Patience pays for big smallmouths

One thing I've learned this summer is that wade fishing is the best way to catch big smallmouth bass.

When floating long distances in a canoe or kayak, an angler feels pressured to fish on the move. That means dragging a soft-plastic on the bottom through long pools, or casting soft-plastics or crankbaits at targets as you drift past them. You generally catch 12-inch fish or smaller. Big fish are a bonus.

I catch my biggest fish when I get out of the boat and work an area thoroughly while standing in the water. Last week's trips on Crooked Creek and the Caddo River have etched that in stone.

The facts are irrefutable. In two days I caught five smallmouths measuring 15 ¾ inches to 17 inches while wade fishing slowly and methodically. Every year Alan Thomas and I each catch 18- and 19-inch fish on one of our favorite creeks while wade fishing. When we fish from the boat, catch rates and sizes go way down.

The reason is because prey items in the water do not move quickly. Lizards and crawdads don't race down a stream, nor do they race away from the bank. Prey items stay still to avoid detection. They move slowly except in short bursts.

I've observed smallmouths underwater with snorkel and goggles. They often watch potential prey for a long time before striking.

On these last trips, I let the bait sit as I tried to visualize what was taking place underwater. I moved the bait only with subtle motions of the rod tip. I used the reel only to take up slack line. Almost every bite came while the lure was still, or shortly after it came to rest after a short hop.

Your senses have to be sharp to fish this way. When your attention wanes, take a little break and take a cool drink, or reapply sunscreen. Move on to another place until your focus returns.

The result will be bigger fish, and more of them.

Sports on 08/02/2015

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