The Smallmouth Bass
I only cxaught my first Smallmouth on August 23rd 1998, and its size for my first was quite large. He was quite easily caught with pumpernickle bread.
Another big smallmouth I caught was caught with a worm and was quite yummy to taste.
Since my first smallmouth I have caught 3 Smallmouth over 2 lbs, all of which with live bait. I have, however, caught smaller sized smallmouth with artificals.
Ontario fishing guide extraction :
- Spawn : 16 celsius
- Cover : gravel bar, submerged weedbed, rocky shoal, 3 to 6 metres, deep holes, rocky shorelines, rapids
- Water : almost anything
- Temperature preference : 70 degrees farenheit
- Best lake : Mesotrophic
- Oxygen requirement : 2.5 parts per million
Size and age (inches)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
|
|---|
| Smallmouth | 3.8 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 12.1 | 14.3 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.9 | 16.2 | 16.9 | 17.5
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|---|
Size and age (inches)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
|
|---|
| Smallmouth Bass (Opeongo Lake) | 2.1 | 5.2 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 13.5 | 14.5 | 15.5
|
|---|
| Smallmouth Bass (Lake Simcoe) | 4.2 | 6.3 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 13.0 | 14.6 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 17.0
|
|---|
Recommended Smallmouth bass lures :
- Rapala or Bang-o-lure
- Fat Cat
- Tadpolly
- Shad Rap (sizes 5, 7, 8 or 9)
- Canadian Wiggler
- River Runt
- Hawaiian Wiggler
- Hula Dancer
- Safety pin spinner/creature
- Marabou jig
- Plastic worm texas-rigged
- Lizard and jighead
- Jig and twister tail
Henry Wasczuk and Italo Labignan recommend :
- Marabou
- Deer Hair
- Mister twister
- Minnow-imitating and crawfish-imitating crankbaits
- Small in-line spinners
Five must-have baits for unknown lakes:
- Topwater : POP-R, Zara Spook, Minnow Bait, Jitterbug, Buddha Bait pop fire
- Buzzbaits : If you get a miss from one of these lures, use a soft-pastic in the missed area
- Spinnerbait : Terminator 1/2 oince, Excalibur 1/4 ounce
- Plastics : Berkeley power worm, Berkeley Neon power tube
- Crankbaits : Bomber 6A (crawfish), H-12 Husky Jerk (clown)
The Fishful Thinking show recommends :
- Klawdad and carolina rig
- Culprit swimfin with quick-sink jig head
- Brush baby
The Hunting & Fishing library recommends :
Jigs (plastic trailers or pork rinds highly recommended to improve action)
- Marbou
- Fuzz-E-Grub
- Tinsel tail
- Curly Tailed jig
- Ugly Bug
Jigging Lures
- Tailspin
- Jigging Spoon
- Heddon Sonar
- Rapala Jigging minnow
My tips
- Worms, crayfish with no claws, soft-shell crayfish with no claws, minnows, leeches, hellgrammites (Live if preferable for minnows, especially)
- Other real baits like bread, roast beef... But, Smallmouth do not take live bait quite as
quickly as do panfish. They inspect it first and engulf it whole while pans peck quickly at the loose ends.
Oh yeah, a good hookset is critical!