Sand Flats and Smallies, Please Teach Me

OK so I have heard that smallies will relate to sand flats in the spring. Can anyone give me more info as to why and more specific as to where?

There are many islands that run along our area and there is a sand flat both on the upstream and downstream of most of them.

Does the area need to be on the main channel or not?

How deep is the ideal surrounding water?

What is the best way to fish them?

Why are they there?

I am tired of going to “spots” which have produced in the past for me. I need to LEARN! Thats right I’m not so smart but am willing to learn. I am not interested in finding out someone elses honey hole. I would rather have someone inform me as to the hows and whys so I can find that type of terrain in my own area.

Thanks for teaching a slow learner.

Ever heard of Bassmasters Magazine

Heywood,

Unlike the above worthless post , I’ll try to give you something valuable.

I agree that I don’t always just want to be “shown” good spots.(Even though I won’t minde…lol) My best advice on fishing these flats is to fish them all one day, and see what happens. Fish both the upstream and downstream….use different presentations etc…

What this will do for you is help you identify any different/or similar characteristics that each flat might hold, and even if you aren’t catching fish at the moment, knowning the layout of those flats may yield at a later time. I’m sure each of those flats aren’t exactly the same, and 1 may out produce that the others. By fishing/studying all those flats, you can determine what makes one better than the next. I hope that makes sense .

There are several days where i go out w/then intention of finding “new spots” . Some days I come back empty handed, other days, I reap the wealth of my magellan like skills.

Yes, I have hears of Bassmasters Mag but I am not a subscriber.

At any rate I would like to get info from those in the area who understand the details of the river. This will make searching these smallies much more successful and is much more valuable to me than most mag articles who can at best speak in generalities.

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Ever heard of Bassmasters Magazine

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If just reading the Bassmasters Magazine makes a person a superior angler than why do I not see you on the Bassmasters Pro Circuit?

Slop Bass- Thanks for the info…appreciated

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Ever heard of Bassmasters Magazine

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…obviously from Iowa.

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…obviously from Iowa.

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Easy on the Iowa comments. I have some fantastics friends that live south of Minnesota.

Just because Pitbull delivers pizza for Chucky Cheese doesn’t make him all that bad. Besides, he needs the tip $$$ to pay for his Bassmasters subscription.

I know, I know…it was just too easy!

Pitbull…I’ll take a sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese.

I like Bassmaster mag. as well, but most of the articles, and information relate to Southern fishing anyway. I agree with Slop Bass, you must go out as often as you can, and try different spots, and you’ll learn techniques, and patterns relatively quickly. Good Luck Haywood.

-AL

Thats it, Don’t make me come up nor’t, knock you down and take your lunch money. Actually I live in Southern MN, were talking almost to Mo.
jc

Get on the water first thing and jjust float around with Bi-nocks looking for a white and gold champion boat. Follow this boat around and mark all the areas you see him fishing. Then you will have some solid ideas on what makes a good sand flat. If you see a white Triton just ignore this idiot. I think he might be retarded. If there is a guy with a white hooters visor in the back then the only place you will see them going is towards the hospital. They are a couple clowns without the big rubber noses.
jc

That visor is khaki colored, and my……um……that guys nose is more reddish orange.

Visor?

Inspired by Phil Mickelson?

Oh heck no!! Inspired by Hooters!

Did someone say Buffalo Wings!?!?!??

I had Hooters Buffalo wings while i was in FL this past week

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I had Hooters Buffalo wings while i was in FL this past week

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Me too! I had Buffalo Shrimp also. VERY yummy!

hey haywood, finally a little bit on the sand flats, yes, they do produce smallmouth in the spring, i have had better success on the sand a bit later, when water temps are more constant in the mid fifties. with the flow and river low, look for sandy inside corners of wing dams and throw a plastic at them.
Last weekend, alkfish, jighead, and myself fished pool six hard, the best areas on the channel were definately current breaks,(for example, find a bridge piling with good current flowing past and throw a plastic in the seam.) with many largemouth now moving on the channel. In 1.5 days, we logged 42 fish in channel areas, 50-50% lmb and smb with the biggest smb being 19.5″ Check out alkfish’s link at hardcore fishing on the user list. the pics should be up soon.

Pool 6 eh, thats my neck of the woods. Sat was nice but I could not get out. Sunday was…well a bit breezy to say the least. Had some success but boat control was an issue.
Thanks for the tid-bit. I will giver a try.

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering…..when you say “sand flats”, just how sandy are we talking??? is it good to have at least a few scattered rocks and/or brush throughout the flat??? or can a swiming beach be just as productive???

I find the most smallies on the sand flats with water on top of them…. I couldnt resist