Smallmouth Bass?

Hello-
            I am looking to hunt for Smallmouth Bass.

Any suggestions on a location in the north bay would be great.

Thanks to all who respond.

Jack

Rocks.

Yep, they love rocks!

I would try fishing  around rocks

I'm new to smallies.  When people say rocks, are we talking gravel, boulders, or does it not matter?

Michael

I would say try sticking around hard rocks, they seem to like them better.

Slammer,

I too have thought about targeting the smallies on occasion if nothing else because here in the delta at least they are not really targeted much and they sound like a better fight than LMB. Some people will even tell you there are no smallies in the delta.

Granted in a lot of the lakes they are found they are fished more heavily. I am looking for smallies specifically in the delta though, so all the information below that I have come across(not much) is directly related to delta smallies. Some of this information may cross over to lakes as well I just do not know.

Found more in the Sacramento river than the San Joaquin river if I understand correctly because the water is generally colder.

Word around town says good areas on the San Joaquin start near Stockton and go east and south. Never fished for smallies or fished on the delta out by Stockton so I don't know much more that that.

On the Sacramento you have to really do your research because some sloughs are always colder than the rest of the river system. These tend to be the sloughs where the smallies hang out. I hear from a good source that smallies can be taken out near The Meadows - don't know more. I'd look for deeper colder water with rock structure. Also I have personally seen one smallie on a stringer while fishing at Steamboat slough as well. I want to say I saw a fishing map online with more areas marked - maybe at Fish Sniffer they have a lot of maps online.

Besides that most other info about lake smallies applies - just remember if fishing the delta to apply the lake info to the delta. Example a lot of people will say fish deep in the summer etc. in a lake. Well in the delta your deepest water tends to be dredged areas, which means mud ~ not really smallie structure. However the deeper in a lake comment usually is because of water temp in the lake. So instead of finding the deepest water on the delta find the coldest with the right structure etc.

Jeff

The meadows is Delta Meadows.

-Brian G

I've never seen a smallmouth at the meadows. Might be some in the cross channel or Snodgrass.

I have seen them at the Cosumnes Reserve during the summer months.

Al

Hey Slammer,

Your profile says you live in Ukiah.  If I were you, I don't think I'd travel much more than say 10 miles to get a smallmouth.  Plenty of underwater rocks in Ukiah ... dam good rocks too.

But if you really want to drive to the central valley, at nearly $4/gal for gas, that's your choice.

Brian

Yup... I'm with Brian on this one. If you live in Ukiah you don't need to go farther than Mendo to find a SMB. Either there or on the Russian. As for what to use to get them... think LMB except down size your lures a bit. Oh yeah... and look for rocks. Good luck to you...

Freddie

     Hi Slammer
     Rocks is right. Try trolling the riprap on the dam at Lake Mendocino or the rocky points east side. Lake Sonoma same thing. I've had good results trolling small lures like #5 Rapala Shad Raps, 3" Rapala Original Floating Minnows, and Luhr Jensen 1/4oz Speed Traps in shad or fire tiger color depending on water conditions. The Russian River can be really hot for SMB when they are spawning. The drift from Alexander Valley bridge to Memorial beach in April/May/June, hard to pin down exact timing deepens on conditions, with a silver/black Rapala is super some times you catch em two at a time one on the front and one on the back hook. The other key rig is a drop shot with a 4" straight tail worm green pumpkin color.
      Tight lines Dale

I've tried to target them@Mendo in all the spots mentioned w/o luck(four days of dedication)....trolling minnows for striper and getting a PhatSmallie is the only way i can catch them up there!

Lake Sonoma has ones that eat non-minnow stuff like.. crawdad immitations, or anything that looks yummy to eat.
see pics~ this CUSTOM MADE jobber was getting them last spring....powdercoated, w/glittered&red fingernail polish(thanks honey!) lifelike eyes: supplied by ElMarko!
got more on a deepdiving crawdad ***out of  THE ROCKS**

They like wood too.