How To Catch Smallmouth Bass

If you have never tried you must learn how to catch smallmouth bass.  Some anglers argue that pound for pound, inch for inch the smallmouth bass puts on the best fight of any sport fish.   This can be debated but once you catch a smallmouth bass you will be hooked!    Top water, crank bait, plastic, jig - fly fishing for smallmouth bass doesn't matter - it will always leave you with a memory

Smallmouth Bass Description

This picture shows a typical smallmouth bass.  Its mouth is not as large as its cousin the Largemouth Bass and has colors that are distinguishing.   Colors range from green/dark green to bronze or yellow brown.  Nicknamed Bronzebacks, or Brownies you can see in some of the pictures on this page how they get that name.  Others have similar markings but are more green as seen in other pictures on this page.  When smallmouth bass have distinct markings they resemble non distinct stripes that are vertical.

Evening Smallmouth Bass

If you want to know how to catch smallmouth bass, try the techniques used to catch the smallies on this page.  The one above was caught while fishing on Rainy Lake pitching 1/4 ounce jigs with a curly tail just before dark.  Casting onto windy points of islands in and around rocks smallies and walleye were being caught.  The other technique commonly used was to cast shallow diving crank crawdad lures just off a pile of rocks at the entrance of a small stream coming into Rainy Lake.  The point of this entrance went well into the bay and you could see rocks below the surface.  A small lipped crank bait, that dove about to a 6 foot depth with a crawdad finish brown and red in color was used.  Smallie after smallie would hit in water like this.  Many would dive down then come up and for a great jump.  

How to Catch Smallmouth Bass Summer 

During the spring spawn smallies tend to hand around the shore over rocks where they nest.  Summer find them somewhat deeper but they will hang where the bait is found.

Strike King HCKVDS1.5SH-590 KVD Shallow Square Bill 1.5 Sexy Shad

These KVD square bill crank baits are amazing in the water, and will attract fish from a wide range.  Available in 2-3 different sizes and many colors these are a must have for small mouth.

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These two summer smallmouth bass were caught jigging for walleyes using 3/16 or 1/4 ounce jig heads with live minnows on the hook.  Smallies can be found where predator fish are looking for food and on this day walleye, pike and smallies were being caught.  Be ready because you never know what is going to hit your lures.  How to catch smallmouth bass?  Anyway you want to, 

Favorite Smallmouth Technique

These following 4 pictures of smallmouth bass all were taken after catching them using many anglers favorite technique - casting to rocky shores or points using surface lures or 2-3 feet diving crank baits.  In spring and early summer, smallies will be near the shore morning hours, evening hours and nearly all day on cloudy days -even rainy days - can be very productive.  How to catch smallmouth bass?  You should give this technique a try, because when you hook into a brownie this way you are almost assured of severak nice acrobatics.  Plus you will learn quickly why some people say these fish have "big shoulders".

Smallmouth Bass Rainy Lake Smallmouth RainySmallmouth Bass
Rainy Day Smallmouth Rainy Day Smallmouth EveningEvening Smallmouth Bass

More Smallmouth Bass Pictures

Are you getting the fever many anglers get when they fish for for Smallmouth Bass!  They create a lot of memories.  Seems like when you start to catch them, there is a bite for a long time and in the same pattern from point to point, shore line to shore line.  And they give you a great fight.  Smallmouth are also tasty to eat, but most anglers return the larger ones to fight another day, and only occassionally keep a 13-14 incher for dinner.

Summer SmallMouth Bass Rainy AM Smallmouth
Rainy Lake Smallmouth Bass Rainy Lake Smallmouth
Cool Rainy Day Smallmouth Cool Rainy AM Smallmouth
Cloudy Day Smallmouth Cloudy Day Smallmouth

Aggressive Smallmouth Bass 

One reason so many anglers like to fish for smallmouth bass is their aggressive behavior.  The smallie on the left was caught on a surface lure with the typical explosion on the surface.  The smaller one was caught casting a 10-12 foot diving crank bait towards the shore line for walleye.  After catching several walleye, this monster hooked on.  OK not much of a monster, but it did almost swallow the lure whole.  This smallie hit a lure that was about as large as it was.  NO FEAR!  One of PFT's favorite pictures!  How to catch smallmouth bass?  Try top water!  Just go fishing!

Fly Fishing Smallmouth Bass

What a blast flyfishing for smallies!  Surface, just under the surface, you should see the explosions and jumps.  Many of the rivers and streams in Indiana and across the nation have smallmouth bass.  While fly fishing for trout gets a lot of attention, this is a must for you for additional excitement.