Category Archives: Smallmouth Bass

Fishing Live Herring Under a Slip Bobber

As the Summer goes on, the water temperature of Round Valley Reservoir gets hotter and hotter. As of today, the water surface temps were in the high 70′s and by August it will be in the 80′s. That’s just too hot for trout who prefer water temps in the 60′s… so where do the fish go? They go down to cooler water.

How do slip bobbers work?

An effective way for shore fisherman to target deeper fish in the hot summer months is to use a slip bobber. Unlike traditional bobbers which clip directly onto your fishing line, slip bobbers allow your line to pass through them until a stop hits a bead at the top of the bobber.

Slip Bobber Bobber Stop and Bead

Because of the design of slip bobbers you can cast a rig set to any depth. Ten, twenty, thirty feet deep? No Problem. On the flip side, casting anything longer than 6 feet with a traditional bobber is almost impossible.

Terminal Tackle:

On the end of the line I like to use a size 4,6 or 8 circle hook. When your hook is far away from you and deep, it is much easier to hook your fish by reeling in line on your circle hook than setting a traditional hook by swinging your rod high.

About 2 feet above the hook I like to put a small splitshot to:

Keep the herring down.
Prevent the slip bobber from falling on top of my hook.

Bait Presentation

Hook your herring (or shiner) through the back right where the dorsal fin starts. In the water the fish will be vertically suspended under the floating bobber. I’ve used this rig with worms too and have caught Rainbows and Smallmouth on it.

This Rainbow fell to a slip bobber and worm combo.

Once you cast your line out, pay attention to your bobber just like you would any other bobber. If it goes under completely, wait about 5 seconds, point your rod tip at the bobber and reel in fast. As soon as you feel tension on the line begin raising your rod tip up as you continue to reel.

Conclusion

Using this technique you will catch rainbows, browns, and bass all summer long. So the next time you are shore fishing, bring a few extra rods and remember to try out different depths and baits.

Round Valley Reservoir Fishing Featured in Cabela’s Outfitter Journal Magazine

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Round Valley Reservoir in June 2011 Cabela's Outfitter Journal If you get a chance, pic up the June 2011 issue of Cabela’s Outfitter Journal Magazine. The regional roundup section features Round Valley Reservoir as a prime smallmouth bass fishing location. The article has quotes from NJ DEP biologist Shawn Crouse and he specifically mentions using deep diving crankbaits to target the deeper dwelling smallmouth and largemouth bass in Round Valley. Pic up a paper copy where you can, as of this writing, the website has not been updated with the June content (though i’m sure it will in the next few weeks).

Early Season Smallmouth Bass In Reservoirs

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While pre-spawn may be an excellent period to catch a trophy, it can also be a tough bite. Locating big females is easy; catching them seldom is! Anglers need to take many variables into consideration, including water temperature, type of water they are fishing, and last, but not least, the weather. If you omit one of these key pieces of the puzzle, you’ll have limited success.

Where to fish? While it is important that the water has a quality smallmouth bass population present, it should not be the deciding factor. I know of many lakes where trophy smallmouth are present, but they are tough to put a handle on during the pre-spawn. Spawning areas may be limited and difficult to locate, especially on a large lake. On deep, clear water lakes, water will warm slowly and it may be weeks before you see active fish.

For the first few weeks of the season, it’s hard to beat shallow stained water reservoirs. A small reservoir with stained water will warm rapidly and the water temperature can be in the low to mid-sixties a few weeks after ice out. Once the water reaches 55 degrees, smallmouth begin staging in spawning areas. If the weather is stable, they move into the shallows. If hit with a cold front and a drop in water temperature, they move off to the first break. Any way you look at it, they’re easy to locate.

Author Mike Mladenik with Big Smallmouth Bass

One spring I got together with a friend to film a segment of my television show. I’ve been telling him about all the big smallmouth I catch during the early season. Finally, he was able to get away from his busy schedule and make it up to the river.

We fished a 300-acre reservoir that historically has produced huge smallmouth. The water levels were normal on the river and the big smallmouth were holding off the edge of the main river channel, out of the current. Due to stable weather patterns and water temperatures of 60 degrees and rising, the smallmouth were only days away from actual spawning. I knew we would catch lots of smallmouth, but getting the big fish would necessitate finesse presentations and fishing right on top of the fish.

A rock and gravel shoreline on the edge of a slough was our first stop. The shoreline is steep, with few signs of a hard bottom and most anglers wouldn’t give the area a second glance. A few years back, during low water conditions, I noticed broken rock and isolated gravel. The next spring, I fished the area and caught a few big smallmouth and have been catching fish there each spring. It is these small isolated areas that hold the largest smallmouth. We managed to catch a few smallmouth around five pounds a piece.
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Catching The Next State Record Smallmouth Bass

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The NJ state record Smallmouth Bass was caught in Round Valley Reservoir in 1990 by Carol Marciniak. Below is a picture of Carol holding the 7lbs 2ozs. bass.

Carol Marciniak - NJ state record Smallmouth Bass

The image is a photo I took of the only photo I know in existence. That photo, and many other quality catches, is posted to the bulletin board at the top of the Round Valley Reservoir concrete boat launch. (Does anyone know Carol or her story about this catch? I’d love to publish it. Email me or post in the comments section.)

NJ DEP Biologists have netted and electroshocked Smallmouth during past surveys close to her record catch, so I have no doubt another state record is swimming around in the reservoir right now. The question many ask is… how do we catch the next Goliath?

We know Smallmouth are carnivores. They eat things like crayfish, insects and other fish. We know that Round Valley is a deep, clean, large body of water with acres of featureless bottom punctuated by the occasional stump, bump or rockpile. We know that the coves and rocks are heavily fished and I know that I’ve caught some decent sized Smallmouths everywhere in the reservoir.

In the Spring the bass are shallow (real shallow, I’ve seen them hanging out in a foot of water) trying to warm up. As summer approaches, the bass take up residence in weed beds and drop-offs. During the hottest months, the bass will cruising the entire reservoir following schools of baitfish down deep.

A look through the list of state record Smallmouth catches reveals that these fish can be caught on almost anything, live bait, jigs, crankbaits, swimbaits, plugs, etc… They key is presenting the bait at the right time and place to trigger the Smallmouth to attack it.

Good luck and if you do catch a possible NJ state record Smallmouth bass follow these rules:

1. Fish must be caught in New Jersey waters and conform to NJ State Law and the regulations pertaining to freshwater fishing.
2. Fish must have been caught on sporting tackle, hooked and landed by entrant.
3. New Jersey state records are determined by weight alone. There are no line classes.
4. Fish must be weighed on a certified scale as soon as possible. A copy of the current scale Registration Certificate and valid Inspection/Test Report issued by the County Office of Weights and Measures is required to achieve record fish status.
5. A clear, side-view color photograph of the fish must be submitted. All photo entries become property of the Division of Fish and Wildlife and will not be returned.
6. Entry MUST be inspected by a Division biologist for species identification and weight verification. Call the Division’s Lebanon Fisheries Office at 908-236-2118 (Hunterdon County), the Hackettstown Hatchery at 908-852-4950 (Warren County) or the Southern Region Office at 856-629-4950 (Camden County) to make arrangements. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. These offices have a certified scale on their premises. Entry can be
both weighed and identified at one of these locations. Fish should be kept refrigerated prior to inspection.
7. Application MUST be submitted within one month of catch.

May LOTM – The Uncle Manny Minnow by CatchemCaro Bait Co.

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~~Comment at the bottom of this article for a chance to win this 6″ Uncle Manny Minnow wake bait.~~

The Winner has been chosen. George A. from Lebanon, NJ (aka gbamas) will be receiving his new lure in the mail.

Uncle Manny Minnow - Wake Bait from CatchemCaro

CatchemCaro baits are completely custom, hand-made from poplar wood and dressed with all stainless steel hardware. The lips are hand made from Polycarbonate and each bait is hand painted and protected with two coats of an epoxy clear coat finish. Each bait is tested by CatchemCaro owner Rich Caro at Spring Lake, CA near his home, to ensure they all run true before being packed to ship all over the globe.

Rich Caro with a monster largemouth caught on a CatchemCaro Bait

This month, RoundValleyFishing is giving away the Uncle Manny Minnow wake bait pictured above. The Bait is named after Rich’s uncle Manuel who was a very big inspiration in Rich’s fishing and family life. The 6″ Uncle Manny Minnow wake baits come in 18 fish catching colors. Each bait has two coats of epoxy clear coat. They also do custom paint jobs. The wake baits have all stainless steel hardware, 40# split rings and #2 VMC extra sharp treble hooks.

The Uncle Manny Minnow will push a HUGE wake when retrieved very slowly on the surface. These make awesome night-time baits, but any time when the topwater bite is on, cast out, let the bait remain motionless for several seconds then begin a very slow retrieve keeping the lure on the surface. In Round Valley, big bass will more than likely see this as a trout in distress and move in for the easy meal.

You can also speed up your retrieve and the Uncle Manny Minnow will dive down to 3 or 4 feet. Whether letting the bait float motionless at the top of the water or ripping it, the lure mimics a fish that is having a very bad day!

18 colors to choose from

Contact or Buy online:
Rich Caro
CatchemCaro Bait Co.
www.catchemcarobaits.com

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CatchemCaro Bait Co. will be giving away one Uncle Manny Minnow this month to a very lucky RoundValleyFishing.com reader! For a chance to win simply leave a comment below. One winner will be randomly selected on May 31st. The winners will be contacted with their email address on file, so make sure you are registered on our site and have your correct email address listed. Good luck and Tight Lines!