Smallies on a lake

[Tman2]

Anybody got any ideas/info on where to search for them this time of year? I'll be heading up to Little Boy this weekend, and don't have much knowledge about this fun fish.

Thanks,

Tman

[RK]

Hiya -

You have to stay pretty versatile for lake smallies this time of year. They have a lot of options forage-wise, so you have to be willing to look for them anywhere from shallow rocks or cabbage to deep breaks or even over open water.

A couple general thoughts...

- For searching, it's hard to beat a curly-tailed 3 to 5" grub. You can fish them from 3 to 30 feet, and can search anywhere in the water column making long casts and counting them down.

- Try to determine if the fish are looking up (feeding on baitfish) or down (looking for crayfish). That can really determine your approach. If they're looking up, grubs, swimming worms or jerkbaits and crankbaits can be good options. If they're looking down, carolina rigs, tubes, jig and pig, or football jigs can be good options.

- Try to find an area of the lake that has all the stuff smallies need throughout the season (spawning habitat, summer forage, and deep water access for wintering) to start looking. Smallies usually dont' go far from home, so if you can identify a 'home area' (start with map study at home), then cover the options from shallow to deep and try to find the fish, you can narrow it down from there. Once you identify a pattern, you can try it on other areas of the lake.

- Don't be afraid to try trolling crankbaits...

- If fish aren't shallow on what looks like obvious smallie water (shallow rocks and rock/cabbage), look to nearby steep breaks. Like I said, they usually don't go far...

Good luck. Some nice smallies in Little Boy...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Daze Off]

Rk pretty much nailed it....nicely done!

Daze Off

[EBass]

I know - he knows his chit!