# Smashing Smallies



## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

Fished below Oshay Monday morning and had a ball. I tried several flys with no success and finally tied on a tap/cooper bug. BAM!! Started hitting smallies like crazy. I had one that had to be between 3.5 to 4 pounds and just as I was getting him close enough to grab it jumped, did some thrashing and saw the fly fly out  
The effect of the recent hot weather was more than clear. None of them were a "traditional bronze" color but a very dark, almost black, color. Oh well, it was good to have them active again.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Headed out myself this morning, fished from about 7.30-10.00 and caught a few smallies and a rockbass, not much in the size department, caught about a 12" smallie on my first cast and thought it was going to be a good morning but things slowed up, ended up with more tackle than what I came with when I found a husky jerk in the rocks and a little starter kit that comes with rods you buy at wally world, jigs, flies, hooks, bobbers etc, not much but the price was right I might try some topwater tonight.


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## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

Witht he weather changing(Soon) colder nights should turn on the SM and other game fish, hope the fall stays nice and warm before it gets too cold for me to yak fish, I'm a wimp in cold weather, but if fish are biting, I might just have to suck it up!


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

FYI,
The river smallies have been on fire in the evenings the last 4-5 days.
Buzzbaits or very fast moving Spooks, fished in the riffles, have been deadly.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

andyman said:


> FYI,
> The river smallies have been on fire in the evenings the last 4-5 days.
> Buzzbaits or very fast moving Spooks, fished in the riffles, have been deadly.


I might just try it out tonight.


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## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

Thats good info, I love fishing riffles but with the summer heat the big gals shy away most of the day unless awesome cover is close. I've never been a topwater man for SM, might have to give it a try.


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

It almost sounded like you said that you've never been a topwater guy for smallies..........
Holy sheepshit, dude.
You should go do that right now.
Why are you still reading this.......................go!


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

Bust out the piggy bank, pony up and getcha a Sammy 100. Get whatever color you like as the smallies won't give a crap.
Lately, it's been super duper fast walk the dog/rip it along, and then the slightest pause. Next trun of the handle and it gets smashed.......often.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Fished tonight from about 8.30-12.45 and caught smallies, rockbass and gills, kinda slow to start but things picked up around 10.30, used a jitterbug all the time I was there, caught a couple really big rockbass, biggest smallie was probably 14", dang bats are a pain in the but sometimes...swooping around as your casting, kinda made up for the slow action this morning being able to catch a few.


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## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

> Bust out the piggy bank, pony up and getcha a Sammy 100.


Now your talking. Although I got skunked on my sammy last night, it sounds like my presentation is off. Looks like I need to speed it up.


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## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

My 3 kids stole my piggy bank.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

You said you caught one on your first cast. That's always been bad luck for me. Most times I catch one on my first cast, I end up having a terrible day. Nowadays I funkify my first cast just to get it over with... then start fishing.

Jig-N-Pig out...

P.S. Sounds like the creek fishing is fun.


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

shwookie said:


> Now your talking. Although I got skunked on my sammy last night, it sounds like my presentation is off. Looks like I need to speed it up.



Speed her up.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Gignpig said:


> You said you caught one on your first cast. That's always been bad luck for me. Most times I catch one on my first cast, I end up having a terrible day. Nowadays I funkify my first cast just to get it over with... then start fishing.
> 
> Jig-N-Pig out...
> 
> P.S. Sounds like the creek fishing is fun.


I have had the same thing happen before, a couple years back I caught 1 on each my first 2 cast then nothing for the next 2hrs, a buddy of mine theorized that the fish had already been feeding when I hit the water and in short I missed the bite?? myself I just chalk it up to some perverse form of Murphys law.


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

When first started in the morning the smallies were busting the baitfish right in the middle of the river. I would drift the the fly down the river on then do short, quick retrieves. As the busting slowed so did the fishing. I switched to casting straight at the bank and immediately starting my retrieve and they started hitting them again. I went from an active feed to an opportunity feed situation.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

When you are lucky enough to be there when they get on a ball of shad action can be nonstop, I have been lucky enough a couple times, I mainly fish the bank and have had shad come out of the water and land at my feet while running from hungry smallies, I seen a few shad the other morning but not real heavy numbers of them.


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

i got a 19 incher last night on a local stream. topwater fast. the fish was in a slow moving pool.got about 7 more all small. im getting a little concerned though, all year i havent seen many fishermen in this stretch but lately am seeing many, every trip. please catch and release.,.,.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

andyman said:


> Bust out the piggy bank, pony up and getcha a Sammy 100. Get whatever color you like as the smallies won't give a crap.
> Lately, it's been super duper fast walk the dog/rip it along, and then the slightest pause. Next trun of the handle and it gets smashed.......often.


I guess I should know this already but what is a Sammy 100??? Thanks


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## Spread-Head (Sep 1, 2007)

Anyone having any luck with shallow or top water crank baits??? Ive tried both recently and nothing for smallies... However I have not tried any buzz baits...gonna give it a try Sat as the sun sets... let ya know


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I have had fair success with jitterbugs after dark.


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

Spread-Head said:


> Anyone having any luck with shallow or top water crank baits??? Ive tried both recently and nothing for smallies... However I have not tried any buzz baits...gonna give it a try Sat as the sun sets... let ya know


I pulled a couple nice ones (and a large mouth) out of the scioto tonight burning a little white buzz bait. Not exactly what I have in mind when I think of what a smallie would be eating but it did work. I caught them on 4" senko, wee craw, and that buzzbait all in the span of a couple hours.


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## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

> I guess I should know this already but what is a Sammy 100??? Thanks


Sammy is the lure, 100 is the size.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_29822_100005003_100000000_100005000_100-5-3
I love mine, its a bit pricey, but it seems to work well. I catch more fish on a sammy than I do my spook.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Pricey is a undersatement...what colors do you use???


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## Basskisser1 (May 15, 2004)

That place is getting hammered a lot. I hope people aren't stringing them up.


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## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

> Pricey is a undersatement...what colors do you use???


70 is my color of choice. Its the only lure I have gone swimming after, they are that pricey. It does take a certain amount of gusto to risk a $16 lure. 89 will be my next one after I lose my current one.
38 is a great color, I have several LC lures in that color.


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

Nah, I was fishing on campus in a fairly obvious place where no respectable citizen should find him or herself alone after dark. I was throwing a popper towards the end with no luck. The only reason I was throwing the buzzbait is that I threw my damn craw in a bush and lost it. That was really producing tonight. Threw it into a hole that I worked with 2 different worms with no luck and yanked out a 15" smallie. This thing was really calling the fish in from a distance. The buzzbait was fun but I missed more than I hooked... or should I say the fish missed it. They liked it fast but had a hard time putting their mouth on it. Maybe all the beer runoff from campus has them flying slightly sideways.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Basskisser1 said:


> We haven't caught any big ones for a while. I hope people aren't stringing them up.


Thats exactly what happend...Guy was down there bragging about how they were on fire last week: He claimed that in two days him and his nephew took close to a dozen 16"-20" Smallies home.."We usually don't keep them unless there over 15", but them big ones produce some chunky fillets". I about threw up   I whole heartedly bevlieve him b/c there aren't any big fish left, period. Cast after cast all you run into are 13-15" fish thats it, NOTHING over 16". I've been meaning to make a post I just can't seem to find the right words...


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## topwaterdevil (May 23, 2007)

I'm sorry to hear that. It is these type of people who make it tough for the rest of us. Atleast they didn't take anything under 15, but taking a dozen big smallies from the same hole really depletes the river. I hope it's not the same stretch I fish. More proof that ODNR needs to put some limits down while there are still fish left.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I agree 100%...I fished hard Wednesday night from 8.30-1.00AM and I got two descent fish(meaning 14" or so) where as last year I would have got 6 or 8 easy with a 16" or so thrown in that mess, there are other stretches that I have fished where once you see guys with stringers its only a matter of time, they throw everything in the bucket, a reg like what is on the Darby is sorely needed...and it wouldnt bother me to see it C&R only..but that wont happen so a limit of size and #s is about the best we can hope for.


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## Basskisser1 (May 15, 2004)

I don't understand why meathounds have to keep bass. It's hard to keep my composure when I see bass on some idiots stringer. As far as putting a size limit on the bass for all Ohio streams, I'm all for it. But there is always someone who has to break the rule.


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## Spread-Head (Sep 1, 2007)

I personally believe in CPR fishing... catch photo and release!!!! Bass are a sport fish not a meat fish!!! Its all about the fight


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

Spread-Head said:


> I personally believe in CPR fishing... catch photo and release!!!! Bass are a sport fish not a meat fish!!! Its all about the fight


same here dont eat bass i dislike ppl that keep them


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

Man, I took some serious poop a few weeks back when I spoke up about location info on a much smaller creek. Yet it continues every day on this forum and nobody else seems to ever speak up.....until it's your stretch etc....
Same thing happened in the "Fruit stand stretch" as we call it due to the lady who used to sell fruit in the large gravel parking lot.
A few guys in one of those bass buggy deals, a trolling motor, and some live shiners....after a few months it was all over. Dink wasteland.

TOSA is an organization that could push such size restrictions on rivers.......


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Reap what you sowe. Cry on someone else's shoulder. 

I think some of the reports from our young members are fun and encouraging. However, some people post about hooking a world record smallie and they were hitting like crazy and the next thing you know that river isn't worth fishing anymore. They even talk about directions for how to get there. Also, a lot of guys talk about "I fish catch and release" as if to brag about being a true sportsman. Well not everyone fishes CPR and when you post details and annouce on a public website the fishing is on fire at such and such river and we're catching whoppers every time out then you are really doing a dis-service. Conservation is the responsibility of all anglers, not just a few. However, a few can ruin it. So, while you the angler may have the best of intentions you really should think about what you post in your fishing report. 

CG


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Here we go Again!! Hi Andyman how's the poop? I am not saying anything this time. You guys have fun. But just a thought since the big rain i have not heard to many reports of big smallies lots of average to small ones. Could it be they have spread back out again in the river instead of being holed up in the low pools? Just a thought. I have been on a smaller river twice since rains and we know no meathunters have been fishing this spot,but we have not got a fish over 15" since. And holes seem to be holding less fish per hole while water level is up. We were getting nice larger smallies before the rain. I know some are catching some and keeping but guys i really think water levels and weather are coming into play more then what is being mentioned. Just a thought!! Hey critter you need to go fishing hows is baby doing?


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

Nevermind.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

fishslim said:


> Here we go Again!! Hi Andyman how's the poop? I am not saying anything this time. You guys have fun. But just a thought since the big rain i have not heard to many reports of big smallies lots of average to small ones. Could it be they have spread back out again in the river instead of being holed up in the low pools? Just a thought. I have been on a smaller river twice since rains and we know no meathunters have been fishing this spot,but we have not got a fish over 15" since. And holes seem to be holding less fish per hole while water level is up. We were getting nice larger smallies before the rain. I know some are catching some and keeping but guys i really think water levels and weather are coming into play more then what is being mentioned. Just a thought!! Hey critter you need to go fishing hows is baby doing?



Baby is doing well. Daddy is catching a little cabin fever these days. lol

CG


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

GUYS!

Antrim is on fire!

BUZZBAITS AT SUNSET! HELLO? GO there tonight.

Last night I pulled a 6# smallmouth and my buddy pulled a 5# smallmouth and a 7+# largemouth.

Not to mention 3 25 inch catfish!

Northwest side. 30 steps directly east from the bike bath, 4 steps north. There is a small stretch of dirt with unusual rock markings. You will see two sticks I set up making an "x". Go to that spot. Cast directly to your left, working your buzzbait about 5-6 feet off the shoreline. It MUST be a BLACK buzzbait with quad, aluminum blade. 

Please share this spot with everyone you know, especially those people that fish the rivers. I believe they will like this spot better than any local rivers.

I REPEAT - ANTRIM IS ON FIRE!!


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

wow, did you get any pics of those beasts??????


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

It's a trap!


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Danshady said:


> wow, did you get any pics of those beasts??????


Yes, but only on film. 12 more exposures til they are developed. Hopefully, we can catch a bunch more to use the remaining film.

Stay away from the rivers and hit the impoundments/quarries. It is on! Less mosquitos too!


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

RareVos said:


> It's a trap!


It's for reallio!


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