Fish-Hawk.Net

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!

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

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