Lake smallies

[toppwatr]

Does anyone know where any good spots in general would be good to look for smallmouths in my local lake? I know they're in there but I can't seem to find any. Yet again I haven't targeted them yet but would like to. Any ideas?

[BigBassin144]

Smallies love rocks and hard cover, and tend to avoid the soft cover largemouth love like weeds.

Rip Rap, boulders, and rocky bottoms would be the first places I'd look. These are also places that crayfish like, and smallies love crayfish.

BB

[BassMoJo]

What BB said, in addition deep water access is always a plus...I love those bronze backs

[walkeraviator]

Also look for anywhere there may be a little current. Doesnt take much, just somewhere the water moves the slightest bit more than somewhere else. I know in Kentucky, at Army Corps Lakes smallies tend to be on rocky main lake points near the main channel a lot.

[3dkicker]

Smallies spawn a little deeper than largemouths so don't go looking shallow for them. I'd stay in the 8-12 zone and then work deeper. Rocky banks and points are known hang outs. Sometimes they'll be found on flats relating to grass and sandy spots as well.

[Bender]

What lake is it? I'm just curious since they vary so much. On my "home" lake Upper Saranac there is a great point that holds a lot of fish. If you fish up near shore you generally get LM in the 2-6' depth. Move out to where the drop goes down sharply to 22-26' and there are smallies. This point is covered in rock.

As said before I tend to fish deeper when going for them. Don't be afraid to go down to 30+' and also you can fish the deeper water areas with topwater baits. Also I throw a lot of jerkbaits and drop shot for them.

Just this week I caught my first LM of the year, and that was while I was walleye fishing in Canada. Some lakes just don't have smallies or there are very few.

[MallenManson]

Pretty much agree with all points above. My general rule of thumb, head to where the LMs aint.
Avoid weeds and slop. Smallies love sand and rocks, as well as sandy weed flats.

[walkeraviator]

Ok.. now that you know where that are... how do you target them? what techniques do you guys use that appeals to smallies and ignores the random LM sittin right next to it.

[MallenManson]

Originally Posted by walkeraviator

Ok.. now that you know where that are... how do you target them? what techniques do you guys use that appeals to smallies and ignores the random LM sittin right next to it.

Not sure about other areas, but around here, you usually don't find both in the same area, as long as there's different kinds of structure available.
Spinnerbaits are huge with Smallmouth, and would probably be my favorite when targeting them. Lipless cranks also work really well.

[BigBassin144]

There aren't many baits a LM won't hit. But normally cranks, smaller plastics (craws, gobies, etc), topwaters, dropshot, tubes, and jigs are all popular smallmouth baits.

BB

[CamG]

As mentioned before - Rock, or Gravel - in deeper areas.


Smallmouth can be caught just about any way you want. I think I've caught them on just about every bait that I throw, but you'll have better luck downsizing from a typical LM bait. Not because a smallmouth won't hit the lure, but have a little tougher time eating it.

If I was only given one bait to use for smallmouth it'd be a 3.5 - 4" tube, rigged with a tub jig head. Probably in watermelon, watermelon red or green pumpkin.