Actually the bass season is closed when I have the best catching on these smallies. The crappies stack up along this piece of shoreline since its the first to open up and warm and the location sets up a unique circumstance where the incoming current gets split making two separate eddies. The eddy that develops right in front of the dock I fish has slack water along the current edge and the crappies love to lay in wait along that seam. Between that seam and the rock shoreline, the biggest smallmouth bass in the lake will feed heavily. With the incoming and warmer water, the crawfish begin to wake up and molting gets started even with ice on two bays on either side of the incoming water. The smallies are there filling up on the craws and then too lots of smaller baitfish come into the area to gorge on the new life being brought in on the current. Its a prime area for crappies and that's what I target. Those smallies haven't figured out yet that I'm not supposed to have them hanging on my line at this time. I cannot specifically target the bass, but having them hit is not my problem as long as the are immediately returned to the water. Its often very cold when these guys come from the drink so I don't even take pictures.
While the crappies like the water along the seam that develops here, if the jig wanders closer to the rock those smallies will be all over it. Some days I can see more smallie action than crappies. How long the smallies hang around depends on the weather and water temps. If we see a "normal" thaw and normal run-off sequence, the smallies will be there until the water temps approach 45 degrees. If we get hammered with high, dirty water and tons of hard current, the smallies move back to the lower end of the lake where much deeper water exists. The crappies will still hang around and play the minor seams but high water makes the catching part tough.
Some of the biggest sunfish of the season will move off an adjacent sand flat formed by one of the two eddies that's still covered with ice and will join forces with the crappies as the open water increases along the dock and this shoreline dock. If some changes are made as to presentation and bait size, these thick shouldered critters are fun to catch and will smack plastics up to 2" right along side the crappies. Its definitely a unique location and it only is as good as pressure will allow. Hit too hard and things go to pieces in a hurry. I'm there when the sun comes up over the hills and I'm on my way home by 8:30 or so. The beauty of the spot is that the ice prevents boats from launching and the dock is private....I've known the family for a couple generations.
