smallmouths!

[chubs]

Ive been fishing for largemouth for 20+ years and have caught a few hundred smallies but most were caught by mistake while walleye fishing. I have very few smallie lakes close to my house but this year Im going to just about fish for nothing else.
What lures do I need to get me off in the right direction?

[pig n jig]

Where to start ?
1.Painted bladed spinnerbaits, white spinerbaits and of course chartruese spinnerbaits. I like 1/2 oz. white blade/white skirt for general open water spinnerbaiting, but I like a heavier chartruese bladed/chartruese skirted spinnerbait for burning over weedbeds.I want a 4 1/2 size rear willow on a 3/4 to 1 oz. body.This keeps the bait running lower as to burn it back faster.

2. Zoom super fluke in bubblegum color.

3. Tube baits, green pumpkin and avocado , or rootbeer green flake.I use a sliding 1/8 oz. tungstun weight with the Gamakatsu sure grip hook in 2/0 & 3/0. This hook is a spin off of the Grigsby HP hook by Eagle claw.

4. Hard jerkbaits. Suspending rogues, husky jerks....They will wear you out when fished propperly.

5.Kalin grubs on 1/4 oz. leadhead jig. Smoke, Motor oil/red flake, watermelon are my favorite colors.I like 5" Kalins over the 3", but have both.

6. Senko. Yamamoto brand #214 5" size.

7.hair jigs and regular bass jigs.

8 Buzzbaits, spook jrs,sammy, spittin image, zip n ziggy, baby torpedo. Make the buzzbait black skirted.


9. Carolina rigging 5" green pumpkin zoom lizards, and zoom centepedes in cotton candy color.Yamamoto makes a 4" lizard as well that is good, but on the small side.

10 . Dropshotting Zoom meatheads .I like watermelon color., The only time I use a jighead istead of weight is targeting smallies.I use a 1/4 oz. leadhead with a meathead impaled on it.I may use a Kalin grub up above, or go with meatheads on both hooks.

That should get you started. P N J

[ROBZILLA]

Tubes, Tubes, Tubes Bouncing Off Bottom. Anything Plastic. Anything That Wiggles.

[JB]

chartruse blades is a must. plus try a blk skirt... dont over look grubs for smallies, its bread n butter at times

[vagabond]

Due to the fact that I know less than anyone else on this board, I will rarely coment when someone asks for suggestions. I come here daily to learn but seldom try to teach.


I don't fish for small mouth very often but one day this past year I was. Nothing was working. Out of boredom I pulled out this orange wiggle wart that I had. First cast, fish on. Second cast the same thing.

I found that they were hitting it right as it hit the water if I pitched it just a foot or two from the shoreline. On the times they didn't hit it right away, they would never hit it on the retrieve. So I started using it like a top water, just twitching it in, let it come to the top and reel in the slack.

There was a salmon fly hatch going on that week so maybe they were hitting just becasue it was orange. I haven't been back to that lake since. I'll try again next year.

I don't know if it would work everywhere. I don't know if it'll work again. I know it's not the proper way to fish a wiggle wart but might be worth a try if nothing else is working.

[chubs]

Thank guys! I have alot of this stuff allready.Thanks for the info keep it coming! Im making a list of things I have and need to buy's.
I have the kalins and an orange wiggle wart,Rougues and H jerks in my walleye box.

Vagebond,Any tip will help me when it comes to smb fishing so believe me I'll try it.I wouldnt know if someone was BS-ing me or not!

[lunker-lander]

Gitzit Original Smallie Tubes...

Enough Said...

-Lunk-

[Bender]

This was my first year going after the browns and I'll agree with tubes and hard jerk baits but they also go after most other LM baits too.
Most of the time it depends on what part of the lake you are fishing since they seem to prefer a little bit of moving water, especially deeper creekbeds. BUT, then on my favorite lake I'll go to a spot and catch SM one day, then LM the next in 10'. THEN you'll catch them in 2' on topwaters and worms! Also they seem to suspend more in the summer heat.

[chubs]

Originally Posted by JB

chartruse blades is a must. plus try a blk skirt... dont over look grubs for smallies, its bread n butter at times

So were you saying a black spinnerbait with chart Blades.

[ROBZILLA]

If you can find the crappie spinner baits which are 1/4 the size of a lage mouth spinner baits, trail them with a smoke color twister tail. you'll get results every time. Some small mouth Bass like colder water that the lage mouth cousin.

[pig n jig]

This little bait used to produce years ago for me, then they discontinued them .Its amazing I stil have a pack in colbalt blue color from years ago.I have saved them for if I fished a tournament and the going was tough.I used to fish them on a Mister twister keeper hook on 6lb line.
http://www.nbswebstore.com/cgi-bin/w...20WATER%20CHUB

The lunker city sluggo in pink, or white works real well too.I am pissed off at Lunker city, probably won't buy any more.They bought the fleck spinnerbait company and dropped the better spinnerbaits. Fleck used to be the go to spinnerbait, for alot of northern tournament fisherman. P N J

[Riverrat]

Tubes 2-4" Green pum,Smoke flake, Black neon
Grubs 3-5" Smoke, white, chart
Small jigs. Any color to match the bottom you are fishing.
Smaller spinner baits, white, siver, Golden shiner.
Flukes, pearl, black, bubblegum
Skitter pops
Hope this helps.

[Fish2win]

I fish for Smallies almost exclusively. I will say this.They will hit most any lure that a largemouth will hit just not at the same location. I have caught several 5+ smallies in the middle of the summer cranking a DD22 at 18 to 20 feet. They seem to school in the same locations as walleye a good bit so that will explain why you have caught several when walleye fishing.
I catch a lot of big smallies on a short arm spinnerbait at night. Small jigs like the Bitsey Bug or a small hair jig can be killer in the winter months. We dont ice up here.In fact I caugt a 6lb 4 oz smallie 2 weeks ago on the bisey bug with a skinney chunk. 1/8 oz.Good luck with your smallie fishing. The lakes here in East Tennessee are full of big smallies. In fact its our state fish. Fish2win

[chubs]

Thanks again guys!
Yesterday when opening gifts my wife came out with a huge box for me to open, when I opened it I was shocked.She went Cabalas and talked with a bass fisherman she told him that I was just getting into smb fishing and wanted to get me a few things.I now have full set of X-raps,a few new spooks,a few luckycraft baits and over 60 bags of plactics and a bunch more of stuff.
The first time in 17 years that she's bought anything fishing related!

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by chubs

Thanks again guys!
Yesterday when opening gifts my wife came out with a huge box for me to open, when I opened it I was shocked.She went Cabalas and talked with a bass fisherman she told him that I was just getting into smb fishing and wanted to get me a few things.I now have full set of X-raps,a few new spooks,a few luckycraft baits and over 60 bags of plactics and a bunch more of stuff.
The first time in 17 years that she's bought anything fishing related!

Congratulations on your new stuff, now you need a bigger boat.

Being from MN, have you ever heard of , or have used Frank Schuberts rite bite tubes ?They were very popular a few years back,they are a pretty good tube bait. I found out he didn't make them after all, here is a site to buy them from.I stopped using them, because Land big fish quit selling them and I could no longer find them. P N J

http://www.wackyworm.com/wwshuberts.html

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by vagabond

Due to the fact that I know less than anyone else on this board, I will rarely coment when someone asks for suggestions. I come here daily to learn but seldom try to teach.


I don't fish for small mouth very often but one day this past year I was. Nothing was working. Out of boredom I pulled out this orange wiggle wart that I had. First cast, fish on. Second cast the same thing.

I found that they were hitting it right as it hit the water if I pitched it just a foot or two from the shoreline. On the times they didn't hit it right away, they would never hit it on the retrieve. So I started using it like a top water, just twitching it in, let it come to the top and reel in the slack.

There was a salmon fly hatch going on that week so maybe they were hitting just becasue it was orange. I haven't been back to that lake since. I'll try again next year.

I don't know if it would work everywhere. I don't know if it'll work again. I know it's not the proper way to fish a wiggle wart but might be worth a try if nothing else is working.

Vagabond,
What you said kinda disturbed me.......in fact enough I have to comment. Your input is just as valuable as anyone else's on here. Even though some of us may have been fishing since they invented the wheel we still learn from those that are much younger. I look forward to reading a post be it from a seasoned veteran or from a excited 12yr old. Anyone that thinks that he or she knows all the answers or cant be taught is missing out on some great info. So please feel free to post any experience tip or technique you have. In fact I am now on the hunt for some orange wiggle warts.

[Lilmoosecountry]

Well i was born in wisconsin. I spent most of my life on Green Lake. It is the deepest in land lake in the country. I have caught walleye's & Smallies on the same gear. Mostly because lure size. I am not afraid to tip a jip with a leach to catch smallies. Many northern fishermen like myself have used the same wallye techniques on smallies & do dam well. I love watching walleytourmanents on tv. Just to see if i could try those same techniques on smallies. I have caught more Smallies on the old Wally Diver than any other lure. Don't be afraid to try these techniques on bass they do work. You will catch more smallies.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by vagabond

Due to the fact that I know less than anyone else on this board, I will rarely coment when someone asks for suggestions.

I don't know if it would work everywhere. I don't know if it'll work again. I know it's not the proper way to fish a wiggle wart but might be worth a try if nothing else is working.

vagabond
i have watched and read most of the post put on this board for the last couple years. there is several younger guys on here that ask decent well thought up questions. that seemed to always get answered by most of us... you are one of them..

now to answer your question about proper techique.
reguardless of HOW you use a bait for what ever reason. as long as it is catching fish than by all means DO IT!!! remember nothing is stupid if it works..

orange wiggle wart hmmmm....-no laser you can't have mine-


zooker

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by zooker

orange wiggle wart hmmmm....-no laser you can't have mine-


zooker

PECKERHEAD!...................LMAO!!!!!

[ROBZILLA]

Why fish for smallmouth?

Smallmouth bass are a fun fish to catch. If you are fishing during the right time of day, bass can go into such a feeding frenzy that it's not uncommon to catch one after another, each one striking as soon as the bait hits the water. While not the largest fish of the bass family, smallmouth are known for their tenacity. It is almost guaranteed that every one you catch will come ripping out of the water in an attempt to shake free. It really is exhilarating to see these aggressive bass in action. These acrobatics also add an extra challenge to reeling the bass in.

When is the best time to catch smallmouth?

Smallmouth bass can be caught any time during the day but of course the best time to catch them is at sunrise or just before sunset.

Where are the best places to catch smallmouth?

You can catch smallmouth pretty much anywhere because they will move around during the day. But smallmouth, like many fish, like to hide around objects and points. Also bass, although not as picky as some fish, like to stay in relatively cool water.

What kind of bait is used to catch smallmouth?

I always say that if the bass are hitting they'll bite pretty much anything that drops in front of them. But of course live bait will always catch you something. Many fisherman believe that getting the bass agitated will provoke a strike. Because of this many anglers use bubbling top water lures or lures with rattles in them. My personal favorite noisemaker for river fishing is any kind of floating - big spooned (deep running) - rattler. When you're trying to decide what bait to use, you need to think about how well the bait works in the environment. For example if you're casting in an area with a lot of objects like large rocks and logs on the riverbed, which is the case for many rivers because of all the logging that has been done, you will need to use bait that works well in those conditions. These conditions can be especially troublesome if you're fishing in moving water or you're trolling from a moving boat. The bait will always float down stream and get caught on objects. If you try to us a sinker there's no way of telling how far from the sinker you need to put your bait and even if you knew, often times the sinker itself can get caught up on objects. On the other hand, if you use sinking lures especially ones without big spoons, they'll almost always get stuck on objects unless you reel fast enough to get the lure in before it sinks too far. Again because I often fish in the rivers, I like to use a floating lure with a big spoon on it. The big spoon makes the lure point downward making the first thing that contacts the object the spoon instead of the hook. After hitting the object the lure should, in most cases, bounce right off of it. Also the deeper runners get down where the water is cooler which is useful on hot summer days. Of course using a heavy duty line always helps if you're fishing in extremely object filled waters, this way you don't spend a fortune on lures lost to the river bed. The downfall to this is you need to use heavier bait or weights in order to cast to the necessary distances, which you can achieve, you guessed it, by using a big spooned lure. Other kinds of floating lures work well too because they usually stay high enough above objects to not get stuck. Of course top water lures usually don't get caught on logs and rocks so they can be useful as well. Personally I haven't had too much luck with them. Another thing to note is many other baits work well if you can find calm enough water like a pool, or water that is relatively object free.

[chubs]

Originally Posted by pig n jig

Congratulations on your new stuff, now you need a bigger boat.

Being from MN, have you ever heard of , or have used Frank Schuberts rite bite tubes ?They were very popular a few years back,they are a pretty good tube bait. I found out he didn't make them after all, here is a site to buy them from.I stopped using them, because Land big fish quit selling them and I could no longer find them. P N J

http://www.wackyworm.com/wwshuberts.html

Nope never used those tubes mainly Isg dream tubes or Denny B flippin!