River Smallies Moving Up

The upper St. Joe from Three Rivers down has been the most consistent stretch of river smallmouth fishing all spring. Water cleared up after the early-May rain and the fish moved up onto the gravel.

Best approach is to wade or kayak and target the inside of the river bends where the gravel transitions to deeper holes. Drag a small jig or work a paddletail along the edge of the slack water.

A lot of 14–17 inch fish, with one or two 19-inch class fish per trip if you are willing to cover water. Crawfish are starting to show up — match the hatch and let the jig sit on the bottom for a beat before moving it.

Spawn is right around the corner. Once water hits 65°F look for cleaned-out circles on the gravel and back off — sight fishing is productive but easy to push fish off.

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