Winter Smallmouth fishing

[Norm M]

 Al

 

 I have to disagree about forgetting about it when the temps are under 35 degrees . A few years back I took the outdoor writer for the Chicago Sun Times out  to prove to him you could catch smallmouth bass in a river in water temps just above freezing on crankbaits . He got his proof . We were standing on shore amidst mounds of snow and large chunks of ice fishing a creek mouth . The creek flows thru our one and only small mile long limestone canyon and the creek water in summer is cooler than the river water .

 

  My river is definitely a different beast than the Ozark rivers you fish,  It is definitely much shallower , Not much of what you describe as wintering areas in the waters you fish . The other side of the coin is that it is much further north, about an hour south of Chicago .    

[Al Agnew]

Norm, I know you catch them under those conditions.  Fact is, in the Ozarks the water temps don't get as low as 35 degrees all that often.  When it gets that cold it's been very cold around here for a significant period of time, cold enough to completely counteract the influence our springs have on the better rivers.  I kinda think our fish just aren't accustomed to temps that cold, and it messes them up a bit.

[Norm M]

 In that case , yes a major disruption like that in conditions already difficult to have any sustained success in would make things extremely difficult .

[Seth]

42-44 degrees seems to be the magic temp on the Gasconade. Also, the nastier the weather, the better the fishing seems to be for me in the winter. The nice and sunny days aren't worth a darn for me. I don't know of it coincides with barometric pressure or what. Once it drops below 40, it gets tough. I know a few guys that like the water in that 36-38 degree range, but they usually fish Big River and the Meramec. Not really sure why the different rivers would fish more ch different in the winter, but they can catch them in those conditions.

I was ecstatic last year when I caught four or five bass on a hair jig when the water was 36-38 degrees. That was the first time I had caught any below 40 degrees. Basically, I was throwing the jig out and just keep it on a tightline until something picked it up.

[Norm M]

 I have had some fantastic days in cold water when the wind was blowing white caps up stream .

[timinmo]

Hey Norm, that feeder creek you mentioned.  If it is cooler in the summer is it warmer in the winter?  I have had very little winter time success. We know that down here fish can be caught around the larger springs because of the temperature influence.  Just curious about your area.  

[LittleRedFisherman]

Great topic, and Al always covers it so well.  In the past several years, I've keyed in more on winter fishing 2 or 3 rivers within decent driving distance.  Wintertime is the only time of year I can fish consistently due to my job.  I've heard Al mention sandy areas, I experienced this last  year on a river with little sand in it, there was a feeder creek out from a pasture that has deposited sand in a stretch where it drained in, there were fish there on that cold day.  Al mentions the 35 degree line, in bigger Ozark rivers, they rarely get that cold, at least the ones I fish due to there streamflow sources.  Creeks and smaller rivers I'm sure is another story.  I love to finesse that bite in the winter, using small plastics feeling for the dead weight a lot of times instead of the thump you get when it's warmer.  It might take me up to 5 minutes to work that cast depending on the current and conditions.  Last year was such a warm winter, the fish seemed to be more active and not as docile.   Jerkbaits as mentioned are my other main option, I carry standard models and deep diving ones and usually have one of each tied to a baitcaster.  Like all I don't wait the 30 seconds between jerks that often 5 or 10 seconds seems to work fine a lot of times for me.  Hope this helps a little and good luck..... Bret.

[joeD]

Not to be flip, but one must go where the fish can be caught. Buzz, I don't know where you fish or how often, but, in order to catch winter fish, they have to be there in the first place. It's no accident that big smallies caught in the winter are caught on streams that generally produce big fish anyway. You are limited, but not shut out, by using a kayak. 

Sorry, they didn't tell you that. It certainly helps to have a boat with a motor. 

[Mitch f]

On 11/1/2016 at 11:30 AM, Blazerman said:

Great article today that covers everything we talk about here on winter smallmouth fishing on streams at the Bassmasters website.

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/understanding-move

 

Great article!

I would change his temp scale/baits used as follows:

Wiggle Warts magic water temp number is around 48-52 degree water, worked slowly.

Jerkbaits for me seems best at 45-50 degrees

Jigs will catch fish anytime during the fall/winter and full blown winter time frame. The one thing you need to figure out is wether they will hit a normal/medium size jig, like an Eakins, or a small finesse type jig. 

It seems to be about every mile of river you will run into a wad of fish, some groups bigger than others. Usually within a half mile of a boat ramp the bass can be gigged out and scattered so I would venture farther away. 

I learned most of these things  over the years from our own Zipstick, who seldom posts anymore on here...he's the winter fishing guru on these Ozark rivers.

[Brian Jones]

I've caught them down to 36 degrees but I already knew where they were located, and had been catching them for about three weeks straight.  Not to contradict Mitch, but I'll throw a wiggle wart as well as another crankbait until the water temp gets to 40 with good success.  One other thing I've noticed is that the fish seem more active as the water temp is falling through the 40's as opposed to the temps rising from the 40's.