Wil Wegman

Question:

I had a few outing for smallie on Simcoe after this year opener, but had very little success. The biggest bass I caught is around 4 lb. I caught it near Thorah Island. I found some rock area, then dragged my tube jig. I hardly got bass bite. Mybe my bite is NOT right. Can you suggest color of tube?
One pro angler suugest I should do many spot checks becuase Simcoe smallies are moving every time. Is it true? It might be the problem, because I stayed on a couple of spots for very long time. Except Thorah island, where should I search too?

Best Regards

Answer:

Hi Wei,

This ‘post-spawn’ period can be a tough time of year for smallmouth in many places and Simcoe is no exception.  Dragging a tube jig around Thorah island is typically a successful technique however days when you only get one or two bites are quite common unfortunately – even for the lake’s top bass pro’s. So- don’t be discouraged about that Wei.

My preference for tube color is usually one shade of green or another.  Gold or red fleck can be good ... but then again smoke or even clear salt and pepper tubes can do well.  The biggest bass I ever caught in Simcoe- a 6.85 pound smallie caught during a charity tournament several years ago, was caught on a cotton candy colored tube!  At that time they were all the rage ... now I hardly ever throw them.

I agree with the need to move ... it suits my style of fishing better to go search for the smallmouth instead of waiting for them to either turn on or ‘show-up’.  Others- who have done real well in tournaments however ... are ready willing and able to wait them out – and will stay put in a high confidence area. 

Other spots you can try include Bald Shoal, around Strawberry Island, the east side of Georgina and even Duclos Point – especially early mornings.

Hope this helps Wei and good luck the rest of the season,

Wil