I Think It's A Drum - Winter Smallie Edition (Pics)

[MOsmallies]

You've heard it from Smalliebigs (Scott) and I before.... Fishing time is a premium these days due to young children and work. No one on here gets out as much as they'd like to, so we all want to make the most of our opportunities.

Early in the week the forecast was looking favorable and we were both obligation free. But as the week wore on, the forecast suddenly turned bleak. Oh well, you gotta make the most of your opportunities, right? We were able to enlist the help of our good friend and local winter smallmouth guru, Mitch Fields. And let me just say you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer, more knowledgeable guy than Mitch. I've known Scott for about 10 years and have gotten to known Mitch over the past 2... and I can honestly say I learn something new every time I fish with these two!

We arrived at the ramp around 8:15 am and were casting by 8:30. Air temps hovered between 48-50 the entire drive but were already starting to plummet by the time we pushed off from the ramp. No water temp reading but we guessed upper 30's. Rain and possible snow were being called for later in the day but we were prepared. Two gapers ready for a day on the river...

There was a small hole near the ramp that Mitch had caught some fish in before so we threw an array of jerkbaits, hair jigs, and Mitch's craw before buzzing upstream. No bites in that first hole, so we were off. We reached our second spot after a brisk boat ride to find a long, deep, bolder strewn stretch that looked prime to hold some winter smallmouth. We started in the middle of the hole and worked our way upstream. Each of us switching baits til we found a bite. Scott got us on the board with a 13" in largemouth on the jerkbait and Mitch followed suit about 30 yds later with a beautiful, fat 17" smallie on his craw...Thank you ma'am...

We continued to fish this hole with nothing except a few more bites, but Mitch had mentioned that it tended to be an afternoon hole. Remember... Mitch knows his stuff... We headed upstream again but for a little longer ride this time. Mitch navigating some skinny water like a pro and Scott and I gawking at several Bald Eagles. We stopped at a backwater that Mitch claimed to usually hold largemouth. Within two casts Mitch was reeling in a 14" largemouth and 2 more just like it on his next three casts. Scott got in on the fun with a few more largemouth while I tried to find a jerkbait in my box that matched the right profile and depth as my cohorts. We had caught probably 8-10 largemouth with the biggest around 15" before heading downstream to another spot. We had a few more bites on Mitch's craw but no more fish landed in this stretch so we buzzed back up to the largemouth hole. I was able to finally get on the board with 5 dink largemouth in about 10 casts out of the same hole we had just fished 30 minutes prior. Scott and Mitch each added a couple more as well, but there wasn't a whole lot of size to the largemouth in this backwater.

We headed back downstream trying a few likely looking spots along the way to no avail. We ultimately decided that the long, deep, bolder strewn stretch we'd fished earlier in the morning was our best chance to land a nice smallmouth or two. We buzzed downstream and started fishing at the top of this hole. And again it didn't take long for Scott to put a 14" smallmouth in the boat on his Jerkbait. I chimed in with a largemouth and smallmouth on the jerkbait from the same general area. A few minutes passed without a bite and for some reason Scott put down his pointer in favor of the Megabass. He launched a cast quartering downstream and began working the bait with some longer pauses. As he went to twitch his bait after a pause, his rod loaded up and doubled over. Both Mitch and I turned around after hearing Scott grunt. We immediately knew he had a nice one on. Mitch asked if he wanted a net and in typical, pessimistic Smalliebigs fashion Scott responded... "Eh, I think it's a drum". I grabbed the net regardless and moments later a glob of bronze came wallowing to the surface. The guesstimate's quickly went from 17" to 18" to possibly pushing 20" as the fish slid into the net. Scott had nailed a beautiful, thick, broom-tailed smallmouth that hit the measuring tape at 19.5". A stud of a fish! Mitch and I were just as thrilled as if we had landed the fish. Please excuse Scott's Willy Wonka look (a la Johnny Depp)...

And just as predicted this hole produced an afternoon bite! The next hour was just solid in terms of bites and numbers as we milked that entire stretch. Opting for Mitch's craw, both Mitch and I began pitching around the boulders and pulling out 13-16" smallmouth. A half hour went by when I looked back at Scott and asked if he had made a cast since that big fish. With a huge smile he simply replied "Nope!". He was as happy as could be! They were simply choking Mitch's craw. No need for the hair jig. The way they were reacting to his craw in this cold of water temps was downright impressive. Mitch even tied on a crankbait at one point and nailed a chunky, 16" largemouth!

All told, we had 35+ fish between the three of us on a cold, wet, cloudy January day. Location is so key this time of year. All our fish came from two holes. You just have to be patient and work your baits slowly and thoroughly. It was just one of those days on the river that rejuvenates you and gets you pumped for another year of chasing river smallies. I can't thank Mitch and Scott enough for an awesome day and a ton of good laughs. Just sharing a boat with these two was the highlight of the day.... Well maybe the 19.5" drum, I mean smallie, was the highlight but you get the point.

I'd say we made the most of our opportunity!

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great time with great people. Glad you stuck in there. Loved the Willy Wonka reference.

[LittleRedFisherman]

Fantastic report MOsmallies! Mitch is the winter river smallie guru for sure! He won't claim to be, but proof is in the pudding as they say! Looks like a great time had by all. Scott's fish there was a sure enough Dandy! Awesome!

[MOsmallies]

Fantastic report MOsmallies! Mitch is the winter river smallie guru for sure! He won't claim to be, but proof is in the pudding as they say! Looks like a great time had by all. Scott's fish there was a sure enough Dandy! Awesome!

You are right about Mitch... He's too humble to claim it but he's one of the better river fisherman in this area! It looks like you've been on em down your way as well. I've enjoyed your reports and videos lately!

[Seth]

Killer day guys! Hope they are biting that well for me when I make it back out on the water.

[fishinwrench]

Good job, fellas! As fun as that was to read I can imagine how much of a hoot it was to be there and live it.

So you like that swivel headed contraption, hu ? I guess I need to give one a try.

[LittleRedFisherman]

You are right about Mitch... He's too humble to claim it but he's one of the better river fisherman in this area! It looks like you've been on em down your way as well. I've enjoyed your reports and videos lately!

yeah, had two great outings last week, no pigs like some ya'll were catching but a few good ones! I really wanted to make that MSA outing the other night, been talking to Mitch on Facebook, he has connections here where I live, but never met him or you guys yet, look forward to that someday!

[moguy1973]

That craw is an interesting looking bait. Hard head with custom pour plastic craw I presume?

[MOsmallies]

Wrench - I'm really starting to like the wobble head and it pairs real nice with Mitch's craw... I plan to give both a real nice workout on LOZ this spring.

moguy1973 - There's some better pics of Mitch's craw in this thread.... He designed, developed, and pours them himself. They are legit! He also pours the wobble heads himself.

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