Summertime.  Nice weather, cook outs, and good times.  Summer is also a great time to catch some big smallies out deep at Lake Erie.  Once, the ritual of spawning wraps up at the end of June or Early July, most of the fish you were catching in the spring will have made their way out to their deep summertime haunts. 

When this happens, two of your best friends can be a tube jig and a drop shot rig.  Almost always, on the Great Lakes you want to imitate the invasive Round Goby, that carpet these waterways.  They are easy prey and smallmouth eat them like candy.  As smallmouth filter into the depths of Lake Erie, they become ever more susceptible to these bottom hugging presentations.  A lot of the times these fish will be looking to feed back up after the rigors of the spawning season.  Many times these big bronze beauties will stack up around deep rock piles, humps, or anything that is available in the largely featureless shale bottom that the deeper water in Lake Erie features.

Electronics become ever important as you are looking for these irregularities that hold plump, hungry smallmouth bass.  If you don’t have much time to devote, the best thing on the weekend is to find some community holes.  These will be apparent by the number of boats in a small area.  Once you are in these areas, spend a little time locating these features to maximize your time on the water.

Sometimes, they will be holding tight to the bottom, sometimes they will be up off it a bit.  Pay attention to your electronics and note what it seems most of the fish are doing and adjust accordingly.  This means that with something such as a drop shot, you may need to lengthen or shorten your leader in order to get more bites.  It could also mean with a tube, you may have to drag it on the bottom, or possibly snap it in order to get a reaction. 

Every day on the water is a new experience, so keep trying different things until you are rewarded.  The good thing is, if you can find big smallies on Lake Erie you can usually catch them.  Be patient, but don’t be afraid to try something off the wall.  Sometimes when the bite is tough, it can make the different between having a terrible day and the best day of fishing you’ve ever had!

Learn more about Destin DeMarion at www.destindemarion.com