Grampa:

Hellbender

Eagleflyer:

Shiners of any sort will work well. It’s your skill at moving them through the water that determines whether the bass will strike or not. Live bait (shiny minnows) also works well.

exert-7:

Suggestions are based on my own experience for smallmouth in deep water reservoirs in the southwest US.
1) jerkbait
2) jerkbait
3) jig/craw
4) swimming grub
5) gitzit
6) fat free shad
7) lipless crankbait

Aeon360:

Well… smallmouth are what they call rock feeders. Anything that lives in the rocks will work. But if live bait isnt your thing I would recommend: A Jig head and Grub Combo, prefferably pink w/ a bright green leadhead. or try a rapala jigging minnow, or fish a thunderstick jr. very slow w/ a sinker like this(—) over the bottom. Look for rocks and light weedlines next to deep dropoffs. Heavy spinnerbaits work equally well in deep water. remember these arent largemouths so the bigger the bait, bigger the fish story dont apply. (Personally I dont believe that because i was crappie fishing in lake Champlain and caught a 15 lb. bass on a jig no bigger than this——————-, good thing i was useing bigger jigheads that day or i wouldve never caught him. anyway try these and if they dont work use the net, there is great info out there!

BASS Fisherman:

To maximize your catch, it pays to learn your opponent.

Micropterus Dolomieui-Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a large robust fish which belongs to the “sunfish” family. This family also includes bluegill, sunfish and crappie, and, of course, the large-mouth and spotted bass. Smallmouth bass are identified by vertical dark bronze bars on the side. This color pattern is quite distinct in fish taken from clear weedy water. It is often indistinct in young, and in fish from dingy or turbid water. The smallmouth’s gold-bronze sides become dark at the back, appearing mostly greenish-brown. The belly is mottled white with black spotting or speckling. The head often has three dark gold bars radiating downward and backward from each eye. To distinguish a smallmouth from other bass: the upper jaw, with the mouth closed, extends backward only to below the rear edge of the eye, usually not beyond. The spiny and soft dorsal (back) fins are broadly connected, unlike the largemouth. Spotted bass also have connected fins but their coloration is similar to largemouth. Smallmouth bass average 8-15 inches, but reach lengths to 24 inches, and weights to over 8 lbs. These specimens are extremely rare. Any smallmouth over 4 lbs. should be considered a trophy.

Distribution: Smallmouth bass are widely distributed throughout the northern U.S. and southern Canada. They are common to clear, coolwater lakes, streams and rivers. Smallmouth range extends generally southward to Georgia; west to Oklahoma and North Dakota; and north into the lower tiers of Canada.

Biology: Smallmouth bass spawn in the late spring and early summer. Nest building and spawning begin at water temperatures of 55-60°F., but egg-laying takes place at 61-65°F. This is usually in May, June or July (in the extreme north). Circular nests, 2-4 feet across, are built by the males in 2-20 feet of water. Nests are usually built on sand, gravel or rock. Nests are almost always built near the protection of a rock, log or submerged branch, or occasionally near vegetation. Smallmouth may travel considerable distances to spawn, but they select specific areas of lakes or streams. Smallmouth will use the same spawning areas year after year. Females lay between 2,000 and 15,000 eggs, which adhere to the stones in the center of the nest. After spawning the female leaves the nest. In lakes, she will often return immediately to the nearest deepwater breakline. In streams she will return to a nearby deep pool. The male guards the nest, protects the eggs and guards the young after hatching. Hatching of eggs occurs in 1-2 weeks. Males will protect the young for the next couple weeks before moving to their summertime areas. It is common for as many as 50% of all nests to fail. In some years, in some waters, 99% of all nests may fail. Cold fronts and downward shifts in water temperature may drive male bass from the nests, leaving the eggs and young vulnerable to predation. Predation by rock bass and other sunfish can be high. Fishing pressure can cause shallow nesting males to desert their nests, and even temporarily removing the male, as in catch and release fishing, can cause nest predation until the male bass returns. Once the eggs hatch, growth is rapid. Smallmouth bass one year old reach 2-5 inches in length. Sexual maturity comes slowly and is reached in three to six years. This is a prime reason many states impose length limit restrictions. Length limits are designed to allow the bass to reach spawning age, and perhaps spawn once or twice, before being caught and kept. Smallmouth bass may live 15 years, although this is not common. Trophy bass are usually five years and older.
Habits and Habitat: Smallmouth bass live in a variety of habitats. They prefer clear waters and are relatively intolerant of silt. In the spring, bass concentrate in key spawning areas. Smallmouth remain in deeper or weedy waters throughout most of the summer. Often they will hold on breaklines or rocky structure, bars, humps, shoals, etc. Stream and river smallmouth inhabit large pools and mild current areas that have cover. They often lie almost motionless near submerged cover during daylight hours, or slowly cruise their home pool. They remain in one area and rarely move as far as a half mile. Bank overhangs and downstream edges of rocks and boulders are excellent hiding areas for the smallmouth. In the summertime, lake smallmouth will often hold in deeper water and move shallow at night to feed. In the fall, lake smallmouth concentrate along drop-offs, frequently suspending above bottom. They often feed ravenously, seeming to store up for winter months. The food of adult smallmouth consists of insects, crayfish and fish. Crayfish are a favorite food and constitute about 50-75% of their diets. Fish make up the remaining majority. They also eat frogs, salamanders and, of course (thank you, thank you), they eat many artificial baits. In turn, young smallmouth are food for larger fish, including their own kind.

Fishing Techniques That Work: Smallmouth bass will attack a variety of lures and baits. They may be taken surface to bottom, but larger fish seek deeper or more protective water and are taken with deeper presentations. Smallmouth thrive best when competition from large-mouth is absent. Best natural baits are crayfish, minnows, nightcrawlers, leeches and hellgrammites. Many a casual worm fisherman has been surprised by hooking a smallmouth while fishing for panfish. Using medium to light tackle makes small-mouth bass one of the most sporting fish. Older smallmouth easily become educated and “angler-wise.” They become tough to catch and only the most natural appearing presentation will fool them. Smallmouth readily take artificial lures. Jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are old-time favorites, but a smallmouth will hit any bait it can see, and some it can’t. A rather unique characterisic of smallmouth is that they will rise from depths of 20 feet or so to hit a noisy surface lure, such as a small buzzbait. Be sure to use smaller lures than for largemouth. Lures 1/8 to 1/2-ounce in size are good, 1/4-ounce is a good primary size. Colors that imitate crayfish, reds and oranges, perform well. Smallmouth are excellent game for fly fishing enthusiasts and readily take dry flies, poppers and streamers. Smallmouth have well developed senses, great vision and great smell capability. They are admirably adapted to their environment. One weakness is their curiosity. Small-mouth are more curious than largemouth. In underwater studies I conducted, it was common for trophy smallmouth (4-6 lbs.) to swim up to me and peer into my mask from only 1-2 feet away. I’ve even had them follow me about (under water) as I did my research. This may stem from another interesting smallmouth habit. Smallmouth will often follow a turtle or a sucker as it digs or roots in the bottom. They strike and capture insects or crayfish as they scurry to escape. Smallmouth also learn to follow below and close behind slow-moving boats. They feed on minnows and baitfish disrupted by the motor wake. “Wake trolling” a crankbait in the wake, frequently yields surprising midsummer smallmouth catches. Strikes from this technique are arm-wrenching. Smallmouth commonly aggregate along deep water drop-offs, rock piles, bars, humps, and in reservoirs at bends in old creek channels. In olden days it was possible to anchor and cast to a deep water rock pile and catch 10-20 small-mouth on consecutive casts. Fishing pressure has eliminated most of this, except in remote and unfished areas of Canada or hidden midlake structures which many fishermen fail to find.

By controlling variables and observing fish under a variety of situations, researchers can come up with facts as valuable to anglers as to the scientists themselves. With this in mind, consider the following answers to your favorite bass questions.

What kind of rivers, lakes and reservoirs are best for smallmouths? Research has repeatedly shown that bass are sight feeders, and they need certain depths, water temperatures, forage and bottom content to thrive. These fish will survive in a fairly wide range of conditions, but there are optimal habitats in which smallmouth are found. An ideal smallmouth lake should be cool. In one experiment, bass from Lake Erie were observed in a laboratory and given a number of temperature choices. Their preferred temperatures for the spring, summer and fall ranged from the mid 60s to the mid 80s. In the winter, they chose cooler water, as low as the mid 50s. In another report, the preferred midsummer temperature proved to be about 83 degrees. Observations made in the field, however, revealed that more bass seemed to reside in the 68 to 70 degree temperature zone. Good smallmouth lakes should be fairly large, clear and deeper than 30 feet. They should also be thermally stratified (where warmer water lies above successively cooler layers of water) so that the bass can segregate themselves from potentially competitive species such as walleyes and northern pike. Some vegetation should be present, but it should be “scanty” as one researcher puts it. A final characteristic of a good smallmouth lake is bottom content. Biologists working with fish in aquariums have discovered that they prefer bottoms with lots of broken up rocks, as opposed to solid, smooth rocks or sand. The same goes for stream bass, which also adapt readily to artificial shelters. A river should have sufficient width (more than 30 feet) and depth (10 feet or better) combined with a good flow of water.

Where and when should we look for big bass? To find big smallmouths, growth rate figures are invaluable. Research accumulated over the years can help narrow down our search tremendously. There are four important clues:

Lake bass tend to grow faster and attain larger sizes than do river fish. In one report, stock from a lake in Minnesota grew faster than stock from a river in Missouri when both were transferred to a second lake, thus suggesting a genetic difference between the two populations. A notable exception is the South, where fishing in larger rivers may be better than that in lakes because of more favorable water temperatures.
Local conditions and latitude may correlate with bass size. For instance, smallmouths in Center Hill Lake in southern Tennessee were found to grow faster than those in Dale Hollow Lake, farther north in the state. The difference was attributed to greater overall fertility and warmer water in Center Hill Lake. Thus, as one would expect, bass generally grow faster the farther south you go. But the differences are always across the board. For example, though a longer growing season produced larger bass in southern Wisconsin lakes than those in farther north, the same was not true in Arkansas, where a 10 to 20 day difference in the growing season north and south showed little effect in selected lakes.
Bigger bass often result where they are newly introduced. This is supported by a wealth of research done on a number of lakes, reservoirs and ponds, from South Africa to Oregon. Also, reclaimed rivers, as demonstrated on the Winnebago River in Iowa, can grow big bass fast.
Manipulating the forage base or introducing a new predator can aid bass growth significantly. In Massachusetts, the introduction of smelt stimulated smallmouth growth in Quabbin Reservoir. The same occurred on a different body of water when lake chub suckers were added to the population. And in a Wisconsin lake, smallmouth size increased when muskies were stocked.
When are bass most active? Smallmouths, unlike their largemouth relatives, tend to be inactive at night, according to one study completed on several Ontario lakes. Shortly after sunset, smallmouths were found to move to deeper water and “rest on the bottom,” where they were approached by divers. During the day, however, smallmouths were difficult to get close to underwater. Scientists say that bass feed opportunistically, as the opportunity resents itself during the daylight hours. Peak activity periods, however, are similar to those of walleyes: at dawn and dusk. Temperature definitely affects bass activity. Water temperatures below 50 degrees put smallmouth into neutral gear. And in years with cool summers, slower growth rates as evidenced in the annuli, or growth rings of the fish’s scales have been discovered.

Which depths do smallmouth bass prefer? According to many studies, bass seem to adapt well to great variations in water depth. The fish were repeatedly observed sunning themselves in quiet, shallow water, but were also radio-tracked as deep as 80 feet in the same or similar water bodies. The reason for such diversity is usually related to forage-base availability. For instance, bass taken out of 55 to 80 foot depths from Cayuga lake in New York had alewives in their stomachs, while most shallow water fish had a higher proportion of crayfish present. Smallmouths are not classified as true schooling fish, but they do aggregate (form loose associations at certain depths for specific periods of time). Schools have been observed in deep water along limestone ridges and other rock bluffs in early September, when surface temperature began to drop. Tag returns from lakes Michigan, Erie, Ontario and Huron indicate very little smallmouth migration, especially when compared with similar studies done on other species. The same hold true for bass on inland waters and for neutral populations in most streams. But hatchery-reared fish definitely moved considerable distances, up to 205 miles, according to an Ohio report. Also, native populations in rivers have been known to abandon their home range when dredging operations were undertaken upstream. On the whole, tagging studies, like radio-tracking studies (which are usually compiled to determine specific fish locations), revealed a wide range of smallmouth movements. But native fish in a relatively stable environment do not move great distances; researchers consider the smallmouth to be a homebody rather than a busybody.

What do smallmouths like to eat? Smallies eat a lot of things, and yeas, research has shown that the fish really key on crayfish when given the opportunity. In six separate studies on a variety of waters nationwide, crayfish comprised more than two-thirds of the fish’s diet. But the studies discovered another smallmouth delicacy: tadpoles. One report revealed that smallmouths prefer tadpoles over more common foods such as bluegills and golden shiners. Another study found tadpoles in the bellies of the fish “out of proportion to their availability”; this indicates that smallies may hunt for tadpole treats. Seasonal changes in smallmouth diet were found to be minimal compared with those of other fish species. The progression of preferred food sources, learned from one experiment conducted on Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas, was typical: mayflies in the spring, young shad in the summer, and crayfish in the late fall and winter. In the winter, under-ice bass may not feed at all, according to one biologist in an Ontario report. He examined the stomach contents of many fish in mid April and found the belly cavities shrunken and full of mucus, with no digested food particles present.

So, what does science have to do with bass fishing? Plenty. To be sure, there’s lots of food for thought here. But once you digest all the information, you’ll be able to conduct a few field tests close to home with some positive results.