I grew up on LM bass, and work has forced me to move to a new area, and the lake I now work at has SM bass.  I was out yesterday, and was using my LM tactics, and apparently I have become quite the walleye fisherman. :-[ Do I need to change my way of thinking to catch SM? Compared to the last lake I was at, this one is considerably deeper(157'), with very steep banks, and due to "issues", it will be 15' lower than normal for a few years, so there is very little bank cover. Can someone point me in the right direction to start?

Thanks

I'm sure you'll get some more detailed responses. But to simplify and answer your question;Yes you will have to re-think things just a little untill you learn the lake. First thing I would do is look for a shallower  flat hopefully with reeds, stones, or some rocks. Then I fish chug bugs in the mornings and toss or drag tubes and grubs when it isn't too windy. In the wind smallies LOVE spinner baits or in-line spinners like a mepps.

   Good luck, your in for a treat if you haven't caught smallies before.

Largemouth are FUN, smallmouth are an experience! You get a 2lb fish and you'll think you have a lunker LM on ther only with speed, agility and power. Then come the leaps....oh my, acrobatic head tossing insanity. There is no more fun than smallie fishing for me.

Sometimes you feel like you are fishing for eye's or trout and sometime, BAM!, strike that make your heart skip. Hard to find, hard to catch where I am and when a big one comes along...4lbs on the river I fish, look out, 6lb test and lots of fun..loads of fun. Lakes are great too....watching them fly out of the water 100 ft from the boat is something special.

I got "hooked" about 15 years ago and while I don't turn down a Bucketmouth trip, I look for those smallies almost exclusively. Truly "the gamest freshwater fish lb for lb"

This same thing happened to me a few years ago when I moved from South Alabama to Middle Tennessee.  I was used to fishing for Large Mouth exclusively.  I was used to having structure such as logs, cypress trees, stumps, grass, lily pads, etc.  Then I came here, to Tims Ford, a man-made lake.  Virtually no structure except for rocks and bridges.  I always thought large mouth bass were the only "real" game fish, and small mouth were a lesser species.  I wouldn't even try to learn how to catch a small mouth.  As I spent countless days fishing, and catching virtually nothing but a few large mouth once in a while on a crank bait or spinner bait, I realized that I had to learn more about fishing for small mouth, or else it was going to ruin my fishing experience.  For me personally, I still prefer pulling frogs through grass and lily pads, and seeing the large mouth come up and engulf it.  But I must say, if I'm pulling a tube or a senko over a rocky ledge, and I get a bite, I'm hoping it's a smallie on the other end of my line.  The truth is, SMB fight harder in open water.  When you hook up, you immediately know it is a small mouth.  

My advice to you is, learn what you can about small mouth fishing.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded for your efforts.

Just to clear up the terminology:

Structure = bottom contour

Ledges, humps, points, creek beds, roads, gravel flats and

pools are examples. Think permanent, not temporary features.

Cover = vegetation, broadly defined

Most of the reservoirs on the Tennessee River system are

predominately "structure" lakes the better part of the year.

Guntersville would be an exception and there may be others.

Another huge difference is current. Even if you don't notice

water release, it generally has a big impact on the fishing. If you

fish the upper "river" portions of the reservoirs, current is everything.

8-)

Just to clear up the terminology:

Structure = bottom contour

Ledges, humps, points, creek beds, roads, gravel flats and

pools are examples. Think permanent, not temporary features.

Cover = vegetation, broadly defined

Most of the reservoirs on the Tennessee River system are

predominately "structure" lakes the better part of the year.

Guntersville would be an exception and there may be others.

Another huge difference is current. Even if you don't notice

water release, it generally has a big impact on the fishing. If you

fish the upper "river" portions of the reservoirs, current is everything.

8-)

Thanks for the clarification RW.  Where is Germantown?  Based on your avatar pic, it looks like I need to hook up with you to learn how to really catch Smallies.  Those are some beautiful fish!  

Memphis metro, east side. The smallmouth in my avatar

were caught below Pickwick Dam. Maybe we can hook-up

some weekend, I'm there a lot!

-Kent  a.k.a. roadwarrior

8-)

Memphis metro, east side. The smallmouth in my avatar

were caught below Pickwick Dam. Maybe we can hook-up

some weekend, I'm there a lot!

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

8-)

What model barge do you use to haul those monsters around in? ;D

NICE fish!

Memphis metro, east side. The smallmouth in my avatar

were caught below Pickwick Dam. Maybe we can hook-up

some weekend, I'm there a lot!

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

8-)

Seriously, that would be great.  Just say the word, and I'm there.

Thanks for the replies, I'm a slow learner, but I've been tearin' em' up the last couple of days from the bank with mepps spinners, and kelly's worms. Old topo maps from before the lake was filled also helps. I sure can feel the difference though! those guys would pull you're arm off if you let them, when I think I have a small 6" smallie, it turns out to be an 18" walleye. ;D