Catching SmallMouth Bass

In mid June the Smallmouth Bass feed aggressively in rocky bottom areas, looking for small crabs and dragonfly Nymphs. So if you’re looking for a fight take up Smallmouth Fishing!

Smallmouth Action

When it comes to a great strike the Smallmouth is right up there in the top 10. Depending on the bait and presentation you can feel the strike all the way up through your shoulder. Sometimes I think they are trying to take my arm off or break my wrist. For me these Bass are a catch and release fish, so I fish them just to experience the action, and what action it is.

Smallmouth Bass Baits

When the Smallmouth are feeding in the rock bays it’s not that hard to catch them, but the key is what type of strike do you want experience. For a jolt of a strike use a Shad Rap, for a visual strike and a fight all the way to the net use a Buzz Bait, and for continues action try a leech.

The Hardest Strike – The Jolt

The hardest strike I have found is with a Shad Rap, I like the Bandit 200 and 300 series for this. When they hit one of these it’s a jolt on the wrist and arm, A jolt you never seem to be ready for. But the Shad will limit the number of Smallmouth you are going to catch since you are fishing on the drop-offs and in deeper water.

The Best Fight

The best fight and fishing method I prefer is with the Bass Buzz Bait. Here you will not feel the strike like with the Shad Rap, but the fight all the way to the net will be incredible. The Smallies will make sure to give you plenty of air time as well. My only issue with the Buzz Bait is after two or three Smallmouth the bait is basically destroyed or has broken in half, but I now have a solution for that. Something I just tried last weekend and you will see it in the video.

Catching With Ease

If you’re after catching a lot of Smallmouth then try a leech, even in shallow water of 3 to 4 feet. I did an experiment with my two youngest sons where we took leeches and used a good size jig. We then tossed that out with no bobber, straight-line. I set the phone timer and after 30 minutes and we had caught 25 Smallmouth between two and three pounds. Now the strike is light and the fight more like a Largemouth, but the action was continuous and the boys had fun…