Hey I’ve been keeping track for a couple of years, and I was just curious what the coldest water temperature that other people have been able to consistently catch smallmouth in the past? Let me know what you think?
Just to get the bar started somewhere, there was still a pretty good bite at 50 degrees last weekend.
Was down at pepin 1998 in december and temp was 45. Fantastic shallow water crankbait bite.(baby minus one) Same area you and I fished in KFAN, jesdall. Thinkin about headin down again soon.
Last year I chased them all the way down to 39 degrees with a consistent crank bait bite. Topwater down to 45, but very finicky. I have caught smallmouth in 33 degree water when fishing walleyes last spring (saw 3 caught one day so not a fluke). But never consistent. Funny but in the spring it’s hard to get them started below 45 or so but the fall if you stay on fish you can get them to bite when it’s a lot colder.
MNFish,
Better get to Pepin soon…. like now! Bassin’s been great and that shallow water cranking you spoke of is the ticket. We’ve been getting our fish on #5 shad raps pitched up tight to rip rap with most of the fish pounding the bait in 2′ – 3′ of water. Perch pattern has been the ticket. Not huge numbers of fish but the average size is great with the largest we’ve taken running up to 4.5 Lb’s. I’ve got that dandy on another roll I’ll develop when I shoot the rest of the film but here’s a couple of nice pics from “before the big blow” that knocked all the leaves off the trees.
By the way, the water temp was in the upper 40’s.
There’s still some bass catchin’ yet to be done!
James Holst
Moving Waters Guide Service
http://www.movingwaters.net
It’s always interesting to see how cool of water temperature the topwater bite will still exist. Two years ago I experienced a sluggish smallie bite at 43 degrees.
I occassionally catch smallies in the middle of the winter rigging bait. Water temps mid to low 30’s. The rip rap on the MN shoreline south of the lock on pool 4 is usually where that happens. February – early March, prior to any rise in the water volume or flow, and near the VERY deep water at the very south end of that stretch of rock. There’s very little to any current in there in the winter and I’m assuming that these fish make use of the deeper water most of the time. This does happen very infrequently though and each and every time it is a pleasant surprise…. although the poor buggers fight lethargically at best given the super cold water temps.
James Holst
Moving Waters Guide Service
http://www.movingwaters.net
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