# New To Smallmouth Bass, Happy About It.



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

Hello fellow Fishermen, my name is Will. I have recently moved to Ohio from South Carolina. I have not previously Fished for Smallmouth. Bought the In Fisherman book and studied it for a while. Took a few trips to the Scioto to study the water and find some suitable locations before I dunked the waders in and gave fishing the Bronzebacks a fair try.


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

Caught my first one before too long.








Could've swore it'd been bigger than that before I saw it! Needless to say I wont forget watching the little guy zip up out of the water on some slack line!

Been fishing the past two evenings after work. Fishing has been swell, have landed over 50 smallmouth in this time - pulled in quite a few over 20".




























Glad to see there is a nice resource for Central Ohio Fishermen. I am happy to be here. 

Drop me a line if you'd like to go fishing.

-Will


----------



## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Nice work!! Quite a few over 20"?!?!?!

I like you're SN, the cottonwood fluff was really screwing me up the other day in Alum.


----------



## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Those are some nice smallies, I was gonna say earlier too though quite a few over 20"? Esp. just in a few days?


----------



## StuckAtHome (Apr 29, 2004)

Good job, my biggest is 20.5, only twenty i've caught in twenty five years.

Razr maxx


----------



## ESOXSeeker (Jan 11, 2009)

I must say " I got to get that book " because your first pic is the size I been catching?
Awesome smallmouths great job!

Tom,


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

ESOXSeeker: Another good book to check out it "Knowing Bass, by Keith A. Jones, PhD" - if you haven't already. I was in the Mad River outfitters this morning browsing the bookshelf and noticed they had a few copies of it there. Additionally, are you available to fish Sunday through Tuesday? If so, I'd like to see if I couldn't put you on to a few nice fish. 

Thanks Mushijobah, what does your screename mean?

Went out this evening from about 7 P.M. to 8:30 and hooked into several. Here are two of the nicer fish landed this evening:



















On The Fly: I'll be sure to include a tape measure in future pictures. Could be beginner's luck!


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

Had a great day today on the river with some friends. A girl managed to catch the largest fish of the day completely on her own. It measured 17.5"










Good angling everyone.


----------



## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Good fishing, for sure brother!! Smallmouth are an absolute blast in the rivers.
Glad you're digging it!!


----------



## dirty sea (Oct 23, 2011)

Holy smokes...I haven't even caught 50 and I have been fishing for them for about a year. Great job!

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Wow, it looks like your research really paid off! My first year fishing for smallies I only caught 3 none of which were bigger than 14 inches. Your quick ability to find and catch big fish is really impressive! Keep it up!


----------



## RiceKrispie (Jun 8, 2009)

Make sure you hit up Olentangy also for Smallies.


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

I understand now, why Dr. Henshall says Smallmouth are "inch for inch, pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims", although this fish wasn't the largest I've caught, it certainly put up the most spectacular struggle.










My shirt is evidence of the feisty and tenacious nature of these fish...










I have been having quite the time fishing the Scioto lately with friends. Thank you to everyone for your encouraging responses. I have be scouting out some areas on the Olentangy to fish and have been encouraged to visit the Big Darby as well. I am excited for whatever challenges the waters may bring. 



















All of the fish I have spoken of and pictured were caught on a size one aberdeen hook, and a varying selection of artificial worms. 4lb test fluorocarbon line was used exclusively. Most of the larger fish were caught in a water depth between 6 and 8 feet. Visibility was generally <2 feet.


----------



## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Glad you discovered smallmouth. They are quite the hell raisers in the end of the line. Let me know of you any info on tangy. It is my favorite haunt.


----------



## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

cottonwoodbloom, WOW!!! You sure did your homework..... Wait till this coming winter for saugeyes. One more thing, I don't think I've ever seen a girl fishing in a skirt....Did they teach that in the book? JK...JK... Your friends are lucky to have a friend like you.

Good luck the rest of the year and be safe. Especially in those waders.


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

OnTheFly: I ran some busy work this morning and bought a cup of coffee in The Worthington Hills Market Plaza; I couldn't help myself - I parked near the entrance to the bike path and dunked in for an hour to fish the Olentangy. The water in this stretch was much warmer than any of the water I had touched in the Scioto. Neglected to bring a thermometer. Skies were overcast and winds were moderate from the NW. 

Caught this fish in >5 feet of water. The building in the background is a Dentist's office. 



















Caught a few more out of brush piles and behind some current boils. A nice fishing jaunt. 

hang_loose: I'll have to start reading up on the Saugeyes. I have heard they are a toothy hoot.


----------



## OHBassCrazy (May 10, 2010)

For years I had a buddy keep telling me that I need to keep my bass boat in the garage and drop my canoe in the river for smallies - he kept going on and on about how awesome small mouth fishing is in our rivers.. Well one day I did, and I still to this day always make time to leave the ole bass rig at home and take my canoe down the Scioto, and several other rivers for action packed day/weekend bass fishing! 

Great job! Ohio's rivers are teaming with smallies! I think almost every river I've ever fished in Ohio I've always caught smallies. I have both books mentioned earlier in this post and they are both quality books. Matter of fact I bought the book "Knowing Bass" at Madriver Outfitters. I fish both for fun and as a member of a bass tournament club....its amazing how many people never take the time learn about their quarry. In-Fisherman produces some of the most amazing books on the market! Knowing and understanding bass makes fishing so much more enjoyable than just poking and hoping for sure!

Also it was great to see you have a lady friend to enjoy fishing as well - they are hard to come buy...especially one that will wade a river - that is awesome! Hope to someday find a lady to share lakes, rivers, and woods with as well!


Tight lines to all..and looks like this year's fishing is off the charts for many!


----------



## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Ye I like the end of the pool back behind hills when the smallies are chasing bait. Heads up a bit more north and it is better IMO look for the cliffs


----------



## JohnnyBravo (Apr 28, 2012)

willing to share any details on what part of the scioto you catch those beauts on?


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

JohnnyBravo: Anywhere conditions provide favorable Smallmouth habitat.

Check this out: http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-036.pdf


----------



## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I'm a newbie to small mouth. Found a few over the weekend. Man they are agressive and have a fairly poor attitude about being caught too! 

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

cottonwoodbloom said:


> I understand now, why Dr. Henshall says Smallmouth are "inch for inch, pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims",


hahah spend time on the scioto and you'll hook your first hybrid striper and take back that statement...lol nice smallies man good job


----------



## schwiem1 (Feb 27, 2009)

This is a great resource. Thank you for sharing!


----------



## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

Hey CW how do you rig your plastic worms on the Aberdeen? I typically use Ewg worm hooks Texas rigged


_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors._


----------



## cottonwoodbloom (May 19, 2012)

Bassthumb:

If I am rigging texas style on an aberdeen, i'll pull the end of the worm a cm above the eye of the hook onto the line. Have noticed that the worm will slide up the line quite a bit when a fish takes. This method generally keeps the bait out of the way for hook removal, and preserves it for further use better than the other methods I have used. I push the hook-point out of the top of the worm a mm. I appreciate your creative name.


----------

