SMALLMOUTH BASS

The smallmouth bass is the second largest member of the sunfish family attaining a weight of almost 12 lb.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A SMALLMOUTH BASS

The smallmouth is easily distinguished from the largemouth by its clearly connected dorsal fins, the scales on the base portion of the softrayed second dorsal fin, and the upper jaw bone which extends only to about the middle of the eye. The coloration is also distinctive being usually more brownish in the smallmouth and more greenish in the largemouth. Generally, the smallmouth has bars radiating back from the eyes, and though similar bars may be present in individuals of other species, including the largemouth, they seem to be more prominent and more consistently present in the smallmouth. A smallmouth's eyes are red or orangish. In young smallmouths, there is a distinctive band of orange at the base of the tail. This is followed by a black band with the tip of the tail being either white or yellow.

WHERE TO CATCH SMALLMOUTH BASS

The smallmouth bass is native to the eastern half of the U.S.A. and southeastern Canada, from Manitoba and Quebec south to the Tennessee River system in Alabama and west to eastern Oklahoma. It has been widely transplanted so that today it occurs in almost every state and many other countries. It is not as widespread as the largemouth bass.

They prefer deeper water than the largemouth and areas of clear, fast-flowing streams and pools with gravel/rubble bottom. In waters coinhabited by both smallmouth and largemouth, the largemouth bass will spawn a little earlier due to the fact that the shallower nesting sites they choose in protected areas with emergent vegetation warm to the optimum temperature sooner that the deeper, rockier sites chosen by the smallmouths.

The following list includes additional details on where to GRADUAL SHORES INLETS AND OUTLETS PIERS, DOCKS AND PILINGS SPRING HOLES WALKWAYS AND BRIDGES HOLES OPEN WATER SHORELINE SHALLOWS SUNKEN OBJECTS FRESHWATER WEED BEDS catch Smallmouth bass:

GRADUAL SHORES                                                    HOLES

INLETS AND OUTLETS                                        OPEN WATER

PIERS, DOCKS AND PILINGS                      SHORELINE SHALLOWS

SPRING HOLES                                          FRESHWATER WEED BEDS

WALKWAYS AND BRIDGES

HOW TO CATCH SMALLMOUTH BASS

There are many who say that the smallmouth bass is gamier than the largemouth. The following are fishing methods used to catch Smallmouth bass:

DRIFT FISHING                                                         FISHING

STILL FISHING

SMALLMOUTH BASS LURES, TACKLE & BAIT

The following are fishing lures, tackle and bait that can be used to catch Smallmouth bass:

INSECTS                                                                           JIGS

MINNOWS                                                                    PLUGS

SOFT PLASTICS                                                    SPINNER BAITS                        

SPOONS