Small, Clear, Low Summer Summer Smallies

[Al Agnew]

Creekwader is experimenting with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters, trying to develop a liking for something besides soft plastics, on the small waters he fishes, and so far has had mediocre results. Others have stated that they think soft plastics rule in shallow creeks in the summer. I pretty much disagree, so I thought I'd write a bit about the way I fish such waters.

No matter whether you're talking about streams big enough to be floatable by canoe, or tiny creeks with riffles you can step across in three strides without getting your ankles wet, I pretty much fish them all the same way with the same stuff, and of that stuff, I almost never use soft plastics and jigs if the water is really clear. I grew up fishing some fairly murky waters for smallies, and learned early to use bigger lures. When I'd stray from my home waters to fish some of the air-clear streams of the Ozarks, I let such waters intimidate me. I thought I HAD to use small, "natural" looking, soft plastic lures to fool the fish in those creeks. But that approach never worked all that well for me, so finally I gave it all some serious thought, and decided to go in a different direction. Instead of going small and natural, I'd go a little bigger and try for pure reaction strikes. THAT worked. I think it works because smallmouth and other bass are naturally aggressive, and as long as they feel secure (meaning they don't know you're there or you're not close enough to bother them) they'll act like bass. They'll react to things going by them that look alive by putting them in their mouths!

Here's the thing, though. In clear water, they can see extremely well. If something is moving slowly or sitting still, they are probably going to look it over before trying it. In clear water, that sometimes gives them too many negative cues. They see the line (no matter how thin it is...you can't tell me they can see 10 pound mono and not 4 pound mono). They see the profile, and it doesn't look quite like what they are used to eating. They see the color and it doesn't look quite right, either. Face it, very few lures we use look EXACTLY like the creatures they are supposed to be imitating. Sometimes, bass being bass, it doesn't matter. Sometimes, though, it does.

But if something lands 10 feet away (trust me, they KNOW when something lands 10-15 feet away, sometimes before it even hits the water), and moves swiftly across the surface or moves quickly and erratically with lots of splash and commotion, they just can't examine it closely. They don't have time to notice the negatives. The splash or speed obscures it. It's moving, though, so it must be alive, and it's small enough to swallow. THAT triggers the predatory response. Often, not always. Nothing is ever absolute in fishing.

"The dog days of summer." That is something else that intimidates fishermen more than it bothers fish. They gotta eat. In fact, with higher water temps, they have to eat MORE to feed their increased metabolism. The bigger fish may feed a lot at night, but they also feed sometime during the day. And even more importantly, the low water concentrates them. Living in close proximity, they have to compete with each other for food. This works very much in the angler's favor, especially with reaction style baits. It's a race to the "food".

So...here's how I approach it. First, be quiet. Don't wade noisily. Second, make long casts. They don't have to be accurate. In fact, you don't want to land lures right on the fish's head, so make your casts land a few feet away from where you think the fish will be. To do this, you have to have tackle that will make long, effortless casts with the lures you're using. I use light baitcasting tackle almost exclusively. My creek wading rod is a 5.2 ft. medium light casting rod with a light reel (I'm currently using BPS's Prolite Finesse reel), and 8 pound test co-poly line. With it, I can make long, easy casts and start retrieving the instant the lure hits the water. That's important. I don't want the lure sitting in one place.

My lures?

1. Walk the dog topwaters--3.5 to 4.5 inch long bodies. Sammy 85 and 100. Dog-X.

2. Popper types--Lucky Craft G-Splash is my current favorite.

3. smallish buzzbaits--1/4 ounce and fairly compact.

4. My homemade Subwalk, a 3.5 to 4 inch walk the dog sinking lure.

5. My homemade twin spin, bucktail spinnerbait much like the old Shannon Twin Spin, with a 3/4 inch curly tail grub trailer.

6. Soft plastic jerkbaits, like Zoom Superflukes, the only fast-moving soft plastic I like.

And that's about it.

To fish the walk-the-dog and popper type topwaters, I start the retrieve the instant the lure hits the water. I twitch it at a cadence of about two twitches per second. No pauses, keep it moving. I make the poppers walk-the-dog as well, and spit...you DON'T want them to go BLOOMP, just spit water and zig zag. The regular walkers should do it splashily, so I give them pretty hard twitches on slackish line. If a fish hits, pause to make sure it has the lure...either you feel it or the lure is gone. You'll get lots of missed strikes, so if the fish misses, keep it moving. They'll usually hit it again. My Subwalk works the same way, same cadence, same starting it as soon as it hits the water. Strikes on it are often very soft.

The buzzbait is, of course, simple, just cast it out and reel it in, fast enough to make plenty of bubbles. The twin spin also needs to start moving the very instant it hits the water, and reel it fast enough that it bulges the surface on the retrieve. I give it a twitch about every three feet or so while continuing to reel, just something to break the whir of the blades. This often triggers following fish.

The fluke-type baits are rigged weightless, and like the other lures, you start them moving when they hit the water and you keep them moving.

I think color is important in this kind of fishing, and it should further your aims of not giving the fish a good look. In surface lures, I'll go with light, minnow-imitating colors, often translucent. In the buzzbait and spinnerbait...chartreuse! Why chartreuse, a "highly visible" color? Because from the fish's vantage point, it is NOT highly visible. The fish are looking UP at it. They are seeing it against a bright sky, sunlight filtering through leaves (yellow green). Against that background chartreuse blends in very well.

It's only on rare occasions that this approach doesn't work. I carry a box of tubes for those rare occasions, but they rarely get used unless I decide to try them on the way back to the car. Color of tube? Look at the bottom of the creek, and pick out a tube color that matches it as closely as possible. After all, that's what the color is of most of the bottom organisms the bass feed upon.

That's about it. It's actually pretty simple. Keep yourself moving, keep the lures moving up close to the surface, and cherry pick the active fish. This time of year on smaller waters, there are usually plenty of active fish, unless the creek is being pounded by a lot of other people.

[Buzz]

Thanks Al.

After reading that, I think I need to get a few more top water sputtering baits. I have all of the rest of them except for your homemade baits. I'll give your advice a try next time I float. I have been having a little harder time with the topwater bite this year than last.

Buzz

[Chief Grey Bear]

Nice work Al. I am always amazed, if you will, at the difference in styles of tackle and presentations that different people have that work.

I used to love to throw H&H spinners on small creeks. I seemed to really to good with the old purple and white. To me, it was just the perfect sized spinner for creeks.

Like you I like a short rod. I won't use anything longer 5 1/2 ft. A five footer is my fave. That goes for spinning rod or baitcaster.

[smallmouthjoe]

Wow, great post. I think the problem I have with most active style baits is that I work them like I work tubes and jigs, very slow. Thank you.

[fishinwrench]

I'd like to find a source for small to med. sized spinnerbaits and buzzbaits (1/8 to 1/4 oz.) that do not have heavy wire (largemouth sized) hooks.

Any recommendations ?

[Chief Grey Bear]

I'd like to find a source for small to med. sized spinnerbaits and buzzbaits (1/8 to 1/4 oz.) that do not have heavy wire (largemouth sized) hooks.

Any recommendations ?

Check out the H&H spinnerbaits that I mentioned. It may be just what you are looking for. If you have an Academy Sports near you, they carry a huge selection.

[denjac]

Thanks Al.

After reading that, I think I need to get a few more top water sputtering baits. I have all of the rest of them except for your homemade baits. I'll give your advice a try next time I float. I have been having a little harder time with the topwater bite this year than last.

Buzz

Don't forget the little black buzzbait !!!! I ripped em last week on center creek with it. If they missed it they would hit it 2-4 times until they got stuck. They wanted it bad.

[OzarksRiverman]

Nice work Al. I am always amazed, if you will, at the difference in styles of tackle and presentations that different people have that work.

I used to love to throw H&H spinners on small creeks. I seemed to really to good with the old purple and white. To me, it was just the perfect sized spinner for creeks.

Like you I like a short rod. I won't use anything longer 5 1/2 ft. A five footer is my fave. That goes for spinning rod or baitcaster.

I bought a spinnerbait a couple weeks ago at a little country bait shop on my way to the upper Finley, I caught a bunch of bass with it. I just looked up H&H because your post--and that's exactly what i was using!

[fishinwrench]

Check out the H&H spinnerbaits that I mentioned. It may be just what you are looking for. If you have an Academy Sports near you, they carry a huge selection.

Thanks I'll check'em out.

[Bird Watcher]

I use the Strike king mini buzzbaits from Wal Mart. They come in 1/8 oz. I usually buy them 6 at a time, although I only have to buy them every two to three years.

Funny though, I tried to look them up online for a picture and couldn't find them listed in SKs catalog.