Specie Specific Smallmouth Strategies

Comment

Comment by jim cosgrove on May 18, 2016 at 5:54pm

froggies John

Comment by jim cosgrove on May 18, 2016 at 5:53pm

Comment by John Sheehan on May 17, 2016 at 8:15am

Leroy Brown lives on the South Side of Chicago too !

Comment by John Sheehan on May 17, 2016 at 6:16am

"Drunk and disorderly " LOL! One thing Shultz emphasized is Smallies like Frogs and he talked about tying Frog patterns .

Comment by Allen Morgan on May 16, 2016 at 5:36pm

John, I think Jim is on the south side of Chicago, no where near Ypsilanti, MI.  I've been to Mike Schultz's shop, once.  Need to go back.  I've watched a few of his videos as well on youtube.  I'd like to try tying some of his flies.  He has a few other patterns out, like the Drunk and Disorderly (D&D), the Mini D (a smaller version), and some others for different species.

Comment by John Sheehan on May 16, 2016 at 10:44am

Cicada Blade bait huh , thanks! I have a few and I fish below a dam in a small stream where I find Smallies.I'm gonna try that bait .

Comment by John Sheehan on May 16, 2016 at 6:11am

A 5lb Smallie , that I'd love to catch . 

Jim,You anywhere near Ypsilanti? A Smallie guide from there that knows his stuff is Mike Schultz.  I attended  a Smallmouth  seminar Mike Schultz gave in Somerset NJ early this year. Here are eight  flies he claimed were his go to  smallie flies (big baits)  :

Skitter Shad , Boogle Bug
Whit's Diving Frog , Fat Albert

Finesse Swingin D , Finesse Chicken Changer
 Feather Game Changer ,Low water Craw

Comment by jim cosgrove on May 15, 2016 at 6:42pm

i really dont fish for them here until august or so John.we now have a closed spring season here in streams and rivers,there are monster smallies in lake michigan but shore access can be a hassle as parking is limited and the south side of chicago is a little hairy to say the least.i fish below a few dams late in the summer or where creeks empty into the river.a cicada type blade bait calls em in .top water is the most fun but has to be the right time and i have been putting together some fly out fits and flies just for the top water bite.illinois has more smallmouths than ever and 5lb fish are becoming common especially in lake michigan where a goby imitation is a must.

Comment by John Sheehan on May 15, 2016 at 3:33pm

That sounds real good Jim ! I agree that better time is spent usually fishing close to bottom for smallies as Helgies and Crayfish  make up the better percentage of their diet most often .BUT, my best Smallie has come on a black Jitterbug in August at 4 am and I 've seen big smallies taken on spinnerbaits which doesn't represent a Hellgrammite or a crayfish .Bait availability is what needs to be understood and certainly smallies hit minnow style baits , even split shootted night crawlers have been the ticket in my experience .

Comment by jim cosgrove on May 15, 2016 at 3:09pm

i believe smallmouth are either feeding up or down.if they are feeding on helgies and crawdads they are feeding down/looking down.if in current i like a jig and plasic that just ticks along the bottom.a drop shot can also work.if they are chasing minnows a blade bait is the top choice in my area.cicada dude etc.they feally vibrate and they get slammed.i really only fish them in current so for lakes i would fish for them like largemouths but in the rocks

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