Smallmouth fishing in reservoirs

[dtrs5kprs]

3 hours ago, tkobermann said:

Thanks for all the advice! So do smallmouth typically spawn on or close to the main lake rather than way up in arms of the lake?

Flat gravel. In the creeks or in pockets. Just don't expect the pocket fish to stay put.

Ned Rig will tell you if brown fish are in the area faster than any other bait on this earth. 1/16-1/8, PBJ or GP/flake of the day.

[tkobermann]

This may be a dumb question, but by lower half do you mean the western side of the lake?

[Ham]

1 hour ago, dtrs5kprs said:

GP/flake of the day.

I think Nancy Pelosi is my flake of the day, but Sarah Silverman is an up and comer. 

[Old plug]

9 hours ago, Ham said:

I think Nancy Pelosi is my flake of the day, but Sarah Silverman is an up and 

Hey are all flakes every last one of them all partoes included. 

[Quillback]

17 hours ago, tkobermann said:

This may be a dumb question, but by lower half do you mean the western side of the lake?

Start from the dam and go halfway up the lake in the main channel, that would be the lower half. 

[Ham]

Plenty of places at BSL to look for them. From the dam to Diamond City, all the main lake stuff is likely smallie territory. 

[Bluff-Bassin]

On 2/3/2017 at 1:15 PM, tkobermann said:

This may be a dumb question, but by lower half do you mean the western side of the lake?

Easy way to think of it is in relation to the flow of the water. So the head waters near Forsyth are up and the water flows down toward the dam making it the extreme (bottom or lower) end of the lake. This applies to all lakes. 

[Joenothum]

Take a trip up to northern Minnesota or Canada, its worth the trip if you have time and a boat unless you say at a lodge or outfit.  You will literally have 100 fish days and catch quality ones.  Everyone thinks the May/June spawn is the best time to go but in actuality the fall bite is the big fish time of year.

[mixermarkb]

Now it's not MN or Canada, but 100 fish days of 12-16" smallies with a few 18" scattered around happen on a regular at Bull Shoals in the spring. I'm not saying it's gonna be every day, but it's not someone blowing smoke when they tell you it happens.