Ok...I live in Ohio and we've been having a very cold and snowy winter.  I know the rest of the country is having it rough too.  I can not wait for some creek and river smallmouth fishing.  What do you all think the Prespawn bite is going to be like with this long winter?  How are you preparing? What is your favorite set up for the pre-spawn(lake,river or whatever!)?

 

Tight Lines!

It's not any longer a winter than any other year, yet. It's still just the first week of February. It may be more severe than normal, but it could change and return to more normal conditions at any time. It's way too early to say the spawn is going to be affected.

Good point. Usually I am still able to fish some during this time. Must be the cabin fever making it seem longer!

I know what you mean about cabin fever. Ive got a buddy headed down to Mexico for some nice largemouth fishing and would absolutely love to be doing the same. For pre-spawn I like starting out with some reaction baits to test how active the fish are, maybe some jerk baits or deep diving cranks and I've also been wanting to try a jigging spoon if the fish are still holding deep. If no luck with the reaction bite, I'd throw some finesse baits like a small profile jig, or weightless texas rigged fluke both fished real slow.

Hasn't been abnormally long here in KS, we usually get winter weather well into February.

 

Jerkbaits!!!!!

Thanks for the info fellas.  I have never fished a jigging spoon before.  Will need to research that a bit.  Most of the smallmouth fishing I do around here is in small rivers and streams.  I didn't really go after them during the early spring last year, but did really well with tubes and wacky worms all summer and smoked them with spinner baits and lipless cranks in the fall.

Up here in mass. I have always had great luck with strike king elimanators fished weightless on 4/0 ewg hooks. Caught many 4 to 5 pounders slowly jerking them across the darker areas of claer water ponds and lakes.

Ice out until just before they start to go up on the beds, it's hard to beat a blade bait.