Lake Smith….Friend or Foe?
Everyone has a favorite lake to fish. Odds are it has been good to you in the form of fish. It’s a lake you know well and you’re confident whenever you fish it. On the other hand, we also have those bodies of water that we avoid fishing whenever possible. Whether it’s out of our way, too many “skunkings” or whatever reasons we come up with, we all have that one body of water we avoid whenever possible. For me, that one body of water is Lake Smith. If it were not for the tournaments BassJons holds there, I’d avoid it altogether.
For you fans of the place, don’t fret, I’m not bashing the lake. It’s a fine fishery and probably has one of the highest potentials for catching a trophy (over 7 LB in my book) for miles. Year after year, our heaviest tournament stringers come from LakeSmith. So why it is that such a Lunker haven is not my first choice when going fishing?
If, by chance, you’re unfamiliar with Smith, let’s put Smith under a microscope and examine it closer. The City of Norfolk manages the 198 surface acre lake. It has a concrete ramp with more room to moor boats up than there is to park boat trailers. Many multi-million dollar homes line its shores, so it has its share of docks, bulkheads and riprap. There are plenty of pads, cypress, snorkels and blow-downs along its shore. The water is always murky, with an average visibility of six inches, maybe ten inches at high noon. The deepest hole in the lake goes eight feet, but that’s just one hole. The vast majority of the lake runs two to four feet in depth, with three feet being a realistic average depth. The lake has a firm bottom in many places, the exception being where the pads are growing and a few “muck” beds near some of the cypress. The bottom itself has very few contour features, basically a big shallow flat. There are isolated stumps offshore and these are certainly worth fishing, as they aren’t pounded like the shoreline stuff is. There is no “good grass” (Bladderwort, Hydrilla, Coontail) growing in the lake, but it has its share of what I like to call “snot grass”. It’s that thin slimy green alga that is so fine it can work its way into a ball bearing swivel. Aside from bass, the lake contains some huge flathead catfish, channel cats, pickerel, carp, crappie and other panfish species. I’m not positive, but I don’t think the lake has strong shad or herring forage base. There are a few large snapping turtles and plenty of the wood turtles. There are cranes, herons, ospreys and cormorants as well.
Here’s how I translate the above paragraph. We have a small, shallow, non-stratifying lake. The water is always murky, keeping the fish shallow and tight to cover. Since there is no grass, the fish have only two options, shallow wood or the pads. So you ask, what is my problem? Well, that’s just it. It sounds so simple to fish, but I tell you, this place confounds me! If it weren’t for the quality of the average fish caught here, I’d just call in sick come tournament day. But I need the points, even if it’s only “show up” points.
I have no problem buying into “a bass only needs enough water to cover his back”. I have proved this to myself often enough and I have no trouble believing it. What doesn’t feel “right” is fishing thirty feet from the shore and the boat is only in two feet of water, flat, featureless water. I know this is purely psychological; nonetheless, it still affects me to an extent.
A bass has two basic needs to survive: food and oxygen. Throw in cover to make him easier to catch. Looking at tournament weights, it is obvious that this lake meets all the needs of the bass.
Let’s look at some proven baits on this lake. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, floating worms, jigs and Texas rigged plastics have all accounted for quality fish here. So choose your weapon according to conditions and your confidence in it. The ideal plan is to have a partner and the front guy fish one of the faster water covering baits, while backseat dissects cover with some sort of weedless bait. I feel this is the most efficient means of determining the preference of the bass that day. Due to the amount of cover, the big fish potential and murky water, there is no reason whatsoever to use anything less than 17 pound test line here. If you do decide to down size, you have been warned.
If I were to stress two words, they would be patience and concentration. You’ll notice I didn’t mention confidence. That’s because we are already confident of where the fish are and we know we can catch them. It’s just a matter of putting the bait on them. That’s my philosophy. Take it or leave it, but it aides me when the chips are down. Back to patience and concentration. I say patience because you don’t need to zip all over the lake trying to find the fish. Try a little of both pads and the wood. Once you catch a fish, focus on that cover primarily. Keep in mind the bass is an “edge” fish. Work the cover accordingly, especially when you hit the pads. Pay attention here. The pads will often “bird dog” the fish location for you. You can watch the pads and see them move. Sometimes it is only carp, as they love to root around their bases. Always assume it is a bass until you can prove otherwise.
As far as concentration goes, it can cost you fish if you don’t give it 100%. Because this lake is so shallow and in some places void of cover (at least to the eye), it is easy to convince yourself “there’s no way a fish is in there”. You make a token cast to prove it and wind up getting bit, but miss the fish. Soft plastic baits are more forgiving in this respect. So if you find this concentration thing affecting you, consider tilting the odds in your favor by using one.
The next psychological effect this lake has is its size. Not only is it small, but it gets its fair share of fishing pressure. It is not uncommon to find yourself fishing “used water”. Don’t sweat it. Easier said than done, but there are several ways of dealing with it. Once you catch some fish directly behind another boat, you’ll find it easier to deal with. Meanwhile keep this in mind to reinforce your confidence. How many times have you been fishing front seat and backseat catches a fish right behind you? Same thing, only there’s fourteen feet between hooks instead of one hundred. I shouldn’t share this with everyone, but here’s trick to use only on boats that fail to observe etiquette and actually cut you off. Its psychological warfare at its best, but not unlawful. The trick is to take an old clip off of a stringer or set of culling floats and tie it on one of your rods (preferably 20lb outfit, to minimize risk). Clip a fish on it and leave it in your livewell. When the guy who cut you off isn’t looking, slip the fish over board and “catch” him again. Hold him up, pretend to unhook him and stick him in the ‘well. Do this again about four minutes later. Now the fish are all yours! He’ll be so busy watching you and failing to concentrate, he’ll never see his line swim off. For the record, I’ve never actually done this, but I have been cut off enough to cook up the idea.
Lake Smith is a fine fishery just waiting for you to reap its rewards. In my book, it’s a “mental lake” if ever there was one. The secret, if you can call it that, is to fish here as often as possible. Pick an arm of it and work it inside out. Remember to look at the offshore side of the boat every now and again. See that lone stump out there? Pitch to it. Both you and your partner pick a word, one concentration, the other, patience. Remind each other of your word several times through out the day. It might sound odd here, but trust me; it’ll put fish in the boat.
In closing, I’d like to part with these words. Catch and release. The odds of catching a “personal best” from this lake are really high. For the experienced basser, letting an eight-pound fish go is not hard to do, for the neophyte it may not be so. This is a personal choice and there is no “wrong” decision, but there is a “better” decision. If you take a trophy fish, give serious thought to letting it go. Measure (length & girth) and photograph the fish. You can always have a fiberglass replica made. It will look more life-like and “outlive” any real fish mount. Returning the fish will ensure it passes along its superior genes and enable others to enjoy the same memories it provided you. One day we’ll all be “fishing” from our rocking chairs and that’s all were going to catch.
Fishing is life, Rob Brewer
