May is a great time for smallmouth bass fishing on Powell - the most exciting fishing Powell has to offer in my opinion. For the most part I use two techniques for smallmouth fishing as they work very well most of the time. The first, and the most consistent, is the drop shot. My views on tackle is a little different than some of the folks, especially for drop shot fishing. To begin with, I like a light action spinning rod from 6-0 to 6-6 in length. I do NOT want an ultra fast action. I like a 70-30 to 65-35 type action which means there is a 30 to 35% tip flex. Most fast action rods are 80-20 to 85-15. These are way too fast for drop shot fishing IMHO, and for most other fishing as well. I will explain a bit later.
The best available rods with the right actions are Cabela's Fish Eagles. They are not the best built rods, but their light action blanks in these lengths have just about the perfect actions. They have cork handles which I prefer. I absolutely detest other handle material. The great thing about these rods is they retail for around $60 and can often be purchased on sale for $40-$50 - the best value, I believe, in fishing rods. Their fishability with the techniques I use is far superior to rods that cost 3-4 times as much, and that's a fact.
As for reels I'm using Pflueger Presidents, again the best value in spinning reels I have found. I used to fish higher dollar Shimanos but kept having bail springs wear out on me after less than one season of fishing - something total unacceptable in reels costing $150 plus. I've yet to wear out one of these Pfluegers show any signs of wear even after several years of hard use. Again, they retail for $50-$60 and can often be found on sale for less. They have a very smooth drive and their drags are the smoothest I've ever encountered in spinning reels - again far superior to Shimanos I've owned costing over three times as much. These are not "cheap" reels. They are simply tremendous values for their cost.
My favorite main line is 10-14 pound test Berkley Fireline Crystal, however any decent braid or fused superline will work just fine. I used to use Power Pro braid but I like the handling characteristics of the Fireline Crystal better. To this I add 15 to 20 feet of 8 pound test fluorocarbon. There are a number of good fluorocarbons out there, and, like the rods and reels, the better ones aren't always the most expensive. Since I'm only using the fluorocarbon as leader material, castability on spinning gear is not important. What is important is abrasion resistance, especially so now with all the mussels in the lake, and knot strength. Fluorocarbon is nearly invisible to the fish in clear water and is essential in any sort of finesse fishing on Powell.
I drop shot mostly with 1/4 oz. sinkers as I've found they work well in just a few feet of water out to around 40 feet in calm conditions. It's a good idea to have a few 3/8 oz. drop shot weights on hand if the wind really kicks up. For hooks I use circle hooks exclusively. I like the #3 Yamamoto split shot hook with is equivalent to a 1/0 hook for skinny plastics. For thicker baits the #1 size is best. The key to using these hooks is not to use the tradition Bill Dance/Jimmy Houston heavy over-the-head hookset. With these hooks when you feel a fish you simply start reeling and gently sweep the rod into fighting position. If you use a hard hookset you'll pull the hooks out of the fish's mouth.
My favorite drop shot bait is the Yamamoto Shad Shaped Worm in the watermelon/white laminate color with my second favorite color being natural shad. These are the only two colors you really need on Powell. Solid watermelon, baby bass, green pumpkin and several other colors will work as well.
My weightless Senko setup is pretty much the same except I prefer a 7-0 Fish Eagle in a medium light action. I can cast a Senko further with the longer rod and I like the leverage I can put on the fish as well. As for Senko colors, I like the same ones I use with the Shad Shaped Worm. Fishing a weightless Senko is easy. Simply wacky rig it (hooking it through the middle letting the ends dangle), cast it out and let it settle down on an open reel bail. If you see the line start to run or simply jump or suddenly stop, engage the reel and gently sweep back the rod. Sometimes you won't see any visible signs of a take, but when you tighten down the slack you'l either feel the fish or just a bit of extra weight on the line. Again, reel down and sweep the rod back. This technique is deadly in the spring and again in the fall when bass are often found on the tops of the reefs and shelves in 6-12 feet of water.
As for my preference for lighter action more limber rods, since I'm using low and no-stretch lines it's important to have some give in the rod. Setting a loose drag is critical, too. If the rod is too stiff and the drag is set too tight circle hooks tend to pop out. A setup with plenty of give and just the right amount of resistance will cause a circle hook to dig in deeper. Here's another thing most fishermen don't know about stiff rods. When fishing bottom scratching techniques with low stretch lines you'll get far more hangups if your rod is too stiff. When a jig head or sinker comes in contact with a rock crevice a stiff rod will drive the sinker into the crevice. A more limber rod will load up keeping the sinker from driving in and will actually help flip the sinker over the rock. I've seen times when I've fished nearly all day with hardly any hangups while the guy in the back of my boat fishing a stiff rod was hung up constantly, losing a lot of sinkers and hooks and in the process - not to mention the fishing time lost re-rigging. This is not something I'm making up. I've seen it happen over and over again.
These are my smallmouth setups and have served me well for many years. Other guys have their opinions and that's fine. This is simply what works for me!
Ed Gerdemann
wayneswords.net
