Page 22 - Discover Summer 2021
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Shallow Water Fishing
Most people find that fishing in shallow which we most often approach the fish.
water suits them best, or at least it’s easier In deep water, the object is to get the
than deep water fishing. Some regard deep lure into the strike zone quickly, and then
water fishing to be too difficult, but to catch to work it very slowly once we get it there.
smallmouth bass, you must be willing to go We should spend a lot of time fishing heavy
deeper than you would for largemouth bass. spinner baits, worms and bugs right across the
For these folks, the shallow-to-deep method bottom in deep water.
works best, and it’s done on sloping banks. In shallow water, we want to keep our
Before we can successfully catch baits moving in a horizontal manner back to
smallmouth on a sloping bank, we must first the boat, in a slow, steady clip.
ask ourselves; “What do we want the lure to do But when fishing shallow-to-deep,
in these situations?” To answer this question, something different must occur; the lures
it might be helpful to look at deep water, and must fall slowly from one level to the next. It
then shallow water, and review the ways in is during “the fall” that most strikes will take
Almanac
Fisherman’s
by Bob King
20 Discover Smith Mountain Lake SUMMER 2021
