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OK Smallie Hunters:
Here is your chance to shine. I am a fairly good BucketMouth Bass fisherman that has been on several lakes. As for Smallies, well I haven't had much luck there. Now I read all the time about the huge and numorous smallies in Jordandelle. So my question is, where you all finding them? I have tried cranks, and various rubber baits off of rocky points in Jordandelle but they must not have been the right rocky points....I did pick up some nice trout trying though.
So where are they and what is the best tactics to use. Also when will they start bitting? I would assume Mid-Late April but it varies with each lake. All help is appreciated. Also if one of you regulars to the lake are heading out and wouldn't mind a tag-a-long boat behind you I would love to learn from someone who knows.
Thanks
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The smallies seem to start hitting in mid to late April, like you guessed. Then they are spawning but all through the summer you should be able to find them with rattlin cranks off the rocky points and soft plastic jerkbaits worked around bushes and underwater stump and tree structure. Thats if the perch or trout don't get there first. [unsure] Sometimes they are a little hard to fight off...... But I've tried jigs and they just get hung too much and spinnerbaits don't quite cut it either.... most of my success has been on a splitshot rig with soft plastics or some sort of Cultiva or Rattletrap type rattle crank. But rocky points and bushes and trees in the water seemed to produce the best for me..... Try Deer Creek on the west shoreline and around Wallsburg bay too.
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Hey Dan ! I do farely well from the shore for the small-mouth. I mainly use small plastics rigged texas style with a small sliding bullet weight. Or I use rapalas. Any type of minnow imitating lure will work well. I have caught alot in the rock cliff area. I do not have a boat but have used my inflatable raft and floated around the trees that are coming out of the water. I use tube jigs on those spots and seem to do well. I caught two from the shore last year that were over 19 inches long. If you have a boat you should do well if you concentrate on structure. It probably wont be really good until may. I would be happy to go with you and show you what I do.
Peace !! swerv
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There is a great artical in this months issue of Outdoor life on page 28 entitled "Bodacious Brown Bass" and has some great information on techniques and where to find them.
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I caught lodes of them last year fishing with chartreuse paddle bugs tipped with perch meat or pink jigs with spinner blades atached. You catch a lot of perch, but I usually catch a lot of smallies too.
Jed
p.s. fish the same structure as the other guys have said.
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If you can find plenty of small perch, which isn't hard at Jordanelle. Pitch a perch jointed rapala or plastics tipped with perch. Keep it big enough to keep the perch from being a total pain in the a$$.
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Went to Jordandelle last night to try early ice off on the new float tube. W.W. Griggs Pontoon style model V-8000. Great tube at a good price. 90 bucks at Sportmans. Much more stable and super Manuverablity. Anyway Float tube worked great...Fishing was not so good. Perch haven't moved in shallow yet and I only saw 4-5 trout circle on top. Did see one tiny bow caught but that's about it. I was using several types of jigs, spinners, and even floated a worm. Fun night though. Should be better when water warms and the fishies wake their lazy winter tails up.
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