# Winter Smallie Talk



## lukejhoward

In light of the cooling temperatures, I've been thinking more and more about how limited my fishing opportunities will be in the coming months. But I guess as long as the flows aren't frozen over, I'll probably keep trying to fish the flows. Last year at this time, I just started to read about smallmouth and creek fishing in general. I was pretty much just a pond and lake guy and I figured that waiting until spring would be best as far as taking a crack at the smallies. This year is different though because I have already become pretty familiar with the creeks. I'm determined to make the most out of the cold days that I do decide to go out and try for some smallies. So, what do you local creek guys think about the smallie bite in the winter? What are some of your strategy changes even before you cast your lure? Are you really only looking in deeper holes or are the areas in and around the riffles still a key point of interest? Any key lures specifically (obviously slower, subtle presentations in general)? Also, what are your guys' opinions on slow rolling joshies steadily in the winter? I have just recently gained a lot of confidence in the joshy swimbaits and I want to keep fishing them throughout the winter. Any information or discussion would be awesome, I'm just looking for an interesting thread. 



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## Deazl666

It depends on which flow you like to fish. Smallmouth can travel up to 50 miles in search of a winter hole. I've never had luck in my creek in the dead of winter, or at least the many stretches I fish, because, IMO, there are few if any truly deep holes, and, secondly, there are no impoundments to prevent the fish from making it all the way to the Scioto, or close to it. Bottom line is that I suspect most of my fish are gone. That being said, look for rivers that are dammed up and try those deep holes above the dams, or, seek out the deepest holes you can find in your flow and hit them hard. Keep in mind the colder the water the smaller the strike zone. One last thing: pay close attention to Allbraid's reports; he is the master of locating and catching winter bronze..


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## D-Bak

Great thread idea and I am looking forward to the responses. I am new to the creek fishing scene as well and I can honestly say I enjoy it much more than nay other kind of fishing. I have some waders on back order from Cabelas and plan on fully utilizing them come winter.

Looking forward to some more info!!!!!


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## allbraid

My Favorite fishing for smallmouth is during the dead of winter. Catching fish when your not supposed to is very satisfiying. Central Ohio flows for the most part remain fishable all winter. The smallmouth/selfie pic was taken/caught on one of the coldest days of last winter. The other winter smalley shows you a Big Joshy in her mouth. I caught a few good fish during the "Polar Vortex" while most were indoors dreaming of spring....LOL!! 

You asked about lures for winter smallmouth, the Big Joshy IMO is almost perfect for this application and accounted for 75% of my winter smallmouth (I say almost, because perfection is difficult to achieve) . Tubes caught the remainder. Joshys and Tubes are about all that I use in winter and really lighten the load in my pack. They are near perfect for searching the deeper water. My presentation the majority of the time is a cross current or slightly upstream cast, letting the jig/tube sink while maintaining a semi tight line with a high rod tip and then following the path of travel of the lure with the rod tip and maintaining contact with a semi tight line. If I feel any change in the drift or if the jig/tube stops, set the hook and be prepaired to smile. I also found that you need to add a floro leader in winter due to the water being gin clear, I use a micro swivel attached to my braid and then 8 or 12lb floro about 15 inches long and then my bait tied directly to this. Also in terms of equipment , keep your line coated in WD40 to repel water and slow down ice build up, and clean your rod guides, this seems to slow down the formation of ice. Your guides WILL ice up and there is no magic formula to stop it, just take your time and remove the ice from your guides, this is just the cost of doing buisness. Put and extra reel in your pack, a long walk to a winter hole and your reel breaks "sucks" to say the least. Or take and extra rod and reel. This should get you started. I will send more later about location and the types of water to look for IMO....but with todays temps going in the 70s I am going to go make what may be my last run of the year for largemouth, they hate the cold, LOL!!! Good luck and tight lines!!! I hope many others chime in on your thread.


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## lukejhoward

allbraid said:


> My Favorite fishing for smallmouth is during the dead of winter. Catching fish when your not supposed to is very satisfiying. Central Ohio flows for the most part remain fishable all winter. The smallmouth/selfie pic was taken/caught on one of the coldest days of last winter. The other winter smalley shows you a Big Joshy in her mouth. I caught a few good fish during the "Polar Vortex" while most were indoors dreaming of spring....LOL!!
> 
> You asked about lures for winter smallmouth, the Big Joshy IMO is almost perfect for this application and accounted for 75% of my winter smallmouth (I say almost, because perfection is difficult to achieve) . Tubes caught the remainder. Joshys and Tubes are about all that I use in winter and really lighten the load in my pack. They are near perfect for searching the deeper water. My presentation the majority of the time is a cross current or slightly upstream cast, letting the jig/tube sink while maintaining a semi tight line with a high rod tip and then following the path of travel of the lure with the rod tip and maintaining contact with a semi tight line. If I feel any change in the drift or if the jig/tube stops, set the hook and be prepaired to smile. I also found that you need to add a floro leader in winter due to the water being gin clear, I use a micro swivel attached to my braid and then 8 or 12lb floro about 15 inches long and then my bait tied directly to this. Also in terms of equipment , keep your line coated in WD40 to repel water and slow down ice build up, and clean your rod guides, this seems to slow down the formation of ice. Your guides WILL ice up and there is no magic formula to stop it, just take your time and remove the ice from your guides, this is just the cost of doing buisness. Put and extra reel in your pack, a long walk to a winter hole and your reel breaks "sucks" to say the least. Or take and extra rod and reel. This should get you started. I will send more later about location and the types of water to look for IMO....but with todays temps going in the 70s I am going to go make what may be my last run of the year for largemouth, they hate the cold, LOL!!! Good luck and tight lines!!! I hope many others chime in on your thread.


First of all, I must say that those pictures are incredible, Allbraid! It's always pretty cool seeing a fish laying in the snow (since it is quite the achievement). Anyways, I really appreciate the advice from both Deazl and yourself. I'm glad to hear that you have confidence in josh swimbaits in the winter because they are one of my favorite lures to fish for the smallies. I also really like throwing tubes! Both joshies and tubes have been go-to baits for the creek. As far as presentation, are you saying that you are simply letting your lure drift? o you actually swim or bounce the joshy or bounce tubes at all? Obviously, a subtle presentation is the name of the game in the winter but are you actually working the lure at all or are you letting the water just drift it through? Also, please do share advice on type of water...I know the spring and summer hot spots but I think winter will have me looking elsewhere, so i may have to change how I approach the creeks completely. Anyways, thanks everybody and I'm excited to see any more information that anyone may have to share!


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## Deazl666

allbraid said:


> My Favorite fishing for smallmouth is during the dead of winter. Catching fish when your not supposed to is very satisfiying. Central Ohio flows for the most part remain fishable all winter. The smallmouth/selfie pic was taken/caught on one of the coldest days of last winter. The other winter smalley shows you a Big Joshy in her mouth. I caught a few good fish during the "Polar Vortex" while most were indoors dreaming of spring....LOL!!
> 
> You asked about lures for winter smallmouth, the Big Joshy IMO is almost perfect for this application and accounted for 75% of my winter smallmouth (I say almost, because perfection is difficult to achieve) . Tubes caught the remainder. Joshys and Tubes are about all that I use in winter and really lighten the load in my pack. They are near perfect for searching the deeper water. My presentation the majority of the time is a cross current or slightly upstream cast, letting the jig/tube sink while maintaining a semi tight line with a high rod tip and then following the path of travel of the lure with the rod tip and maintaining contact with a semi tight line. If I feel any change in the drift or if the jig/tube stops, set the hook and be prepaired to smile. I also found that you need to add a floro leader in winter due to the water being gin clear, I use a micro swivel attached to my braid and then 8 or 12lb floro about 15 inches long and then my bait tied directly to this. Also in terms of equipment , keep your line coated in WD40 to repel water and slow down ice build up, and clean your rod guides, this seems to slow down the formation of ice. Your guides WILL ice up and there is no magic formula to stop it, just take your time and remove the ice from your guides, this is just the cost of doing buisness. Put and extra reel in your pack, a long walk to a winter hole and your reel breaks "sucks" to say the least. Or take and extra rod and reel. This should get you started. I will send more later about location and the types of water to look for IMO....but with todays temps going in the 70s I am going to go make what may be my last run of the year for largemouth, they hate the cold, LOL!!! Good luck and tight lines!!! I hope many others chime in on your thread.


I recall you recommending big white tubes, but what size and color of Joshy's are you using? Thanks!!!


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## allbraid

Any thing with sparkles. Slush, salt and pepper, sparkle chart, chart slush and the new one I got is Slims bait, looks like its gonna be good. I like the 2.75 inch on the 1/8 oz jig head. 3 inch white tubes with sparkle. Depending on flow I use 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz. Bounced along the bottom moving with the current, all these can be effective.


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## allbraid

Lukejhoward, hope this info is helpful. The water I look for is not necessarily the deepest, but water that offers shelter from current at any level or flow. These fish are looking for places that they can hold out during a midwinter high water event. 90 Degree bends are a good place to start, any type of wing wall type structure, the down stream side of a island. Look closely at your flow now and find the deep water areas and the next time the water is up go do your leg work and find those areas that offer current breaks at high water.

As far as how I work the bait I attempt to keep it as close to the bottom as possible with the occasional hop or twitch. Jig fishing=jigging, up and down movement. Imitates the dying flutter of a bait fish.


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## lukejhoward

allbraid said:


> Lukejhoward, hope this info is helpful. The water I look for is not necessarily the deepest, but water that offers shelter from current at any level or flow. These fish are looking for places that they can hold out during a midwinter high water event. 90 Degree bends are a good place to start, any type of wing wall type structure, the down stream side of a island. Look closely at your flow now and find the deep water areas and the next time the water is up go do your leg work and find those areas that offer current breaks at high water.
> 
> As far as how I work the bait I attempt to keep it as close to the bottom as possible with the occasional hop or twitch. Jig fishing=jigging, up and down movement. Imitates the dying flutter of a bait fish.


Your info is absolutely helpful! It makes sense that fish hold in places that have the least amount of current because they do not want to expend a lot of energy to eat in cold water, so they will not be chasing baits in heavy current (or any current really). I'll definitely have to think back to my wades to see if their were any especially deep areas or changes/structures that would halt flow significantly. 

Keeping the bait on the bottom (as if it were dying) also makes sense. I just wondered if you used a VERY slow swim retrieve with the joshy baits because a swim retrieve is the traditional retrieve (as far as I can tell) for joshies. It makes sense that jigging would be best in the winter though....


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## allbraid

Luke, I was out on the web looking around and googled "winter river smallmouth fishing" and found a guy in Virginia who writes about this subject and has tons of good tips and advice. He talks about many of the same things that I have shared with you. See if you can find it and read his page, full of great advice and very well written. He really covers all about finding those areas with lack of current at all water levels. Hmmm must be something to that. Let me know if you find it or not and I will track down the web page for you.


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## lukejhoward

allbraid said:


> Luke, I was out on the web looking around and googled "winter river smallmouth fishing" and found a guy in Virginia who writes about this subject and has tons of good tips and advice. He talks about many of the same things that I have shared with you. See if you can find it and read his page, full of great advice and very well written. He really covers all about finding those areas with lack of current at all water levels. Hmmm must be something to that. Let me know if you find it or not and I will track down the web page for you.


Found it. I have actually read the very long article on BassResource (that I think you are referring to) before, it's a great article. Very informative and upon reading it again, I feel like I've picked up more info. 

Another question for you, Allbraid...when you river fish in the winter for smallmouth do you simply bank fish or do you actually wade? Or kayak?


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## allbraid

Glad you found it, very informative article.

I wear my waders most days that I visit my wintering holes to afford me the ability to move across shallow areas and to be able to get closer to areas I want to cast to. I stay out of the water as much as possible, but want the ability to move freely through the river system. Over the next month is when I will really locate where the bass are holding and as history has shown me they will be in these areas throughout the winter. Get out over the next few weeks and find your fish they will really start to concentrate and abandon the vast majority of your flow.


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## acklac7

You probably want to take that down or else everyone is going to know your spot. As im sure you are well aware that entire area is 100% private property, the last thing it needs is a bunch of goons back there pissing the landowners off.


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## streamstalker

post deleted


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## acklac7

streamstalker said:


> You do realize that the water flows into the top of that quarry and out into the river near where you are standing?


That gravel bar has really filled the entrance in nowadays, water only gets in when the river is up quite a bit. Still no way in hell i'd ever venture out on the ice there though.


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## streamstalker

post deleted


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## reyangelo

back to the subject....

lukejhoward, glad you asked and started this thread. This will be my first serious attempt to fish throughout the winter season. Much appreciate the knowledge "allbraid" is able to share too. Think I'm going to keep targeting Smallmouth but also attempt Saugeye. Been hitting it once a week but hands are getting cold, so it's the main reason I indicate "attempt". Goodluck and keep the knowledge flowing.


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## HookBender

Allbraid, have you any luck with hair jigs?
I have not but wanted to check with the master before writing them off.


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## allbraid

No Master here, but thanks for the compliment. 

I have never tried hair jigs, but I believe they would work well. They basically have the same movement as a tube if you think of how they would look under water. I have met a few winter smalley chasers that use hair jigs with success. I have 2 hair jigs in my tackle bag that I plan on trying this winter.

Was out this afternoon and fished 1 hour (2 to 3) caught 5 small smallmouth all on a Joshy craw in ohio special color (brown). Worked one hole of water on the river, started off with a pink jighead 1/8 oz and a antifreeze flash joshy minnow (green with sparkles) worked the hole from tail to head. No bumps or takes. At the head of the hole I switched to the joshy craw with 1/8oz jighead and reversed direction. By the end of the hole I had 5 small 10 to 12 inch fish.


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## HookBender

Nicely done!
I have heard plenty of times people say that hair jigs are a great winter bait, but i have had no such luck.
I do plan on breaking some rules this year and tying a sculpin fly onto my spinning gear! After all I see them closely resembling a hair jig, but the rabbit fur should have a ton of movement.
In theory.


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## Bad Bub

I'm a hair jig guy. Started using them in the Ohio river and its tributaries a few years ago. I've made flipping jigs for bass for about 10 years and started tying hair just for something different. I use mostly rabbit zonker strips and tie a basic "strap jig". I've tried some other ties, but the strap jig in either olive green or black has been my best producer by far. They're pretty easy to do as well.


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## soulsurvivor79

This is the first year i will really try winter smallie fishing. I hope there in the flow i fish in.


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## Bad Bub

I'm also hoping these will grab some attention in the discharges along the river. You never know what's grouped up in that slightly warmer water...


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## allbraid

soulsurvivor79, I am sure you will find smalleys in your local flow. Get out now while the water is so crazy low and locate those holes that look promising. Jigs are a good way to explore these deeper haunts. Good luck!


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## Bubbagon

Luke,
My go to for winter smallie advice has always been Jeff Little. Google anything he's put out there on it. Or email him....good enough guy and REALLY knows his stuff.
He's the one who got me into kayak fishing 20 something years ago.

http://www.kayakfishmag.com/tips/winter_smallmouth/


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## allbraid

Bubbagon said:


> Luke,
> My go to for winter smallie advice has always been Jeff Little. Google anything he's put out there on it. Or email him....good enough guy and REALLY knows his stuff.
> He's the one who got me into kayak fishing 20 something years ago.
> 
> http://www.kayakfishmag.com/tips/winter_smallmouth/


Luke, totally agree with Bubbagon. Read everything about the subject you can get your hands on. Decide on a few practicle patterns or methods and then get out and put a lure in the water, experience is a fine teacher.


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## lukejhoward

allbraid said:


> Luke, totally agree with Bubbagon. Read everything about the subject you can get your hands on. Decide on a few practicle patterns or methods and then get out and put a lure in the water, experience is a fine teacher.



Thanks bubba and allbraid. I will definitely read as much as possible on it. I wish I had more time to get out this time of year but college has me inside too much...damn books hah I'll be taking advantage of every opportunity I can. But allbraid you make a good point! A lot of fishing is deciding to isolate a method or technique or two that you have yet to learn and to go out and actually do it. I find that people spend a lot of time thinking about new lures and approaches and techniques (including myself) but never really commit to a true field test. This is, after all, how we learn and grow as anglers. Just this past spring I caught my first smallmouth and started wading and kayaking in the creeks and I feel like in just one year I have soaked up at least 80% of the information I will learn about creek fishing. The other 20% will be fine details that I will acquire over many years. 



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## soulsurvivor79

allbraid said:


> soulsurvivor79, I am sure you will find smalleys in your local flow. Get out now while the water is so crazy low and locate those holes that look promising. Jigs are a good way to explore these deeper haunts. Good luck!


Next time i head to the creek i'll post a report in this thread


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## HookBender

Luke, keep in mind that the high water events during winter and into spring have a tendency to completely change the floor plan of some rivers/creeks.
Some holes or structure you fish one year may not be there the next.
Learning some flows can be never ending and personally that's what keeps my addiction strong!


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## lukejhoward

HookBender said:


> Luke, keep in mind that the high water events during winter and into spring have a tendency to completely change the floor plan of some rivers/creeks.
> Some holes or structure you fish one year may not be there the next.
> Learning some flows can be never ending and personally that's what keeps my addiction strong!



You are current sir...The creeks are very dynamic due to the fact that water is quickly and actively moving through them rather than passively being contained with little flow (like a lake). This is definitely what makes them so fun to explore! What I meant was you learn a lot about what lures you like, which ones you don't, and what kind of spots look like a good smallie spot. I just remember when I first fished the creeks I was so overwhelmed and I didn't know where to even begin as far as putting a cast out there. Then someone told me "if you know what you're doing, you can eliminate about 90% of the water." I would say that reading water is a skill that sharpened over many many years. However, as far as getting a good enough edge to "cut" with (that is to say, getting a good enough feel to at least be somewhat successful in the creeks) can be learned fairly quickly. I went from my first 10 creek trips being a jumble of confusion, frustration, and maybe only 1 or 2 fish to regularly hooking into 10+ smallies per outing and feeling like I had at least a general sense of purpose. My point is, most of what you will learn about creek fishing in general will happen very quickly, maybe even in the first year, if you put enough time in. The rest of the knowledge you gain over many years is what is going to make your fish count even higher, your experiences more pleasurable, and your chances of hooking into big fish even better. 



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## Brad45005

I was thinking the other day on how I will survive cabin fever this winter.due to my first "real" season of wading creeks around Dayton/Franklin area is coming to an end. Research had me in belief that smallmouth go nearly dormant in water temps under 48 degrees. I was convinced that my fishing outages Would be a 3month skunk. Still was not convinced had my head set on giving it a shot anyways. I am thankful you started this thread because there is still hope,lol..I learn a lot from these threads and want to say thanks for everyone's info!

Thanks a bunch

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## allbraid

Luke, you are correct in stating that our central OH flows are Dynamic.....I had a favorite wintering hole for smalleys that was perfect for years, this past year it has completely filled in and the river has changed course.

Was out today and caught this nice fat smalley on a Big Joshy swimbait on a 1/8oz (green glow perch) casting cross current and bouncing the jig down stream. This smalley was at the tail of a large hole.


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## lukejhoward

Awesome catch! I myself got into a smallie today on a local flow using a similar tactic. I casted up and across the current with a kalins lunker grub 5" in white with blue flake and just bounced it every 20 seconds or so and all of a sudden my line felt a little heavy and I set the hook (fingers crossed)...fish on! I think this thread is already paying off! Hah 


















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## allbraid

That is FANTASTIC!! Look at those smallmouth in the snow!!!! Great looking fish. It does indeed look like this thread its paying off. Congrats and keep up the good work. I think you now know you can catch these bass all winter.

Good luck and tight lines!!


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## RiparianRanger

New pair of waders finally arrived and with the temps above freezing I gave night wading a go. One small crappie to show for about 90 minutes in the water. Worked a (relatively) deep, slow moving pool. Ice still covered about three feet from the bank on one side, maybe ten to twelve feet on the opposite shallow side. 

Was working the float and fly setup. Question for anyone that uses this technique: what is the correct size slip bobber to match to a 1/32 wooly bugger and what lb test line do you use? I am using 8 lb flouro and the smallest Thill I could find at the store, but I still find I must add a split shot to get the fly to pull line through the slip bobber. Would prefer the fly pull the line without the aid of a sinker so I can truly tell if I have a light bite. Guessing I either need a heavier fly or lighter line. Thoughts?


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## reyangelo

I'd say try a lighter line. I actually swapped to a lighter line on my Ultralight last year and tried out a new line type too. After the swap I have to say I was casting my 1/32 Jighead more than twice the distance from original weight line. With this cold weather too, I'd suggest use some type of lubrication on the guides too. Goodluck.


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## RiparianRanger

reyangelo said:


> I'd say try a lighter line. I actually swapped to a lighter line on my Ultralight last year and tried out a new line type too. After the swap I have to say I was casting my 1/32 Jighead more than twice the distance from original weight line. With this cold weather too, I'd suggest use some type of lubrication on the guides too. Goodluck.


Good to hear from you, Rey. Merry Christmas. 

Any particular brand of line?


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## Athens_Smallmouth

The best piece of advice I ever received on winter smallmouth is to look for warming trends. The change in temp doesn't have to be drastic, a few degrees a day works. I like to wait for three warmer days in a row and hit the creek on the third day. 

I have a few deep holes that I know hold smallies in winter. One isn't all that deep but is protected from current, even during high water. The other is a 90 degree bend with a sharp drop, everything around the hole is about 2ft deep then immediately drops to 8-10ft.

Slow rolling a slush Joshy on 1/16oz jig head with light line. The fish almost always hit on the first fall, with a subtle drift.

Here's a pic from feb this year. Caught 4 that day all over 16"


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## allbraid

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> The best piece of advice I ever received on winter smallmouth is to look for warming trends. The change in temp doesn't have to be drastic, a few degrees a day works. I like to wait for three warmer days in a row and hit the creek on the third day.
> 
> I have a few deep holes that I know hold smallies in winter. One isn't all that deep but is protected from current, even during high water. The other is a 90 degree bend with a sharp drop, everything around the hole is about 2ft deep then immediately drops to 8-10ft.
> 
> Slow rolling a slush Joshy on 1/16oz jig head with light line. The fish almost always hit on the first fall, with a subtle drift.
> 
> Here's a pic from feb this year. Caught 4 that day all over 16"
> 
> View attachment 226278


And that is how you do that!! Good job and thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.


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## RiparianRanger

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> The best piece of advice I ever received on winter smallmouth is to look for warming trends. The change in temp doesn't have to be drastic, a few degrees a day works. I like to wait for three warmer days in a row and hit the creek on the third day.


Sounds a bit like current conditions. High on Monday was 25 degrees. High yesterday topped out at ~38 degrees. Calling for 42 today and tomorrow and Monday is supposed to be above 60 degrees. If you can dodge the rain it may be worth getting out. Might be just the antidote to holidays with the in-laws!


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## allbraid

Merry Christmas!! Went out this morning for 2 hours to a favorite flow/river. Caught the Biggest Smallmouth of my life today on Christmas Eve. She was 21 3/4 inches long! Did not get a weight.
Was using a 7 ft medium action rod with 10# Suffix 832 braid on a Stradic reel, had a micro swivel attached to the braid and 15 inches of 8lb fluro carbon leader attached to a 1/16 inch jig with a 2.5 Big Joshy swimbait sparkle chartreuse.
Casting cross current at the head of a large slow hole of water. About 3rd cast I had a hit but didn't hook up. Next cast had the sensation of weight on the line and set the hook. What a big beautiful girl!!
Also caught a 17 inch and a 15 inch smallmouth in the same hole. A very memorable Christmas Eve. Love those Winter smallmouth!! Good luck out there and tight lines.


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## acklac7

Beast of a Smallmouth. Congrats!


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## Athens_Smallmouth

RiparianRanger said:


> Sounds a bit like current conditions. High on Monday was 25 degrees. High yesterday topped out at ~38 degrees. Calling for 42 today and tomorrow and Monday is supposed to be above 60 degrees. If you can dodge the rain it may be worth getting out. Might be just the antidote to holidays with the in-laws!


My thoughts exactly! I'm Hoping to get out on Monday.


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## polebender

What a beauty! Congrats!


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## 3 dog Ed

polebender said:


> What a beauty! Congrats!


That is an enormous beast! Thanks for sharing.


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## ML1187

Fantastic Allbraid !!!! Congrats on the PB and on Christmas Eve no less. That's gonna be hard to top.


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## RiparianRanger

`


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## RiparianRanger

Congrats on the F.O. Smallmouth, Mike.


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## allbraid

Thanks


RiparianRanger said:


> Congrats on the F.O. Smallmouth, Mike.


Thanks, I have caught 2 F.O. smallmouth in my lifetime. The other one was 21 inches long, 18 years ago in the same hole of water on the same flow. I have caught a couple of truck loads of Smallmouth over the years, but 21 inch river smallmouth are few and far between. She was photographed and released. Really got me excited for the next few months of river fishing!!


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## Govbarney

So what do you guys do when the water starts getting real high? Continue to hit those wintering holes that are current protected or do you fish more feeder creeks?


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## OnTheFly

what a hog Allbraid!!

As others have said warming trends are a big key for me in winter. A couple days in a row with temps in the high 40s to 50 plus some sun can make for a great smallmouth fishing this time of year. Yesterday was pretty prime, but I didn't make it out (my own dang fault as I had the day off, still kicking myself for that one).

As Allbraid has said Joshys and tubes are great baits. I mainly fish tubes right now but of course other baits will work grubs, jigs,etc.. Work the bait slowly and near the bottom. I like using less weight this time of year to give baits a slow fall and let them kind of flutter near the bottom.

In terms of water I generally look for slow and deep. Something that will also not be affected that much when the water rises a couple of feet. That being said on nice sunny days I will get them shallower, but I still tend to avoid much current. I have very specific spots in minds this time of year and generally don't wade large stretches looking for water. Sharps turns into big pools are a good place to start looking.

Good luck to all those who continue to chase throughout the winter!


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## Athens_Smallmouth

Got out yesterday for an hour and hit my favorite winter hole. Picked up this solid smallie, probably 15" on a slush Joshy. Slow rolling close to the bottom. Also caught a dink largemouth. Caught a smallie every month this year, except January.


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## allbraid

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> Got out yesterday for an hour and hit my favorite winter hole. Picked up this solid smallie, probably 15" on a slush Joshy. Slow rolling close to the bottom. Also caught a dink largemouth. Caught a smallie every month this year, except January.
> 
> View attachment 226519


Great looking fish, way to get out and succeed. It's always satisfying to catch smallmouth in the winter. Good looking fish.


----------



## OnTheFly

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> Got out yesterday for an hour and hit my favorite winter hole. Picked up this solid smallie, probably 15" on a slush Joshy. Slow rolling close to the bottom. Also caught a dink largemouth. Caught a smallie every month this year, except January.
> 
> View attachment 226519


I have gotten one every month since last Feb. (22 months straight) unfortunately not getting out yesterday might mean the end of the streak for me as Saturday will be my last chance to give it a try and conditions don't look promising. I didn't have many days to get out this month and wasted what looks like my best chance. Kind of kicking myself now but hey it was a good streak while it lasted. Gonna be tough to beat. Last December was fantastic for smallies, I had a couple amazing days out.


----------



## allbraid

Govbarney said:


> So what do you guys do when the water starts getting real high? Continue to hit those wintering holes that are current protected or do you fish more feeder creeks?


As long as the water doesn't muddy up I still fish the same wintering holes. These fish IMO don't move during the winter and will be found in the same current protected areas all winter. Several years back I had found a good wintering hole and caught a 18 or 19 inch smallmouth with a black spot. Next winter I caught her 2 more times in the same hole. The hole filled in the following summer and I haven't found her since.


----------



## Govbarney

allbraid said:


> As long as the water doesn't muddy up I still fish the same wintering holes. These fish IMO don't move during the winter and will be found in the same current protected areas all winter. Several years back I had found a good wintering hole and caught a 18 or 19 inch smallmouth with a black spot. Next winter I caught her 2 more times in the same hole. The hole filled in the following summer and I haven't found her since.


I have watched a bunch of the Jeff Little videos and will even admit I bought one of his DVDs. Now granted he is normally fishing the Susquehanna which is a completely different animal then anything we find here in central Ohio, but he is always preaching fishing feeder creeks that typically would be unfishable in lower water when the river gets high and muddy. I have had limited success doing that in Spring, but not much in winter.


----------



## allbraid

Your right Gov the Susquehanna is a completely different type of drainage than we have in Ohio. It is over 460 miles long and drains and area of 27,500 sq miles! To give us something to compare to, the Muskingum is 100 miles long and drains 8,000 square miles. My point in pointing this out is that with a river system as big a the Susquehanna you can get heavy rain 400 miles away, which several days later will raise the level far down stream and not effect the clarity of feeder streams. My own experience in Ohio has been that most rain events raise all creeks and feeder streams in a given water shed and finding water that's not muddy is difficult. Snow melt in mid winter thaws will give a good boost to depth without having a serious effect on clarity.


----------



## Photog

Guess I will tie a few hair jigs tonight...


----------



## allbraid

Photog said:


> Guess I will tie a few hair jigs tonight...


Man it's time......Most exciting fishing of the year IMO. Good luck out there.... Heading for a flow in a few minutes.


----------



## kwizzle

Awesome fish allbraid!!! Still searching for my own fo smally


----------



## ML1187

Photog said:


> Guess I will tie a few hair jigs tonight...


Are you fishing these on a float and fly setup by chance ? 

I want to catch a smallie using that method BADLY!


----------



## RiparianRanger

Wasn't able to get out today but am looking forward to wading a local flow tomorrow. The weather these two days brings up a question: What is more important to spur smallmouth activity in the Winter, sun or air temperature? For example, today was clear skies and a high of 47 degrees. The forecast for tomorrow is overcast and a high of 53. I understand the later days of a multi-day warming trend are best, but the question is how does an angler weight sun or temp in isolation. Therefore, irrespective of the weather trend the previous days, if given the choice to fish either day, which would you choose?


----------



## RiparianRanger

<double post>


----------



## allbraid

Wow Riparian Ranger....... Really making a guy think. I am going to go with sun during the winter months. I base this on years of observation. I have caught smallmouth during extremely cold temperatures but on sun filled bright days. Never really put alot of thought into this until now. But I will throw this into the mix, on a day like tomorrow with comfortable conditions you are able to concentrate on fishing and not how cold your hands are, thus increasing your chances. IMO


----------



## RiparianRanger

Got out for about a 90 minutes this afternoon. Air temp in the low 50s. Made a beeline for a deep hole that test the limits of my chest waders at normal pool. I surveyed the pool after getting hung up on the bottom and going in to retrieve my lure. With the stream down about two feet the mesh on the front of my waders near the pockets still got wet. Anyway, fan casted a senko all over this pool. Then tied on a 2.75 Joshy and customarily got hung up on about the fifth cast. Went in to get it back and figured I scattered whatever was in there. Before calling it quits I worked the headwaters of the pool and landed a small crappie. Nothing to write home about but it is the first fish of 2017. 

I'm still questioning if smallies are anywhere to be found in this particular flow during the winter. Over the last week I have fished two holes ~4' deep at winter low pool. They are by far the deepest holes for a mile in either direction. Both have current but it is generally slow as one would expect with the stream averaging about knee deep. One forms an almost imperceptible eddie where storm water ditch meets the stream (easiest to see the eddie in the fall when leaves are floating on the surface). A couple small crappie is all I have hooked either outing. Is it entirely possible a five mile stretch of stream is devoid of smallmouth in the winter?


----------



## ML1187

Thread has been very helpful guys... put some of the info to work today! 








Thread over in the SW if ya want the details ...
I'm HOOKED on this winter time smallie fishing


----------



## allbraid

Riparian Ranger.....I know everyone has and opinion on the subject of Smallmouth making great migrations to wintering holes. I believe that your flow holds smallmouth throughout the winter. It's just a matter of finding that right combination of current/ current protection and depth. Keep searching. These central Ohio flows change every year and locating wintering holes is and ongoing process. Keep after it....The payoff is worth the effort.


----------



## Photog

ML1187 said:


> Are you fishing these on a float and fly setup by chance ?
> 
> I want to catch a smallie using that method BADLY!


I may, haven't made it out yet!


----------



## Govbarney

Wow , What a day ML, congrats, I have to make a point to hit up more SW Ohio flows.
I was out on the 2nd , fished for 5 hours, had two nice size smallies come off just before I was able to land them... so I am real pissed I am 4 days into 2017 and still haven't officially caught a fish.
I spent most of the day using a Ned Rig with a 1/32 oz jig and a TDR Zman worm, and getting skunked. Switched to 5in curly tail and that's when I finally started getting hits, I was losing the fish which I blamed on the size of the 1/32 oz jig compared to the Curly tail, so I switched to a bigger jig, but that was no good , they only wanted the curly tail with the slower fall rate. learned my lesson, next I will have some 1/32 oz jigs with a larger hook shank.


----------



## ML1187

Anybody been out lately ? It's all I've been thinking about lol 
Going to try and hit a flow or two on Presidents' Day from the yak - if the river doesn't rise too much might be a great day !


----------



## allbraid

All my favorite flows are iced up. Gonna have to wait for this warm rain to break them loose. Absolutely pouring rain outside right now.


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## ML1187

allbraid said:


> All my favorite flows are iced up. Gonna have to wait for this warm rain to break them loose. Absolutely pouring rain outside right now.


Ordered everything I need for float n fly today ... I'm beyond pumped! 

You've cost me a lot of $ Allbaid!


----------



## SMBHooker

ML1187 said:


> Ordered everything I need for float n fly today ... I'm beyond pumped!
> 
> You've cost me a lot of $ Allbaid!


Tis the season....Gear Season!


----------



## RiparianRanger

Wondering if any of you fish conditions like we are experiencing at the moment. With the relative warming trend of the last few days (52 for the high two days ago, and topped 65 degrees today), coupled with ample rain, my local flow is free of ice, well above normal pool, and the color of coffee with a heavy helping of cream. Water is backed up in storm water drainage ditches and smaller creeks that empty into the flow. Might these areas be a refuge from the faster flowing water? And if so, what's the targeted approach (lures) you would recommend?


----------



## Lundy

I don't fish the flows anymore and don't do anything with smallies in the winter but I sure respect you guys that can get it done during our wonderful Ohio winters.

We really, really like the early spring pre-spawn at Erie a bunch however. A couple of Joshy fish.


----------



## allbraid

I'm with you Lundy, Erie in the spring can be exciting.


----------



## allbraid

RR, IMO if these ditches and creeks are adjacent to wintering holes the smallmouth possibly could move into these areas. 
I have caught smallmouth during conditions exactly like we are experiencing now, but they have been caught in known wintering holes that I had scouted prior to high water. Tubes and swimbaits (Joshys) have accounted for all of my winter smallmouth. This is a pic of a smallmouth caught during a winter flood in creamed coffee water. Chartreuse sparkle Joshy.


----------



## fishslim

Here's one that enhaled a pink slush Joshy from deep wintering hole.


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## OnTheFly

Some pics from New Year's Eve and the first two days of the new year. Was able to get a smallmouth from a flow every month last year which was a goal of mine and got my December on on the last day of the year, talk about a 4q fish. These fish were caught mainly on tubes with a couple on Joshys. I like tubes a lot and many times the fish pick them up right of the bottom.


----------



## ML1187

OnTheFly said:


> Some pics from New Year's Eve and the first two days of the new year. Was able to get a smallmouth from a flow every month last year which was a goal of mine and got my December on on the last day of the year, talk about a 4q fish. These fish were caught mainly on tubes with a couple on Joshys. I like tubes a lot and many times the fish pick them up right of the bottom.


What size tube and weight you using OTF?

Nice fish man !


----------



## allbraid

Great winter catch! Congrats!


----------



## OnTheFly

ML1187 said:


> What size tube and weight you using OTF?
> 
> Nice fish man !


Small ones. Smaller the better. I like rigging them in a weedless style with a 1/8th to 1/16th weight. Generally the less weight the better, unless you need to get really deep. I rig the tubes on the smallest size wide gap worm hooks I can find.


----------



## MIGHTY

I prefer to fish for flatheads but this threads always at the top of the central Ohio section when I get on here so I read the new posts and it's got me interested. With all of the warm weather we're having this winter I gotta ask and maybe make a trip out. I'm no stranger to smallmouth fishing but I've never attempted it in the winter, I just can't stand sitting around waiting until march which is usually the start of my fishing season. I knew that they can travel a pretty long distance in search of a winter hole, and it's been talked about in this topic. In the warmer months I fish all tributaries of the Scioto River. The one closest to me is a typical creek that I would say on average is about 30-50 feet across and knee/thigh deep but of course there are some spots that are deeper/wider etc. For you guys that are bigger into winter time smallmouth fishing, would a little tributary like this be worth giving a shot? I believe someone on here said to look for a large log jam where fish would have trouble escaping through which made sense and I can think of a few. There's one stretch that I hit every march that's deep and calm and I've caught smallies out of it on march 4th (earliest I've ever gone out) when it was 42 degrees and I kinda thought that could've been a wintering hole but I wasn't sure. I'd fish the scioto but the only spot I can go to is public and there's a lot of fast moving water. So again, would a small creek/tributary be worth it because it sounds like a bigger river would up the odds. Thanks for the awesome info in this thread guys and keep the pics/info coming.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Mighty, I frequent a flow very similar to what you describe. My connect ratio goes way down in November and stays low until late March. Therefore take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I do not think these smaller streams hold high densities of smallmouth in the Winter. That is not to say there are not a few in there, but the construction of these flows is not conducive to the classic wintering hole that you have likely read about on the interwebs. I have a fishing buddy that used to guide, both fly fishing and traditional, in streams all across the state. He's found the ideal depth to be closer to 8' (I concede there are a lot more variables that go in to making a good wintering hole than just depth, but depth is critical). In the stream I fish regularly, which mirrors the one you describe, I can think of two holes that at normal pool are five to six feet deep in a stretch of stream that spans approximately five miles. Now consider winter pool is quite often lower than normal pool and these holes are far from the necessary depth to hold smallmouth. I will add, I have fished them repeatedly and outside of November and March have not had success in the smallmouth "off season." I am convinced it's simply not worth going out and freezing your tail off to target smallmouth in skinny water. Something like the Scioto, the Koko, or one of the Miamis is a different story. But, the creeks around Central Ohio have been a disappointment in Winter.


----------



## acklac7

Onthefly is fishing creeks...


----------



## allbraid

So is Allbraid......It's all about the hunt.


----------



## RiparianRanger

allbraid said:


> So is Allbraid......It's all about the hunt.


Went for a hunt today. Water was coffee with cream but took a chance on a spot that looked promising. Location is a 5' deep hole at normal pool -- goes without saying it was deeper today -- upstream from a logjam. The hole ends in a cobble area where a tributary, that is maybe 2/3 the volume of the main flow, empties. To boot, the steep bank side of the hole is shielded by a sandbar (flooded today) that in the warmer months contains grasses. I've caught plenty of smallies from this hole in the warm season and considering all that's been described here I thought it might be worth a shot today. Tossed 2.75" silktreuse Joshy, a 3.25" slims bait Joshy, and a 3.25" in smoke shad. Was in contact with the bottom. Proof positive was nearly every retrieve resulted in hooking a leaf or stick. Eventually switched to a weedless J5 in the only color I have - bluegill. Retrieved them all slow, slower, and nearly motionless. Tried speeding it up to the point I could feel the paddle tail thump and still no takers. Last shot was a trusty 4" senko, but alas not even a bump. And so the hunt continues.


----------



## allbraid

RiparianRanger said:


> Went for a hunt today. Water was coffee with cream but took a chance on a spot that looked promising. Location is a 5' deep hole at normal pool -- goes without saying it was deeper today -- upstream from a logjam. The hole ends in a cobble area where a tributary, that is maybe 2/3 the volume of the main flow, empties. To boot, the steep bank side of the hole is shielded by a sandbar (flooded today) that in the warmer months contains grasses. I've caught plenty of smallies from this hole in the warm season and considering all that's been described here I thought it might be worth a shot today. Tossed 2.75" silktreuse Joshy, a 3.25" slims bait Joshy, and a 3.25" in smoke shad. Was in contact with the bottom. Proof positive was nearly every retrieve resulted in hooking a leaf or stick. Eventually switched to a weedless J5 in the only color I have - bluegill. Retrieved them all slow, slower, and nearly motionless. Tried speeding it up to the point I could feel the paddle tail thump and still no takers. Last shot was a trusty 4" senko, but alas not even a bump. And so the hunt continues.


Glad you got out today. Each time you get out it adds to your knowledge base. Keep after it..... Explore..... Enjoy being out in nature.....You will have that epiphany moment when it all comes together, after that it's just " lather, rinse and repeat". LOL!! So says a bald guy.


----------



## MIGHTY

That's pretty much the feeling I was getting ripranger, but again, I've never attempted winter time fishing for smallies. I'm sure there's a few somewhere, but the fact that they can migrate so far in search of a hole really makes you think. I might give it a shot and fish the spots that fit the descriptions I've read that I know are a lot deeper on average. This is a creek that I can cast clean across to the opposite bank pretty effortlessly and that's what makes me wonder if it's just too shallow and small on average to hold a lot of fish in the winter time. I can always try somewhere like Big Walnut Creek which is easily 2-3 times as wide and a lot deeper on average than the "creek" I like to fish. Heck big walnut might as well be a river compared to the one I fish and that's the type of "creek" I picture most people talking about in this thread. Maybe I'll give both a shot. Itll be fun to use different lures and techniques than what I've been used to for so long and all I can do at this point is learn a thing or two.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Tapped (can't call it a thump) the tube on first cast. Can't wait to catch her again in the summer when she's more inclined to take to the air. A smidge under 17" and just over 2 lbs. Not exactly worthy of a wall mount but a respectable first smallmouth of the New Year.


----------



## Athens_Smallmouth

Don't overlook the small "streams". My favorite winter hole is in a very small creek which most people wouldn't even look twice at, yet I consistently pull large bass out of it year round. I'm sure bass do move long distances to larger flows, but it's not always the case.

Got out today in this same stream and pulled out an 18.5" smallie on my first cast. Missed another big one after a short fight. Purple flash Joshy, rolled close to the bottom.


----------



## allbraid

RiparianRanger said:


> Tapped (can't call it a thump) the tube on first cast. Can't wait to catch her again in the summer when she's not so sluggish and likely to take to the air.
> 
> A smidge under 17" and just over 2 lbs. Not mount worthy but a respectable specimen for the first smallmouth of the New Year.


Nice job.....Looks like you are starting to put this together. FYI it takes smallmouth in these environments years to reach these sizes. Congratulations on a fine winter catch!


----------



## allbraid

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> Don't overlook the small "streams". My favorite winter hole is in a very small creek which most people wouldn't even look twice at, yet I consistently pull large bass out of it year round. I'm sure bass do move long distances to larger flows, but it's not always the case.
> 
> Got out today in this same stream and pulled out an 18.5" smallie on my first cast. Missed another big one after a short fight. Purple flash Joshy, rolled close to the bottom.
> View attachment 227872


Beautiful markings on that bass. IMO the best looking of all of our native fish. Thanks for sharing this jewel.


----------



## ML1187

Great fish Athens and Rip! Fished 3 rivers today hard with the infamous SMBHOOKER. We had one bite each... and lost each one as the big thick bronze rolled up on their sides on top the water !!! Broke our hearts. All day for two bites and they were dandies. Next time !


----------



## allbraid

ML1187 said:


> Great fish Athens and Rip! Fished 3 rivers today hard with the infamous SMBHOOKER. We had one bite each... and lost each one as the big thick bronze rolled up on their sides on top the water !!! Broke our hearts. All day for two bites and they were dandies. Next time !


ML1187 Sounds like a good day. Over the many years that I have fished for winter Bronze I have learned to keep my expectations on catching fish low and to enjoy my time outside in the winter. Glad you guys had a good day!


----------



## acklac7

RR, Props for hanging in there and pulling out the W. Feels damn good don't it?


----------



## RiparianRanger

acklac7 said:


> RR, Props for hanging in there and pulling out the W. Feels damn good don't it?


It does, sir. Won the battle but not quite the war. Real test comes with what will likely be colder temps next month. If I'm consistently pulling bass from flows in Feb., well then burgers and pints on me, boys, as a token of my appreciation for the help.


----------



## OnTheFly

RiparianRanger said:


> Tapped (can't call it a thump) the tube on first cast. Can't wait to catch her again in the summer when she's more inclined to take to the air. A smidge under 17" and just over 2 lbs. Not exactly worthy of a wall mount but a respectable first smallmouth of the New Year.


Tubes FTW! Hope to make it out this upcoming weekend, looks like it should be nice!


----------



## n-strut

OnTheFly said:


> Tubes FTW! Hope to make it out this upcoming weekend, looks like it should be nice!


Me to! I've been wanting to try a few of these.


----------



## ML1187

n-strut said:


> Me to! I've been wanting to try a few of these.
> View attachment 227932


Me three!

All dressed up and no clear water to fish


----------



## acklac7

Got a recent offer from In-Fisherman to renwew my subscription for 5.99 (A YEAR). I'd been a subscriber for 10 years, then cancelled my subscription once they got in-bed with Rapala.

Anywho, got me thinking about all the downright incredible articles I'd read in years past (1997-2007). Can't believe I actually remember the names of most of the authors.

At any rate Matt Straw is the winter Smallmouth Guru. He preaches the bible.

I managed to find two of the three articles I was looking for, but unfortunately I can't find his article on Float and Fly tactics for Winter Smallmouth - it was a good one.

At any rate, one of the key points he brought up was using the right bobbers for the application. I believe he mentioned using small cylindrical bobbers that you could fill with water such that they would ride rather deep, and have very little resistance when being pulled under. The idea was that winter Smallmouth hits were so light and subtle they really couldn't be perceived with a normal bobber.

These two articles are the *holy grail *of winter Smallmouth fishing. You'll find a lot of aspects have already been repeated here.

Anywho, after realizing all the knowledge I gained im renewing my subscription . And mods, I'm not trying to plug for Infisherman, but man alive did their articles teach me a lot. About as much as I've learned here.

*http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/smallmouth-bass/winter-river-smallmouth-bass/

http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/smallmouth-bass/the-parade-of-winter-smallmouths/*


----------



## OnTheFly

Well the rain looks to have really screwed up what looked to be a good weekend. I am scrambling to find a flow to fish but not looking promising right now... maybe sunday.


----------



## allbraid

Onthefly, been looking at river gauges on the USGS site. Amazing jump in water, most have come up 3 to 4 feet in the last few hours. Perfect time to look at those wintering holes and see what type of current breaks there are.


----------



## n-strut

Drove around yesterday evening, Big Walnut looked great, checked gauge after seeing how flooded the ditches and fields were on the way to work, ruined my day.


----------



## WLAngler

Went out on the Big Darby today & the water was way high, muddy & fast. Skunkzilla.


----------



## percidaeben

acklac7 said:


> Got a recent offer from In-Fisherman to renwew my subscription for 5.99 (A YEAR). I'd been a subscriber for 10 years, then cancelled my subscription once they got in-bed with Rapala.
> 
> Anywho, got me thinking about all the downright incredible articles I'd read in years past (1997-2007). Can't believe I actually remember the names of most of the authors.
> 
> At any rate Matt Straw is the winter Smallmouth Guru. He preaches the bible.
> 
> I managed to find two of the three articles I was looking for, but unfortunately I can't find his article on Float and Fly tactics for Winter Smallmouth - it was a good one.
> 
> At any rate, one of the key points he brought up was using the right bobbers for the application. I believe he mentioned using small cylindrical bobbers that you could fill with water such that they would ride rather deep, and have very little resistance when being pulled under. The idea was that winter Smallmouth hits were so light and subtle they really couldn't be perceived with a normal bobber.
> 
> These two articles are the *holy grail *of winter Smallmouth fishing. You'll find a lot of aspects have already been repeated here.
> 
> Anywho, after realizing all the knowledge I gained im renewing my subscription . And mods, I'm not trying to plug for Infisherman, but man alive did their articles teach me a lot. About as much as I've learned here.
> 
> *http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/smallmouth-bass/winter-river-smallmouth-bass/
> 
> http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/smallmouth-bass/the-parade-of-winter-smallmouths/*


Good stuff! Thanks for sharing Acklac.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Got out today from 1 - 3 PM. Set the hook on a dozen or so sticks. Occasionally there was a fish on the other end of the line too. Not breaking any state records but these little smallies are helping me stave off cabin fever until Spring.


----------



## allbraid

RiparianRanger said:


> Got out today from 1 - 3 PM. Set the hook on a dozen or so sticks. Occasionally there was a fish on the other end of the line too. Not breaking any state records but these little smallies are helping me stave off cabin fever until Spring.


What lure or bait? The head, tail or middle of the hole?? And what depth? Sorry man just having to live vicariously through others post since my fishing has been greatly curtailed.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Midsection of the pool on a tube. Cast perpendicular to the pool and reeled up slack line. Slowly raised rod and dragged tube along cobble. Lowering rod once it got to 11 o'clock, reeled up slack, and repeat. I see why you cast across or down current in the cold. The bites are very light. They don't smash the presentation and bringing lure down current with even a small amount of slack risks missing the bite.


----------



## allbraid

Awesome information! Also when we put in writing it really makes us think about what we were doing. Great catch congrats on making the most of a January day!


----------



## OnTheFly

RiparianRanger said:


> Got out today from 1 - 3 PM. Set the hook on a dozen or so sticks. Occasionally there was a fish on the other end of the line too. Not breaking any state records but these little smallies are helping me stave off cabin fever until Spring.


you faired better than me and my buddy yesterday. went to some spots I normally have luck. had a little spot or largemouth pop off almost immediately, followed by a missed hit a the next pool. all I got after that was a rock bass haha. Buddy missed a couple including what looked to be a nice one but ended up with on dink. Definitely not what I was hoping for. Mind sharing what color tube you were using?


----------



## RiparianRanger

Green pumpkin of course. Only color I own.


----------



## RiparianRanger

OnTheFly said:


> you faired better than me and my buddy yesterday. went to some spots I normally have luck. had a little spot or largemouth pop off almost immediately, followed by a missed hit a the next pool. all I got after that was a rock bass haha. Buddy missed a couple including what looked to be a nice one but ended up with on dink. Definitely not what I was hoping for. Mind sharing what color tube you were using?


Curious what you might have been throwing. Like your name suggests, was it a fly?


----------



## OnTheFly

Not this time as I was out with my buddy and during the winter I stick to gear more often as it is just easier to fish deep water and reach into the middle of pools from brushy banks. Although I will pull out the float n fly using the long rod occasionally and float some jig flies I tie up. If I get a sink tip line I will start bringing the fly rod out more in the winter, but until then unless I am fishing under an indicator it is just harder to fish that deep water.

I was using green pumpkin as well (only color I also carry haha) and although I got some hits and fish on I was thinking a black and purple would have been nice in the stained water.


----------



## WLAngler

Found this useful article on winter river smallmouth. http://bassanglermag.com/winter-river-smallmouth-with-pete-cartwright/


----------



## ML1187

WLAngler said:


> Found this useful article on winter river smallmouth. http://bassanglermag.com/winter-river-smallmouth-with-pete-cartwright/


That's a good one I've read before. Makes a lot of sense for the smaller rivers like we fish here. The calm water I'm coming to learn is the main ingredient to success.


----------



## ML1187

Found em today stacked on a seam next to a deep slack pool. Caught over double digits between me and Flannel, only no real size. Biggest pushing 14 inches or so... mostly little fatties though that put up a great fight !
This was new water and on foot- if we had kayaks I think we could have done much better. I theorize the bigger fish were back further in the pool where we couldn't reach from the bank ...

Anyone ever get into large numbers of smaller fish without any hogs mixed in ???


----------



## RiparianRanger

^Nice pic. Find it amazing the disproportionately large size of the tail fin on smallmouth relative to largemouth. Must be at least partly why they fight so much better.


----------



## allbraid

I am always impressed by how wide their tails are compared to body size, really cool trait. 
And ML1187 my experience has been that they tend to be of like sizes in a given hole. Just my 2 cents. Way to get out and find them!!


----------



## WLAngler

ML1187 said:


> View attachment 228675
> 
> 
> Found em today stacked on a seam next to a deep slack pool. Caught over double digits between me and Flannel, only no real size. Biggest pushing 14 inches or so... mostly little fatties though that put up a great fight !
> This was new water and on foot- if we had kayaks I think we could have done much better. I theorize the bigger fish were back further in the pool where we couldn't reach from the bank ...
> 
> Anyone ever get into large numbers of smaller fish without any hogs mixed in ???


Just curious as to what rod that is in the picture??


----------



## ML1187

WLAngler said:


> Just curious as to what rod that is in the picture??


St Croix Triumph 7ft ML spinning ... can't say enough good things about it for the price. I've landed 6lb largemouth, Muskie, and some monster cats on it. 
Plus it's tough as nails too !


----------



## MIGHTY

I have the 6'6" version of that rod. I bought my first about 4 years ago and it was great for the first season. The first trip out on year 2, I set the hook on the second smallie of the year and about 6 inches snapped off the end. I was very disappointed because I'm picky about taking care of my gear and I don't fish for smallies a whole lot anymore so I didn't get a lot of use out of it. Took a year off from the st croix rods but bought another one last year to give it another shot before I write them off. It's been good so far and very sensitive with flourocarbon line. Keeping my fingers crossed! Tight lines


----------



## acklac7

You get what you pay for.

Personally I stay far away from the Triumph line.


----------



## ML1187

acklac7 said:


> You get what you pay for.
> 
> Personally I stay far away from the Triumph line.


I've got my $ worth about 5x on that rod I think ! 

I bet I've had it over 5-6 years though. New ones might not be as good for some reason. 

In fact I bought a ST Croix bait caster last year that broke 6 inches down from the tip after only 1/2 a year. Not good at all. 

I think I'm gonna switch to GLoomis.


----------



## allbraid

Ah yes GLoomis, about 5 years ago my father purchased a GLoomis 9wt fly rod for our annual salmon trip to the Pierre Marquette river in MI. We fish the fly only water near Baldwin. Anyway he makes a few cast the first morning and hooks up with a nice salmon, the fish makes a big hard run and I hear what sounds like a pistol shot!!!! I turn around to see Dad's high dollar rod broken in two places and pieces sliding down the fly line. LMFAO!!! You just never know when sudden catostrophic failure is going to happen. And hundreds of dollars are not a guarantee of invincibility!


----------



## ML1187

You guys have flat got me addicted to this winter time game ... it's absolutely a game changer. Just want to say thanks for all the info you guys shared. It works ...


----------



## allbraid

Great looking fish!!! Good job....There is something very satisfying about winter smallmouth. Congrats!


----------



## OnTheFly

ML1187 said:


> You guys have flat got me addicted to this winter time game ... it's absolutely a game changer. Just want to say thanks for all the info you guys shared. It works ...


way to get them. what have your guys favorite baits been when hitting them?


----------



## MIGHTY

Guess I should have spent more than $85 on a rod I use maybe 25 times a year. That's why I've been thinking about trying out winter smallies, cat fishing dominates warm weather months.


----------



## ML1187

Only one bite today from the kayak...which was plenty !


----------



## allbraid

Got out for a couple of hours today. Hit 3 holes on a local flow. Throwing a dark green tube with purple sparkles, small tube about 1.5 inch long on a 32nd oz jig head. Floro carbon leader on braid. Casting cross current and letting it drop to the bottom, lift and let fall again. Had 2 hits and landed 2 smallmouth. This is a pic of the biggest. A real Football of a fish on Super Bowl Sunday! Good luck and tight lines!


----------



## ML1187

allbraid said:


> View attachment 229168
> Got out for a couple of hours today. Hit 3 holes on a local flow. Throwing a dark green tube with purple sparkles, small tube about 1.5 inch long on a 32nd oz jig head. Floro carbon leader on braid. Casting cross current and letting it drop to the bottom, lift and let fall again. Had 2 hits and landed 2 smallmouth. This is a pic of the biggest. A real Football of a fish on Super Bowl Sunday! Good luck and tight lines!


Glad to see you back in the action man!!!! Nice fish!


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## ML1187

So we were talking about River largemouth over the weekend while fishing ... do they act as smallmouth and move to wintering holes or hang out in other parts of the river ?


----------



## acklac7

ML1187 said:


> So we were talking about River largemouth over the weekend while fishing ... do they act as smallmouth and move to wintering holes or hang out in other parts of the river ?


What few LM there are in our (free flowing) Rivers are usually only found in large pools and oxbows. I doubt they need to move far to find a suitable Wintering hole. They probably just stay put.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Both earth shattering but a nice summary:

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/best-tactics-for-catching-winter-smallmouth/


----------



## OnTheFly

ML1187 said:


> So we were talking about River largemouth over the weekend while fishing ... do they act as smallmouth and move to wintering holes or hang out in other parts of the river ?


I have got a few winter creek largemouth and spotted bass in the same spots I find the smallies. Slow, deeper, water. I think they might like cover a it more as they generally come off of logs and not middle of the pool with no real structure.


----------



## Govbarney

ML1187 said:


> So we were talking about River largemouth over the weekend while fishing ... do they act as smallmouth and move to wintering holes or hang out in other parts of the river ?


I have found them in both Olentangy and Scioto , every time thick cover is the ticket, but being near a large pool or a run makes little difference. I will also note 99% of time fish are no bigger than 10-12 inch. I never target LM in the rivers but if I where I would use a wacky worm.


----------



## OnTheFly

A couple fish from this weekend. Caught in a smaller flow. I have found the fish do no seem to travel quite a much or generally bunch up as much in many smaller flows I fish. I think this is due to the fact that there are a lot of potential holes that fish can winter in.


----------



## SMBHooker

OnTheFly, that 1st pic is great. A dandy for a small flow in winter too!


----------



## RiparianRanger

Nice marks on those bass, OTF


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Nice fish everyone. I've never really fished winter smallies but a creek I fish in the winter for eyes,always puts out good largemouth from october-April. 
Some days better then others. But always fat largemouth usually on minnows/twisters/swims/and stickbaits.... 
I'm fishing slow pools with pcs of wood scattered through....


----------



## allbraid

OTF is that a large black mark on that smallmouths tail?? If so make a mental note of that one...You might develop a relationship with that one over the years. I have caught birthmarked smallmouth only to catch them again the following year and one fish I caught 5 times in 5 years. Great pics...... Thanks


----------



## OnTheFly

allbraid said:


> OTF is that a large black mark on that smallmouths tail?? If so make a mental note of that one...You might develop a relationship with that one over the years. I have caught birthmarked smallmouth only to catch them again the following year and one fish I caught 5 times in 5 years. Great pics...... Thanks


Thanks everyone for the kind words. Wish I got better pictures of the bigger fish as it had absolutely stunning color and the picture just do not show it off. 

Yeah Allbraid the little guy had a nice black spot on the tail. Ill be looking for him again in the future... I actually think I caught the bigger one back near the end of October from the same pool, was about the same size and the pattern looks similar when comparing the too. Just more reasons to catch and release!!!!!

Wish I would have taken the day off yesterday, any kill em?


----------



## Anthony H

OnTheFly said:


> A couple fish from this weekend. Caught in a smaller flow. I have found the fish do no seem to travel quite a much or generally bunch up as much in many smaller flows I fish. I think this is due to the fact that there are a lot of potential holes that fish can winter in.
> View attachment 229272
> View attachment 229273


----------



## Anthony H

OnTheFly said:


> A couple fish from this weekend. Caught in a smaller flow. I have found the fish do no seem to travel quite a much or generally bunch up as much in many smaller flows I fish. I think this is due to the fact that there are a lot of potential holes that fish can winter in.
> View attachment 229272
> View attachment 229273


What was you using


----------



## allbraid

Anthony H........Most of us that are fishing for smallmouth during the winter are using tubes, swimbaits, and float and fly. Light weight jigs, floro carbon leaders.


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Thanks for all the great info in this thread! They love a small craw imitation, in the seam between deep/slack water and moving water.


----------



## allbraid

Those are great looking smallmouth. You have obviously mastered the winter bite. Fantastic results! Thanks for sharing......


----------



## Flannel_Carp

allbraid said:


> Thanks! hose are great looking smallmouth. You have obviously mastered the winter bite. Fantastic results! Thanks for sharing......


Thanks! It has been a joint effort with ML1187 doing tons of research both on the Internet and on the water, but that time spent is paying off nicely. Have always heard when cold weather comes the smallies move to their winter holes and shut down, but that could not be less true; they just move to their winter holes and and become a little more picky, but no less hungry.


----------



## rustyfish

Got the kayaks out with SeanStone today. My first Smallmouth of 2017 is my first ever February smallie and one of my top five in length. Did a 3 mile float and all 7 fish were caught in a 50 yard stretch. Not the deepest hole in the float but 6' in spots and loaded down with large rock and wood with moderate current. I got 19" and 14" smallies and an 18" saugeye as the hole started to shallow. Sean hauled in a 16", 17", and 18". Not bad for Feb. The other 2.9 miles had nothing.




  








19" smb




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rustyfish


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Feb 15, 2017











  








19 smb




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rustyfish


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Feb 15, 2017











  








18 saugeye




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rustyfish


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Feb 15, 2017











  








20170214




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rustyfish


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Feb 15, 2017


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## RiparianRanger

OK gents. The forecast over the next few days looks promising for February. It's been said elsewhere in this thread that probabilities are best on the third day of a warming trend. Question I have for you all is considering we may get four or five days of above-average temps, would it make more sense to go on the fourth day? The logic being the water temps will inch up a little higher each day it's exposed to sun and warmer air temps. Or, is there a risk the smallmouths will have their appetites sated by then and be relatively inactive?


----------



## RiparianRanger

Delete. Double post


----------



## RiparianRanger

Delete. Triple post


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Get out when you are able man. If you know where they are, they will be biting.


----------



## rustyfish

Well I work 6 out of the next 7 days, all 60°. Monday is my only day off. I hope the forth day is the ticket.


----------



## wallen34

Been out the past two days and they are definitely biting. I've found them in a deep hole right along a current seam. They have been hitting crayfish imitation baits that I am working painfully slow along the bottom. The bites have been rather hard to detect except for one today that slammed my lure breaking my line in the process (fishing 15lb braid so I'm assuming it was frayed somewhere and I didn't notice it). No real size but I'll take any in February! 









Edit: Obviously the picture shows floro but that was from yesterday when I was using a leader. Had my like break today when I wasn't using a leader.


----------



## acklac7

wallen34 said:


> The bites have been rather hard to detect except for one today that slammed my lure breaking my line in the process (fishing 15lb braid so I'm assuming it was frayed somewhere and I didn't notice it).


Wiper.


----------



## wallen34

acklac7 said:


> Wiper.


Rather unlikely in this body of water.


----------



## acklac7

wallen34 said:


> Rather unlikely in this body of water.


Any Trib of the Scioto has them. Guaranteed. _Especially_ the Nut/Alum Creek/Blacklick. They can easily run up the Nut / Alum from the Scioto. Only thing stopping them is the lowheads. If they can pass the Lowheads they can, and almost surely have, run all the way up to both Control Dams (Alum / Hoover).

That said, Creek bro's, are the Lowheads on the Walnut/Alum passable during extremely high flows? Just curious. I honestly have no idea.


----------



## n-strut

Thinking of floating the lower end of the Walnut on Sunday if anyone wants to tag along.


----------



## RiparianRanger

acklac7 said:


> Any Trib of the Scioto has them. Guaranteed. _Especially_That said, Creek bro's, are the Lowheads on the Walnut/Alum passable during extremely high flows? Just curious. I honestly have no idea.


Standing on the bank the cherry bottom dam is at about eye level. With the water level being slightly lower it'd be a tall task for a fish to clear the dam. 



n-strut said:


> Thinking of floating the lower end of the Walnut on Sunday if anyone wants to tag along.


Push it to Monday and I'm in provided you have an extra seat.


----------



## MIGHTY

Finally made a trip out today. Temp was around 42 when we started but gradually warmed up. Ended up catching 4, 2 smallies, and 2 either largemouth or spotted bass. All of my fish came on a 4" black Texas rigged senko fished slowly along banks with big rocks to prevent erosion. Deeper water of course, but for this creek I'd say no more than 5-6 feet. The strikes weren't very noticeable, but once the hook was set they fought very well. My buddy caught one on a 3" Kalins grub and his gf caught a largemouth on a chartreuse grub. Hoping to get back out this week with the warm weather coming up but school and work might dictate that. Only the one was picture worthy. This threads got everyone out and about catching nice fish! Tight lines


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## acklac7

Outstanding.

Next week will be even better.

Dare I say I love Ohio?


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## allbraid

Great looking fish..... Really glad this worked out for you. That first picture is Outstanding....What a great looking smallmouth!


----------



## RiparianRanger

Anyone ever give night fishing a go this time of year? With the unseasonably warm temps trying to decipher if it would be a complete waster of time.


----------



## allbraid

I have been"Winter fishing" for many years and this is by far the mildest winter that I can remember. Never tried night time for smallmouth in the winter in years past. But who knows it might work.


----------



## MIGHTY

Thanks for the comments guys. Allbraid, I tip my hat to you because you've been doing this a lot longer than most of us and you've been nothing but helpful to everyone taking on a new challenge. Cabin fever isn't nearly as bad now and some guys who never attempted fishing for smallies in the winter have really grown fond of it from what it sounds like. Best of luck to ya this year.


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## allbraid

Mighty.....You hit the nail on the head....Cabin fever reduction therapy! I lived in Colorado for years and my winters were spent sking, Perfect cure for cabin fever. Came to Ohio and had to find another winter outlet. My wife has always said I was and "outdoor dog". So I started hiking the river banks and riparian corridors during the winter. Fishing these small rivers was the natural progression. I'm glad your getting out during winter......It's good for ones attitude!! LOL! Good luck and tight lines!


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## ML1187

I was lucky enough to find a GLoomis Bronzeback on clearance at Cabelas and my dad purchased it for me for my birthday. Best rod by far I've ever had the pleasure of holding. I went with a real finesse setup using 10lb braid, 6lb Fluro and light jigs. It was a winning combo and broke it in right !



All fish taken from the Jackson BigRig over a 6 mile stretch. I landed around 20 or so total. Flannel and myself have really learned so much from what you all have taught. Many Thanks !

- one note -
The fish were quite active but in a little bit of a different location than when the weather was cooler. We caught most right on major transition seams next to deep slow winter holes rather than in the deepest parts of the holes themselves.


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## RiparianRanger

^not sure if it's the filter you're using but those smallmouth look great.


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## ML1187

RiparianRanger said:


> ^not sure if it's the filter you're using but those smallmouth look great.


Honestly there was very little done to those pics- both of those smallies were just gorgeous and great photos by Flan with the IP7. Thanks man !


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## allbraid

Great pictures.....Great fish.... Congratulations!


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## acklac7

Amazing fish, amazing pictures, amazing reports.

One of the best threads on here in a long, long, while (By far the best Winter thread ever). Reminds me of the good old days.

Have yet to catch my first fish of the year, just haven't had the time. Following this thread has been my saving grace.


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## MIGHTY

The colors on those things.....awesome!!!


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## ML1187

Fished HARD all weekend. Hit three rivers and put in around 14 or so miles on the river. This morning was exceptional. The fog was amazing and it was really gorgeous being on the river. Once the sun came out the fish really seemed to turn off. I landed somewhere around 25 today but no real pigs, biggest going 16.5 for me and 17.5 for 9Left on a jerkbait. Fish were not as lazy as Saturday and would chase down cranks and jerks as well as give the finesse baits a real POP of a strike. Fun times !!!


----------



## Govbarney

Went to the scioto yesterday, can deal with the high water , but when you combine that with chocolate milk it's no good , ended up hitting another flow with a more agreeable water clarity and did okay , nothing worth taking a picture of though.
Had to go real light on big heads again to elicit a bite.


----------



## ML1187

So as I understand it the fall equinox and less daylight causes the switch to flip and the SM begin moving towards their winter homes. On the other side - is it increasing daylight that causes these fish to start to return to other river locations other than their winter holes? Or is it water temp ... ???


----------



## Saugeye Tom

WLAngler said:


> Just curious as to what rod that is in the picture??


looks like a st croix triumph med heavy


----------



## Govbarney

ML1187 said:


> So as I understand it the fall equinox and less daylight causes the switch to flip and the SM begin moving towards their winter homes. On the other side - is it increasing daylight that causes these fish to start to return to other river locations other than their winter holes? Or is it water temp ... ???


Got to be water temp, weather is to unpredictable to go off of anything else. According to In fisherman it's water temp which triggers their breeding cycle to start (based on the fact they spawn at different times depending on latitude) and the first part of that breeding cycle is to fatten up , hence their movements away from winter holes.


----------



## RiparianRanger

ML1187 said:


> So as I understand it the fall equinox and less daylight causes the switch to flip and the SM begin moving towards their winter homes. On the other side - is it increasing daylight that causes these fish to start to return to other river locations other than their winter holes? Or is it water temp ... ???


My nascent research suggests water temp is biggest driver but several secondary factors play a role too. Ongoing discussion of seasonal migration in the thread below. 

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/river-smallmouth-seasonal-migration.305075/


----------



## ML1187

RiparianRanger said:


> My nascent research suggests water temp is biggest driver but several secondary factors play a role too. Ongoing discussion of seasonal migration in the thread below.
> 
> http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/river-smallmouth-seasonal-migration.305075/


Nice ! I would have liked to attend that seminar you did. Sounds like most are saying water temp with daylight length factored in as well. 

My thought would be with unusual warm weather like we are experiencing now and then the inevitable Ohio weather quick turn around to extreme cold ... will the fish move out and then be stuck if you will in non wintering spots ??? Seems that there has to be a instinct that tells them when it's safe to move. Fascinating stuff.


----------



## allbraid

Water temp has to plays a big part in relation to metabolism. And I believe length of daylight triggers hormone production. 
I know there are a few on this site that have formal training in fish biology, and could speak to this subject. Really like to have them chime in.


----------



## Deazl666

I caught five today from two stretches, but was surprised to see that the water temperature had already surpassed 50 degrees, which, according to to Tim Holschlag, means we are about to transition from an early to late spring smallmouth season...in February. (Last year, my stretches didn't hit 48 degrees - IMO, the magic number - until early April, but the five readings I took today ranged from 51 to 52 degrees.). That being said, I was not able to catch fish from the riffles, only the deeper, nearby holes yielded fish, whereas last year, once the water temp reached 48, it was gangbusters in the riffles, the best bronze-back bite I've experienced. So, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, except to say that things seem to be a little outta whack, at least in terms of how this species is supposed to behave once the water hits 52 degrees. (Also observed: several bass breaking the surface devouring stoneflies.).


----------



## RiparianRanger

That is surprising. I would have thought waters were still in the 40s. At least that's how I've been fishing anyway. Might explain skunk city the last couple outings. 

What presentation triggered them, Deazl? Low and slow, dead stick, maybe jerk jerk pause with a stick bait?


----------



## OnTheFly

Deazl666 said:


> I caught five today from two stretches, but was surprised to see that the water temperature had already surpassed 50 degrees, which, according to to Tim Holschlag, means we are about to transition from an early to late spring smallmouth season...in February. (Last year, my stretches didn't hit 48 degrees - IMO, the magic number - until early April, but the five readings I took today ranged from 51 to 52 degrees.). That being said, I was not able to catch fish from the riffles, only the deeper, nearby holes yielded fish, whereas last year, once the water temp reached 48, it was gangbusters in the riffles, the best bronze-back bite I've experienced. So, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, except to say that things seem to be a little outta whack, at least in terms of how this species is supposed to behave once the water hits 52 degrees. (Also observed: several bass breaking the surface devouring stoneflies.).
> View attachment 230456
> View attachment 230457
> View attachment 230458


yeah the non-tailwater flows have really warmed up. was out on one this weekend that was considerably warmer than the flows coming out of impoundments.


----------



## Deazl666

RiparianRanger said:


> That is surprising. I would have thought waters were still in the 40s. At least that's how I've been fishing anyway. Might explain skunk city the last couple outings.
> 
> What presentation triggered them, Deazl? Low and slow, dead stick, maybe jerk jerk pause with a stick bait?


I wish I had a second thermometer to verify the readings, but the water definitely wasn't frigid; nevertheless, I felt like a dumbass for missing perhaps a week or two of good smallmouth fishing. Like you, I figured the temp would be about 45, give or take. Three, including the biggest at 16, hit the dark blue/green Shadow Rap Shad worked slowly (as u described) through the hole while the other two hit a 3.75" purple flash Joshy also worked slowly with a lot of stops and pauses. I'm guessing they'll be up in the riffles very soon (maybe even tomorrow) if the temp continues to trend upward; a degree or two should do the trick.


----------



## RiparianRanger

^or holding tight to bank eddies. Havent been out to verify but the sound of that rain storm on the skylight leads me to think rivers could be up and muddy tomorrow. 

Sure is reminiscent of spring if we find ourselves battling high water, low visibility.


----------



## Govbarney

Deazl666 said:


> .....(Also observed: several bass breaking the surface devouring stoneflies.)....


I saw the same thing on Monday , makes me want to bust out my fly rod today.


----------



## Govbarney

this happens twice today on Darby , crawdads where hungry. Had one real nice smallie on but lost it as I was trying to land her.


----------



## acklac7

Crawdads out and about, moth's buzzing around the outdoor lighting. It's Feb. 24th. This is unreal.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Got out for 45 minutes after work. Less than ideal conditions. Sun low on horizon had already gone behind the clouds. Tossed a 2.75 Joshy swim gizzard Shad on a slider head jig. Had two solid bites five minutes apart, got a look at the fish, but couldn't bury the hook. Upon closer inspection the lure was skin hooked probably resulting in failure to drive the hook. Found them in moderate current, not yet in riffles, near rip rap and timber.


----------



## Athens_Smallmouth

Been out a few times in the past couple weeks and have done fairly well. Honestly though, not as good as previous colder periods this winter. Numbers per trip have increased but size is way down. Noticing in the small flow I regularly wade, that the early spring pattern has started. Fish have moved from deep current protected eddies to shallower current seams or heads of riffles. Crawfish baits are dominating. My dad and I went for a float on the lower big walnut but and he pulled out a nice 18.5" smallie in a deep pool this past Sunday, but no other bass were caught, just a big carp and a couple cats. Skinny, shallow water fishing right now is probably at least a month ahead of schedule. Who knows what this cold front will do though...some pics...


----------



## RiparianRanger

I suppose the title of this thread is sufficiently broad to pose this question:

-What type of line and lb. test do you all use when targeting winter smallmouth?

Personally, I make no changes to my rig. My daily driver is equipped with 10 lb. Power Pro and a 4 ft. fluorocarbon leader (20 lb. Seaguar red label). I've found this to be a more than capable combo for the usual smallmouth season (Apr-Oct) in snag prone flows. However, some literature suggests going ultra-stealth in the coldest months, as low as 4 lb. test in streams with clean bottoms. 

Clearly this has been an unusual couple months, so this winter notwithstanding, does anyone make a habit to changing tackle and downsizing line for the purpose of targeting winter bronze?


----------



## ML1187

RiparianRanger said:


> I suppose the title of this thread is sufficiently broad to pose this question:
> 
> -What type of line and lb. test do you all use when targeting winter smallmouth?
> 
> Personally, I make no changes to my rig. My daily driver is equipped with 10 lb. Power Pro and a 4 ft. fluorocarbon leader (20 lb. Seaguar red label). I've found this to be a more than capable combo for the usual smallmouth season (Apr-Oct) in snag prone flows. However, some literature suggests going ultra-stealth in the coldest months, as low as 4 lb. test in streams with clean bottoms.
> 
> Clearly this has been an unusual couple months, so this winter notwithstanding, does anyone make a habit to changing tackle and downsizing line for the purpose of targeting winter bronze?


My usual smallie combo is 15lb yellow power pro and 15lb Seaguar invizix. 

With my new GLoomis setup I went straight finesse... 10lb power pro and 6lb Invizix. I feel it made a huge difference for me in clearer water.


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Yeah during a "normal" winter some of are creeks get pretty clear. If I were to target them I'd use my favorite braid paired with a good floro carbon leader.
Using a tube bait it might even be smart to use a tiny bearing swivel to attach the lines. They tend to twist up a bit.
I think I've been inspired enough to fish a couple holes I know of....


----------



## Deazl666

Fireline Crystal (8 lb) or PP (8 lb) with 3-5 ft Seagar fluro leader (8 lb). Pretty much what I typically throw spring/summer/fall.


----------



## allbraid

Power Pro or Suffix 832, 10 lb test with 8 or 12 lb floro leader ( leader material I buy Berkley vanish). I like to use a very small swivel between the two. I find it easier to tie in cold weather....Not that we have had any. During a true winter the rivers get very clear and I down size to 8 lb leader.


----------



## Govbarney

I switched to straight Sunline Finesse FC 6Lbs as my mainline back in November on a trial basis. Have another post on here about why (tired of leader / mainline knot failure). So far I have been pleasantly surprised, a little more stretch then one would normally expect with a fluorocarbon but otherwise the stuff casts off my spinning setups like a dream.


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Fished yesterday for the first time with braid and a 6lb flouro leader. I have to say I was pretty impressed; the bite was tough as it was in the middle of a cold front. We caught less fish than lately but I pulled this tank out of a known winter haunt.










I normally use 12lb flouro exclusively, but my last couple trips out I've watched buddies using the same lure but much smaller line pull multiple fish out of the exact spot I'd just fished for ten minutes. It had me wondering just how many fish had passed on a lure I'd put right in their face. Fighting a big fish on itty bitty 6 lb line TIED to my main line was certainly nerve racking, but I just kept me drag really low and fought it longer than normal. It beats not getting a bite at all!


----------



## OnTheFly

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> Been out a few times in the past couple weeks and have done fairly well. Honestly though, not as good as previous colder periods this winter. Numbers per trip have increased but size is way down. Noticing in the small flow I regularly wade, that the early spring pattern has started. Fish have moved from deep current protected eddies to shallower current seams or heads of riffles. Crawfish baits are dominating. My dad and I went for a float on the lower big walnut but and he pulled out a nice 18.5" smallie in a deep pool this past Sunday, but no other bass were caught, just a big carp and a couple cats. Skinny, shallow water fishing right now is probably at least a month ahead of schedule. Who knows what this cold front will do though...some pics...
> View attachment 230580
> View attachment 230581
> View attachment 230582
> View attachment 230583
> View attachment 230584


Nice fish from the lower walnut, we were going to actually float that same section last Sunday but ended up going up north and chasing the sun instead and bagged a few from new water. I recognize that tree hanging out in the background, tis a nice hole. 

Found a good amount of fish in riffles on Friday after my buddy found some right where a riffle dropped into some deeper water the day before. the cold front didn't slow the fish down as much as I thought it would as I was swinging flies through the tailout of a pool and hit two (including one good one). Also got another two working the deep part of the water. Nice to hit 4 fish in the hour or so I had to get out. Will post some pics here later


----------



## robzini1

Reading this thread, and I could'nt stand it anymore. Waded my local flow yesterday afternoon. Water temp was 45 degrees, wind was from south west, and the flow was around 260 - 270. I managed to pull two from slack water in a deeper pool. Only got a picture of one of them though. Really light bite, almost like the jig just stopped and was hung up.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Well, gentleman, with this week's copious levels of relatively warm runoff coming on the heels of an unusually mild winter, is it finally time to hang up pursuit of deep wintering holes? 

And on this topic, what factors define the end of the winter season? Presumably the biggest factor is water temp, but are there any other characteristics you'd look to identify in determining when to switch from winter to early spring?

Lastly, any tips where to find black bass in elevated, turbid waters that are so often characteristic of central Ohio flows this time of year?


----------



## Govbarney

When it gets this bad , just find a pond


----------



## allbraid

I don't know if I ever switch from Winter to Spring.....I just keep tossing tubes and Joshys....Just looking for that 20 percent of the water that hold fish. Ruling out those area that don't or won't hold fish really makes the river picture more manageable. Caught this one on Sunday afternoon on a small green pumkin tube on a 1/8 oz jig. She was 18+ inches. Also caught 3 others that were unremarkable. They all came from the middle of a hole.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Looks like we are not out of the woods yet. Seven day forecast shows several days in the 30s with a few overnight lows in the teens. Anyone have a read on water temps recently?


----------



## allbraid

RiparianRanger said:


> Looks like we are not out of the woods yet. Seven day forecast shows several days in the 30s with a few overnight lows in the teens. Anyone have a read on water temps recently?


Fished a headwater stream today.....No takers.......Water temp was 42 degrees


----------



## OnTheFly

allbraid said:


> Fished a headwater stream today.....No takers.......Water temp was 42 degrees


Yeah we chased some cold water fish this weekend (steelhead). Got a good amount, but even they were being lazy after they were hooked. I think the fish had thought winter had ended.

A couple weeks ago I even saw some tadpoles on the creeks... doubt they made it.


----------



## Deazl666

Looking at a 500+ cfs. Don't want to end up in the Gulf of Mexico, so I think I'll stay in and enjoy my coffee.


----------



## ML1187

All I know is I haven't caught a smallie yet in March and I'm going stir crazy!!! Planning on setting that right this weekend with a overnight river trip


----------



## RiparianRanger

allbraid said:


> Fished a headwater stream today.....No takers.......Water temp was 42 degrees


If the great Allbraid can't evade the skunk there's little hope for the rest of us. Thanks for the temperature post. Doubt I will make it out before next week. Goal is to hit AEP for some bucketmouths before April Fools Day. Let me know if you want to give it a go. I've got a lifted four wheel drive and a float tube. Hope to make it well off the beaten path.


----------



## Deazl666

RiparianRanger said:


> If the great Allbraid can't evade the skunk there's little hope for the rest of us. Thanks for the temperature post. Doubt I will make it out before next week. Goal is to hit AEP for some bucketmouths before April Fools Day. Let me know if you want to give it a go. I've got a lifted four wheel drive and a float tube. Hope to make it well off the beaten path.


Changed my mind and hit the exact same spot where I caught my bass several weeks ago and got skunked. Threw a shadow rap, shadow rap shad, white spinner-bait, and a purple Joshy. Water temperature out by me was also 42 degrees. Was able to scout some potential summer holes in this "winter" hole, however.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Guess i will post a report. Got out Friday and water was cafe con leche and flowing fast. Would guess it was three feet above normal pool. Had low expectations and frankly just wanted to sling a new baitcaster for a few. Fished 45 minutes at a spot with a rather large bank eddy using a white spinner Colorado blade. Had two short strikes at my feet (calmest water) and got a look at the fish both times. Could have been the same one for all I know. Looked no longer than 12". While no fish were landed it felt like a win just locating them under such difficult circumstances


----------



## wallen34

Decided to brave the cold and wind today for a brief session. Hit a spot that has been good to me so far this year, It's basically a riffle that dumps into a deep pool and creates a nice current seam. I was fishing a crawl imitation and just very slowly dragging it along the bottom. Ended catching one smallie that very lightly picked up my jig and started to swim with it before I set the hook. Didn't have to fight as much ice on my line as I expected and if the wind wasn't blowing it was actually quite nice out. 








Presentation


----------



## SMBHooker

Time to make this thread a sticky me thinks.


----------



## Basshunter101

This past Sunday I found a new fishing hole where a small stream enters part of the GMR. Of course the river was flooded and my expectations of catching anything were as high as the temperature that day. However, I had been fishing all weekend without a bite and I was determined to catch a smallmouth. I started throwing a blue/black chatterbait in what appeared to be a deep hole of slow moving water. After about 7 casts, I felt a nice tug and this beauty was on the other end of the line.


----------



## allbraid

That is a great looking smallmouth....Congrats!


----------



## wallen34

Hit the same spot again yesterday. Started off fishing the same jig but didn't have any takers so I tied on a Joshy. First cast and the Joshy got thumped, landed a pale smallie and that was it for me. 2.75" slush Joshy with a 1/8 ounce green jig head did the trick just slow reeled.


----------



## ML1187

One final winter trip of a stellar first cold water season...
Had to do it up right with Flannel and spend the night on the river in rain and cold! We ate like kings with a menu of New York Strips along side fresh fried Cod and Shrimp. We slept like babies warm and dry hanging from hammocks. And we caught some fish too!



And the last fish of the day- quite a bonus!

It's gonna be sad to see winter go on Monday... you can bet I'll be scouting all year for that next hot winter hole


----------



## allbraid

Awesome finish to a fantastic winter!!! Well Done!!


----------



## reyangelo

Kayaking, Camping, and fishing...very nice. Great catches too!


----------



## Saugeye Tom

ML1187 said:


> One final winter trip of a stellar first cold water season...
> Had to do it up right with Flannel and spend the night on the river in rain and cold! We ate like kings with a menu of New York Strips along side fresh fried Cod and Shrimp. We slept like babies warm and dry hanging from hammocks. And we caught some fish too!
> 
> 
> 
> And the last fish of the day- quite a bonus!
> 
> It's gonna be sad to see winter go on Monday... you can bet I'll be scouting all year for that next hot winter hole


Also sadly......mr loomis is no longer making rods...you got the last of the best


----------



## RiparianRanger

Unbelievable, ML. Great job


----------



## acklac7

ML you've stumbled upon something special right there buddy. I'd be lying if I said I was anything less then blown-away.

Congratulations man...

As was done year after year with the "Rainy Night Bite Jerks Limit" thread (before it got stickied) please bump and update this thread every Winter for years to come. It will be something to cherish down the road.


----------



## ML1187

acklac7 said:


> ML you've stumbled upon something special right there buddy. I'd be lying if I said I was anything less then blown-away.
> 
> Congratulations man...
> 
> As was done year after year with the "Rainy Night Bite Jerks Limit" thread (before it got stickied) please bump and update this thread every Winter for years to come. It will be something to cherish down the road.


Appreciate it man. We paddled a lot of miles this winter. Somewhere around 50 miles or so of water looking for the features that this thread taught us about. Learned a ton and put some new ideas to work which translated to success. Thanks to all who shared their knowledge !


----------



## allbraid

It's been a great winter for Smallmouth, and for the first time since I joined OGF we have had regular postings and updates with winter caught smallmouth. 

Great work by all you hard core winter fisherman. You guys have posted some amazing photos during this winter, and I really appreciate every one's willingness to share information and technique. That IMO is the reason for this site.

A few of you guys have taken this to the next level (ML1187&Flannelcarp) and your results have been beyond impressive! You two are fishing on a level that rivals any magazine article ever written on this subject. Well Done!

We are blessed to be setting in the middle of the Native Range of this fantastic survivor. Good luck, enjoy your summer and warm weather and we will pick this continuing story back up when the weather cools......Only 276 days until Winter!!


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Finally getting around to posting some of my fish from a weekend float with ML. Loving everything I've learned about finesse fishing. I've always heard that when the water temp hits a magic number the fish stop biting, but that's not the case. You just have to know where they are and what kind of presentation they are wanting.


----------



## robzini1

That first pic should be in a magazine. Awesome.


----------



## ML1187

robzini1 said:


> That first pic should be in a magazine. Awesome.


Definitely one of the most gorgeous and marked up smallies I've ever seen. A lot of these winter fish have been all bronze- wonder why some are camo'd out and some just bronze ?


----------



## fastwater

Great pics FC.
Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Deazl666

allbraid said:


> It's been a great winter for Smallmouth, and for the first time since I joined OGF we have had regular postings and updates with winter caught smallmouth.
> 
> Great work by all you hard core winter fisherman. You guys have posted some amazing photos during this winter, and I really appreciate every one's willingness to share information and technique. That IMO is the reason for this site.
> 
> A few of you guys have taken this to the next level (ML1187&Flannelcarp) and your results have been beyond impressive! You two are fishing on a level that rivals any magazine article ever written on this subject. Well Done!
> 
> We are blessed to be setting in the middle of the Native Range of this fantastic survivor. Good luck, enjoy your summer and warm weather and we will pick this continuing story back up when the weather cools......Only 276 days until Winter!!



Checking in on this thread - despite the occasional swell of envy, lol - got me out during a time of year I typically don't often fish for bass, at least not any more. (I spent several years employing winter tactics in the deepest holes I could reasonably get to with little effect, and decided to focus on other species instead.). But seeing others' success on this thread inspired me to give it another shot; and, as a result of that, I now know that my stretches don't "empty out" the way I thought they did in the winter, which is no small thing. That being said, despite knowing the bass are down there somewhere, I still question their "catchability" in the stretches where I fish, and I also think this mild winter helped out a lot. Still, I can't deny the results and the fact that my assumption about their winter migration was incorrect.


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Deazl666 said:


> Checking in on this thread - despite the occasional swell of envy, lol - got me out during a time of year I typically don't often fish for bass, at least not any more. (I spent several years employing winter tactics in the deepest holes I could reasonably get to with little effect, and decided to focus on other species instead.). But seeing others' success on this thread inspired me to give it another shot; and, as a result of that, I now know that my stretches don't "empty out" the way I thought they did in the winter, which is no small thing. That being said, despite knowing the bass are down there somewhere, I still question their "catchability" in the stretches where I fish, and I also think this mild winter helped out a lot. Still, I can't deny the results and the fact that my assumption about their winter migration was incorrect.


I agree that this mild winter made things a lot easier and improved numbers. The nature of most winter holes I'm sure lends to their propensity to freeze before other sections of river. The most mild part of this winter has been the later part though; December was plenty cold and we found a hole on January 2nd that we pulled ~20 fish out of, though on a brief warm up. 

I am already hoping that next winter stays cold so we can all answer that question!


----------



## SMBHooker

allbraid said:


> It's been a great winter for Smallmouth, and for the first time since I joined OGF we have had regular postings and updates with winter caught smallmouth.
> 
> Great work by all you hard core winter fisherman. You guys have posted some amazing photos during this winter, and I really appreciate every one's willingness to share information and technique. That IMO is the reason for this site.
> 
> A few of you guys have taken this to the next level (ML1187&Flannelcarp) and your results have been beyond impressive! You two are fishing on a level that rivals any magazine article ever written on this subject. Well Done!
> 
> We are blessed to be setting in the middle of the Native Range of this fantastic survivor. Good luck, enjoy your summer and warm weather and we will pick this continuing story back up when the weather cools......Only 276 days until Winter!!


These guys have been killing it and making me mad jealous. They've really unlocked the secret level of winter smallmouthing in short order. .....much to the knowledge gained here in this thread from other great winter angler s willing to share.

I have traditionally only winter fished- NEVER! However ML did drag me out this year. We hit 3 rivers and many holes. I was doubting chances of hooking up until it finally all came together. 

Hooked a hugenormous smallmouth out of ice water ....Got a fantastic long look at it but wasn't able to get my hands on it before it unbuttoned. 

I've been dreaming of that fish since. I didn't get after the winter hunt like ML and Flan did but I am a believer now and will no longer sit on the bench all winter. Looking forward to 2017/2018 winter. 

Thx all!!!! Best thread I've seen in yrs.


----------



## hoffman24

Truly a remarkable thread!! I would bet a bunch of you in here will be hunting smallies this weekend with the warm weather coming up.. I'll have to flip a coin between bass or eyes


----------



## Athens_Smallmouth

Well, this is my last post on this thread until next winter...picked up six smallies from 10-14" below a riffle within 15 minutes, hinting that the winter pattern has started to fade. I tried the winter holes first without even a nibble so I decided to move upstream a bit to shallower, faster water. All fish caught on a 3" tube on a 1/16oz jig tossed right into the start of the riffle. I'd let the current do most of the work, just giving slight twitches until the tube drifted over a smallie hiding place. They were smacking it right at the end of the riffle. Fun day!


----------



## robzini1

I am looking forward to this threads continuation. It would be great if they made it a sticky.


----------



## Athens_Smallmouth

robzini1 said:


> I am looking forward to this threads continuation. It would be great if they made it a sticky.


Same! I’m looking forward to my favorite time of year to target the bronze backs. Once you catch one in the dead of winter, you’re instantly hooked. Nothing like it IMO. I honestly think, at least for me, they are easier to pattern in winter. The fish will almost always be be bigger too.


----------



## ML1187

This thread changed my life. I may have said that before. Don't care- still true.


----------



## allbraid

ML1187 said:


> This thread changed my life. I may have said that before. Don't care- still true.


I'm really happy that this information has had such a positive impact.


----------



## ML1187

Water temps mid 40s??? Check. Too warm to deer hunt ? Check. Big hungry bronzers on the winter pattern? Check and mate. 
























The time of magic is once again upon us!


----------



## Cats1967

My first December smallmouth it may be small but I’m darn proud of it. Caught on a 3.5 Strike King pumpkin seed tube. I know there are bigger fish in this stretch of creek just need to keep at it. It’s because of this thread is why I’m sticking with it through winter. Thanks for the good info. Hope to post some better fish in the near future.


----------



## n-strut

Hit the river yesterday and found some hungry smalljaws. Bite was great all afternoon. Probably the best day I’ve had in December for numbers with some good quality as well. All fish came on Joshy 3.25 Green Gizzard and Bass Candy slow rolled.


----------



## Cats1967

Those are nice fish thanks for sharing. I have four areas on the same creek I'm going to focus on. They may or may not produce good fish but I think they are good places to start.


----------



## 3 dog Ed

N-strut those are some dandies and great pics as well!
I got out tonight and was rewarded with a heathy 17" winter Smallie. Biffle bug crawled in a good hole did the trick. Western Ohio creek. 35 degrees and windy.
Without the inspiration of this group of great fishermen I would not have considered fishing these conditions!


----------



## ML1187

Nice looking fish fellas!!! Who's all planning on using float n fly ??


----------



## Saugeyefisher

ML1187 said:


> Nice looking fish fellas!!! Who's all planning on using float n fly ??


Ive always wanted to rig up an try this! Out of all the years and ways ive fished,watching a float disappear is always soo much fun! 

Great thread everyone!


----------



## Govbarney

I decided to challenge myself by trying to fish the Scioto south of Griggs yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours, lets just say the Scioto won.
The flow wasn't to bad, but the water was chocolate milk.
I managed just one good hit , but wasn't able to land, so for all I know I just snagged a carp.

I was thinking that come the cold weather period smallmouth south of Griggs all retreated to the deep water south of 5th Ave and North of Grandview Ave. Has anyone ever had luck in winter taking a small boat in that area?


----------



## Bluesangler

Govbarney said:


> I decided to challenge myself by trying to fish the Scioto south of Griggs yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours, lets just say the Scioto won.
> The flow wasn't to bad, but the water was chocolate milk.
> I managed just one good hit , but wasn't able to land, so for all I know I just snagged a carp.
> 
> I was thinking that come the cold weather period smallmouth south of Griggs all retreated to the deep water south of 5th Ave and North of Grandview Ave. Has anyone ever had luck in winter taking a small boat in that area in winter?


I wish they had a ramp in that pool.


----------



## n-strut

ML1187 said:


> Nice looking fish fellas!!! Who's all planning on using float n fly ??


Definitely giving it a shot this year. Just ordered some jigs.


----------



## ML1187

n-strut said:


> Definitely giving it a shot this year. Just ordered some jigs.


Very cool... what type of floats you using ?? 

I picked these up last year ... weighted perfectly and hand cut. 
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Punisher_Lures_Bobs_Bobbers_2pk/descpage-PLBB.html

I WILL catch a smallie this year using this method !


----------



## n-strut

ML1187 said:


> Very cool... what type of floats you using ??
> 
> I picked these up last year ... weighted perfectly and hand cut.
> http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Punisher_Lures_Bobs_Bobbers_2pk/descpage-PLBB.html
> 
> I WILL catch a smallie this year using this method !


I’ve got some blackbird floats and I ordered those same floats you suggested. I’m determined to catch one this way as well. Hope the freezing temps don’t stay around to long and lock up my spots.


----------



## Saugeyefisher

I realize hair jigs are really the way to go with the float n fly technique. But i would consider trying big joshys as well. Esp. If your flow is a bit off colored an you might need that extra solid color or a little extra thump of the padle tail for them to hone in on the bait.
Ive never done it for smallies but ive fished joshys under floats for eyes/crappie in rivers an have caught lmbass doing it........


----------



## Flatty01

Nice, low and Slow is the rule.


----------



## ML1187

Found some success on Saturday but the fish were very shy. First warm day in while had them eating but bite was slowwww. Next couple days could be awesome ... I'm gonna try tomorrow for a few on a known producer hole.

The trip was memorable though as it marked a smallmouth in every month in 2017! I've got one over 16 inches in every month this year except December - hopefully change that tomorrow


----------



## Cats1967

The last two times I’ve been out all I’m doing is getting snagged and losing tackle and the spots I decided to focus on are too accessible. I may head out over the next couple days and try somewhere else.


----------



## ML1187

Special day today fellas. Had only a limited window to get out and make it happen. And it looked like it wasn't... until the last cast. I had just had my heart broken ten minutes earlier by a slob of a fish, which was my first bite after a solid 75 minutes of nothing. He ran towards the kayak and I didn't get a solid enough hook set... once he broke the surface one hard head thrash was all it took to see that HUGE gold side disappear. But my spirits were renewed!

The difference maker was the sun. While it was warm today it was considerably cloudy. Just for around 15 minutes the clouds parted and the sun finally shined through. This turned the fish on instantly, but right as I was having to leave to make an appointment on time. One final cast and a hard hit from a fat and fiesty fish that actually cleared the water on a mini jump!








But I had done it. Completed my goal... one smallmouth in every month of 2017 that measure over 16 inches on artificial baits only. I won't lie... I was proud. Thanks to all of you great fisherman out there that helped me complete this journey. Shooting for 18s in 18!


----------



## Cats1967

Awesome accomplishment, you should be proud. Nice fish


----------



## allbraid

Fantastic achievement! You should be proud.....you have a right to be! Great fish! And a really good picture. Well Done!


----------



## n-strut

Was going to go as well but the lack of sun up here kept me away. Hopefully we get some good sun on Thursday. Great job ML.


----------



## 3 dog Ed

Nice job ML!! 
I got out today and polished the rocks in my hole with a 4” slider but no takers. Conditions were perfect for fishing. Still a great December trip.


----------



## n-strut

Got out for a little while this afternoon, bite was tough. The forecasted sun just happened to disappear when I got to my spot. Managed a to land a few on a Zman tube, couldn’t get the swim bite going. Wish I would have got out a little sooner.


----------



## Cats1967

Nice catch n-strut. I got out today. Only bite I had was a saugeye on a pearl pepper bitsy tube. Threw the hook just as I was getting ready to grab it so no pic. Shame would have gone close to 20 inches or so.


----------



## ML1187

Nice looking fish there N! Wish I would have done as good as you yesterday ... only landed one but lost a VERY nice fish at the boat. Really cool seeing him in deep clear water fight under the boat!


----------



## n-strut

ML1187 said:


> Nice looking fish there N! Wish I would have done as good as you yesterday ... only landed one but lost a VERY nice fish at the boat. Really cool seeing him in deep clear water fight under the boat!
> View attachment 251422


Yeah , pretty cool seeing them in that ultra clear water, I actually saw several fish yesterday,one cruising and one I almost stepped on as I stepped up onto a big rock. He was laying in front of it in the washed out area, never expected him to be in front of it. I fished the deeper area behind it but not the front. Learn something new ever time. Hope to get out again but that might have been my last fish of 2017.


----------



## Snyd

I have fished several times over the years in Walnut Creek for smallies and have caught some nice smallies. However, I have never done very well in the dead of winter. They just seem to disappear in the holes I fish.


----------



## n-strut

Snyd said:


> I have fished several times over the years in Walnut Creek for smallies and have caught some nice smallies. However, I have never done very well in the dead of winter. They just seem to disappear in the holes I fish.


I think a lot of the fish will head to the Scioto to over winter, I’ve fished many areas that should hold fish all winter and have never touched a smallmouth.


----------



## Athens_Smallmouth

n-strut said:


> I think a lot of the fish will head to the Scioto to over winter, I’ve fished many areas that should hold fish all winter and have never touched a smallmouth.


While I️ think this is mostly true, I️ have found some exceptions to that theory and have caught nice bass 18-20” from tiny creeks Jan-early March. There’s a lot of factors to a good winter spot but protection from current in all conditions is key. These spots I️ fish are no more than 5-8ft deep too. Might just be pure luck that I️ found these holes but they always hold fish in winter.


----------



## n-strut

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> While I️ think this is mostly true, I️ have found some exceptions to that theory and have caught nice bass 18-20” from tiny creeks Jan-early March. There’s a lot of factors to a good winter spot but protection from current in all conditions is key. These spots I️ fish are no more than 5-8ft deep too. Might just be pure luck that I️ found these holes but they always hold fish in winter.


Totally agree! I’ve got them in other creeks but not yet in the Walnut. One of my best areas is only 5-6 foot but has everything they need to survive the winter.


----------



## wallen34

n-strut said:


> Totally agree! I’ve got them in other creeks but not yet in the Walnut. One of my best areas is only 5-6 foot but has everything they need to survive the winter.


Funny enough, the walnut is the only place I have gotten them in the season winter. Planning on targeting the Scioto hard this year though.


----------



## n-strut

wallen34 said:


> Funny enough, the walnut is the only place I have gotten them in the season winter. Planning on targeting the Scioto hard this year though.


Awesome! Not looking for specifics but what part? Upper,middle or lower? Maybe I need to spend some more time on it this winter. I mainly fish the lower and kayak it but it’s hard in the winter with the shorter days and the small bite windows.


----------



## wallen34

n-strut said:


> Awesome! Not looking for specifics but what part? Upper,middle or lower? Maybe I need to spend some more time on it this winter. I mainly fish the lower and kayak it but it’s hard in the winter with the shorter days and the small bite windows.


Lower. I’ve had the most success with rage crawls just dragging them across the bottom.


----------



## RiparianRanger

At what point (temperature) are winter stream smallmouth anglers effectively locked out from fishing? At present, my local flow is iced over in all but the shallow riffle/run areas. Naturally these are not the same deep, slack water haunts smallmouth are purported to occupy during the winter. Am I correct in concluding the current stretch of sub-20 degree temperatures precludes one from any realistic opportunity to target stream smallmouth?


----------



## allbraid

I got out today and walked about 3 miles of river and found no fishable water. All of my known wintering holes are iced over. 
Going ice fishing tomorrow


----------



## RiparianRanger

allbraid said:


> I got out today and walked about 3 miles of river and found no fishable water. All of my known wintering holes are iced over.
> Going ice fishing tomorrow


Thanks. That lets me know I’m not overlooking something.


----------



## ML1187

So serious question ... anyone ever attempt ice fishing a known winter hole???


----------



## wallen34

ML1187 said:


> So serious question ... anyone ever attempt ice fishing a known winter hole???


Like on a moving body of water??


----------



## Saugeyefisher

ML1187 said:


> So serious question ... anyone ever attempt ice fishing a known winter hole???


Yes... i wouldnt do it,but i know guys that do. I also know a guy that will feed live bait into a riffle an let the current carry it under the ice into the hole,an does really good. 
Im not suggesting walking on river ice an ipersonly wouldnt but some winters it does get thick enough in certain holes.
A lot of steelhead guys do it up north where theye regularly get good ice...


----------



## ML1187

wallen34 said:


> Like on a moving body of water??


Yeah I’m jonesing so bad for winter bronze - but it’s obviously dangerous x100. I have a hole in mind it would probably be safe on in this weather but I don’t believe I have the stones if you will to go through with it !


----------



## wallen34

ML1187 said:


> Yeah I’m jonesing so bad for winter bronze - but it’s obviously dangerous x100. I have a hole in mind it would probably be safe on in this weather but I don’t believe I have the stones if you will to go through with it !


I’m sure it would be awesome if doable but I’m with you, seems ultra sketchy lol I just got the new combo I’m dying to try out myself. But until then I’ll be on the fishable ice.


----------



## RiparianRanger

Grab your gear, gents. By the middle of this month water might finally open up after what's been the coldest Dec. 23-Jan. 5 for much of the Eastern USA. 

https://weather.com/forecast/national/news/2018-01-05-january-thaw-forecast-midwest-east


----------



## n-strut

RiparianRanger said:


> Grab your gear, gents. By the middle of this month water might finally open up after what's been the coldest Dec. 23-Jan. 5 for much of the Eastern USA.
> 
> https://weather.com/forecast/national/news/2018-01-05-january-thaw-forecast-midwest-east


Fingers crossed. I need a January fish on the fly.


----------



## MIGHTY

Here’s a couple fish I caught in the first 3 weeks of December all on a Texas rigged 4” black senko type worm. I don’t chase smallies like I used to 10+ years ago after I took up catfishing. However, this time of the year I usually get depressed that the seasons over so I sneak out for a little bit and will target them. They were all caught out of the same hole which I consider a winter hole. This is a small creek and not very deep on average. There’s about a 80 yard stretch of unusually deep water for this small creek and at the top is a wide shallow rapid and at the bottom there is a very large sand/gravel “island”. On each side of the island there’s about a 4-6 foot wide shallow rapid that water trickles through so I figured the fish don’t have much of a choice when they come to the deep section except to wait it out till spring or if the water rises enough to escape.


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## ML1187

Anyone else depressed about the lack of Bronze beauties so far this winter ? Conditions here in the SW have been nothing short of deplorable ... let’s hope this weekend before the rain will bring some fish !


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## n-strut

ML1187 said:


> Anyone else depressed about the lack of Bronze beauties so far this winter ? Conditions here in the SW have been nothing short of deplorable ... let’s hope this weekend before the rain will bring some fish !


Absolutely depressed, on a side note though, I’ve earned 160 hours of comp time from all this white stuff. Lots of days off to chase them glorious small jaws.


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## Snyd

I have fished walnut several times in the dead of winter when I first moved to Canal Winchester however, I have never fished it with ice on it. Now days I will fish it up to November but don't touch it again until April.


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## acklac7

10 day forecast looks amazing, lets hope it holds!


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## MIGHTY

Haven’t really been thinking about it much lately. I’m just wondering how all the snow and ice melting is going to effect the creeks/rivers. The scioto got up really high this past week and it’s pretty muddy. Haven’t gotten a good look at anything else though. On the bright side, it’s almost March! Seems like this winter flew by but I’m not complaining one bit.


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## wallen34

MIGHTY said:


> Haven’t really been thinking about it much lately. I’m just wondering how all the snow and ice melting is going to effect the creeks/rivers. The scioto got up really high this past week and it’s pretty muddy. Haven’t gotten a good look at anything else though. On the bright side, it’s almost March! Seems like this winter flew by but I’m not complaining one bit.


AJ would be a great person to chime in on that.


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## acklac7

MIGHTY said:


> Haven’t really been thinking about it much lately. I’m just wondering how all the snow and ice melting is going to effect the creeks/rivers. The scioto got up really high this past week and it’s pretty muddy. Haven’t gotten a good look at anything else though. On the bright side, it’s almost March! Seems like this winter flew by but I’m not complaining one bit.


Snow melt will cause most flows to gradually rise. Expect most systems to clear up with the increased flow, unless we get some decent rain after the thaw.

I’d make it a point to get out next Thursday; A week of warmer temps, then 40 with abundant sunshine should get some Smallmouth biting.

Also agree 100% with how fast this month (my most despised month) flew by. Not sure if it was the Ice fishing, the brief thaw bite, or a combination of the two but man-alive did it fly bye. We have just over 4 weeks till March, Hot-Damn!


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## MIGHTY

Lol I hear ya. Up until 2016 I always quit by November. This past November with temps in the high 30’s-low 40’s I didn’t want to give up so me and a guy I work with fished a new spot on the scioto river and managed to catch 5 or 6 flatheads between us in a few trips. Then a few times in December the temps made it into the 40’s and I caught the bass I posted a few posts up. That’s what has made the time pass so fast lol.


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## acklac7

MIGHTY said:


> Lol I hear ya. Up until 2016 I always quit by November. This past November with temps in the high 30’s-low 40’s I didn’t want to give up so me and a guy I work with fished a new spot on the scioto river and managed to catch 5 or 6 flatheads between us in a few trips. Then a few times in December the temps made it into the 40’s and I caught the bass I posted a few posts up. That’s what has made the time pass so fast lol.


I truly feel sorry for those who quit fishing come December (let alone come November!!!); they’re missing out on the best Saugeye bite of the year! My best day of eye fishing in 2017 was Dec 19th...

If you get on the December eye bite all you have to do is make it about a Month or so through January/Early February and before you know it the Eyes are feeding hot and heavy again.


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## MIGHTY

I’ve given saugeye fishing a thought a time or two just to get me through the winter. I’ve randonly caught some while fishing for other species. Wouldn’t eat any and it would be a cool learning experience as I’ve looked through threads on here before and the guys that target them really know their stuff. I just hate the cold too much.


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## RiparianRanger

acklac7 said:


> Snow melt will cause most flows to gradually rise. Expect most systems to clear up with the increased flow, unless we get some decent rain after the thaw.
> 
> I’d make it a point to get out next Thursday; A week of warmer temps, then 40 with abundant sunshine should get some Smallmouth biting.


Hoping you might clarify something. I understand how a slow melt would cause a gradual rise accompanied by a limited amount of surface runoff - runoff that in a flash flood situation typically muddies the water. In the absence of runoff this seems like a neutral event with respect to water clarity. Can you comment why snow melt would improve clarity?


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## wallen34

Gave it my first go of the year yesterday. Was encouraged when I saw the water but my go to spot was still locked up when I got there. Ended up switching bodies of water but the ice was still everywhere. No fish but it was still nice to be out and I got to give my new smallie setup a workout so that’s a plus. Looking forward to getting on some smallies.


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## ML1187

First float of the year for me this morning ... tough conditions. Fished a few miles of river and had one bite. One fish. I’m on the board for January with a fat and feisty Bronze darling !


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## wallen34

ML1187 said:


> First float of the year for me this morning ... tough conditions. Fished a few miles of river and had one bite. One fish. I’m on the board for January with a fat and feisty Bronze darling !
> 
> View attachment 253432


Nice!! Gorgeous day to get out as well.


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## RiparianRanger

ML1187 said:


> First float of the year for me this morning ... tough conditions. Fished a few miles of river and had one bite. One fish. I’m on the board for January with a fat and feisty Bronze darling !


Good job. What’d she come on?


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## acklac7

RiparianRanger said:


> Hoping you might clarify something. I understand how a slow melt would cause a gradual rise accompanied by a limited amount of surface runoff - runoff that in a flash flood situation typically muddies the water. *In the absence of runoff this seems like a neutral event with respect to water clarity. Can you comment why snow melt would improve clarity?*


You’re not factoring in the current clarity of the Flow(s)

Most are on their way down from muddy highwater events, so an influx of neutral runoff will help them clear up.


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## Deazl666

ML1187 said:


> First float of the year for me this morning ... tough conditions. Fished a few miles of river and had one bite. One fish. I’m on the board for January with a fat and feisty Bronze darling !
> 
> View attachment 253432


Nice!! Any edge ice and were you on the same or similar latitude as Columbus?


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## ML1187

Deazl666 said:


> Nice!! Any edge ice and were you on the same or similar latitude as Columbus?


Thanks man. No ice on the river really where we were fishing - but south of CO closer to Dayton. 

Rip- Small crawfish imitation fishing 1/8 weight due to increased flow. Hit on a long pause.


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## ML1187

Well fellas it’s the end of Jan ... I’ve got one fish this month. So disappointing! But that’s fishing I suppose ... here’s to a bountiful February !!! Allbraid you been out any ???


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## allbraid

ML1187 said:


> Well fellas it’s the end of Jan ... I’ve got one fish this month. So disappointing! But that’s fishing I suppose ... here’s to a bountiful February !!! Allbraid you been out any ???


Sad to say I have not been out pursuing the brown Bass. I did make it out last week to a small flow and picked up 2 pike. Fishing has been curtailed a bit this year, I have been training for a hike of the Appalachian trail. Leaving in 3 weeks, if all goes as planned I will be back in September. Good luck and tight lines!


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## RiparianRanger

ML1187 said:


> Well fellas it’s the end of Jan ... I’ve got one fish this month. So disappointing! But that’s fishing I suppose ... here’s to a bountiful February !!! Allbraid you been out any ???


You've got one more than me. Quite a bit more challenging compared to last year's 50 and 60 degree days. 



allbraid said:


> Sad to say I have not been out pursuing the brown Bass. I did make it out last week to a small flow and picked up 2 pike. Fishing has been curtailed a bit this year, I have been training for a hike of the Appalachian trail. Leaving in 3 weeks, if all goes as planned I will be back in September. Good luck and tight lines!


Enjoy. See you back for the fast fall bite!


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## allbraid

ML1187, you shamed me into getting out for a couple of hours this morning on a medium size Flow. Fished 2 different holes. Started off with a small dark tube, no takers. Switched to a Big Joshy swimbait, antifreeze sparkle on 1/8 oz jig. Caught 4 smallmouth in each hole and lost 3 others. Casting cross current and bouncing off the bottom. Hits were fairly light, but good fights once on. The biggest was a tick under 19 inches. The smallmouth were on the feed this morning.


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## ML1187

All Hail the KING of the winter smallie sir Allbraid  

How was the flow level you were fishing ? Up at all ? Here in the SW everything is really still up - how was clarity ??


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## RiparianRanger

allbraid said:


> ML1187, you shamed me into getting out for a couple of hours this morning on a medium size Flow. Fished 2 different holes. Started off with a small dark tube, no takers. Switched to a Big Joshy swimbait, antifreeze sparkle on 1/8 oz jig. Caught 4 smallmouth in each hole and lost 3 others. Casting cross current and bouncing off the bottom. Hits were fairly light, but good fights once on. The biggest was a tick under 19 inches. The smallmouth were on the feed this morning.


Unbelievable.


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## RiparianRanger

ML1187 said:


> All Hail the KING of the winter smallie sir Allbraid


Dilly dilly!


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## allbraid

ML1187 said:


> All Hail the KING of the winter smallie sir Allbraid
> 
> How was the flow level you were fishing ? Up at all ? Here in the SW everything is really still up - how was clarity ??


Thanks....LOL! The water levels were above normal, but clarity was really good. All these fish seemed to be oriented to the head of the holes. Good luck and tight lines


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## 3 dog Ed

Wow that is great fishing in January! Congrats on the day.


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## 3 dog Ed

I heard you mention pike earlier. Live bait or artificials?


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## allbraid

3 dog Ed said:


> Wow that is great fishing in January! Congrats on the day.


1st of February


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## allbraid

3 dog Ed said:


> I heard you mention pike earlier. Live bait or artificials?


Always artificial


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## ML1187

February smallie in the books ...








Man it was COLD ! 3 bites ... one landed. Worth it !


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## Flannel_Carp




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## MIGHTY

Was bored to death today so I said what the heck. Went out in the drizzle and hit a hole for a hour or so. Got one bite and this one. 4” Black Texas rigged senko like always. Bite was extremely light. It hit on the fall. Kept the line tight and thought I had just hit a rock or a weed but it stayed tight so I set the hook. Hands got cold quick after that.


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## bank runner

Heres my February 11 2018 Smallie she taped out at 18.50 in and went 3.41 lbs first cast throwing a 3/8 oz black Kalins Buctail jig only taker


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## Athens_Smallmouth

Found some fishable water this afternoon and finally got a couple winter smallies. 1 dink and a nice little 14”er. One one a solar flare Joshy, the other on a fat chartreuse twister tail. Both fish hit close to the bank on the fall in current protected eddies.


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## RiparianRanger

Athens_Smallmouth said:


> Found some fishable water this afternoon and finally got a couple winter smallies. 1 dink and a nice little 14”er. One one a solar flare Joshy, the other on a fat chartreuse twister tail. Both fish hit close to the bank on the fall in current protected eddies.


Good job. I imagine you're fishing far from my stomping grounds. No fishable flowing water for miles. Last week the gauges were off the charts - higher than the blow out back in Nov.


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## Athens_Smallmouth

RiparianRanger said:


> Good job. I imagine you're fishing far from my stomping grounds. No fishable flowing water for miles. Last week the gauges were off the charts - higher than the blow out back in Nov.


Not as far as you might think  small flows were still fishable. Not ideal conditions but I kind of like fishing high water. It concentrates the fish to certain spots.


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## RiparianRanger

While the calendar technically still has a few weeks to go before the _official_ start of winter, today’s forecast of a high temp of 30 and blustery conditions suggests Jack Frost has settled in for an extended stay. However take heart fellow smallmouth afflicted, there is a glimmer of hope... Acoording to NOAA, scientists are now assigning an 80% probability of a weak El Niño forming in the Pacific. All of the global nuances of the ENSO cycle are beyond the scope of this post, but for our area in the Ohio Valley El Niño typically translates into warmer, drier than normal conditions. 

https://www.climate.gov/enso

Last winter was just brutally cold and coupled with high water events this angler barely scratched a hobby during winter 2017-18. On the other hand, the freakishly warm winter of 2016-17 yielded multiple successful outings. While 60 degrees in February is not likely the base case this time around, anything approaching a mild winter this year should permit opportunities to hit the flows. So don’t hang up your gear just yet, gang, winter smallmouth season is just around the corner and it could be a good one... at least better than last year, and for some that may be good enough. 

Good luck and tight lines.


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## Govbarney

I'm conflicted, love the winter smallie action, but I crave a good central Ohio hard water season. 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## crittergitter

Whew! Some die hards in this thread. My hats off to ya!!


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## ML1187

Thought about this thread today... my smallie streak was broken last month- 22 months in a row. Horrible weather in Nov just wouldn't let me get out. Man I'm pumped to see some winter bronze. I think its my favorite time of the year for a big fish! Here's to some giants !


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## allbraid

Got out today for a couple of hours and caught 4 smallmouth. This is the best of the day. Chartreuse sparkle Big Joshy on a 1/16oz jig. This is a "Almost winter smallmouth" !


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## ML1187

You and me on the same page Allbraid... 6 bites today landed 5 Best of the bunch was this chunky 17.5! I love that GOLD color of these cold water beasts!

Only got bit when the sun was out... several of the fish really thumped the small jig. This was the best day in the past 6 weeks to fish!
View media item 81603


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## allbraid

ML1187 said:


> You and me on the same page Allbraid... 6 bites today landed 5 Best of the bunch was this chunky 17.5! I love that GOLD color of these cold water beasts!
> 
> Only got bit when the sun was out... several of the fish really thumped the small jig. This was the best day in the past 6 weeks to fish!
> View media item 81603


Well done! It was a good day, water was perfect. I saw a big mink as and added bonus.


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## RiparianRanger

Well gang, seems today (50F and rain) could be par for the course this winter. For those more experienced fishing the winter season, what is the prescription for finding smallmouth under mild, heavier flow conditions in streams and rivers?


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## Bluesangler

RiparianRanger said:


> Well gang, seems today (50F and rain) could be par for the course this winter. For those more experienced fishing the winter season, what is the prescription for finding smallmouth under mild, heavier flow conditions in streams and rivers?


Some guy had a field day over on GMR today.
Ned rig. 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## RiparianRanger

Bluesangler said:


> Some guy had a field day over on GMR today.
> Ned rig.


Thanks. I really need to give the bed rig a try. Hear good things.


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## Bluesangler

RiparianRanger said:


> Thanks. I really need to give the bed rig a try. Hear good things.


Believe what you hear.. lol

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## Govbarney

First 2 Smallies of 2019, 17" and 15" caught on a a Green Pumpkin Zman tubz reeled in painfully slow. Great to get out in River again.
















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## Govbarney

The way the color of Smallies change in winter is wild, I wonder if it's because their diet changes , their metabolism change , or if it's just some adaptaition to help then survive winter 

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## allbraid

Great looking fish, well done! I believe lack of sunlight/daylight could probably be a cause. Cold water has to reduce blood flow to the skin. I love the gold color!


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## Govbarney

allbraid said:


> Great looking fish, well done! I believe lack of sunlight/daylight could probably be a bug cause. Cold water has to reduce blood flow to the skin. I love the gold color!


The lack of sunlight makes sense when you also consider that for a good chunk of the fall and early winter we have had high muddy water

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## ML1187

I NEED WINTER RIVER SMALLMOUTH. HHAHAHA


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## allbraid

33 degrees and rain.... Perfect! Out for a couple of hours today, had 4 hits and landed 3 smallmouth. 1/16 oz jig with a sparkle chartreuse Joshy. The biggest was 17+ inches. All hits were on the fall.


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## MIGHTY

Nice allbriad! I went out last Friday for a bit and caught this one. Not a smallie but a light colored spot or largemouth. Water was up a couple feet and it hit right on the edge of some current but I never felt it. Pretty odd colored fish but it was solid/chunky. Allbraid, were you out earlier in the day? I was fully prepared to go out today but I drove out around 3:45 and everything was up noticeably and pretty chocolaty so I skipped it. Had it not been moving so fast I would’ve tried some of the deep calm holes I target this time of the year but said screw it.


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## allbraid

MIGHTY said:


> View attachment 290109
> Nice allbriad! I went out last Friday for a bit and caught this one. Not a smallie but a light colored spot or largemouth. Water was up a couple feet and it hit right on the edge of some current but I never felt it. Pretty odd colored fish but it was solid/chunky. Allbraid, were you out earlier in the day? I was fully prepared to go out today but I drove out around 3:45 and everything was up noticeably and pretty chocolaty so I skipped it. Had it not been moving so fast I would’ve tried some of the deep calm holes I target this time of the year but said screw it.


Mighty, yes I was out today. 11 till 2pm. The flow I fished was crystal clear at that time. I'm sure it will stain up after this rain. All of these smallmouth were within a few feet of the main channel or current in a slack water area


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## MIGHTY

That’s what I figured. I wanted to get out earlier but had to run to my brothers shop for a while. By the time I got out of there I guess the rain had run it’s course. Oh well maybe next weekend.


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## RiparianRanger

Quiet thread this year. Guessing all the high water events have put more of a damper on the action than cold temperatures have.


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## n-strut

Got out Friday afternoon and got this big girl on a hair jig, made a quick trip yesterday and got three decent chunks all on the same jig. 


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## Govbarney

n-strut said:


> Got out Friday afternoon and got this big girl on a hair jig, made a quick trip yesterday and got three decent chunks all on the same jig.
> 
> 
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Nice looking Jig, you tie it yourself?

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## n-strut

Govbarney said:


> Nice looking Jig, you tie it yourself?
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


No,I’m going to start though. It’s tied by Andy’s Custom Jigs, it’s his baby craw pattern. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MIGHTY

N-strut, buddy of mine named Dave showed me this picture on your Instagram as I believe he follows you on there? He works/fishes some with a guy named Dan (I think?) that you also fish with. They work for the city of Pickerington. Nice catch!


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## n-strut

MIGHTY said:


> N-strut, buddy of mine named Dave showed me this picture on your Instagram as I believe he follows you on there? He works/fishes some with a guy named Dan (I think?) that you also fish with. They work for the city of Pickerington. Nice catch!


Thanks man, yeah, Dan and I fished yesterday and got into a few. 


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## MIGHTY

Good to hear. I haven’t gotten out much this winter but I have some time left. If you ever scroll through Dave’s Instagram (2reel is the name) I’m the one with all the flatheads.


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## Govbarney

n-strut said:


> No,I’m going to start though. It’s tied by Andy’s Custom Jigs, it’s his baby craw pattern.
> 
> 
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Just started tying my own Smallie jigs , almost as much fun as catching them, love to experiment with colors. I also paint the jigs.























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## n-strut

Govbarney said:


> Just started tying my own Smallie jigs , almost as much fun as catching them, love to experiment with colors. I also paint the jigs.
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Love that black and blue. Nice work. 


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## Govbarney

n-strut said:


> Love that black and blue. Nice work.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That Blue and Brown one is no doubt the prettiest one I have ever made , I made it at the advice of a buddy who says smallies cant resist that color combo in winter, but honestly I have yet to catch anything on it yet, I am going to try it more in dingy water this spring. On the other hand that one with the marburo olive green feathers and chartuse head has been a killer combo for me the last two years in every season.


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## Athens_Smallmouth

Got out the kayaks this past Saturday and hit a flow. I was pleasantly surprised by the bite we got into. Caught 5 smallies between my dad and I and my brother missed a nice saugeye. Biggest went a bit over 15”. We found all fish just outside of current in about 3-5 feet of water. Was surprised to find a few just below riffles. Not in the current but in the eddies right below or to the side of the riffles. Others were caught in pools or slack water tight against the bank. All fish caught on various colored Big Joshies that had a sparkle like the purple flash and slims bait. They seem to like the flashy colors in tinted, cold water. Just a nice drift or slow reel with a little roll seemed to be the ticket. Overall it was a great day on the kayaks and a good start to the smallie season!


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## Morrowtucky Mike

Hit the creek behind my house this evening. First time using Zman TRD Hogz. All I can say is OMG.... awesome Ned rigged, completely realistic action. Fished a 100’ or so section and pulled 13 smallies out. Biggest was 17” but kinda skinny for a smallie. Has anyone else tried these Hogz yet? If not you should. Will be placing an order at FishUSA in awhile for a bunch more. Been smallie fishing this creek over 30 years and was the best I’ve seen here.


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## acklac7




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## allbraid

acklac7 said:


>


Just a few more days and we will be "winter" smallmouth fishing!


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## acklac7

allbraid said:


> Just a few more days and we will be "winter" smallmouth fishing!


Reports are starting to come in hot and heavy. All indications point to this Winter being a repeat of 2016, at least right now!

They're biting...


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## Govbarney

Thanks for the reminder to start soaking my guides and braided line in mineral oil!


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## n-strut

A bump in flow had some big girls eating this evening. Hair jigs fished slow did the damage.






































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## allbraid

n-strut said:


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Beautiful fish! Thanks for sharing,!


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> Beautiful fish! Thanks for sharing,!


No problem,thank you.I hope we have fishable water this winter.


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> Beautiful fish! Thanks for sharing,!


No problem,thank you.I hope we have fishable water this winter.


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## acklac7

n-strut said:


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You, sir, are a legend. Gorgeous Fish. Congrats man.


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## n-strut

acklac7 said:


> You, sir, are a legend. Gorgeous Fish. Congrats man.


Hahaha....thanks AJ! 



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## allbraid

Hit a local flow and put 9 almost winter smallmouth on the bank, LOL. Walked up river for 5 hours, all 9 came out of one hole. Big Joshy sand shiner on a 1/16 oz jig. Slow, retrieve with the occasional fall to the bottom. Water was Crystal clear and low.


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## Saugeyefisher

allbraid said:


> View attachment 333623
> View attachment 333625
> View attachment 333627
> Hit a local flow and put 9 almost winter smallmouth on the bank, LOL. Walked up river for 5 hours, all 9 came out of one hole. Big Joshy sand shiner on a 1/16 oz jig. Slow, retrieve with the occasional fall to the bottom. Water was Crystal clear and low.


Struck gold! Nice!


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## n-strut

Nice fish allbraid!!
Hit the creek again this afternoon,water was stained and the fish had moved a little but once I found them they bit good.







































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## allbraid

n-strut said:


> Nice fish allbraid!!
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Awesome job. Those are some quality smallmouth.


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## crittergitter

You guys are die hards!!!! Love it!!!!


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## n-strut

First official “winter” smallmouth!!

Had to do some searching for open water today.Hair jigs fished really slow did the trick.Hope the warm temps melt this ice quick.
























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## allbraid

n-strut said:


> First official “winter” smallmouth!!
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Well done! Heading out tomorrow to search for some Winter bass. Great looking Winter bass!


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## Morrowtucky Mike

n-strut said:


> First official “winter” smallmouth!!
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Awesome smallies. I tried to find open water on my flow today but no go. Only open water was really shallow ripples.


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> Well done! Heading out tomorrow to search for some Winter bass. Great looking Winter bass!


Thanks man!
Good luck and be careful,lot of ice on my flows. 


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## Jonboy

Deazl666 said:


> I recall you recommending big white tubes, but what size and color of Joshy's are you using? Thanks!!!


Yes I’d also like to know what color of Joshys


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## n-strut

Christmas Bronze










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## allbraid

n-strut said:


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Merry Christmas!


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## chrsvic

Nice!


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## Mao

We found a school of them yesterday and picked off 10 of them. Ned rigs.


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## n-strut

20” of winter goodness!










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## allbraid

n-strut said:


> 20” of winter goodness!
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Wow, look at the fantastic colors on that girl! Perfect smallmouth!


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## n-strut

Happy New Year Smallie Freaks! 
Fished a new to me flow today and with the help of google earth,I wrecked them. Caught 14 and lost several more. All fish caught on a 4” finesse worm. What a way to start 2020.






































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## allbraid

Wow! Great fish! Happy New year!


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## Crappie&eyes

n-strut said:


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Wow that’s a beautiful fish!


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## allbraid

Fished 4 hours today, my local flow was very stained on the verge of being muddy. Caught one nice mature smallmouth on a black Joshy 1/16 oz jig. A good day!


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## n-strut

Starting of 2020 with a bang! 
First fish of the day went 20 1/4”
Finesse worms and Chillee Willee’s on Draggin Heads. They’re starting to get their winter weight on! Hope the rain stays away































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## allbraid

n-strut said:


> Starting of 2020 with a bang!
> First fish of the day went 20 1/4”
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Wow! You are at the next level! Impressive! Love the native fish! Great pictures!


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> Wow! You are at the next level! Impressive! Love the native fish! Great pictures!


Thanks allbraid,means a lot coming from you.


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## WLAngler

Bubbagon said:


> Luke,
> My go to for winter smallie advice has always been Jeff Little. Google anything he's put out there on it. Or email him....good enough guy and REALLY knows his stuff.
> He's the one who got me into kayak fishing 20 something years ago.
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> http://www.kayakfishmag.com/tips/winter_smallmouth/


Article, no longer there.


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## WLAngler

Is this thread dead??


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## allbraid

Still alive and kicking


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## Saugeyefisher

WLAngler said:


> Is this thread dead??


It tends to slow a bit when the creeks get high... but garuntee will see more tropheys before spring....


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## MIGHTY

I was literally just complaining to a buddy about how this is like the 4th weekend in a row where they’re calling for rain Friday and Saturday. I finally get some free time and the creeks flood every weekend


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## WLAngler

Thinking of heading out Thursday, don't know yet.


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## ks9128k

I have noticed, on Lake St. Clair at least, when you find an area that is holding winter smallies there tend to be many fish around. I have found one particular area that holds hundreds of smallies every winter and is only about a football field in size!


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## ks9128k

I should add though, is has not always been easy to convince them to play!


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## n-strut

Found some “clean” water and a few biters. Got 4 bites and stuck 2. 
2.75” Black tube.
























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## allbraid

Way to get after them. Excellent winter fish!! 
I spent 5 hours yesterday in the rain and rising water with one hookup and lost fish also on a dark tube


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## n-strut

Finally got back in the creek today. Caught my February fish Ohio smallmouth today ending my quest to catch one every month of of the year. Fished several flows today and caught 9 total with two fish Ohio’s.
























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## allbraid

n-strut said:


> Finally got back in the creek today. Caught my February fish Ohio smallmouth today ending my quest to catch one every month of of the year. Fished several flows today and caught 9 total with two fish Ohio’s.
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Truly impressed! You are a master of your craft! Well done sir .


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> Truly impressed! You are a master of your craft! Well done sir .


Thanks you!


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## Brahmabull71

n-strut said:


> Finally got back in the creek today. Caught my February fish Ohio smallmouth today ending my quest to catch one every month of of the year. Fished several flows today and caught 9 total with two fish Ohio’s.
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Incredible feat! Well done and congrats on success with all your hard work!


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## n-strut

Brahmabull71 said:


> Incredible feat! Well done and congrats on success with all your hard work!


Thank you


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## 3 dog Ed

Dedication defined and dedication rewarded. Congrats!


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## Morrowtucky Mike

Hit a local flow for an hour after work. Only caught 2 but they were good ones for that particular creek. Both on blue/black bitsy bug. Larger fish measured 18 1/4”.


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## n-strut

Nice fish man! Congrats!
Those aren’t ugly


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## Brahmabull71

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> View attachment 340289
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> Hit a local flow for an hour after work. Only caught 2 but they were good ones for that particular creek. Both on blue/black bitsy bug. Larger fish measured 18 1/4”.


Nice job Mike!


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## Morrowtucky Mike

n-strut said:


> Nice fish man! Congrats!
> Those aren’t ugly
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I was thinking the same thing, I used your trick. Crazy color difference from the same pool.


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## n-strut

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> I was thinking the same thing, I used your trick. Crazy color difference from the same pool.


Awesome! Glad it worked for you. 


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## Morrowtucky Mike

This thread has been dead for a couple weeks so I thought I would hit a small honey hole after work and change it. Well no such luck! Only threw a blue/black skirted jig for about an hour. Man was it colder out than I thought! Truck said 21 degrees when I got back and my braid proved it. Creek is finally clearing up and settling down. Saturday and Sunday should be game on.


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## n-strut

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> This thread has been dead for a couple weeks so I thought I would hit a small honey hole after work and change it. Well no such luck! Only threw a blue/black skirted jig for about an hour. Man was it colder out than I thought! Truck said 21 degrees when I got back and my braid proved it. Creek is finally clearing up and settling down. Saturday and Sunday should be game on.


I’m still grinding a few out every trip when conditions allow. I’ve missed more bites than I care to admit. All on small tubes and hair jigs.Hopefully be able to find some quality fish this weekend.










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## n-strut

Stop and hit a new spot that looked right on Google earth and found a few quality fish. Definitely going back and picking it apart when I have more time. Caught 4, all on 2.75” tube.










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## OnTheFly

n-strut said:


> Stop and hit a new spot that looked right on Google earth and found a few quality fish. Definitely going back and picking it apart when I have more time. Caught 4, all on 2.75” tube.
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How do you rig your tubes N-Strut? I almost always Texas Rig (rarely lose a rig, but feel during winter i may be compromising on hook-up sometimes). Just curious what others rigs are for winter. Been getting a few this winter out of the river in downtown Denver, but it certainly is not like back home.


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## n-strut

OnTheFly said:


> How do you rig your tubes N-Strut? I almost always Texas Rig (rarely lose a rig, but feel during winter i may be compromising on hook-up sometimes). Just curious what others rigs are for winter. Been getting a few this winter out of the river in downtown Denver, but it certainly is not like back home.


OnTheFly....this is what I’ve been using.Its called a Crawler Head or Draggin Head,several companies make them. They are virtually weedless,just make sure you clean all the paint out of the eye. I’ve broke off a few fish on the hook set because there’s not enough room for the line and the bait keeper and it will wear on your knot. 

The tube has a solid head so you have something to screw the keeper into or you can just shove a piece of a senko into the end of regular tube,then screw into that. 

As far as hook ups it’s good when they inhale the bait but once the water gets below 40 they seem to try and pin the bait down and you get lip hooked fish. Smaller baits and sticky sharp hooks definitely help with this.










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## Morrowtucky Mike

Hit a stretch this evening after work with my GF. All fish caught in a small 30yard stretch of deeper slow moving water. Zman finesse jig with crawz trailer in blue/black took 6. Zman tube ned rigged with 1/10oz head took 2, also blue/black. They are definitely starting to get a little more aggressive. Couple were walk-in on the water but the hits were still very subtle. Largest went 18 1/2”. All but 2 over 15”.


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## Morrowtucky Mike

View attachment 345889
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Hit a stretch this evening after work with my GF. All fish caught in a small 30yard stretch of deeper slow moving water. Zman finesse jig with crawz trailer in blue/black took 6. Zman tube ned rigged with 1/10oz head took 2, also blue/black. They are definitely starting to get a little more aggressive. Couple were walk-in on the water but the hits were still very subtle. Largest went 18 1/2”. All but 2 over 15”.


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## n-strut

Sure didn’t feel like winter today,the bite was great and my fish landing skills were not.Gonna be hard to sleep tonight,caught several and managed to land this solid chunk.

















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## zimmerj

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> View attachment 345889
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> Hit a stretch this evening after work with my GF. All fish caught in a small 30yard stretch of deeper slow moving water. Zman finesse jig with crawz trailer in blue/black took 6. Zman tube ned rigged with 1/10oz head took 2, also blue/black. They are definitely starting to get a little more aggressive. Couple were walk-in on the water but the hits were still very subtle. Largest went 18 1/2”. All but 2 over 15”.


Great looking early season smallies.


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## n-strut

Fish are starting to come out of their winter haunts. Had a decent day today in the snow,all fish caught on 2.75” tube on a draggin head. 

Its been a great winter season,caught some giants and had some incredible days. See you all next winter.










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## n-strut

It’s getting to be that time of year.....checked a few winter haunts today,finesse worms and tubes fished around wood in slack water.


















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## allbraid

Got out scouting a few winter holes. Ended the day with 6. All came on a Silver 2.75 joshy on a 1/16 jig. All 6 were in deeper water at the edge of current. Letting the minnow fall as natural as possible. Hits were barely perceptible


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## Kopfjager

allbraid said:


> Got out scouting a few winter holes. Ended the day with 6. All came on a Silver 2.75 joshy on a 1/16 jig. All 6 were in deeper water at the edge of current. Letting the minnow fall as natural as possible. Hits were barely perceptible


Nice catches. I was out at Dillon spillway today but without waders there's only a couple spots that would be smallie territory. Although as much pressure as it gets I doubt they're in there. I'm looking at getting a pair in the next couple weeks. I have another creek I'm thinking will hold some sm but I'll have to wait for the waders to get to the holes. I was reading from the beginning of this thread. Thanks a lot for the tips. If you're ever needing somebody to tag along let me know. Might see you again at the north shore if Buckeye ever comes back up.


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## Govbarney

allbraid said:


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Nice Fish, gets me excited, the winter smallie bite is one of my favorite times of year. Quick question, with those really light bites do you go all braid for the better sensitivity , or are you still using a flouro leader?


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## allbraid

Govbarney said:


> Nice Fish, gets me excited, the winter smallie bite is one of my favorite times of year. Quick question, with those really light bites do you go all braid for the better sensitivity , or are you still using a flouro leader?


I like a flouro leader in winter when the water is really clear and I'm fishing slow. But these 6 came on all braid after I got hung up and broke off my leader and was too lazy to tie one back on. I would be interested in what N-Strut uses, he definitely has mastered this.


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## Kopfjager

It wasn't a smallie but I finally caught something. Second cast on a 2.75 joshy slim's bait on a 1/10 Oz ned rig. Slow working a deeper hole on the side of the river. Only fish all day. About 10" or 11" I'll take it. Out of all the places I've fished I was surprised to catch it where I did and that it was a LM at that. Looks like I've got enough stoke for another 3 or 4 weeks of fishing.


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## Morrowtucky Mike

Kopfjager said:


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I see your a very new member. Tell us about yourself. Where you normally fish, age class ect... might help with giving you help.


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## Kopfjager

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> I see your a very new member. Tell us about yourself. Where you normally fish, age class ect... might help with giving you help.


Hey, yeah pretty new. I just got back into fishing last month after a 15 year hiatus. I'm 36. I usually fish around Zanesville as I'm from there. I go to Columbus, Buckeye Lake, Coshocton areas. I used to fish primarily farm ponds for bass but I enjoy catching most fish, except catfish. I gave up fishing after having all of my $2k+ gear walk off 😑 I'm glad my old fishing partner talked me into going again. It's been a much needed distraction (read: obsession). I'm on the hunt for saugeye and smallies with the cold weather. I've been frequenting Buckeye and Dillon with no success. It's nice to get out there though. I try to talk to anyone I run into while I'm out. Already met Mike, unofficially, at Buckeye. Didn't know he was a master of the craft at the time. I would've picked his brain more.


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## lukejhoward

After a LONG hiatus from OGF I'm happy to see this thread is still alive and well! I've grown my smallmouth knowledge a lot since I originally started this thread but haven't exactly gotten on the winter smallies like I wanted to. Long story short, I was only ~20 yrs old when I started this thread and still under my parents roof. My parents didn't want me fishing in the winter because of safety concerns and I never really had a lot of close friends that fished or were willing to brave the cold with me. So here I am about 6 years later trying to become a 4 seasons smallmouth fisherman. I'll definitely be posting more in this thread moving forward...


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## Kopfjager

lukejhoward said:


> After a LONG hiatus from OGF I'm happy to see this thread is still alive and well! I've grown my smallmouth knowledge a lot since I originally started this thread but haven't exactly gotten on the winter smallies like I wanted to. Long story short, I was only ~20 yrs old when I started this thread and still under my parents roof. My parents didn't want me fishing in the winter because of safety concerns and I never really had a lot of close friends that fished or were willing to brave the cold with me. So here I am about 6 years later trying to become a 4 seasons smallmouth fisherman. I'll definitely be posting more in this thread moving forward...


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## allbraid

lukejhoward said:


> After a LONG hiatus from OGF I'm happy to see this thread is still alive and well! I've grown my smallmouth knowledge a lot since I originally started this thread but haven't exactly gotten on the winter smallies like I wanted to. Long story short, I was only ~20 yrs old when I started this thread and still under my parents roof. My parents didn't want me fishing in the winter because of safety concerns and I never really had a lot of close friends that fished or were willing to brave the cold with me. So here I am about 6 years later trying to become a 4 seasons smallmouth fisherman. I'll definitely be posting more in this thread moving forward...


Your thread has been going well and has a very solid following. Some of these guys are masters of locating and catching winter smallmouth. Hope you get out and locate that winter honey hole!


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## lukejhoward

allbraid said:


> Your thread has been going well and has a very solid following. Some of these guys are masters of locating and catching winter smallmouth. Hope you get out and locate that winter honey hole!


I’ve already had a bit of winter success this year but still waiting on a winter monster and just general consistency. Here are a few pics from some outings over late November and early December


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## Govbarney

Skunked out on Darby yesterday, conditions looked perfect and I went to a few of my money honey holes , but not so much as a nibble.


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## allbraid

Govbarney said:


> Skunked out on Darby yesterday, conditions looked perfect and I went to a few of my money honey holes , but not so much as a nibble.


It was still a "win". Getting out and walking the creek or river this time of the year is awesome, catching a few fish is just icing on the cake! I dont have any knowledge of the Darby (never fished it) but the creeks and rivers that I do fish are very dynamic in the sense that they are sand and gravel bottom and the holes (wintering holes) change every few years. They fill in and wash out and seem to be ever changing looking at it over a 25 year period. Some of my "money honey holes" are not even there any more, the river has carved a new channel and completly filled them in. But new ones have been created, and with a little leg work new honey holes have been located.


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## n-strut

Got out before the freeze and found a few. Hair jigs dead sticked and crawled very slowly.















































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## Govbarney

n-strut said:


> Got out before the freeze and found a few. Hair jigs dead sticked and crawled very slowly. [[/IM
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What kind of hair are you using on those hair jigs, if you don't mind me asking?


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## allbraid

N-Strut, awesome job. That first fish has fantastic markings. Thanks for sharing


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## allbraid

Govbarney said:


> What kind of hair are you using on those hair jigs, if you don't mind me asking?


That's Unicorn hair! That stuff is obviously magic ✨!


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## n-strut

Govbarney said:


> What kind of hair are you using on those hair jigs, if you don't mind me asking?


It’s a combination of Coyote,red Fox and buck tail. It’s called the Coyote Ugly,tied by Andy’s Custom Bass Lures. 


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## n-strut

allbraid said:


> N-Strut, awesome job. That first fish has fantastic markings. Thanks for sharing


Thanks allbraid,that one definitely had the war paint on. 


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## lukejhoward

Have gotten out a few times over the past couple of weeks with some success. Have only pulled in one fish per trip but I’ll take it! Both fish taken from slack water and bites were likely a few yards into the slack away from the current seam. As shown in one of the pictures, had to winch one of the fish up over the ice. 

Although I didn’t haul in multiple fish per trip, had several bites each trip. As has been mentioned before, the fish don’t always “eat” your lure this time of year - seems like they just bump it or barely put it in their mouth sometimes. Have landed all fish or gotten bit on the lures shown in pictures: small tubes rigged weedless, finesse Texas rigs, and finesse skirted jigs have been the ticket. I was crawling/dragging the lures very slowly about 5 ft at a time with about 20-30 second pauses in between drags/crawls. Both fish I’ve caught hit on the pause but hard to know exactly when - I didn’t feel a thump for either fish. Just felt weight when I went to start dragging again and set the hook. 

Hope y’all can get out next week and this rain doesn’t wash us out too badly. Rain aside, temperature forecast is looking pretty darn good for next week. Tight lines everybody! 


































































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## Saugeyefisher

lukejhoward said:


> Have gotten out a few times over the past couple of weeks with some success. Have only pulled in one fish per trip but I’ll take it! Both fish taken from slack water and bites were likely a few yards into the slack away from the current seam. As shown in one of the pictures, had to winch one of the fish up over the ice.
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Nice fish an line up of baits! As you prolly already know a joshy on a ned head can be a deadly cold water bait to. And a few locals around here have me wanting to add hair jigs to my arsenal!


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## n-strut

Finally able to get a hook into a January smalljaw! Had s few bites on previous trips but could never connect. Caught on a Chillie Willie fished with small hops off the bottom.



















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