Dan Smith uses the same basic approach on the smaller lakes — those measuring between 50 and 500 acres — but he is quick to take advantage of what a smaller, shallower pond offers.
“The smaller the lake, the more a fish will travel away from the edge,” Smith said, referring to the edge of deep water. “Makes sense, doesn’t it? In a smaller lake, a fish never has to travel very far to find deep water, so a fish will move a little farther. It has no sense of great distance: It basically lives its entire life in an acre or two or maybe three.
“But, still, you need to be close to deep water to really find a big fish. They are more lethargic than small fish.”
But because they are eating, the angler changes up and is more aggressive in lure selection, especially on a warming trend.
“Two degrees is a big difference, and they can go to a bank because that’s where it’s warmest and it’s never far away,” Smith said. “A bank with rocks, facing west, now that’s perfect. The rocks grab the warmth of the sun and hold it all day. The water heats up and the food chain starts working.”
Common sense supports his shallow-water argument: You can certainly change the water temperature in a quart container much more quickly than you can a 5-gallon bucket.
Small-lake arsenal
Lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and standard crankbaits are all part of Smith’s February small-lake arsenal, and he likes big lures when targeting big fish.
“We will get some 70-degree days in February — we always do, especially the latter half of the month,” he said. “That’s when I like to fish and when I like to catch big fish. They are fat with eggs and with food.
“A fish that will weigh 7 pounds in July will weigh 9 or 10 in February.”
And it’s all because he sticks to fundamentals.
“I will start out at the edge and start working shallow until I find them,” Smith said. “Then I work them over right up to the bank. If I find them up shallow, I will switch to a lizard and swim it back to the boat.
“Bass can’t stand that.”
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