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Smith Lake
Only been to Smith once. Wow what different place to fish compared to my normal Coosa lakes. I keep hearing “find herring” for big spotted bass. Any tips for located the schools of herring in late fall and winter? Not looking for anyones fishing holes just advice on things to look for and to try to have success at catching one of those big Smith Lake spots! Thanks in advance!
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Never fished Smith Lake, but a herring lake is a herring lake regardless of where it is. This time of year, I would idle around just outside main lake points looking for balls of bait on my graphs. After you find them, a small swim bait pulled through the bait would be my first choice.
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Thanks for the response. Me and the son are just getting going bass fishing in the last year or so. Never fished a herring lake before before this. Thats pretty close to what we have tried but its proving hard to find what seems like herring at all on Smith for us! Lol
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I live on Smith Lake, and it is big, really 3 different lakes, depending on how you like to fish. Yes, the herring balls come and go, and trying to find them can be a daunting process, they come up and all hell breaks loose for 15 minutes and then gone. Spots feed up, hanging in deeper water. Fish a spook or other top water, even though it is more than 100' deep, they will come get it. They also cruise just offshore in 25' of water along rock bluffs, smallest bomber A you have on very light line, spy bait, 3" fluke with no weight.
You can also find them on the many sandbars and rock piles with spinner bait, jerk baits, and vibrating jigs.
Best advice is small baits, very light line 6# or less, little weight and speedy retrieves, find rock piles, steep banks and main lake points, and keep a topwater handy at all times.
Don't waste a bunch of time with electronics, herring stay on surface and and only can be found with forward looking sonar, if you have it.
Slot limit is a pain, as a 16" spot is over 3 lbs. You can catch 50 14" spots and cant keep any of them, and you can catch 100 12" spots, but finding them over 16" is not easy right now.
We catch fish regularly, as many as we want, but it takes some work to learn the lake and its down 10' now from full pool, good time to ride around and learn where the sandbars and rockpiles are for spring time when lake is back full.
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A couple of additional thoughts. Mo deep ledges here, lake is 66' avg depth, deepest I've found is 400+' deep. Thermocline is at 45', currently lake is 50 surface temp and thermocline is 45, lake really does not turn over except in shallower areas. Little to no wood in lake, boat houses all float due to large level swings. Average size of spots has almost doubled since herring came to the lake about 10 years ago. Spots are all suspended, don't relate to structure in same way LM do, more cruising around in packs. There are big LM in back of creeks, but low water will keep you out of their areas for the most part.
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Thank you guys a ton! We have had good luck figuring things out with some guidance. Im sure this stuff will help a lot!
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