Things You'll Need:
- crawdads,minnows,worms,fishing tackle
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Step 1
Smallmouth bass caught on a live worm in the St.Lawrence riverI thought I would write about fishing for smallmouth bass in the St.Lawrence river.I have fished for bass in the St.Lawrence river all my life.The St.Lawrence river in upstate New York is one of the best bass and pike fishing rivers in the world.Bass and pike fishing from Alexandria Bay to Clayton New York is great as long as you know where to fish.
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Step 2
Lets start with finding the smallmouth bass.You can ask some of the local fisherman or try and find them yourself.I highly suggest that your boat is equipped with a fish finder or depth finder.The first places to check out are shoals that are about15 to 30 feet below the surface with deep water off there edges.You want to anchor your boat upriver to the shoal,upriver meaning the current is heading downriver toward the ocean.The St Lawrence river is full of shoals and a good topo map can help in locating them.The bass are deep in August and September,shallow in late June and July as the water warms up the bass will move to deeper water.One thing to remember is that the St.Lawrence river has very clear water so light line is a must.Smallmouth bass prefer swift water around rocks and shoals while largemouth bass in the St.Lawrence river tend to stay shallow around weed beds and lily pads.
How to rig your fishing pole is important.Use a small to medium hook with a light split shot sinker, 6 to 8 pound line on a medium action pole.We do not use snap swivels but tie the line to the hook its best to use doubly gut hooks.The sinker should be about 3 feet up the line from the hook to give the live bait plenty of room to move around along the bottom.You make your cast upriver and let the bait sink and bounce along the top of the shoal.You must cast upriver this is key.The deeper the spot you are fishing might require a heaver split shot sinker.
Depending on how the bass are biting its important to keep a good feel of the line if the bass are finicky.When the bass are biting good they will take the bait hard,set the hook and your off to the races and spectacular jumps. -
Step 3
crawdad,crayfish for smallmouth bass fishingLive bait to use for smallmouth bass.
Crayfish, also known as crawfish, crawdads, or crabs, or soft shell crabs are the number one live bait to catch smallmouth bass in the river.You want to use smaller crayfish 1"to 1 1/2" hooking the crawdad up through the tail. Bass tend to shy away from larger crayfish due to their larger pinchers.
Shiner minnows are also good hook through both lips.The problem I have with minnows is that the perch will bite them but that's ok if your after perch.
Worms or nightcrawler are also great just hooking them a couple times at the end so the rest of the worm moves as it bounce along the rocks.Worms also ten to get hit by small fish that bite the end off the worm but smallmouth bass will attack a worm there is no mistaking a hit from a bass on a live worm.
You can keep the minnows in a bait well ,in the heat of summer we put a small block of ice frozen in a milk carton to keep them healthy.Worms need to be kept out of the sun and in a cool place.Softcraws are fine in a little water or bait buck in a cool place.
