Pool 5 Drawdown Smallies

This year there was a drawdown on pool 5 and the smallmouth fishing was very tough to say the least. Just wondering how others targeted smallies during drawdown conditions.

Most of the quality fish I caught were actually using some weeds and logs in backwater sloughs with current. This to me seems the opposite of conventional thinking. I would have thought with the water as low as it was that the main channel would have been more productive than it actually was. Also the main river dams and current breaks that had always been productive in the past only seemed to harbor smaller fish. This topic has really puzzled me this year. I’m looking for general information here and hopefully a good discussion of this situation.

Matt

Matt,

I’m not sure it was just pool 5. I couldn’t find em any where on pool 4 last summer. Anyone got an answer?

John

I had a similar experience down here on pool 8 myself. The wingdams i usually fish with cranks and plastics were far short of “on fire” this year, We used to catch a lot of 2-3 pounders off these wingdams in the past. This year, there were way to many 10-13″ smallies and i don’t think i caught more than 5-10 keeper sized smallies off of there the whole year. Course, these aren’t conventional wingdames, they are just small wingies that stick out off of a sand bar, only to about 15 feet out. Still hold lots of crawdads,walleye, cats, bass, and sunnies. The oddest moment for smallies of the year, and possibly of my life was catching a 15-1/2 inch smallie out of 2 fow in thick weeds/slop on a swim jig.

I’d like to know what the answer to that is myself. I struggled on Pool 5 last year. I targeted mostly largemouth and even that was tough.

From what I saw, they were not all over like a normal pool, but when you found em’, there was alot of both the greens and browns together

On pool 9 last year i was throwing spinnerbaits in the middle of the pool on weedlines and caught almost all smallies, good ones too. It was pretty weird. But they were mixed in with largies.

Thanks for the response guys . Eric in regards to your statement are we talking main channel or running sloughs? I found the LM schooled up but not much for smallies with them.

I had a odd yr last yr for smallies. Not a bad year but different. I caught several smallmouth in the 3lb to 5lb range. What was odd about it is that none of them came off of wingdams. All smallies i got off the wingdams was on the small side. In the main river i found rock flats and rock ledges that held big smallies.
The pattern for the back water or running sloughs held all year long. Find deep water with a blow down in it next to sand flats and smallies was in it. If you happen to find an area like that and it has holes in the bank set on it all day and have a blast. This worked for me last yr but i had the worst L M yr i’ve had in awhile. I dont think i caught one LM over 4 lbs and very few over 3lbs. Most of my LM was on the small side. Help!!!

I typically found them off the beaten path. More slough stuff with current and baitfish. Being the pool was down they were forced to follow the baitfish to what seemed like obvious places, once I found them. Thats about all I can say about that.
I can relate to the smaller fish on the wingers. Thats probably my weakness though.

Thanks for the imput guys, it is certainly appreciated .

The only thing I caught on pool 5 were leeches on my ankles while I was pushing my boat…

At least you didn’t have to goto the emergency room for that…

I DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I don`t fish bass much any more mostly walleyes. But had the chance to fish the Blackriver at LaCross this summer and I was catching LM and SM in places I was searching for walleyes. Shallower sand flats and some mud flats 6 to 8 FTW breaking into deeper 14 To 18 FTW water. Off of one break caught three LM over 4 lbs using ring worms. Another break was catching SM just about every cast largest went 3.5 lbs. There was a ton of small gills and perch off these breaks. Not one walleye though but it was a blast.

All went back.

Did this get anyones attention?

Yes sir!

Yes, but I know that as soon as I do that, I’ll start hauling in 8 lb walleyes.