Questions about St. Lawrence River

[Supernova224]

Hi all,

I do most of my fishing on the Rideau, but will be spending some time on the St. Lawrence next week hoping to target smallmouth and I had a couple of questions.

1) I'm planning on exploring some back bays in my canoe, or staying close to shoreline in the main river if the winds are low. Will I even be able to find smallies, or do you need to find deeper water in general?

2) How necessary is a leader given the water clarity? I love throwing tubes, and normally just use straight braid. I really enjoy the simplicity of not having to worry about a leader, but I'm wondering just how important it is on the Larry for a casual fisherman on a budget.

Thanks in advance!

[toobinator]

Shallow water I would definitely use a fluoro leader. Look for shallow water 4'-8' with deep water nearby. The smallies will come up on the flat to feed. When you find them it's game on.

Ed

[Supernova224]

Thanks for the tips Ed, much appreciated. Tying on some fluoro now.