Small Mouth Bass

I need some tips for small mouth bass fishing. I have a cabin on a pretty good lake that is pretty big you might of heard of it Island Lake. Well I have never really gone small mouth bass fishing I have just caught them when I was fishing for walleyes or crappies. I would like to start really fishing for them know but the only thing is I really don’t know what I am doing. Any advice would be welcomed thanks!

Most of my smallmouth fishing has been on the interior rivers here in Iowa, but I’m guessing that outside of dealing with the current, the fish are largely the same.

That said, about 75% of my smallmouth fishing is done on jigs & plastics. Twisters going from 2″ to 4″ have been the best producer. Out of the current, I would think you could do well on finesse plastics also. The remainder of my smallie pursuits are spent with a spinnerbait or a shallow crank. For colors, I usually start with something that would appeal to a crawdad cruncher and move on from there.

Somebody said a while back that a beetle spin was their #1 fall bait for fishing wingdams. Haven’t tried it yet, but it seems to combine two of my current favorites, so why not?

Thanks for the advice man!

Here is an excerpt from an article I am preparing on the topic os Smallmouth Bass. I hope it helps.

Presentations for early Spring Smallmouth: Jigs, crankbaits and livebait rigs are three choices that should get good results. Fishing shallow in June is key to finding these active smallmouths . Working shallow water spawning regions looking for gravel beds where Smallmouth Bass like to spawn. Smaller lures are the ticket for early season Smallies.
Noise, scent and high Visibility colors will help fish to zero in on your presentation.
Small jigs, 1/16-1/8 ounce work well tipped with Ringworms, Twisters or Grubs when approaching shallow waters of only several feet. Optional choices are small crankbaits like the Shad Rap.
If you like twitching baits, try any unlimited number of Rapala type floating stick baits on the market, Tiny Torpedoes or Zara Puppys. Explosive hits are the norm and full action jumps usually result. Work all spawning areas well and then back off of these areas into deeper waters to find all holding bass in the area.
The same rod and reels used for Walleye will work fine for Smallmouth
Location: Rocks, rocks ,rocks and also gravel and wood constitute the most common areas to finding Smallmouth Bass. I look for long tapering rocky points adjacent to gravel flats or bay mouths.
Remember there is no substitute for time on the water, the BEST teacher.

Good Fishing and send us some pics!

Howdi Walyecrappie, Twister tails work great,my favorite is the Exude Chartreaus Flake in the 3 or 4 inch version. Another great bait is the Mepps spinner. You can get them in all sizes and they work great. I haven’t tried their new Spin Flex but there is a product review on it on the FTR home page. Check it out as I bet it would be a killer bait just upstream of the Falls on Island. (where the Clouqet River enters) Steve

Thanks for the advice every one! I bet I will have some fun once the season opens trying all theese things! Well Happy Easter! Bye

And don’t forget the K-Tails and Ringworms as they are great smallmouth catchers too. I know, sound like a broken record, but hey, gotta go with what works! Nice pic Tom, thanks for sharing the pic and hot info. Looking forward to reading your article. Me and my ”Fat Boy” will see you on the water! Thanks, Bill

Nothing finer than watching a smallie explode on a Chug Bug at Twilight !! Small Bombers or like cranks in Crayfish pattern also work well on my trips.