Strategies For Winter Smallmouth?

[kayakthemidwest]

Just curious of anyone has some winter strategies for smallies. I have been fishing the Meremac w/ of St. Louis/Bourbouse, etc. Should I just hang up my rod for the winter? Been throwing small zoom worms, white spinners, rooster tails, salt craws....any suggestions? any tips are appreciated:)

[Mitch f]

Safety first!

Find a deeper hole with water that is standing still (look for blotches of foam not moving). Winter fish usually stay in dead water that is in or near deep water with cover. Look for any warmer water you can find.... springs, creeks after a rain , discharge pipes. Air temps aren't important only water temps, when the water gets below 50,fish smaller jigs and jerkbaits slowly. Bring a thermometer!

[Al Agnew]

Mitch pretty much boiled it all down. Just keep in mind that the biggest challenge in the winter is finding fish. You need to have mobility, because the wintering spots will be scattered with lots of unproductive water in between. The water doesn't have to be extremely deep if there is good cover, places they can get UNDER like big rocks or logs, and it doesn't have to be totally dead, but the current must be slow at most.

Your lure arsenal is very limited once the water gets below 50 degrees. Suspending jerkbaits, small jigs, small tubes, and finesse worms on jig heads are really all you need. In water temps from the high 40s up into the 50s, you can catch fish on other stuff like crankbaits and even spinnerbaits.

[kayakthemidwest]

Great tips! I was on the Meremac yesterday doing almost exact opposite- no wonder!!...looking for cover in current, etc. I really appreciate the tips. I think I am going to move to a slow jig strategy in cover/calm waters

Appreciate the tips!

~Mike

[Wayne SW/MO]

Yup, deep still holes and for me it seems that some wood helps. Jerkbaits have always been my go too.

[Ham]

i give em a break until next Spring. I catch my winter smallies on one of our wonderful lakes in 15-45 FOW on football jigs.

[LittleRedFisherman]

I"m heading out to catch some smallies tommorrow hopefully. My two stratigeies will be jerkbaits for spinning gear, and i like dead drifting jigs with the flyrod.

[Greasy B]

I"m heading out to catch some smallies tommorrow hopefully. My two stratigeies will be jerkbaits for spinning gear, and i like dead drifting jigs with the flyrod.

Let us know how you do.

[LittleRedFisherman]

Let us know how you do.

Let us know how you do.

Will do, this is my first time to chase smallies in awhile. Did really well last winter, but the water had the perfect color, most of the winter due to rains, I'm expecting and hearing that the water is Gin Clear where i"m going, so tactics will have to be different.

[gotmuddy]

where are you going brett?