been fishing for a couple days with dismal results. found water on wed. night in the 62 degree range, caught four keeper smallmouth's on a white 1/4 oz spinnerbait shallow in current near a creek mouth. yesterday sunday, in the rain the surface temp was 52 degrees, I fished shallow for 7 hours and caught 4 dinks no keepers. fished deeper points with a jig, nothing. should i try a crankbait on deeper sand bars? or stay with a jig?One of the last tourny's here, the winner had 30 plus pounds of smallmouths in 8 fish. they seem to know something I dont. any help would be appreciated.

thanks jeff

I certainly cannot help you any.  Just wish that I could be up there in a boat  riding shotgun with one of the better jig swimmers from that region.  Would love to spend some time learning more about that with one of those guys.  Can only guess that there would be some of that going on in the backwaters.  Good luck.

The small mouth are probably almost done spawning there.  I would try deep holes or up by the dams for smallies, grubs, tubes, and maybee some deep diving cranks would produce some fish.  I've always had great success in the back waters LM, some of my biggest fish have come on topwater scum frogs in thickest slop you can find around places like Goose Island.  The LM spawn should be going pretty strong so warm shallow water would be your best bet.  Not sure if the top water will work well, but spinnerbait, chatterbait, jig&pig, tubes, and senkos should all produce well.  Hope this helps.

Throw a shad colored Rapala floater. Let it set and then crank it in....Like its a stunned minnow.

If ya get no hits try twitchin'it but twitch it slow. Cast it, leave it set.....for a minute or five......then twitch it....leave it set.....twitch it....

If it's overcast try a blue shad Rapala floater.

or

Try a small Red Devle ...bounce it off the rocks.

If I had to guess I would say they are probably fishing somewhere around grass. It seems like that's how they do things in that area. I have only fished

there one time so I can't really be of any help.

JT Bagwell

thanks for the help guy's, I appreciate everyones opinion. The next time I can get out is wed night, club tourny. I talked to some local guy's who have done ok lately, they think, because of the cold weather we have had over the last couple weeks, the smallmouth haven't spawned yet. they are relating to deep points near spawning beds or current breaks. Guy's have been catching good fish on crawfish colored deep diving crank baits or carolina rigging crayfish style baits on deep edges of sandbars, in current near shallow water. The weather is going to break this week with some sun and highs in the 60's, should make the fish move up somewhat.

thanks jeff