Smallies & weeds

[Duke]

Here's a question for all the smallmouth guys

I have a lake in the area that is loaded w/ smallies. It has some rock, but most of the cover the lake has are weeds. I've been on this lake a couple of times this past week and have done pretty good fishing points & humps. Each time out I've easily gotten a limit, but I have not caught any big fish and I know the lake has them. I've caught all of my fish on tubes and I've followed them up and down the breaks depending on where they've been. I have not been able to get a bite on a dropshot rig though.

Nevertheless, when you're going for the brown fish and weeds are the prevalent cover opposed to rock, how do your techniques change than when you're fishing rocks? or do they not change?

Duke

[bshaner]

I've caught good size smallies working pop-r's over the top of weed beds.  You could T-Rig a tube and work the weeds or T-Rig / weedless jig head a hula grub as well.  These presentations have worked for me on smallies in the weeds.  I've also caught decent smallies C-Rigging a hula grub right at the deep edge of the weedbed where it hits sand/gravel.

When weeds are prevalent I also pay close attention to any sand flats near the weeds for cruising smallies.  Traps and Senkos work well for me in that situation.

B

[djkimmel]

There are situations on some lakes in some weeds where the big ones like the thicker weeds. I've caught some toads in milfoil if it has good edge, holes and points.

There used to be bigger smallies in the thick milfoil out from Stony Point on St. Clair years ago when there was thick milfoil there - that pattern's been gone a long time. You would catch little ones all over outside the shallow thick weeds, but the big ones seemed to be up in the shallow milfoil in holes and indents.

Like I say, gone now as the weeds changed.

I had a few memorable years doing the same thing on Saginaw Bay for big smallies. That changed when the water dropped.

I think it has something to do with the forage base, the shape of the weed beds and the location. Big fish like good feeding opportunities with lots of food - sometimes they can find all that in the right weed bed.

I know on northern lakes, it's a no-brainer if you find a weed bed on a lake that has few weeds, you stand a good chance of getting some toads.

I can't say if your particular lake is one of those without knowing a lot more about it, but the easiest thing to do would be to fish them several different ways with big fish baits - topwater, jerkbaits, big spinnerbaits, shallow running crankbaits, flukes/senkos.

I always like the testing anyway.