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Bass fishing: Does anyone have tips on catching smallmouth?
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Feb 22, 2021 12:15:45   #
FS Digest
 
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on some striped bass which is pretty exciting, but to be honest after learning there are smallmouth there I may even be more pumped for that. I live in a weird area where there somehow aren’t really any smallmouth so I’ve never actually caught one before. Also I’m primarily a bank fisherman and we’ll be on a boat so I’m also lost in that aspect

To cut to the chase, I know pretty much nothing and am in need of some help to catch a smallmouth which is a huge bucket list fish.

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by -BigBassBoi-

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Feb 22, 2021 13:16:10   #
OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin
 
Smallies are very aggressive, and a ton of fun! They will eat leeches, minnows and worms beneath a bobber or numerous surface and crank baits and spinners. If you find there will be a rocky or gravel bottom try crayfish imitations and Ned rigs fished slowly along the bottom.
Jerk baits will work and I have no doubt jigging spoons will work, too.
Good luck!

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Feb 22, 2021 13:53:09   #
Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA
 
If they're on their beds they'll be up close to shore anywhere there's a gravel bottom. Kastmasters work great. Pretend you're playing with a kitty and a piece of yarn. They can't stand it.

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Feb 22, 2021 17:27:36   #
Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.
 
If you find them in 6-12ft of water, they love a Green Pumpkin stick worm rigged wacky style.When you catch a couple you'll be hooked! Good Luck and Tight Lines.

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Feb 22, 2021 19:24:15   #
Big A Loc: Mesa, Arizona
 
Smallmouth baits ? Okey-dokey !

I've caught 'smallies' on live bait, including crawlers (with/without
snelled hook spinner rigs), grass-
hoppers/crickets, hellgrammites, small frogs and crawdads (their favorite food) ! Although I've seldom used minnows/shiners, I'm pretty sure they'd do well,
also !

Artificials I've done well with includes rubber worms/grubs/ tubes (rigged Carolina or Texas-style), crankbaits(especially rattletraps), spinners/ spoons,
and two of my best (4-lb. range) were taken on a bubble-and-fly
rig (with either a wooly-bugger
or muddler minnow) !

Hope this helps some; good luck and tight lines !

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Feb 23, 2021 10:33:32   #
Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio
 
All of the above.
Ned rig gets my vote. Particularly Zman TRD in The Deal color. Something about it.

If I were to guess . I’d say more smallies have been caught on a tube than any other lure.
Seems like they always work.

Also take a look at Zman Pro Crawz fished on a mushroom head jig or better yet Neko rigged. Deadly

Green pumpkin colored lures get bit. Day in day out.
Some days, other colors will out perform but green pumpkin always will get bit.

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Feb 23, 2021 10:34:46   #
Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio
 
Oops forgot drop shot. Don’t leave home without it

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Feb 23, 2021 10:58:06   #
HarryNH Loc: Amherst NH
 
I've caught them in the upper Connecticut using a yellow and black H&H spinner bait. Basically, they seem to hit the same lures as what a Large mouth will hit. They put up a hell of a fight - they do not like being told what to do.

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Feb 23, 2021 11:45:59   #
Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio
 
HarryNH wrote:
I've caught them in the upper Connecticut using a yellow and black H&H spinner bait. Basically, they seem to hit the same lures as what a Large mouth will hit. They put up a hell of a fight - they do not like being told what to do.


Yea they tend to have bad attitudes when they get a hook in em.
I dearly love smallmouth !!!

Like Harry said. Most any LM lure will catch em.
Although not always true , smallies like rock better than wood and tend to hang a little deeper.
Think offshore. You can catch em on the bank but you will catch more finding some offshore structure. Rock pile , ledge, creek channel, deep weeds. Here’s where the dropshot earns its keep. Crankbaits are good too.
If you catch one, fish the area thoroughly. There should be more

If you have wind pounding waves on a rocky bank, a suspending jerkbait is killer. That has salvaged some pretty sucky days for me.

Also ,if someone hooks one , keep an eye on the water, a lot of times , you will have one or two smallies hanging on the fish during retrieve. If you see another fish, drop something on him. Big percentage of time he will blast the lure because he’s all fired up

I could talk for hours about smallie fishing

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Feb 23, 2021 12:54:03   #
Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa
 
I don't know about elsewhere but in my area the rivers n lake are smallies dominate. I use a little bit of everything. Mainly tubes in green pumpkin -green pumpkin red flake- wkacky rig senkos green pumpkin with or w/o red flake- white-pink-natural shad color 4" works best for me. Ochos work also but they tear ez. Throw in a spinnerbait white- white chartreuse or black n blue. Texas rigged worms. Smallies here can be found near rocks docks lay downs grass beds. Fish the eddys in swift water. They are not afraid of current

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Feb 23, 2021 14:25:47   #
Eric1761 Loc: New Hampshire
 
FS Digest wrote:
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on some striped bass which is pretty exciting, but to be honest after learning there are smallmouth there I may even be more pumped for that. I live in a weird area where there somehow aren’t really any smallmouth so I’ve never actually caught one before. Also I’m primarily a bank fisherman and we’ll be on a boat so I’m also lost in that aspect

To cut to the chase, I know pretty much nothing and am in need of some help to catch a smallmouth which is a huge bucket list fish.

--
by -BigBassBoi-
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on so... (show quote)


research the area, I fish on a lake that doesnt have a lot of fisherman, primarily, no motors allowed so i have to row, i found after 2+ hours using lures for smallies, i got nothing, i put a worm on and caught a 5 pounder, they tend to strike what they are used to

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Feb 23, 2021 16:08:56   #
vic1964 Loc: massachusetts
 
FS Digest wrote:
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on some striped bass which is pretty exciting, but to be honest after learning there are smallmouth there I may even be more pumped for that. I live in a weird area where there somehow aren’t really any smallmouth so I’ve never actually caught one before. Also I’m primarily a bank fisherman and we’ll be on a boat so I’m also lost in that aspect

To cut to the chase, I know pretty much nothing and am in need of some help to catch a smallmouth which is a huge bucket list fish.

by -BigBassBoi-
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on so... (show quote)


i can tell you what works good for me. Kalens 5" grub blue,watermelon,chatrusse or senko type bait. search rocks and drop offs. good luck if deep spinner bait chatrusse ot fire tiger

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Feb 23, 2021 16:10:30   #
saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor
 
FS Digest wrote:
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on some striped bass which is pretty exciting, but to be honest after learning there are smallmouth there I may even be more pumped for that. I live in a weird area where there somehow aren’t really any smallmouth so I’ve never actually caught one before. Also I’m primarily a bank fisherman and we’ll be on a boat so I’m also lost in that aspect

To cut to the chase, I know pretty much nothing and am in need of some help to catch a smallmouth which is a huge bucket list fish.

--
by -BigBassBoi-
I’m headed to lake texoma this spring to get on so... (show quote)


All the suggestions given are all good ones. However, out on our lake Sonoma Ca, we throw small swimbaits ALOT. Either on a 1/8 or 1/4 OZ jig head , dependin on how deep you need to run.
All the rocky banks are usually good. Go to the shore where the waves are breaking against the shore and look for mud lines. They LOVE that area.

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Feb 23, 2021 16:40:26   #
Bluetarheel Loc: Oregon
 
Catch them from my deck here in Oregon throughout the spring and summer. Surprised no one mentioned curly tailed grub in white or brown.

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Feb 23, 2021 17:52:30   #
saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor
 
Bluetarheel wrote:
Catch them from my deck here in Oregon throughout the spring and summer. Surprised no one mentioned curly tailed grub in white or brown.


Yep, those work good too.

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