Now that the air and water temperatures are below 50-degrees, smallmouths move to specific locations that serve as both feeding and resting spots. The plan is to search depths from 25 feet down to 40 feet today (in the early winter, and even as deep as 65 feet in late winter). our quarry will be found where structure, food, and the right depth intersect. Crawfish, sculpin, yellow perch, and smelt will all be on the menu, and they are the reason the smallmouths are deep. our secret weapon against the bass today will not be our lures; it will be our electronics.
in the past we would search for structure by dragging a heavy Carolina-rig on the bottom until it snagged, but now i explain we use electronic technology which is much quicker. today’s electronics even draw a picture that clearly shows what the structure is, and by marking it with GPS we can precisely return to the spot anytime we want.
at the ramp i show you how i have equipped my ranger with a lowrance HdS-10 and an HdS-8 which i can interchange between bow and console since they are mounted on Johnny ray 207 mounts. i also point out i have installed two lowrance StructureScan units, using transducer Shield and Saver mounts to secure one lSS-1 transducer to my jackplate, and a second lSS-1 transducer to my trolling motor. all are networked together so that i can view SideScan, downScan, and traditional 2d broadband sonar on either HdS unit. i can view every transducer from any HdS unit, and switch both HdS units to show the same transducers or different transducers.
Motoring away from the dock, we both huddle behind the dual consoles seeking protection from
Set-up Diagram
the drizzle and cold typical of winter in western Washington. our destination is the south end of the big lake, and we slow down when over a deep flat to begin searching for structure. looking at my HdS-10, we see a hump i have never fished before that comes up to 25 feet deep on top, and drops deep in all directions. idling across the side of the hump we spot a steel radio antenna tower lying on the bottom in 35 feet of water!
My excitement is contagious, derived from what i see on the screen and not from the caffeine. i excitedly explain that humps are gold for many reasons. The tops like this one are rock since they have not eroded away, which means crayfish, sculpin, and bass. Humps also force schools of baitfish like smelt and yellow perch to swim up and over the top of the hump, which concentrates them so deep smallies can easily pick them off.
Coming to a stop over the hump, we both grab our spinning rods; in my case it is a lamiglas Certified Pro XS 663 (six and a half feet long, 3 power rod). We are both rigged with a dropshot rig consisting of identical baits, Yamamoto Shad Shape Worms in color #031 (blue pearl silver) chosen to match the nearby schools of pond smelt seen on the HdS StructureScan. as i move to the bow and lower the electric motor, you are already fishing in hopes of catching the first bass of the day.
i switch the HdS settings so that both of us see the same bow sonar transducer, and same bow downScan transducer. This also eliminates interference we would get by running both the bow and console sonar units at the same time. Before i
Steel Structure
Smelt
Issue 4 October 2011
33