Smallmouth Tactics to find Smallies 12 months a year

I will talk about the seasons of the year and where we find smallies all 12 months. SPRING:Cold water(mid 30's-mid 40's water temps.).You will find smallies in shallow gravel/rocky areas trying to warm them selfs. Various minnows and crayfish are the major food item at this time a year,Fish can be caught on many lures that imitate crayfish or minnows..FISH THEM VERY SLOW! Pre-Spawn(46-55 degree water temps)Smallies can be found in shallows with hard bottoms with sand, gravel, broken rock or rubble.Spawn-Time(56-65 degree water temps.)During this time We will fish the deeper areas loking for fish that have already spawned..we leave spawning fish alone! SUMMER:Pre-summer(60-70 degree water temps.)Smallies move off the shallows and go on the feed .At this time the insects , frogs and other things that make up the smallies diet start coming out.Fish can be hard to locate because this is when they spread out for summer time.summer peak(low 70 water temps)this is the time when smallie huntin gets going great.Lots of lures will catch fish during this time.Warm days mean good wading times.Summer (hottest temp of the year)This is the time when early morning and late evening make the best times to catch smallies.In clear bodys of water, nocturnal feeding smallies are common.On full moon nights, noisy dark colored top water baits work well, along with dark colored spinner baits.Post summer(days grow shorter and waters start to cool)Smallies will start to regroup with other smallies and feed heavy on minnows.Most will be found in deeper pools.Turnover(rivers and streams dont turnover like lakes) FALL: COLD WATER(55 degree and below)This is a great time for catching smallies at night in shallows.This is also the time to catch numbers and size of smallies. WINTER(coldest water temps of the year)During this time smallies can still be caught if you know where fish hold during winter and what to use.If you apply the SPRING coldwater patterns you should catch some fish.This time of the year is the hardest time to catch smallies, most anglers put up there gear and get ready for warmer spring temps before heading out after smallies.I for one enjoy the peace and quiet of the winter fishing as i get to scout new areas for the coming season, plus the smallies will be some of the biggest i will catch all year.The best part is i have all the water to myself.