefully you purchased the colors that normally work here.

[Topwater2004]

Dave,

Most of the waters that I fish at home are strip pits with water so clear you can see 10-12ft deep most of the time. I try to buy the subtle colors, but I do have a fair share of chartruese lures.

On the Lucky Craft, I purchased a color called Ghost Shiner and another called MS Copper Glass. Just looking at them on the computer, they appeared to be what I wanted. Sometimes when you get them they look different.

One reason I purchased these, were that the description says they suspend about 7 feet deep. I doubt that the Smithwick goes much deeper than 3ft in the size that I throw.

I am going up to Pekin, Illinois in a few weeks when they open up Powerton Lake to fishing again. Very good smallmouth lake and I do real well on Smithwick's. I have even caught white drum on them in that lake. It nearly ripped the rod out of my hands, literally. I never had a fish hit a bait any harder than that white drum did. I don't mind catching them a bit.

Good luck on your show tours going on. I hope I can get to go to the Indy show, if my doctor clears me for crutches soon. I am sure I can get in a bass boat now though, so it won't be long.

topwater

[Dave Stewart]

You never know for sure what will be the "hot" color for the season...seems like it changes every year but here are some of the colors/lures that have worked well for me in the past here:

Lucky Craft: clown, american shad, table rock shad
Super Rogues: black/chrome/orange, clown, black/gold/orange, purple/chartruese
Husky Jerks: blue/chrome/orange, clown, black/silver

Hope this helps. Get well soon and hope to see you at the Indy Show. I am leaving here tomorrow and won't be home again until after the Indy Show.