Smallmouth Bass

[bigredbirdfan]

What are the smallmouth numbers like in Taneycomo? Does anyone fish specifically for them? What lures seem to work the best and any particular areas to concentrate on?

[Trav]

To be honost, I only catch maybe a half dozen smallies a year. And that is totally incidental while LM fishing. I almost exclusively find them in the creeks. Where you can find both gravel and current.

The population just isnt big enough to make it worth while focusing just on smallies.

[bigredbirdfan]

I saw you were lurking around the forum looking for Nike shoes or designer jeans. We caught a bunch on the White river fishing the muddy/sandy banks on channel side. Just didn't know if you could catch them on lower or not. Oh by the way do you ever fish brownies with large rogues?

[Trav]

In the winter I will use Rogues for Brownies. In the summer I prefer to vertical jig in 25 to 40 feet of water. With the motor prob coupled with the lake looking like a tossed salad, I havent been fishing for Brownies. Hopefully when I find a replacment motor I can get back out there. It will be some arduous fishing I am afraid. At least until I can figure them out again. If you havent noticed, the water coming out of the Dam has been pretty milky. The Lake isnt as clear on the Lower as it usually is this time of year. I suspect that the channels will stay that way until fall anyway.

[bigredbirdfan]

Why do you suppose there are not greater numbers of Smallmouth? Perfect water for them from Fall Creek on down.

[Trav]

Smalllies need gravel with current to spawn. The main lake fluctuates too much, plus there is very little gravel below Roark. Its all sticks and leaf debris. The only places for them to spawn is up creeks. Additionally, smallies dont protect the nest very well. The stocker bows eat the brood as fast as it is fertalized. Its a surprise that there are any in the lake at all.

Would be a great "put and grow" scenario for smallies.

[FRENZEL]

How do all of those Smallmouth reproduce on TableRock though?

[Guest]

Deleted

[Trav]

On Table Rock there are tons of gravel beds to spawn on.

Table Rock also isnt swarming with stocker rainbows. A little hard to protect a bed against a plague. I should have been more specific. Sorry.

[Hunter91]

I don't fish Taney nearly as much as Trav but i usually catch about a half dozen a year also by accident while fishing for LM. Caught one about 4 lbs a couple years ago at the mouth of Bull while fishing topwaters for whites. The rest I usually catch up the creek and are usually less than two pounds.