Prime Time For River Smallmouth

As many of you already know, prespawn is an unbelievable time to fish for smallmouth bass in rivers and lakes.  I can tell you first hand that the river smallmouth bass fishing is kicking into high gear here in the east but also throughout the mid-atlantic and midwestern states.

Prime time for river smallmouth

Many of us have a love of spring river smallmouth bass fishing and there is a debate over whether spring or fall is the best time to go.

Fishing a few weeks ago, we boated a 21.5″ smallies from the Susquehanna. That was a personal best.

httpv://youtu.be/CcpEC0pMe_c

We aren’t the only ones who know river bass area heating up!

In my March 19 blog, I reported on how the first major warming period of the spring often provides some of the best fishing of the year for river smallmouth bass, in terms of numbers of quality fish. I also mentioned how I was anxiously anticipating that event, as winter weather refused to relinquish its icy grip. Well, it finally happened last Sunday.

When my fishing partner Dave Keith and I launched my boat early in the afternoon the air temperature was nearly 70 degrees, the water 45 degrees. What a welcome change! The two days prior I’d been walleye fishing on Pymatuning Lake, battling strong north winds much of the time, and air temperatures that failed to break the 40-degree mark. This is what we’d been waiting for.  Source

This time of year, you need to be prepared for anything so bring warm clothes and rain gear. Also, the wind can be a big problem so be sure you have some strategies to deal with it.  I like to fish spinnerbaits and rattle traps if the wind is really whipping and I can’t get out of it.  The go to baits however are typically jerkbaits, tubes, grubs and swim baits.

Whenever possible, I move to areas that are protected from wind and use brightly colored braid so I can detect strikes visually that I may not feel due to the wind.

Get out there and fish, my friends!