tough smallmouth pattern

[detroit1]

A most unexpected catch a few saturdays ago..I was fishing a weedline about 12' deep when I got tired of the wind messing with my d/s fishing..so... out with the powerfishing gear and do a drift on a large 8-11'deep flat. Broke out the 1 oz. lipless, and by the time I tied on the bait, the wind blew me about 50 yards from where I was fishing to a deeper area (45'). I made a test cast to make sure the reel was set for the bait. I start reeling in after letting it sink 4' or so. What happens when you fish 4' deep over 45' of water? A fat 16" smally! I know Everyone has made an unusual catch...please share.

[21XDC]

I have caught many smallmouth in 50 ft of water............... On topwaters.

[djkimmel]

Been many odd ones... probably not odd to the fish though but since they aren't talking I can only guess.

I remember getting hammered by a big sheepshead on a floating jerkbait I was snapping over 20 fow in James Bayou off a very steep break one summer (it's in Spring Lake - Grand River). Where did that fish come from??

45 feet must be a magic number for smallies... I remember one day catching a bunch of decent keeper smallies on a jigging spoon only 8-15 feet down over a deep 45 foot flat on Muskegon Lake one summer while practicing for an upcoming tournament. I saw a bunch of fish suspended on the flasher and started trying things for them.

They attracted my attention by busting minnows for a few seconds but I couldn't get much to happen on the top. The spoon worked once I got to it. As an added bonus an 8 pound walleye also whacked my spoon in the middle of them! That was an interesting surprise!

[djkimmel]

One of my many favorites was also on Muskegon Lake many, many years ago when I was a non-boater during the draw tournament days. Can't remember whose boat I was in the back of that day? We were in the scruffy weeds near the Muskegon River mouth but closer to the Conservation Club. A limit back then was golden so every bite counted!

A keeper largemouth blasted my buzzbait right at the boat as I was lifting it out of the water. I missed it! My boater partner had turned his head to see what happened.

The bass dove straight down into a patch of scruffy grass about a foot from the corner of the boat. I had reflexes in those days. As fast as I could I picked up a 'follow-up' bait I had ready - some kind of Texas-rigged worm though I forgot further details.

The boat wasn't moving so I slapped the worm straight down kind of aggressively into the little scruffy grass patch (about the size of a pickle bucket mouth). My boater started laughing and shaking his head saying, "No way!" And something to the affect about how I was dreaming thinking the bass would still hit now a foot from the boat after seeing us close up. The water was maybe 1 and a half feet deep...

Of course, bass have tiny brains and sometimes when they want something really bad and it 'gets away' they'll hit ANYTHING else that is close by. So, I set the hook and flipped a keeper largemouth straight up into the boat... and into my livewell! It all happened in about 2 seconds!!

I had a good day that day... that's all else I remember. Oh, and I remember the look on the boater's face - it involved his mouth wide open and lots of surprise with a shaking of his head in disbelief!!

[21XDC]

On Belleville Lake, I had a friend tell me that a 2-3lb smallmouth just jumped in his boat while night fishing... I couldn't believe it, But he is trustworthy and wrote it off as a once in a lifetime happening... Well, It happened to me and another friend on 2 different occasions. 

The fish were all in the 2-3lb range... We all fish at night with a light shining on the bank to see where to cast. The light attracts small baitfish that follow close to the boat on the surface.

I would love to get on this pattern where the smallies just jump in the boat... 

True stories...

[detroit1]

Thanks for sharing Mike and Dan...I want to read more, keep them coming.

[djkimmel]

Having them all jump right in the boat would take the fun out Bassmaster hooksets and a hard, jumping fight though... we had a largemouth bass jump into our boat when I was a kid if I remember right at a small, private pond somewhere.

I was fishing with a guy who could get excited by a bite so when he was using flipping type equipment he would sometimes launch the bass out of the water, over the top of us and back into the water on the other side of the boat... had to fight it twice.

[motocross269]

It was during a state fish off...
I was dragging a tube up by Fawn Island when I got a strong hit...It felt heavy at first then my line went slack but I could still feel some weight so I started reeling like crazy, I knew the fish was moving to the surface...I thought for sure it was a HUGE smallmouth...The fish surfaces and it was a huge sturgeon..As soon as it breached the water it spit my tube back at me and I had pretty good tension so it smacked me pretty good....I thought I was going to have to give my partner CPR because he could hardly breathe he was laughing so hard...

[Anthony Adams]

Your stories bring up a few memories for me.

I was fishing Green Lake in interlochen. I had participated in a few tournaments on Green Lake in the heat of Early August and had always struggled. Green is a crystal clear deep lake with huge smallies in it. But late July and Early August can be a tough time to fish it. It was about mid day and I had one 3+ lb fish in the box. I was fishing a shaded shoreline on the deeper end of the lake. About 100yrds off shore is a 100' hole and a large part of that end of the lake is 90' plus. Trout fishermen often troll this end of the lake for lake trout, and coho. I heard a guy hollering behind me so I turn around and see this local trout guy holding up what appears to be a monster Bass for me to see. He tosses it back in and continues trolling. I say to my fishing partner, "That wasn't a Bass was it?" My partner replies "In 100' of water? My guess is a Lake trout." I thought that fish was pretty fat to be a lake trout. Anyway we continue down the shoreline with zero luck and start to slowly head out of the area. We're talking on what to do next when we hear another yell and look up. There's the same guy in approximately the same spot with another huge fish on. He tosses it back and we head over to see what's going on. The fishermen tells us that every time he trolled through this area he hit a monster smallie that day. He was running two down riggers one set at 50' and one set at 75'. They were hitting his 50' line. I could see on my graph a huge school of minnows at 35- 40' and just below the school was a bunch of large targets. I assumed to be Bass or trout. We tried jigging spoons and vertically jigging a rattle trap. We weren't having much luck at first but I could see on my graph that my jigging spoon was showing up below the school. I reeled in and measured off 30' and marked my line every 5' to 55'. I dropped my bait down to the first mark and got nothing.  Tried the next mark and continued until I hit my first fish. A 4+ smallie. We continued this pattern for the next two hours and continued culling out 4+ LBers until weigh in time. They came hot and heavy. We ended up over 23lbs on the day. All thanks to a trout fisherman. I've tried this pattern many times since and had very mixed results. I've never had a day like that fishing suspended fish. But I have caught a few using this pattern.

[Mojo]

Well folks, (lights his pipe as one slipper dangles from his foot, sitting in his favorite rocking chair by the fire) it was a few them years ago I was practicing down by windmill point when my tube got snagged.  (Having that twinkle in his eye you had to wonder what story ol mojo was gonna tell next). Now I was in a boat with ol Freddie, a stubborn cus in his own right, so I didn't want to start calling out snag right away. But the current was moving as we bumped outside the marina wall at a nice clip in about 17 fow..... THEN.... there was head shake. A lot of it!

[djkimmel]

Exciting story Mojo!! Except... I think you left out part of it maybe??

I used to fish Windmill Point a lot in my bass tournament days. I was casting a 5 inch Formula G3 tube one morning during a tournament down the edge of the main dropoff out from the wall in ~20 foot. I was reeling up and a big, dark smallie followed my tube in, then turned and swam straight back down.

I immediately dropped the heavily weighted tube straight back down pratically on the smallie's tail! Moments after my tube hit bottom I lifted up and felt something. Set the hook!! BIG fish on!! Yes - I needed a kicker fish that day bad (a BFL I think). Unfortunately, when the big smallie came up high enough to see it hard turned into a 20 pound muskie instead... another one of those days that things just didn't seem to be falling quite right in my favor...

[Mojo]

Well folks, (lights his pipe as one slipper dangles from his foot, sitting in his favorite rocking chair by the fire) it was a few them years ago I was practicing down by windmill point when my tube got snagged.  (Having that twinkle in his eye you had to wonder what story ol mojo was gonna tell next). Now I was in a boat with ol Freddie, a stubborn cus in his own right, so I didn't want to start calling out snag right away. But the current was moving as we bumped outside the marina wall at a nice clip in about 17 fow..... THEN.... there was head shake. A lot of it!

(Page turn)

Except the line was staying where it was at ! I truly thought I had a snag ! What the ....... and the boat is moving fast now so I call out to Freddie, "Hey I got something". Freddie asks, " You snagged Mojo" ? where I retort, "No... I think I got a sturgeon, " ! Or a diver I thought. Maybe a guy still alive wearing some fresh cement boots lol.... I ain't coming up, I knew that much. So he spins the boat around grumbing about some sturgeon when suddenly I feel more head shake and the line seems to be running. "Fred we got to go as the line starts screaming". SO we motor back up and he is holding us with motor when this thing shakes hard, and slowly starts coming up ....... now ol Mojo turns away from the fireplace looking you dead in the eye, and lets out a long puff from his pipe. You smell distinct cherry and rum which reminds you of an old cider mill and fresh fallen leaves for some reason.

"You want to know what I hooked that day ?......"

[Mojo]

(Commercial break)...... man in bass boat fishing, home owner walks down and starts raising his voice to get off his property.............

Ever been fishing and a property owner comes down and interrupts your day ? Ever been harassed by homeowners while you enjoy your sport? Have no fear !  (Flies in) MCL MAN is here!

Your actions should be :
"First be nice! 2nd....... be nice ...video tape it. calmly ask what mcl violation is being broken ? He won't know because there is none..... then kindly let him know he is breaking MCL:

451.324.40112

Just remember is like a favorite phone number! (Cue the music)
(451) 324 40-11....2

It comes with a min mandatory fine of $500 and if he persists, your 1 phone call and video review nets him a hefty prize !

Remember. If you hit his dock or pontoon or other legally tied devices, you could be in violation of Vandalism of Private Property, sooooo Be Careful! Don't escalate your voice, Be calm, kind and always ... safe fishing from your friendly neighborhood MCLLLLLL MANNNNNN." (Flies away)

[Mojo]

So we motored back up, I was reeling in line, feeling head shakes, and the line finally was coming up. I think I saw something! I reached in the water... .........    ..... and pulled up a wad of .. sinker.....

And as I pulled one end I had a HUGE sheepshead ! And on the other was ..... a fishing pole.... the darn fish had yanked a rod off the marina wall..... so after releasing the fish, we found a young boy at windmill point n still to his dad, and gave him a pole.... seemed fair and fun way to end a very unexpected catch. 

And with one last puff from his pipe, ol Mojo turned back and again faced the fire, " Now go get me a beer" was his last words as I walked out of the room, shaking my head........

[djkimmel]

Are you practicing for your own fishing show or online fishing story blog?!?

[Mojo]

Not bad eh ? Critique it ?

[fiker]

I was fishing with Revtro in the North Channel one August.  I was dragging tubes.  I hooked and caught a rod and real.  Both in bad shape.   Hauled them in and later pitched them in the trash back at the launch.
A year later , almost to the day, again fishing with Revtro at almost the exact same spot,  I hooked another rod.  This time it was a GLoomis Gl3 with a Shimano Curado superfree attached.  The rod was broken, and the reel was really gunked up.   For some reason I took them home.
I told Bender about my catch.  He informed me that Loomis would still warranty the rod if I could read the serial number. 
The next day I called Loomis and sure enough they did.
Bottom line, I got a $300 brand new Loomis for $50.  I traded the reel to Bender for $100 map chip he didn't need.   Most money I ever made fishing.
I had always wondered if expensive rods were worth the money. Trouble is that yes they are.  So that now Ive replaced all of my other rods with more expensive ones.
I know that this isn't a fish story but it was one heck of a catch.

[djkimmel]

Sounds like a fish story to me. Thanks for sharing!