Smallies on deeper sand bars and point.

Early last year we had a discussion on the difficulty of finding smallmouth on deeper sand points and sand bars. Did anyone have better luck as year went on ?

I’ll be interested in the answers to this post too. My partner and I made a concerted effort several times to fish sand flats and establish more patterns that we feel confident in. The results were mixed at best. Some of the areas around PdC don’t have very many sand flats, but while prefishing at La Crosse we concentrated on sand one afternoon. On our first few casts on a nice looking flat we had two hits and landed a nice fish. We were promptly pushed off the flat by a bunch of speed boats that had apparently locked through together. We couldn’t buy another hit when it calmed down. Are fish on these flats coming in to eat and leave, herding minnows, or there and not interested? If the ycome up to feed there where are they at prior to coming up? We never got to the point that our confidence level was high enough to really target these fish. Perhaps swimming jigs would be a good way to go. We threw spinners and cranks and hopped jigs. Does anyone feel there is a best time of day, season or water level for this type of fishing?

Late last September, I got on a pattern where I found two sand points and flats where I caught multiple 17+ inch smallmouth each time out. Both were points with the point facing into the current (or splitting the current you could say) with sand flats on each side. Neither were deep though, one was 2-3 feet on top of the flat, the other 3-4 feet.

Interestingly, the biggest fish I caught (2 were 20+, the other just a shade under 20) were all taken on Chug Bugs. Seemed I could catch them on jigs, flukes, Senkos, cranks, and other plastics at certain times, but the bigger fish all seemed to come on topwater and spinnerbaits.

I think the fish were also moving on and off the flat and point feeding and chasing minnows. I would go 15 minutes without a hit, then get bit on 5 or 6 straight casts. It tried probing what I thought may be the “resting or staging” spots in the area with jigs and Carolina Rigs but could not get bit doing that.

I too have had great success with fishing on sand bars. But they where not very deep. On the avereage 4 to 8 ft. The strange thing that I had happen was during pre-fishing for the BFL in Prairie. I had found a sand point with good currant. So I used a crankbait across it. I stayed in deeper water and threw up across the bar which was about 20 yds across and ran out roughly 150 ft. I caught all my smallies with in 20 ft or close to the bank. And set the hook on more than I should of. However the day of the tourney I ran right away to that spot before I locked through (waiting for barge) and caught nothing but Largemouths. Later in the day I went back there and caught a couple of LM but then the smallies started.

Now not really knowing why that was I just thought maybe it was the time of the day. Which it may have been. The point held plenty of bait fish, and there was plenty over deeper water as well. But I have now thought differently on what happened. But I warn you I could be wrong. What I think may have happen to me was what Jay Yelas was waiting for in the Classic. And that was the water speed of current to kick in. In the morning the barges where moving through the locks. And maybe it turned the LM on. In the afternoon there was no or little water movement and the smallies moved on to the point. One thing I did not try was to fish the deeper water just off the point. Not sure how I could’ve fished is well enough do to faster current speeds. But maybe just use a heavier jig or tube? Anyhow, I will always look for the sand points now. Also the Prairie area doesn’t have many. But the ones that you can fins have lots of fish on them. Both Smallies and LM. And you can bet I fish that one this BFL year too…

Wat this a sand point on the north side of an island? If it was I know where you were and why you found largemouth.
jc