“ I ’ ll always look for them when fishing for shallow smallmouth .”
— MLF pro Jonathon VanDam
Jonathon VanDam finds shallow smallmouth on sunny , windy days by fishing near pencil reeds with a fast-moving bait , like this Strike King swim jig .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
Lakes , but you can catch them shallow , too . In my experience , catching them in shallow water will get you better-thanaverage fish , but it ’ s not a numbers deal like you ’ ll find out deep .”
Washington ’ s Clausen agrees and theorizes that not all bass head to deep water , even in the summer heat , and anglers don ’ t always have to fish offshore to find them .
“ The water temperature never gets too warm for them in northern waters ,” Clausen said . “ The baitfish – whether crawfish , perch , gobies , or sculpin – live shallow , too . Smallmouth are comfortable in the shallow water and have plenty of food , so they never have to leave . I think it ’ s more fun to catch in shallow water anyways because you can fish a lot faster and use different baits .”
Wisconsin ’ s Stefan has similar thoughts on why some smallmouth always tend to be shallow .
“ I believe there are two groups of smallmouth ,” he said . “ Those that head offshore after they spawn and the others that stay shallow all year long . They stay there until the fall , when they head to deeper water and their wintering holes .”
What to look for
Among this trio , the common first starting place is flats , which offer the perfect area for bass to roam and look for food in shallow water . While flat areas are essential , subtle things within the flats tend to hold more smallmouth than others .
“ I generally look for flats between 4 and 14 feet ,” Stefan said . “ I ’ m looking for little key differences in the bottom composition , whether rock transitions , little humps , or areas with some sand or gravel mixed in . If you can find some grass , that doesn ’ t hurt either – just something with a nice mix of bottom cover .”
Stefan likes to mark key areas on his electronics and run through them multiple times during the day , as he has learned that new fish will continually appear when they ’ re ready to feed .
“ I ’ ll cycle through all of these areas throughout the day ,” Stefan said . “ The fish will gravitate to these very specific spots , and you may catch one or two , but if you come back later , more fish will have shown up and you ’ ll catch one or two more . These fish are constantly looking for the same kinds of places to feed .”
VanDam also seeks flats with bottom composition transitions from rock to sand , sand to grass , or slight changes in contours . Another telltale sign is the presence of pencil reeds . While they make a great largemouth habitat , even on the Great Lakes , VanDam knows they grow in the perfect places for smallmouth .
“( Pencil reeds ) will only root and grow in places with a hard bottom , which is what the smallmouth want ,” he said . “ Largemouth will generally be tucked up into the reeds and the smallmouth will be out in front of them on main lake stuff that ’ s more current-oriented . You can find these reeds on classic smallmouth waters like the St . Lawrence River in New York , Lake St . Clair in Michigan , and Lake Erie has some of it . I ’ ll always look for them when fishing for shallow smallmouth .”
When searching flats for sand spots , grass , and other bottom compositions , VanDam also pays attention to other tiny ( but important ) details .
“ You want the bottom to be clean ,” he said . “ Many times during the summer , there will be moss on the bottom in some places and that ’ s no good . The fish gravitate to the cleanest bottoms
36 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023