Where are they?  I fished up there last w/end and caught plenty of Largemouth running secondary points in Yellow Creek w/ T-rigged plastics but never caught a Smallie.  This was my first bass fishing trip up there so I'm in the very early stages of learning the lake but I thought I was in a good area for them.  Can anyone offer some advice for Smallies in that lower end of the lake, say the area below Bear Creek to the Dam?  Should we have been fishing the ledges & humps on the main channel?  Thanks in advance!  BTW, water temp was about 49-50 last w/end in that area. 

Gravel banks and any structure off those banks.

http://www.strikeking.com/journal/00055/4.php

8-)

Thanks RW, we didn't try Jerkbaits or cranking in general too much, maybe that would have made a difference.  When you say gravel banks, are you saying straight gravel with no ledge?  Most of these points we were catching LM on were ledge points that transitioned into pea gravel, you could fish down the whole ledge and not get bit until you got to the point, the windy side of the point at that, so that's what we started keying on.  We caught most of our fish in Zippy Branch near the mouth of Yellow Creek if you are familiar with that area - is that the type of banks you're describing? 

No.

The perfect example is the stretch of water

west of Panther Creek down to the islands.

Unfortunately, it gets pounded pretty hard!

Right now gravel bars and the deeper water

just off the bars should be hot.

I'm fishing the other side of the lake this

weekend, out of Florence. We have been

having some luck in front of the islands,

but current is everything.

-Kent

Thanks RW!  That is really helpful, I'm just trying to figure out the right type of water to be in for Smallies, I am brand new to both Smallies and Pickwick.  It doesn't really matter to me if the area is getting a lot of pressure, I'm not tourney fishing, just trying to reel in something brown, lol.

Wilson Dam.... 6.5 lber caught in the tourney last weekend and plenty other chunks. It may be a haul for you, but if not try it out. Cranks/jerkbaits seemed to be the ticket.

Do you go all the way up to the dam and drifty back or do you focus on any paticular place?

Thanks

I would try throwing some tubes with a jig head.

Do you go all the way up to the dam and drifty back or do you focus on any paticular place?

Thanks

Left side of the island.

Fishing the tailrace up by Wilson sounds pretty fun, I'll get up there one day, it's just a long boat ride from where I have a free place to stay:) 

Fishing the tailrace up by Wilson sounds pretty fun, I'll get up there one day, it's just a long boat ride from where I have a free place to stay:)

You can drive to McFarland Marina in about 45 minutes.

Ok, Ok, actually did think it was a little further drive than that   Hey RW, seriously, is the fishing up at Wilson Tailrace much better/different that fishing below Pickwick?  I haven't tried either, just curious, I've heard a lot of good things about both areas.  I'd like to get around to both of those eventually but I'm just getting started on the lake right now, if I could learn something about the lower end of the lake this Spring & Summer I would be satisfied.

I think we generally catch bigger fish below

Pickwick Dam, but much better numbers

below Wilson. For green fish there is no

comparison, the river below Pickwick sucks.

Water levels are too volatile and there isn't

much cover.

8-)