Spinnerbait 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 wire-arm lure with one or two rotating blades and a skirted jig head. The blades produce flash and vibration that triggers reaction strikes from bass that may not be actively feeding. Exceptional in low-visibility water, around grass edges, over submerged structure, and during cloudy or windy conditions.
Spinnerbait Setup for Smithville Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, moderate-fast action |
| Reel | 6.4:1–7.1:1 baitcaster |
| Line | 15–17 lb fluorocarbon or 30 lb braid |
| Weight | 3/8–3/4 oz (lighter in shallow, heavier for deeper retrieves) |
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.
Spinnerbait: Best season for spinnerbaits. Slow-roll a 1/2 oz through shallow grass and over submerged timber in pre-spawn.
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.
Spinnerbait: Slow-roll deep along grass edges and main lake points at first light. Night fishing with black spinnerbait is excellent.
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.
Spinnerbait: Match shad patterns — white/chartreuse with willow blades. Cover water fast along shoreline transitions.
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.
Spinnerbait: Slow-roll a heavy (3/4 oz) spinnerbait along steep banks and points at the slowest possible retrieve.
Best Conditions
Stained to muddy water, wind, overcast skies, grass edges, spring pre-spawn, post-cold-front recovery, shallow flats
Trailer hook is not optional in open water — bass swipe at spinnerbaits and miss the main hook constantly. Add a #4 trailer hook always.
More Techniques for Smithville Lake
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