07-27-2019, 11:40 PM
Right now the two hottest places to catch SMB are Rockport and Echo. You can use a variety of baits, grubs/curly tails, small swimbaits, dropshot rigs, ned rigs, etc. Your paddle board would be a great help. Fish the upper ends of both reservoirs where the Weber flows in. Start in about 6-8 fow and work deeper till you locate the fish. For a newbie, I would recommend you start with a 4" Senko, texas rigged with no weight ( greens, browns mostly). Second, use a dropshot rig, 1/4 oz weight, with 4" baits. The Berkley 10X dropshot shads have been very good. Lastly, if you want to get fancy, whacky rig your Senko with a nail weight in the nose. To many different baits and techniques to use, but we have been having 30-50 fish days up there for the past month. Average size is 10-12 inches, with some 14-15 inchers thrown in. You will also catch some perch, so if you want some fish taco's, keep the perch. You won't hurt the fishery if you keep some of the 8-10 inch bass, but release the rest. Have fun !!!