Mississippi River Smallie Report 8-16-08

The smallmouth bass bite here on the upper Mississippi remains strong as we creep through the dog days of summer. Warm temps and traditionally low water levels bring aggressive and cooperative fish if you know where to look and how to approach these scrappy bronzebacks.

Shallow skinny water fish can be excessively spooky at times, so presentations and boat control can be very important factors to a successful day. The past couple of days have shown fish to be located in some of the faster current areas waiting for an easy ambush meal, so typically these fish are the most active and aggressive fish to catch and these fish often react well to quick horizontal presentations to provoke a reaction strike. We had our best results with the ¼ oz Jimmy D’s Swim jig coupled with a 5”grub or various trailers. Some of the best colors have been brown, white or a pumpkinseed. Colors of the grub trailers typically follow the color of the jig but we had found this past weekend contrast colors had little to no effect on some of these fish and may even been a benefit! A medium to fast retrieve had worked best for us pitching shorelines.

What happens if these fish are not out in the current chasing down these fast aggressive horizontal presentations? We’ll its time to go into the deep cover and work them out. Timber, grass, and steep sandbar breaks are all areas worth checking out. Some of these areas may be out of the current so do not overlook those structure areas, as these can yield some of the biggest fish in the system. Here a heavier approach like a texas rigged tube is needed to work inside some of the thicker cover while small lightweight jigs such as Jimmy D’s 1/16th or 3/32 oz jigs work very well while probing the edges of grass mats and baron sandbars. This is the time of year where smallies really begin their congregations, so keeping a watchful eye out for followers while fighting a fish can reward your partner with another bonus fish!

I don’t often talk about the rig that I use or a rig that a guy should use for these river smallies as a guy can use everything from a deep fiberglass tournament rig to a small 12 foot jon boat or canoe, but I cannot express my beliefs enough with these River Pro boats. I have a 2006 196 LoPro jet boat made by RiverPro boats. These are the finest river machines I have ever had the pleasure to run. Not only the boats performance and fish ability is top notch but the customer service you get when you purchase one of these phenomenal boats. The man behind the scenes at RP is Kevin Turner. I have owned many different boats in my day and have to ever see someone take care of their customer like Kevin does! Thank you Kevin!