stirring up the bottom

[broken rod]

 ive been debating weither or not to post this im sure some of you think im full of it but here it goes anyways. last year my little boy started fishing with me hard everynight couple hours at a crack we fish off shore  for smallies and we hammer them. everynight he ask if he can throw rocks in the water and i say no you cant do that youll scare all the fish away  just like i was always told well this one night fishing was super slow i was getting ready to leave and he asked again well what the heck i wasnt getting anything anyways so he starts throwing rocks in the next thing you know both my poles are boucing away we ended catching over 10 smallies all along he was throwing rocks in    i thought that was pretty strange so  every time it gets really slow i have him start chucking rocks in and time after time it produce nice fish 17 to 20 inch smallies i will be posting some pictures of these. the only thing i can come up with is that the comosion that these rocks create is stirring up the bottom and the smallies are looking for food kicked up by the rocks i might add that this is a pretty rocky river bed also and this has worked every time that we did it so the next time you got the kids down by the river and your not catching anything give it atry  the kids will have fun and i think youll be very surprised  

[sbfpa_Mike]

Hmmmm,  the kids not bothering me and me catching fish......  Sounds like a winner to me.

[reubenpa]

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that smallies are very curios critters and that divers have banged rocks together underwater and the smallies would swim up to investigate.  just a thought, maybe the rocks being thrown in where like that? they heard the rocks banging and came in to invesigate and saw food and had lunch??   What does every one else think?  Is this a possibility?  I read it somewhere.

[fishercat]

We had a place on a lake, and we used to do a lot of swimming and snorkeling.  The smallies would follow you all around waiting for you to pick up a rock for a crayfish to swim out. The smallies would be right in front of you waiting to see what came out from under the rocks - pretty cool.  Even better when a crayfish came out and you got to watch the smallies do battle with those claws.   

[suskymusky]

When things don't work out trolling in the river,we stop and pick hellgrammites and stone cats in the riffles..My buddy doesn't know how to mug bait,so he fishes a jig below where I am picking bait.He always seems to get a few nice smallies.Also, when I'm wading I try to flip some rocks with my feet and stir up the bottom.Sometimes this starts the fish on a feeding frenzy,and they really turn on.

[broken rod]

well im glade to see im not crazy

[reubenpa]

we arent saying that you aren't crazy!!!!  lol  JK couldn't resist

[walleye_1]

Broken Rod - You're not full of it at all. 'Dragging a block' is a common tactic for smallies on Lake Ontario. From what i understand guys tie a rope to a chain and fasten the chain to a concrete block. Then you  just drift along allowing the concrete block to stir up the bottom. The smallies are attracted to all the stuff that's dislodged. I've never used the tactic but have heard it's deadly. 

[Jigwiggler]

I used to watch some "old timers" fish the river and they would drag their anchors up and down the river several times before finally anchoring to fish.  They usually did well.  Ya never know?

[mongo]

I have never tried it during the spring or fall but in the summer I buy the biggest spinner baits usualy from 3/4 to 1/oz and slow roll them across the bottom and have had a great deal of sucess in landing some very nice smallies.