U.S. Angler's Choice Recon
Oneida: Think Offshore Reefs

Photo: BassFan Matt Sphar says deep weeds offer the best chance for quality smallmouths and largemouths right now.

But how things can change in a month.

Warm, late-summer weather has been replaced by cool, fall nights which have dropped the surface temperature. The fish have thus started to move to their offshore fall haunts. Sure, there'll be some fish left in the shallows – there always are – but the vast majority will be on the open-water reefs.

So anglers fishing this weekend's U.S. Angler's Choice event at Oneida will have to decide whether take a chance on a few big fish shallow, or look for the mother lode offshore. Since the event is actually two single-day tournaments that occur back-to-back, anglers could employ one tactic one day, then completely switch it up the next.

In order to get an idea of what to expect, Bass Recon talked with Elite Series pro, Berkley pro-staff member and Oneida local Matt Sphar to see how he'd approach the events.

Here's what he had to say.

Sphar's Strategy

"This time of year I'm definitely thinking more about smallmouths," Sphar said. "They're surely going to be more aggressive than in our (Elite Series) tournament and schooled up.

"But you can never count out the largemouth," he added. "The problem with them is they've been pounded. But if a team has done their homework, they could bounce around their largemouth areas and try to get a couple big bites and then use the smallies as filler fish."

Asked how he'd approach the tournament, he said: "I'd probably concentrate on outside smallies, and as I came to something that looked good for largemouth, I'd fish it. The key will be to cover water."

Weeds on Shoals

"Look for weedy humps that have bait activity and a shale bottom," Sphar noted. "You may not see the bait on the surface, but there are key signs of bait, like birds. Plus, the hard bottom holds crawdads and that'll also attract the smallmouths.

"The weedbeds you want to concentrate on this time of year are in the 10- to 13-foot range. The weeds will be below the surface and the fish will suspend over the tops."

Tactics

According to Sphar, topwater's a great option this time of year because the fish are schooled up and concentrating on bait. And as noted, many are suspended over the weedtops.

He said a walking bait like a Zara Spook, Super Spook or Lucky Craft Sammy all work well over the deep weedbeds. "You just have to play around with the baits and decide which one the fish want. Figure that out and you can catch some big fish on top."

His topwater gear consists of a 7' medium-action Kistler rod and Shimano Chronarch 100 reel loaded with 12-pound Berkley Trilene Big Game monofilament line.

"I prefer bone, chrome, clear and yellow perch colors," he added. "Plus, the more aggressive the fish, the bigger the bait I throw."

Photo: Berkley Sphar's go-to bait for heavier weeds is a 3-inch Berkley Power tube.

"The smallies I'd flip on the offshore weedbeds, but there'll also be some random largemouths out there too. My main flipping baits for offshore are a tube and a dropshot rig – but I use different baits and rigs depending on how heavy the grass is.

"For heavier weeds I'm using a 7' heavy action Kistler jig rod rigged with 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. On this I'll attach a 3-inch Berkley Power tube in green-pumpkin or watermelon with a pegged 3/16- to 1/4-ounce weight. The key with this rig is to use a 2/0 heavy-wire Gamakatsu wide-gap hook, though. You're fishing a short line and you need the strength of that hook.

"The open water tackle's a lot lighter," he noted. "For that I'm using a 7' Kistler Senko rod and 8- to 10-pound 100% fluorocarbon. Because there's more open water, I rig the tube with an 1/8- to 3/8-ounce tube weight."

His dropshot gear's also light. It consists of a 6'9" Kistler dropshot rod and a Shimano Stradic 2500 reel loaded with 6-pound 100% fluorocarbon. He uses a 1/16- to 3/16-ounce weight, depending on how hard the wind's blowing. His goal is to maintain bottom contact with the least amount of weight possible.

He alternates between a 3" Berkley Gulp! Fry in shiner and an Aaron's Magic Roboworm for most of his dropshotting.

He'll also target shallow largemouths with his flipping stick.

"I'll always have a few shallow areas that produce largemouths – areas with docks or other good, shallow cover," he noted. "Usually I want about 10 spots like this for a day and I'll hit them between offshore areas. You just have to feel the fish out during the day and be able to adjust."

Notable

> "Wind will play a role in how the fish stage on a weedbed," Sphar said. "The wind will blow the bait onto one side, so pay attention to the wind direction and fish the windy side. This is also a perfect situation for the topwater."

> Another Sphar tip: "You also need to pay attention to birds. There were a lot of guys following birds in our tournament and that's common on Oneida. If you see bird activity, go fish them – the bass will be there."

> He also said: "Since this is a team tournament, guys need to be ready to double-up on fish. Whenever smallies school, they'll follow a hooked fish to the boat. One guy needs to be ready with a second rigged with a tube to drop on the followers."

> He thinks it could take between 19 and 20 pounds a day since there are two anglers fishing for a 5-fish limit.