Big Fat Smallmouth

I was back on the water, both yesterday & today in search of that 6 pond smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, most clients find this too cold & too late in the year to actually go fishing so I headed out with a friend of mine. It felt a little strange to be out in warmer weather compared to my last sub zero outing with snow that had me searching for open water to launch the boat. Both today & yesterday were comfortable with air temps in the low 40’s and overcast skies. Little to no wind was present as we fished about 4 hours each day. The bite was really slow, but the fish were all really big! Most fish caught were above four pounds with a few over 5 as usual. By slowly dragging tubes, we were able to get several takers each day. Unfortunately, more bass were missed or lost, than landed! For some reason, they were biting light and didn’t always have the hook in for a solid set. When the bites are slow like this, every single one counts and missing just one becomes a frustrating affair. We had a kind of “Multi Species Day” today with a couple of pike and a bonus 5 pound Walleye as well. Whenever you are doing this type of slow fishing, there’s always a chance that you will hookup on something other than what you are actually fishing for. A slow presentation can be quite boring if you don’t have the confidence & patience it requires. Big fish don’t come easy and this is definitely one of my preferred methods throughout the year, not just during the cold water period of late fall. The overall size of the bass are definitely better than average when you fish as slowly as this. I like to refer to it as “Watching Paint Dry”! I hope that there is still a couple of weeks left in my bass season and only Mother Nature can help me there! As long as there are smallies biting and the weather allows me to fish, I will be out there looking for that Trophy. Give me a call it might be you!