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Smallmouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Well boys, it's getting close to that time of year when all species are finally vulnerable.

For me, wading SE MN streams/rivers for smallmouth is not only a passion, but an obsession! We have two weeks to get out there and nail some pig smallies.

If you have the time, take a couple of hours and do some scouting. It could pay off with some post spawning females. With the rivers finally reaching stability, some might even still be on or near their beds.

So get those polarized shades on and look for slack water adjacent to faster runs and riffles! What your looking for is the lighter shaded 2-3 foot in diameter spawning beds. Once you spot one, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!

I recommend throwing top-water over the beds, making a real ruckous, then holding still! IF the top-water doesn't work draw a spinner through the middle of the slack area or just off the main run, where the beds have been located. I gotta stop, or I'll go crazy! Just two weeks!!

Let us know if you have any early season tactics to share or if your just plain excited to feel that strong/steadfast bend of your rod!!!!! Jim W

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I do have a way that i(most of the time) catch my fair amount of smallmouths. What i do is go out and get me a package of Zoom 6" plastic lizards. In the June Bug color. Texas rig it, toss it out to a likely spot(rocky shoreline,deep(er) holes, or any spot that i would normally fish for smallies. For about 3 or so years that has worked very good on Lake Zumbro. Anywhere downriver from fishermens inn. There are litterally hundreds upon hundreds of yards of rocky shoreline along the zumbro. That and the largemouth bite well in just about every area of the zumbro. I do have a few honey holes on the river that i really cant explain but would if i could. Other than that i would just toss me out a bobber and worm. That seems to catch a fair amount of smallies too!! Bass fever just set in when i wrote this....CANT WAIT TILL BASS OPENER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
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    • SkunkedAgain
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
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