By
Reed Montgomery
Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Website: www.FISHINGALABAMA.com
Winter
Bass Fishing on Smith Lake
Water Temperature: Mid 50's
Although Alabama's Smith Lake is generally known as a deep,
clear reservoir (and very hard to predict when planning any
fishing trip), it can be a tremendous fishery during the dead
of winter.
Why? Spotted bass, largemouth bass and striped bass are plentiful
in many parts of the lake during cold weather and an added
bonus...wintertime lake draw down can really concentrate any
school of bass found lake wide on Smith Lake.
SMITH LAKE'S SPOTTED BASS and LARGEMOUTH BASS
The sheer numbers of spotted bass to be found in Smith lake
(impounded in 1961) is easily comparable to the normal amount
of native largemouth bass generally found in any man made impoundment.
Meaning, these feisty, little hard fighting spotted bass can
be tackled at any time, any where, when fishing any part of
Smith lake's 21, 200 surface acres of water. This includes
a chance for those real trophy hunters at fooling some of Smith
lake's bigger, trophy-sized spotted bass. There were previously
five world record spotted bass taken out of Smith Lake.
These huge tackle testing "spots", are often found undisturbed,
holding in water depths that can exceed 100 feet deep during
the dead of winter.
Deep water, ranging from 50 feet to depths of 200 feet, is
common in most parts of the lake. There is water even deeper,
close to 500 feet deep in some places! The rocky habitat these
huge, spotted bass call home varies in deep structure found
lake wide.
Very deep water (depths exceeding 50 feet deep), are places
that very few anglers even attempt to fish on Smith lake. Most
anglers that fish Smith lake with any regularity are used to
fooling Smith lake's bass when dabbling their lures (or live
bait) in depths of 30-50 feet of water.
That's fine for spotted bass in the 1-5 pound range. But there
are bigger spotted bass often found in deeper water on Smith
lake.
There are literally hundreds of schools of spotted bass that
roam Smith lake from shallow water to the lakes deeper depths
in their constant search for food. Minnows, small game fish,
bait fish and crayfish are the main staple of their diet during
the winter months.
Some spotted bass may scrounge the lakes bottom in their search
for food this winter. Rock-dwelling crayfish are a diet these
bass adore during the winter months. Crayfish are very high
in nutrition, they help put on the needed fat reserves to make
it through a tough cold winter and crayfish are very plentiful
during the winter months on Smith Lake.
Crayfish imitating lures should be experimented with. The clear
water found on Smith lake can often be somewhat of a hindrance
for anglers that fish with to big of a lure. "Smaller is better" is
generally the rule in clear water situations and Smith lake
is no exception.
Jigs, jig combos or small plastic crayfish are good choices.
Natural colors like watermelon or pumpkinseed are good in winter.
Along with these crayfish imitating lures, Smith lake anglers
should try using lures that simulate small worms, eels, leeches,
water dogs or lizards. These are deadly lure choices for some
often very picky eaters.
Other schools of spotted bass may suspend out over deep water,
staying on the move as they follow the schools of bait fish
such as threadfin shad, gizzard shad and even schools of small
bream or small rock fish. Fishing in various depths with lures
like 1/2 to 3/4 ounce jigging spoons, will eventually reveal
the preferred depth these bass are holding in during winter.
* When feeding, many of these spotted bass of winter, are generally
relating to places that are highly visible to the bank-beating
angler.
This can mean -- even during the cold winter months when bass
are believed to go deep -- anglers should still be targeting
places close to shallow water.
Such as fishing along deep rock bluffs walls, small cuts and
pockets found along rock bluff banks, broken-off rocky banks,
banks featuring slab rocks, huge boulders or scattered ball-sized
rocks, rocky main lake points, rock-lined creek mouth points,
man made rip-rap rocks, rock walls, all around rocky islands
and along any boulder-strewn flat.
These types of banks -- very visible with low water during
the winter -- are featured from Smith lake dam to the lakes
headwaters. Although rocks or boulders are generally featured
in these types of places, there is "cover within the cover" that
will attract both Smith Lake's famed spotted bass and largemouth
bass to the same places.
The persistent angler that really probes deep into all types
of cover will hook into an occasional largemouth bass. Laying
trees, brush piles, stumps, logs and even man made piers and
boat houses hold the majority of Smith lakes cover-dwelling
largemouth bass during the entire winter season.
So keep in mind both spotted and largemouth bass species can
be found often mingling in places that not only feature rocky
terrain, but in addition, a mixture of wood and rock cover
or a slight bottom irregularities as well during the winter
season on Alabama's Smith lake.
You may find spotted bass holding along a point or bluff bank.
But thoroughly probing any wood cover within these rocky places
with your tempting bottom dragging offerings may eventually
coax out a really big largemouth bass this winter season.
There are world record sized spotted bass in Smith Lake and
make no mistake about it there are largemouth bass exceeding
that magical mark of ten pounds as well. So don't rule out
the 500 miles of shoreline featuring visible shallow water
cover, places the largemouth bass prefer on any lake during
winter.
Experiment with your lure choice and try various techniques
this winter season on Smith Lake. Both the FLW Outdoors tournament
trail and Bassmasters have shown professional anglers using
a variety of lures that will work under any wintertime condition
on this lake.
Warming trends show some bass move shallow hitting topwaters,
spinnerbaits, shallow running crankbaits and jerkbaits. Small
finesse worms fished on jig heads work any time for bass that
really scrutinize a lure in Smith lakes clear water situations
during winter.
Deep water techniques can range from drop shotting, vertical
jigging spoons, fishing shad imitation plastics on jig heads
and fishing with Texas or Carolina-rigged plastics such as
small worms, lizards, crayfish imitations, tube baits or creature
baits.
* Or you can call always call on Reeds Guide Service (205)
787-5133 for fishing Smith lake or any Alabama lake, year round!
* Looking for the worlds best bass boat? See: www.rangerboats.com
* Need a new or used boat? Go to: www.airportmarine.com and
see their tournament trail link there too.
* Looking for fishing tackle, rods, reels, fishing equipment
or hunting items? See www.marksoutdoors.com
Be careful when boating on our very crowded lakes this summer!
Reed Montgomery
/ Outdoor Writer
"Alabama Radio Show Host and Television Host For Over 10 Years"
Call Reeds Guide Service...First! (205) 787-5133
"Over 40 Years Fishing, Guiding and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Some Huge, Striped Bass "
E-mail: ALABASSGYD@aol.com
Website: www.FISHINGALABAMA.com
