For guided trips with Roger Jones, contact him at (800) 597-1708, HookLineAndSinkerGuides.com.

GUIDE JOHN TIPTON: TROPHY-SIZED RIVER SMALLMOUTHS
John Tipton, who guides on the New River, is a big fan of oversized baits for overgrown smallmouths.

“I have been using very large bucktail spinners and large, deep-diving suspending jerkbaits, as well as the large tubes with worm inserts,” Tipton said. “The large in-line spinnerbait came to be used by accident.” Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist Joe Williams told me he had an experience with the largest smallie he had ever seen while fishing for muskies.

“I’ve tried this spinner and have been surprised it works so well. This in-line spinner is approximately 8 to 10 inches long and has two sets of very large treble hooks. I cut one of the hooks from each treble as to make it as weedless as possible. The hook removed should be the one on the bottom set of each treble.”

The second bait Tipton relies on is another muskie-related lure -- a 7- to 9-inch suspending jerkbait that dives from 8 to 10 feet. In most cases, the guide adds lead tape to force the lure to suspend deeper. John tries to slowly work the jerkbait along the bottom, making the bogus minnow dig into the substrate in a stop-and-start action.

A third choice is a weighed 4 1/2-inch tube with a 7 1/2-inch worm inserted inside the tube on a 6/0 hook. Rounding out the arsenal of jumbo lures is a 1/2-ounce black/brown jig with an 8- to 10-inch worm trailer. Not surprisingly, Tipton deploys heavy-duty equipment to toss these lures -- a heavy-action flipping stick with an Abu Garcia 6500 reel and 30-pound Power Pro line. He offers this advice on location for spring river smallmouths.

“I target the deeper, slower pools with bait presentations that are easy for smallmouths to catch,” he said. “I also fish the normal areas that generally hold smallies: the backwater pools, cuts, ledges, boulders, gravel bars, wood, push water, literally the deepest water available.

“For the in-line spinner, my approach is a little different. I fish this lure much slower than normal, just fast enough to spin the blade. Most cases, I am lifting the rod tip and when I lower the tip, I take up the slack line. This technique makes the bait rise and fall very slowly and helps maintain contact with the structure I am fishing.”

Interestingly, Tipton utilizes these tactics if the weather turns sour or when the spawn concludes.

“The months of March, May (after spawn) and October can be the highlighted months of the year for catching giant smallies,” he explained. “A cold spring can hold the smallies near their wintering holes for an extended period of time. The New River is noted for its deep pools with backwater ledges. Again, I suggest targeting the deeper, slower pools with baits that are easy for these big bass to catch.

“As the days get warmer and more sun warms the water in June, look for chunk rock and cobblestone bars. Ideally, these basketball-sized boulders will be in shallower water near the wintering holes. This type of water warms quicker, holds the heat longer, and thus will attract the forage foods. Smallies will leave the deeper holes to hunt in warmer water. Then the fish will return to the deeper pools if the water cools because of a cold front.”

For guide trips with John Tipton, contact him at (540) 674-4930, or NewRiverFishing.com, fishing1 @ntelos.net.