Smallmouth Bass story and question

[SALMONEMIA]

Hit a lake yesterday.  Plenty of ice and bait to go with it it was non stop action.  Was only able to set 3 traps it was so busy. Got annoyed actually because I couldn't sit down and jig and eat breakfast.  I was targeting bows in the shallows but no dice. It was smallie central.  Non stop action. Sadly no pic to prove it but I tell no lies.  My cell was on the charger when a flag near a downed tree popped. I  ran to it hoping for a bow.  It was a very heavy large fish pretty much dead weight. As i was bringing it in my swivel got caught on the underside of the ice ege it was jammed in good and would not budge. I was very worried it was gonna break off. And had to make a fast decision.  I attached my depth sounder as a sorta slide weight and dropped it down below the ice and a few shakes i was free. Thankfully i saved the fish and pulled it up. when it came out I could not believe my eyes it was the biggest fattest smb ive ever seen. I reached for my camera and quickly realized i didnt have it. Thankfully my tape was handy. It was 19 inches long amd had a 14 inch girth. The head was massive. I measured it twice actually just to be safe then sent it back down the hole. What a fish that was to catch. Great moment for sure. My question for the bass guys.  Is it normal to find smb cruising in rainbow country this time of year. All fish were in 3-4 ft of water.  Never thought to look for them there.

[Coffin Dodger]

That's some quick thinking with the ol' sounder trick, Wayne.
I probably woulda (while keeping my rod bent) let that smallie back that swivel down from under the ice and get it centered.
You got it on top though and that's what counts!
I mostly catch bass through the ice and almost never target them.
That said, I know where you were and there's plenty of them at that depth.
Water temps pretty much the same top to bottom and that's like a big plain over there. Not much structure that I know of?

BTW, ya wanna have your fish and eat breakfast too? 

[bikrsrule]

I was fishing a lake this winter with a good population of smb and I had tip ups set shallow for rainbow and deep for bass, never got a single flag on the shallow tip ups but on went thru 2 doz shiners on the deep traps 16 to 20 fow. I target bass most of the time and dont usually catch em shallow, sounds like you had a good day. I did have the same thing happen to me with the swivel stuck last week and I just reached in got my sleeve soaked and unhooked the swivel, lost the fish too..

[SHaRPS]

I am betting they were searching for food. crayfish, helmgranites, maybe even bait fish pushed up.

[IcePhishing4Fun]

Sounds like fishing more or less. Ill take whatever wants to bite, slim darts included.

The sounder trick reminded me of this lure snag retriever tool. https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Snagmaster/699869.uts

[bassin212]

I wonder if we were fishing the same lake. I’ve noticed the past 2 weeks deeper flats and certain shallows are filled with smb. I noticed that if you want to catch something else, once you find the smb you have to move because that trap will just keep going off, even with dead bait. Almost like white perch Fishing, once you find the school it’s game on!

[jibbs]

My biggest smallie through the ice was 3 feet or so..march is great for smallie fishing for sure

[SALMONEMIA]

My biggest smallie through the ice was 3 feet or so..march is great for smallie fishing for sure

Thanks was hoping you would respond being the bass guru

[happyfish14]

Would love to get 1 more trip in and Slamming Slab Smallies all day is just what I need.... I'll be driving up from the North shore of Mass if anyone has a spot and wants to get out there I'll bring the Big Bait, Beer, Beef Jerky, whatever I gotta do would just love 1 good solid ice day this year my seasons been crappy and that's Crappy, not Crappie* ... Hope someone's eager and available lemme know I'll be there with Bells on 👍

[fishermantim]

The sounder trick is a good one....with one warning/exception.

If you are trying to dislodge a hook from a submerged object or from the bottom of the ice hole, do not just drop the weight so that it hits the hook at full force. That could dislodge the hook from the object AND the fish as well.

You will have to risk it if lighter attempts fail to free the hook, but at that point you don't want to lose tackle AND a fish.

Still, it's a very good option!