Small Mouth Tactics

[Makojoe0317]

I mainly fish the schukyll from Limerick/Pottstown down to Phoenixville, with really good success especially in the spring and early summer on 1/4 oz spinners and soft plastics. Most of my success comes in the faster moving water over rockey bottom. It is not uncommon to have a 30 fish day. I am looking for tactics to fish the deeper holes, where I know the bigger fish lay. I do not have much success in these areas. Any suggestions on lure selection, when to fish these areas, etc?

[Brian E. Mullaney]

Deeper holes you can target with a caroina rig or plastic with a appropriate jig head. Swim the lure on the bottom ot try short hops.

[mch]

Early in the season drag a Don's Millenium hair jig (dark) as slow as possible along the bottom. I'm dure it doesen't HAVE to be a Don's jig any suitable Maribu or Rabbit hair jig will work.

The rest of the season I use a watermellon senko with no weight, they love a senko as it's dropping.

[Brian E. Mullaney]

As MCH mentions the hair jig is deadly in cold water - so is the Silver Buddy or any blade bait style.

[mch]

Brian, I plan on picking up one of those silver buddies you mentioned. I remember you posting about them before.

[Brian E. Mullaney]

they are incredible in the cold water. A must have IMO.

[TSStriper]

On the Delaware river the Fat Albert is very popular along with small spinners.

[hipkvw]

Originally posted by Brian E. Mullaney:
Deeper holes you can target with a caroina rig or plastic with a appropriate jig head. Swim the lure on the bottom ot try short hops. My biggest Jersey small mout came on a 10" worm Carolina Rigged in 25' of water. Spruce Run.

[hipkvw]

Blades are AMAZING when they are suspending. That goes for crappie and largemouth as well as they will often school together in the winter.

[Makojoe0317]

Brian, can you post some pics of these lures? I know you are the pic master.
Joe

[Sea Devil]

i have been using zooms on every fishing trip on the river (schukyll)

they work great but i like the silver buddies too have a couple may have to try em soon

makojoe... sold the yak have a bassboat now we will have to get together

Bob

[ 02-07-2005, 06:26 PM: Message edited by: Sea Devil ]

[hipkvw]

Originally posted by MrAndMrsBassBarn:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mch:
Brian, I plan on picking up one of those silver buddies you mentioned. I remember you posting about them before. If your using silver buddies...they get hung up often if fished right....to prevent from losing alot of them....when hung up...slide a spark plug down the line on a paper clip...shake like heck...it will come free more often then not.

Beltsville and wallenpalpack, good lure in the spring. </font>[/QUOTE]Yep...if you are jigging brush piles..buy or make a plug knocker.

[Brian E. Mullaney]

Originally posted by Makojoe0317:
Brian, can you post some pics of these lures? I know you are the pic master.
Joe Sure smile.gif


Silver Buddy

http://www.landbigfish.com/images/store/SB-SilverBuddy.jpg

Rabbit Hair Jig

http://www.hunting-fishing-gear.com/dbpix/Rabbithair-l.jpg

Heddon Tiny Torpedo

http://www.nbswebstore.com/cgi-bin/web_store/Html/Images/HE404.jpg

[Brian E. Mullaney]

Oh Staley Wdge Spinner bait - dual willow leaf in white, chartruse & black.

[ 02-08-2005, 02:23 PM: Message edited by: Brian E. Mullaney ]

[fishin fool]

That stretch of river brings back memories. We used to always bring a minnow net and usually were able to get enough for the trip. Either that or there are a couple of areas you could rely on kicking up a few hellgrammites. As far as artificials it was always Carolina rigged rubber worm for deeper areas or roostertails ?usually white- mister twisters or original rapala

[Sea Devil]

fishin fool

i live in phoenixville area
found some nice spots in spring city best is an 18 incher by the car wash on the river .

used to have a yak and launch from the industrial park area

[PAWayne]

Jigs (dark)tipped with a piece of nightcrawler, always deadly. Suspending 2 1/2" Rapala also good, let it drift as if injured, with a twitch once in a while.

[fishin fool]

Sea Devil

Lots of good smallmouth fishing from Pottstown to P-ville. Most of my favorite spots are down your way. I like to float from lock 60 to the parking lot in VF just past pawlings rd

[Makojoe0317]

We should all float the river and have a little friendly competition this spring.

[fishin fool]

That sounds like a blast

[Sea Devil]

yeah it does guys

i just didnt get a chance to do that float and i sold my yak but yeah i have fished that area from the lock to vf and had some great days and evenings smile.gif

[Bunka Chunka]

Hair Jigs and Deep Diving Crankbaits,I have also had success with 3"-4" Tubes in Smoke/ Purpleglitter with 1/8 oz heads.The 3" Senkos are good also.Have only fished Silver buddies on Senaca and Cayuga lake and they performed well with the Smallies,HRL

[VDAWG]

http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/11/02/61/i110261hz04.jpg
you may wanna give these a shot especially # 398
Ive fished the same area and these kick arse !

[ 02-09-2005, 08:33 AM: Message edited by: VDAWG ]

[Brian E. Mullaney]

Originally posted by Makojoe0317:
We should all float the river and have a little friendly competition this spring. I have an ocean kayak and would be game for a little smallie competition smile.gif

[finesser]

Originally posted by Makojoe0317:
I mainly fish the schukyll from Limerick/Pottstown down to Phoenixville, with really good success especially in the spring and early summer on 1/4 oz spinners and soft plastics. Most of my success comes in the faster moving water over rockey bottom. It is not uncommon to have a 30 fish day. I am looking for tactics to fish the deeper holes, where I know the bigger fish lay. I do not have much success in these areas. Any suggestions on lure selection, when to fish these areas, etc? Great smallie fishing the schuykll around Limerick,Pottstown.Phoenixville area. Up till about eight to ten yrs ago used to drive right behind the limerick power plant right up to the river and wade. Usually only my buds and myself and caught constantly. Then they started to get fuel from New England from another power plant by train and you couldnt even park anywhere near the plant,now its worse after 9/11. I like to go to Pawlings road and wade up and down sometimes from where the Perkiomen flows in. Was there last Oct with minnows caught a few by the Island. If you were allowed to hunt there it would be a hunters paradise for deer. While wading around the Island I stopped to watch a six pointer in the water getting a drink he saw me and just continued drinking plus there were ducks swimming in the same area. That made the trip worthwhile even if I had gotten skunked. Right now I am in Delaware about ten minutes from the Brandywine around Beaver Valley and the Brandywine state park beautiful place around there most of it belonging to the Woodlawn Trust the state park and probably the Duponts most of it open to the public with trails fishing allowed no hunting though too many people around.
I have fished the Brandywine often from chester county on down. Lots of smallies but not as big as the Schuykll but I will be out there shortly.
Mike

[pmjasper]

Ha Brian and his Silver Buddy!!! I think he had a 4 oz model too. He loves those things.

Now if you guys choose to float the delaware River i might be game. Toying with the idea of getting a small jon boat and trolling motor. If we had guys to pick-up and drop off that would make for a nice trip. Or we could just rent river rafts and float down. I'm always up for smallies.

pmjasper9@yahoo.com

[ReadyJettyGo]

I'm in on the smallie trip.Lets get it on!

Berkeley Power Grubs. 3" long. Pumpkinseed. 'Nuff said.

[Brian E. Mullaney]

Smallmouth bi-catch. Brother Kevin and I where fishing Silver Buddies for smallies and I cast it off a drop-off and had this lake trout grab my silver buddy.

Somehow it's teeth didn't nick the line.

http://www.saltwaterflyfishing.net/laker.jpg

[ 02-22-2005, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: Brian E. Mullaney ]

[REELKNOT]

I use live bait-mostlt minnows.I have had 100 plus days on the river up around Frenchtown area.I donot do alot of freshwater fishing anymore because of hte boat down the shore.

[REELKNOT]

I would run a minnow needle through the bait and attach a treble hook.workes well with alot of bait fish.