Jig (Casting & Pitching) Fishing on Smithville Lake
Smithville Lake · Missouri · Midwest
Smithville Lake sits in Clay County roughly 20 miles north of Kansas City, formed by the damming of Little Platte River and opened in 1979. The reservoir runs about 7,200 surface acres with numerous creek arms cutting off the main lake, producing a diverse structural mix of standing timber, laydowns, chunk-rock riprap, and submerged brush piles. Water clarity trends toward stained to slightly turbid — especially in the upper creek arms — which tends to push bass into predictable shallow and mid-depth ambush zones throughout the season.
A lead or tungsten head with a weed guard, skirt, and soft plastic trailer. Fished on the bottom by pitching, casting, or slow-rolling. The jig imitates crawfish and bottom-dwelling forage. More big bass have been caught on jigs than any other lure category — it's the lure that separates serious anglers.
Jig (Casting & Pitching) Setup for Smithville Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon (cover) or 50 lb braid (heavy grass) |
| Weight | 3/8 oz standard; 1/2–3/4 oz in wind or deep; 1/4 oz finesse |
| Hook | Built-in, typically 4/0–5/0 |
Seasonal Tactics on Smithville Lake
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth push into the upper ends of creek arms as water temps climb through the mid-50s into the low 60s, staging on laydowns and submerged brush in 6–12 ft before moving shallower to rocky flats and riprap banks to complete the spawn. Shallow-running crankbaits and Texas-rigged creature baits in the 3/8–1/2 oz range draw the most consistent strikes during this window.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Pre-spawn is prime season — pitch brown/green pumpkin jig to 45° bank transitions and rocky points.
Lake: Post-spawn fish scatter across main-lake points and transition areas, with the better class of bass suspending near submerged timber in 15–22 ft as surface temps push into the upper 80s. Reaction baits like a 3/4 oz spinnerbait worked parallel to deeper riprap at dawn can be productive, but midday fishing often requires finesse presentations dropped into brush piles with electronics.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Football jig on offshore ledges 15–30 feet. Swimming jig around grass edges at dawn.
Lake: Shad migrations pull bass shallow into the upper creek arms through September and October, setting up some of the most aggressive topwater and swimbait action of the year. Anglers working a Berkley Choppo or a 3/8 oz white spinnerbait around creek channel swings and wood cover during the first two hours of daylight routinely find the most active fish.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Swim a jig around baitfish schools near points and flats. Shad trailer colors in fall.
Lake: Cold-water largemouth stack on the deepest available brush piles and timber edges in 20–28 ft, moving very little. A drop shot or football jig dragged at near-zero speed on the main lake's deeper points accounts for most of the catches, and most of that fishing happens midday when the sun has had a chance to tick the surface temperature up even a degree or two.
Jig (Casting & Pitching): Slowest presentation — drag a 3/8 oz football jig on deep hard bottom. Barely move it.
Best Conditions
All seasons, all depths, all cover types; most effective in 50–70°F water; excellent in pre-spawn and when fish are on hard bottom
Match trailer to conditions: craw trailer in cold water (slower fall, bigger profile), swimbait trailer when swimming, chunk trailer for flipping.
More Techniques for Smithville Lake
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