Smallmouth Bass - The coldwater period
The bass are in tight schools during the winter, and don't move around as much to preserve energy. Finding these schools gives you the starting point of their seasonal migration routes. At the other end of the “trail” will be the spawning areas and lots of other fishermen. Mild spring weather and shallow water smallmouth bass during the spawn create great angling, but most bass fishermen are pounding the shoreline. Finding good offshore structure will give you back-up hot spots to hit when the fair weather anglers hit the water in numbers. A typical wintering area for smallmouth bass is in the 40-50 foot depth in northern natural lakes like Erie or Champlain. If that depth is not available, they will head to the deepest holes they can find. Oxygen content and forage drive the smallmouth to the depths so they can survive the winter in the cold water. Being cold-blooded they are lethargic during the winter and into early spring. The intense spring sunshine is all that is needed to call them into the upper water column. Smallmouth will not necessarily head to the shallows after ice-off, but will seek warmer water temperatures that basically “thaws” them out. Offshore structure such as sunken humps and reefs will call smallmouth bass from the depths to soak up the rays, and a few degrees in water temperature can send them on the feed. Just days after ice out, as long as there is stable weather with lots of sun, can be your first catch of the season. Finding these schools will improve your catches in the post spawn and during unstable weather as well. When the smallmouth are spwaned out, they head to deeper water and tend to suspend. Spot on depth control is necessary to get them to bite, but knowing where they are headed is half the battle. After ice-out, look for baitfish near these off shore structures on your depth finder and the smallmouth will not be far. Their feeds can be short and sporadic but that is pre-spawn fishing anyway. As the water warms into the 50's, expect the smallmouth to make longer and greater movements toward the shallows. Many good smallmouth can be caught in water just breaking into the 40's though. A good map or chartplotter, and a fishfinder can be your best friend this time of year. The smallmouth bass will not chase or react to your lure until their metabolism has increased. Those accidental hook-ups will not find you the bass you're looking for, it is all about precision. Depending on your lake, concentrate on deep holes that have a “trail” of structure all the way to the shallow spawning areas. Consider the clarity of the water as well. The clearer the water, generally the farther it can be between the “sign posts” that bass use as a reference. Identify all the good looking areas for smallmouth to winter in and then start your search. Fishing is not a science but a series of well educated theories that need to be proven. Don't get mad if you don't find smallmouth bass at the first 40 foot hole you find. Does it have all the necessities? Food, oxygen, structure and access to spawning? If you don't find them, keep looking because they didn't head to Florida for the winter. They are still there somewhere. All this searching in the cold water period will help you later on. You will stumble on features you never even knew about, and find spots the baitfish like to hang out at. A methodical approach is the only way to do this. Write down all your findings of interest and record where the fish are, even if you can't land one. Remember that your are not only there to fish, but to recon the area and gather intelligence on the smallmouth. But I wouldn't leave your fishing gear at home either. Remember, players are made in the off season. Do your homework before the fishing gets really hot and your honey-do list grows out of control. You will be able to spend more time fishing smallmouth because you have already identified several spots to head right to. Less time looking and more time fishing means more smallmouth caught. Find that structure!!!
|
