Big Piney Smallies

[Bassoholic212]

Has anyone been on the Big Piney lately? Any luck with anything in particular? I'm headed there this weekend, floating 6x to Ross. I read the MDC fishing report, "bass good on soft plastics" just looking for anything beyond that. Thanks.

[Al Agnew]

I kinda laugh when I read those fishing reports. Probably it's one guy, listening to one other angler who caught some on soft plastics, so the report is that it's good on soft plastics...or at least it was good on soft plastics for that one guy a week ago.

Catching smallmouth isn't rocket science. If they are at all active you can catch them on a variety of stuff in the summer, and if they aren't active you won't catch many on much of anything. Just use whatever you have some confidence in and don't get hung up on what specific lures were killing them last week. Everything can change from one day or even one hour to the next, depending upon water conditions, weather conditions, the fishes' mood...or in the case of where you'll be fishing on a weekend, the human factor. That stretch of the Piney is about the most crowded piece of the whole river on summer Saturdays, so chances are you'll be in amongst the masses unless you're able to be on the river before the crowds get to you or after they pass you.

But apparently the upper Piney didn't get as much rain as many places in the Ozarks yesterday and today, so it should still be in good shape to fish...at least that's the way the USGS gauges looked as of a couple hours ago.

Edited to add...I didn't mean to be too flippant about what to use. There are lures and techniques that work better than others, it's just that I think many anglers are better off fishing a mediocre lure that they have some experience using, compared to a good lure that they don't know how to fish. In soft plastics, stuff that work include tubes, Senko-type stick baits, hula grubs, various creature baits, Superflukes, and finess type worms. In hard baits, smallies on the Piney respond well to walk-the-dog type topwaters, willow-leaf spinnerbaits, and various crankbaits like Bandits, Wiggle Warts, and Rebel Crawdads. If you have several of those types of lures, just try them until you find one that's working.

[Bassoholic212]

Thanks AL. I agree 100% with those reports. I have creature baits, Superflukes, a few Spinnerbaits, crawfish crankbaits, and as always, a black trick worm in my river tacklebox. So it looks like I was figuring on some of the same lures. Now, fishing amongst throngs of people is going to be the real challenge. I primarily target largemouth bass on lakes, so I'm not as well versed in the river smallmouth fishing, but i appreciate the info and I'll let you know how I do.

[RSBreth]

If you gave us a little more time we could have thrown a little info your way.

At any rate, I don't know if you were going today or tomorrow, but when you get back, let us know how it went.

And welcome to Ozarkanglers.

[Bassoholic212]

If you gave us a little more time we could have thrown a little info your way.

At any rate, I don't know if you were going today or tomorrow, but when you get back, let us know how it went.

And welcome to Ozarkanglers.

[Bassoholic212]

Caught 3 smallies out of the first hole I stopped at. Caught about ten more throughout the 7 mile float. Biggest one was just under 15 inches, but they were all still a blast to catch. Had good luck with a fluke. They were holding along grasslines in deep water. I had a really heavy one hooked up, but he threw the hook and I lost him. Cheers to next time. Looking forward to it already.

[Al Agnew]

So how were the crowds? Very many people?

I love that stretch of the Piney when you can do it on a weekday...even though the canoe rentals at Ross Bridge really gouge you on shuttles. Good water, big bluffs, gorgeous scenery.

[RSBreth]

Caught 3 smallies out of the first hole I stopped at. Caught about ten more throughout the 7 mile float. Biggest one was just under 15 inches, but they were all still a blast to catch. Had good luck with a fluke. They were holding along grasslines in deep water. I had a really heavy one hooked up, but he threw the hook and I lost him. Cheers to next time. Looking forward to it already.

Cool.

River Smallmouth are addictive, you have to be careful now or you'll spend way to much time floating around rivers fishing for them, like us nuts...

[Bassoholic212]

They are very addictive. It was a blast. looking forward to going back soon. The crowds were not bad at all. We didn't get on the river until 1pm though, so we may have missed the morning crowd. We had the river to ourselves for the first mile or two. Then we caught up with some groups, but it wasn't bad at all.