deeP smallmouths
Deep Smallmouths By Marc Marcantonio
A
fter three seasons of early morning
wake-up duty, the alarm clock had a well-
deserved day off. No need to hurry to the
lake; the smallmouth bass have stopped their night and early morning feeding habits. With
winter setting in, the late afternoon provides the best
feeding opportunity for deep smallmouths. Hours of
sunlight penetrating the depths gets the food chain
moving late in the day, and the bite will improve as
the day unfolds. after raising the etec into tow position
and hitching my ranger to the truck, i manage a few
sips of black coffee driving to
the ParkNride to pick you
up. Winter fishing for deep smallmouth bass is the one time of year that i resist taking the uninitiated. despite my warnings of cold hands and feet, and rain all day, you insist it won’t bother you. The problem is the bite is difficult to detect, and the miserable weather occupies my guest’s thoughts more than anticipation that the next cast will produce a pig. teaching a beginner how to detect a deep bite in the winter is the hardest challenge and biggest detriment to success. You insist you can hang all day, and your thirst to learn the tricks in solving deep smallmouths convince me to bring you along. The italian sausage sandwiches you offered to bring may have also had an influence.
as we drive to the lake i explain how predictable smallmouths are in deep lakes during the winter.
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