Clear water smallmouth

[mhall]

Unless I'm catfishing, I haven't fished over 12 lb line in probably 10 years plus. Spinning reels, 6 to 8 lb test year round. Baitcasters 10 lb on all except when C-rigging or nught fishing a jig or worm. This what stays on my reels.......

Wait a minute I did fish 14 lb test with APB the other night striper fishing @ Cumberland. But all the other stuff I mentioned is my norm and has been for many, many years. My Mom gave birth to me with a fishing rod in my hand that's what she tells people sometimes. MAN, we use to use some big line back in the day though, LOL.

[roadrunner]

Scott I fished Bull Shoals this year the water was cleare than I have ever seen it. I was in 21 ft and could see the bottom. Used 8lb flourcarbon with a shakey head worm and I seemed to have the hot hand. I would start with that and work down if you have to.

[artcarney_agr]

Scott I fished Bull Shoals this year the water was cleare than I have ever seen it. I was in 21 ft and could see the bottom. Used 8lb flourcarbon with a shakey head worm and I seemed to have the hot hand. I would start with that and work down if you have to.

That's pretty much the gameplan....start with that and see if I can't locate a good bunch of them and start experimenting with what they really want, where it's a tube, jerkbait, etc.

[artcarney_agr]

Thanks again for all of the information guys! I'll be hitting the road on Sunday, headed north! I more than likely won't be able to tell you all how I did....I'm guessing there will be some agreement for me to sign because this television show is a series........needless to say, I can't wait!!!!

[fishNnut]

I've made an annual trip to Canada fishing for smallmouth/musky for about the last 12 years. Later in the summer, after the spawn, you will find the smallmouth about the same places you would normally find walleye. The lake I fish is clear. You can count the rocks 25 foot down on a calm day. The fish are normally found in about 15-20 foot of water during the day. Our best luck has came on a nightcrawler and a lindy rig. Just work the edges of the dropoffs till you find the fish or locate them on a graph first.

Occassionally you will get luck and catch them in shallow water. We wore them out of tubes a couple of days in 6-8 foot of water sight fishing them. This was the last of July, the same time that we normally find them deeper.

I'd use the crawlers first then tie on some tubes, crawdads or River Otters.

[artcarney_agr]

[mhall]

Of course we want a full report when you return.....

[Devils Horse]

If you're taking a boat I'd advise popping a spoon off the bottom as the best bet. Next would be a big tube in dark green colors that match those Gobys they got up there.

You may have to work as deep as 40 ft or more. Hopefully not, but it could be. Tough to effectively work small baits that deep regardless of line size.

Hook up with some locals when the time gets closer.

[fishNnut]

You may have to work as deep as 40 ft or more.

Last summer we were fishing a lake that we normally only hit about one or two times during our week in Canada. I marked some fish on bottom while moving to another spot. They were 60-75 foot in 75 foot of water. My cousin called me on the radio and asked if there were any lake trout in the lake, because he marked them too.

We went back to the spot and dropped some trout lures to the bottom and my wife brought up a 4 lb. smallmouth. That was the only fish we caught there, but I'm glad I seen it or I wouldn't have believed it came from that deep.

[artcarney_agr]

If you're taking a boat I'd advise popping a spoon off the bottom as the best bet. Next would be a big tube in dark green colors that match those Gobys they got up there.

You may have to work as deep as 40 ft or more. Hopefully not, but it could be. Tough to effectively work small baits that deep regardless of line size.

Hook up with some locals when the time gets closer.

Goby? I've heard of those, never seen one though....isn't there some soft plastics that go on a drop shot that mimic a goby?

[mastin03]

Give me a call and I can give you a few articles.....one deals with goby imitations as well as "top smallmouth producing plastics..." Might be a good read for in the Hotel room.

Anything you can get right?!?!?!! Gimme a shout dude

[Devils Horse]

Don't know that much about Gobys. They're an invasive species of prolific, small bottom dwelling fish that hitched a ride to the great lakes in ships' ballast tanks. The smallies chew on them rascals pretty regular.

I fished Erie a couple of years ago out of Buffalo, NY, and caught a ton of Gobys on spoons. Many casts in 20-35ft of water would result in either a Goby or a fat sassy brown fish. There are some beauties up there. They get bigger overall at places down here like Dale and Pickwick, but there's a heck of lot more of them up there. I ain't talkin minnows either, 2-4 pounders are run of the mill and 5+ fish often enough. 6 and over are not out of the question.

I used another web site to arrange a side trip with a local guy when I had to trek deep into Yankee territory for a wedding. Heck of nice guy with a 21 ft Triton. Had funny accent but the boy was a deadly smallhead hunter. We didn't have any over 5, but plenty between 2 and 3, and a couple over 4. He emailed me a week later and said he found the "good" fish 5-7 ft deeper than we'd fished.

Wife: "You're going out fishing with a guy you met on the internet? Are you crazy?"
Me: "Yep. Yep."
Wife: "Is it possible for you to do ANYTHING without going fishing?"
I give her 'the look'.
Wife rolling her eyes: "Nevermind."