By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks I hope all is well. These cold temperatures are hanging around but the good news is it has the fishing heated up. Our local lakes have really been producing big fish and big numbers. Several species have been biting good but smallmouth bass is what I want to focus on.
True, with the surge in spotted bass numbers the last few years, our smallmouth numbers have dropped. This is why I like to release them, especially the big females. For years fishermen thought the spots outcompeted them for food, but really what’s happening is they crossbreed, and the spot being a more dominant gene, eventually breed them out.
Fontana and Santeetlah, as well as Nantahala, all used to be predominantly smallmouth lakes till the introduction of spotted bass. And don’t get me wrong, I love catching an eating spots. They really are a great fish, but what we’ve learned is that their numbers have to be managed. Smallmouth tend to adapt to different types of shoreline and water temperature and are extremely adaptable to different forage. Smallies eat a variety of bait, from crayfish, threadfin shad, blueback herring, worms and small insects and underwater bugs.
Fishing techniques for smallies are unlimited. My favorite is a live minnow fished super slow, but I do love when they are feeding on top, and a jerk bait presentation is working. Any crayfish lure seems to work well, the key being to work super slow in the winter months, as their metabolism slows everything up.
Weather in the winter can be unpredictable, so presentation of whatever bait you fish will have to match the weather conditions. Smallmouth hit best on an overcast day with a little chop on the water. If you’re looking to catch a true trophy smallmouth, this is your month some truly big pigs will be biting. So, when the mercury in that thermometer is bottomed out, and you can’t decide what you want to do, grab that new rod you got from Santa and hit the water for some hot smallmouth fishing. As always, take a kid fishing.