Also known as smallies, brown bass, bronzebacks, and small jaws.
The smallmouth bass is pound-for-pound one of the hardest-fighting freshwater fish. They’re known for their curiosity, aggressiveness, and acrobatics. While they may not be as popular as the largemouth, it’s safe to assume that’s only because of their less expansive distribution. If you polled a group of bass anglers on which species they prefer, smallmouth would likely get the nod.
Facts and tips provided by Blake Tollefson, onX Fish Ambassador.
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are found across North America in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, often in some of the most picturesque and pristine environments. Their native range extends from Central to Eastern North America. Their expanded range encompasses much of the United States and Southern Canada—including every US state except Alaska, Florida, and Louisiana (yes, they’re even in Hawaii).
Smallmouth anglers are a unique breed, employing a mix of finesse and aggressive techniques to catch fish. To help anglers find and catch more smallmouth bass, here is guidance on finding places likely to hold bronzebacks and how to catch them.
Smallmouth are found across a variety of areas, but prefer cool, clean water environments that provide a mixture of different substrates, like rock, gravel, and sand. They thrive in locations with good visibility and higher oxygen levels.
Structure is an important element for smallmouth. Top areas include:
In river systems, top areas include current seams, eddies, and holes.
Smallmouth bass are roamers, meaning they are constantly on the move and can often be found cruising near structure.
Similar to many other freshwater species, water temperature has a direct correlation with smallmouth bass. Unlike their large-mouthed cousins, smallmouth tend to be more active in cooler environments. Temperatures between 60°F and 75°F provide optimal results.
With a fighting ability that could be compared to Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali, smallies are a riot. Pound for pound, they are one of the, if not the, hardest fighting fish in freshwater.
Anglers love to grapple with their “pulling power,” and the variety of techniques used to target them, along with the diverse waters they inhabit, only adds to their appeal.
In terms of curiosity and aggression, smallmouth bass are at the top of the class. They have a knack for inspecting, chasing, and attacking baits. They don’t always eat, but when they do, it’s often explosive.
Smallmouth are known to travel in packs, so where you find one, you’re likely to find a few.
They also tend to be more transient than most fish species. They’re in one area today and in another tomorrow. Telemetry studies, focusing on movements throughout a season, have documented smallmouth moving more than 70 miles per year.
In many smallmouth-infested waters, crayfish are the dominant forage species. Other common forage preferences for brown bass include insects and baitfish.
Specific waterbodies, as well as time of year, impact smallmouth prey preferences. As a result, it’s crucial to understand how each forage base plays into a system. Such details can help anglers make more educated decisions on bait selection and location.
Specific tactics and techniques are entirely dependent on the situation. Factors like water clarity, primary forage, and seasonal dynamics all play a role in what works and what doesn’t. Every scenario is different.
Remember, timing and location are critical to success. Employ the right presentations, at the right times, in the right locations.
Guidelines say to start with more aggressive, power fishing techniques and move to slower, more finesse techniques, as needed. In general, smallmouth tend to require more finesse setups than largemouth. Many smallmouth-centric techniques are employed more effectively with a spinning rod instead of a casting rod. Take dropshots, Ned rigs, and hair jigs, for example, which are some of the more commonly used options.
Lure Recommendations
1. Dropshots paired with a variety of soft plastic options.
2. Soft plastics, including Ned rigs, swimbaits, craws, worms, minnow-style baits, and tubes.
3. Moving baits, including jerkbaits, crankbaits, bladed jigs (chatterbaits), and spybaits.
4. Jigs, including flipping jigs, finesse jigs, football jigs, and hair jigs.
5. Topwater baits, including poppers, walkers, and prop baits.
Knot Recommendations
1. Attachment knots are ideal for securing lures. Common options include the improved clinch knot, Palomar knot, and loop knot.
2. Connection knots are designed to connect leader lines to main lines. Common options include the FG knot, Alberto knot, blood knot, and uni knot.
While smallmouth bass can be caught year-round, the best opportunities in the Midwest exist during the open water season from spring through fall. Spring and fall are often considered the prime windows.
Some waters have special regulations that may differ from the statewide date; always check the specific regulations for the area you plan to fish.
The golden hours at dawn and dusk are often considered primetime. Though, midday can still prove to be successful for smallies.
Weather conditions can certainly impact a day of fishing. Generally, cloudy and overcast days provide the best results. However, high sun and flat calm days can offer surprising results because smallmouth are sight feeders. Like other species, cold fronts can quickly cool down a hot bite.
It may sound obvious, but some of the best fishing occurs in places that don’t get fished too often. Recent survey information can help you track down that waterbody off the beaten path, while landowner information, labeled access points, and driving directions will ensure you can actually get there.
Recent Imagery can be a real game changer when it comes to smallmouth. E-scouting to identify key areas can pay dividends on the water. Knowing where the right breaks, rock piles, and other structure are before you even hit the water can dramatically increase success.
Open the map. Find the structure. Time it right.
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While they’re both a part of the black bass family, largemouth and smallmouth bass differ in many ways. Smallmouth, or brown bass, have a browner complexion, often with vertical barring, while largemouth, or green bass, have a greener complexion, often with black horizontal barring.
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