Spots May Trump Largemouths Again At Smith

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Want to throw a crankbait on shallow points? You can catch ‘em at Lewis Smith Lake that way. Want to throw a jerkbait for suspending fish? You can do that, too. Want to ease into spawning areas and maybe pick off a bedding fish? That option is available. Like to dropshot for fish still offshore? Grab your spinning rod.

Basically, Smith Lake is a free-for-all, pick-your-poison type of lake this week as it readies for the second stop of the FLW Tour. The fish appear to be in their pre-spawn transition mode, but they are doing a variety of things all across the vast, deep 21,000-acre Black Warrior River impoundment.

The weather has already given anglers a peak of how it can impact the fishing as the first day of practice on Sunday featured rainy, dark and breezy conditions that saw the lake really show off its potential. The fish moved around into areas where they were easily targeted, but it was a different story for the most part on the two clear and calm days that followed.

That has many in the field scrambling to check their weather apps to see if any of the tournament days might mimic Sunday’s conditions. The best bet might be Thursday when it’s supposed to be cloudy with a chance of afternoon rain. A big cold front bringing near-freezing overnight temperatures to the Jasper, Ala., area will follow and hang around through Saturday.

This year’s tournament will have a different feel from the 2013 FLW Tour event at Smith. Seven of the top 10 finishers from the pro side 2 years ago aren’t competing this week so the opportunity is there for others to prove themselves on what’s considered one of the best spotted bass lakes in the Southeast.

Until someone can disprove it, the prevailing thinking this week is that the spots will make up the majority of anglers’ daily stringers with largemouths serving as bonus or kicker fish. The plentiful spots are fatter than usual – blueback herring have established themselves in Smith – and there seems to be enough off-colored water in some of the creeks to entice someone to put in some time fishing for largemouths.

The water is also higher than it was back in ’13 when Brent Ehrler won by picking off spots with a wacky-rigged Senko. The higher water has flooded some shoreline bushes and other cover, but some reports indicate the fish haven’t quite taken advantage of them yet.

Before getting into more about the bite, here's the lowdown on the lake itself and an in-depth map courtesy of Navionics:

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Lewis Smith
> Type of water: Highland reservoir
> Surface acres: 21,200
> Primary structure/cover: Rock, ledges, stumps, sawed-off trees, docks
> Primary forage: Shad, minnows, crawfish
> Average depth: 100 feet
> Species: Spotted bass, largemouths
> Minimum length: 15 inches (both)
> Reputation: Plenty of spotted bass, but keepers can be scarce
> Weather: Cold front will push through early in the tournament before clearing up for Sunday
> Water temp: High 50s to low 60s
> Water visibility/color: Clearer by the dam, stained in some creeks
> Water level: Full pool
> Fish in: 1 to 40 feet
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn, some winter, some moving onto beds
> Primary patterns: Sight-fishing, dropshots, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs/worms, Carolina rigs, crankbaits, topwater
> Winning weight: 63 pounds (4 days)
> Cut weight (Top 20 after 2 days): 23 pounds
> Check weight: 16 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3.5 for Smith
> Biggest factors: Fish moving toward the bank
> Biggest decision: Spots (more plentiful) or largemouths (bigger on average)
> Wildcard: Big bed-fish – just a couple could be the difference between a win and a so-so finish

Kilgore: Limits Not a Problem

David Kilgore is one the unquestioned kingpins on Smith Lake. The Jasper resident won last year’s Bassmaster Southern Open in early March fishing docks in short pockets with an umbrella rig and swimjig. He also took 10th at the Open there in May 2010.

He said the weather’s been mostly steady and on the warm side recently and his hunch is that the bass will start heading to the bank in waves pretty soon. He got a close-up look at the lake two Saturdays ago when he won a local derby with 18.6 pounds.

“The lake is super healthy and it’s full of big largemouths and spots,” he said. “I think people will be surprised to see not just what wins, but what gets 50th. The lake’s as good as it’s been in my lifetime.”

Kilgore doesn’t see filling a limit to be a problem for many of the pros, but the challenge will lie in tapping into the fish that can help someone hover around the 11- to 12-pound threshold.

“I don’t know how those long herring fish hang around in their winter places,” he said. “I have caught some that way this winter and if they’re still there, it’ll be a huge deal, especially if a guy can find the right school. It’s all about how long they’re there.

“The largemouth will be a big deal up the creeks, too. There are some monsters in here now – 7- or 8-pounders.”

Plenty of Options

The umbrella rig was a big factor at the 2013 Tour event at Smith and it continues to be in tournaments in which the rig is allowed. Without the umbrella rig as an option this week, Kilgore is confident competitors will find some suitable and productive alternatives.

“Guys are going to be able to fish how they want to in a springtime deal,” he added. “Whether it’s a spinnerbait, jerkbait, worm, Fishhead Spin, whatever your strong suit is. That’s why they’ll have a lot of fun (this) week.”

If Kilgore were fishing this week, he’d like the water level to stay where it is and not creep up too much so the shallower fish would be a littler easier to target.

Bedding bass will be a challenge simply because of the extreme water clarity. This was an issue for some at Lake Toho where high water allowed fish to spawn out of sight and it took a blind-casting approach to trigger bites from those fish.

“The spawners here are very easily spooked and that’s why I don’t usually look for cruising fish before they spawn,” Kilgore added. “Can you see them? Sure. Are they skittish? They sure are and it takes a super long cast and a lot of luck to catch one.

“There could be some spawning going on. The weather is creeping up enough that some of the big ones could be up there. I don’t think bedders will play a big role, but someone could pick one off per day.”

While it’s likely a few competitors will get on a productive pattern and be able to ride it all through the weekend, this may play out like multiple single-day tournaments built into a larger event. Fishing at Smith is often described as a grind and Kilgore thinks that could be the case again this week.

“There are good areas, but at this time of year you may go down a mile-long stretch of bank and catch 12 spots and go back there the next day and not catch a thing,” he said. “That likely has something to do with the area rather than a school of fish. I don’t think this will be won on one species. I think guys are going to need a mix of them to do well.”

Notes from the Field

Following are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week.

Dan Morehead
“I think it’s going to show out a little bit. On the first day of practice, it was raining and nasty and horrible and they bit real good. I saw the quality of fish that I didn’t know that many lived in the lake. I’m not sure if we’ll have the same conditions in the tournament. The last two days it was clear with no wind and I had to change my approach, but they still bit. I had a pretty decent Tuesday just running other stuff, but all that doesn’t mean a hill of beans in the tournament.

“There are a few sight fish that I know of and I have a couple patterns going where I’m catching pre-spawners so I feel good about it and hope they stay with me. It’s just going to be a grind both days. I’m catching a lot of fish, but you have to go through quite a few to get into the 3-plus pounder. I’m not holding anything back on Thursday. I’m going to burn through everything I can as fast as I can. You can catch them on anything you like to throw if you keep it in your hand and just keep going.”

Adrian Avena
“The first day of practice was similar to what we’ll have Thursday with it pouring all day. They probably bit the best that day. The last two days were sunny and slick and we’re not going to have that for the tournament. That made it tough to practice for tournament conditions.

“The fish are doing a little bit of everything. I think most of them are pre-spawn. There are some fish shallow and there are some bedding fish, but I’m going to fish more for staging fish and cover a lot of water and hopefully by the end of the day I’ll get a couple big bites.

“Historically, it gets done on the lower end here. Quite a few guys that cash checks fish in the river. I’ll probably mix it up and do a little of both. I feel like if you’re going to be in contention, you will need a big bag on day 1 because Friday will be post-front conditions and it’ll be tough to catch them.”

Randy Blaukat
“I finished 15th here in 2013 and for me, the fishing was better 2 years ago. On Sunday, it was perfect rainy conditions all day long and I think guys caught them good and may have overestimated how the good bite is for here. I caught good numbers in practice, but not the size I’m looking for. Catching a limit won’t be a problem. I’m mixing it up between spots and largemouth and will probably focus on catching a limit of spots then go after a kicker largemouth in the afternoon.

“It’s fishing tougher than it was in 2013 in terms of options. The water temps this week are in the low 60s, but it’s like it’s a mistake warm-up because the fish aren’t moved up yet. I fished every bush in the lake and I haven’t gotten a bit in there yet.

“The spots tend to get on real specific stuff here, key little pieces of structure, and the largemouth are the same way. You may fish a stretch of bank and come to a laydown and pitch to it and be fortunate to catch a 3- to 5-pounder. Then you’ll go flip all the other laydowns you can find and not get a bite. It’s such an opportunistic lake. Any time with a clear water, spotted bass lake, the wind might come up and you can catch one or the clouds will roll in and they’ll bite for 2 hours and then they’ll stop. You have to fish hour by hour here so much.”

Michael Neal
“I had a good practice for Smith. I think there are a few that are wanting to go spawn, but a lot are still holding off, especially with this front rolling through. I think that will knock (the spawn) in the head.

“I think it’ll be predominantly spots, if not all spots, to win. I caught one largemouth in three days of practice. I tried for maybe 4 hours on Sunday, then just went fishing for spots. That’s all I caught the last time I was here so I’ll go after them again.

“There is all kinds of variety as far as water color is concerned and I fished a bunch of different baits, but I’ve gotten on one deal that I can catch fish on. It seems to me that here and places like Beaver and Hartwell – all of the deep, clear lakes – you have to fish them day to day and fish what’s in front of you and what looks good.”

Cody Meyer
“It’s fishing pretty good. You can definitely get a lot of bites, but the size doesn’t seem to be there. I hope to catch a couple good ones a day. Overall, there seems to be more fish than last time we were here, but I’m not seeing the big ones that I need for the tournament. I’m definitely going to fish for both. I’ll try for some spots on points and then shoot back into a pocket and fish for largemouth. I haven’t caught any good ones. I shook some off, but nothing to get excited about.

“On Sunday with the rain, I’d heard everyone really caught them. I caught a lot, but no size. I’m sure I can catch fish, but I’m just not sure of the size I can get. The thing that is cool, though, is there are so many different things going on. The water has come up so if guys want to fish largemouth in bushes, they can do that. If you want to fish for spots, you can do that. There are bedding fish. It’s all over the map. I’m just trying to figure what the right thing is to do.”

Top 10 To Watch

With the above in mind and more, here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this event:

1. Scott Canterbury – He’s fishing with confidence and his results are showing that. He also possesses a good record on deep, clear lakes like Smith, where he was runner-up to Michael Bennett in 2008 as a rookie. Another good showing after a 2nd at Toho will put him in the early AOY conversation.

2. Luke Clausen – He came into 2015 with a focus on getting back to basics. So far, it’s worked out. It also helps that he’s posted multiple money finishes at Smith, including a 4th back in 2008.

3. Bryan Thrift – He’s fresh off the Guntersville Rayovac Series where he finished 3rd just by fishing what looked and felt good. That sort of approach could be the way to go this week.

4. Anthony Gagliardi – The reigning Cup champion is an ace on blueback lakes and his two best finishes at Smith, including a 9th in 2013, have come in springtime tournaments.

5. Cody Meyer – Any time spotted bass are on the menu, Meyer tends to find his way toward the top of the leaderboard. He was 8th at Smith in ’13 and he’s built a strong track record on the herring lakes, last year’s Cup excluded.

6. Larry Nixon – Just about any pattern could be in play this week, including a worm, Nixon’s hallmark. Tell us someone who’s better with that bait and we’ll put them in this spot.

7. Andy Morgan – Some are saying this week will be a grinder’s delight. That’s music to Morgan’s ears. Coming off a 52nd at Toho, these are the events where he gets the most traction.

8. Todd Auten – Like Canterbury, he’s off to a good start in 2015. He finished 13th at the Guntersville Rayovac last week so he comes in with a fair bit of confidence. It’s worth noting he has a strong track record at Smith: In B.A.S.S. Opens, he was 2nd to Kilgore last March and 4th in May 2010.

9. Michael Murphy – He trailed only Kilgore and Auten in last year’s Southern Open at Smith. Has an acute knowledge of blueback herring lakes seeing that he lives near Hartwell. Add in his desire to rinse the bad taste from Toho from his mouth and he could be dangerous.

10. Shin Fukae – If there’s a finesse bite going on, Fukae could be a big factor. He’s got the patience and know-how to trigger bites from suspended and finicky fish.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

> Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CT all 4 days from Smith Lake Dam Access (7482 Smith Lake Dam Rd., Jasper, Ala.). Weigh-ins on days 1 and 2 will get under way at 3 p.m. CT at Smith Lake Dam Access (same address). Weigh-ins on days 3 and 4 will be at the same location with a 4 p.m. CT start time.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., March 26 – Rainy - 73°/38°
- Wind: From the NW at 8 to 12 mph

> Fri., March 27 – Mostly Sunny - 61°/34°
- Wind: From the NNW at 8 to 12 mph

> Sat., March 28 – Partly Cloudy - 51°/32°
- Wind: From the NE at 5 to 8 mph

> Sun., March 29 – Mostly Sunny - 65°/49°
- Wind: From the S at 6 to 8 mph

Notable

> Get a feel for how Luke Clausen and Jay Yelas did in practice. Click here to read their Pro View Reports.