To catch smallmouth bass consistently, you must understand a few
basic fishing principles that always apply, regardless of the fishing
techniques you use.
Smallmouth are object oriented, meaning that they like to get
next to something. Their favorite type of object is a large rock.
They are sometimes found around weeds, but are not as weed
oriented as largemouth.
In a given body of water, smallmouth can be found deeper than
largemouth, but shallower than walleye.
Smallmouth school by size, so if you are catching nothing but
small ones try, a different area.
Smallmouth have different personalities in different waters. In
high competition waters, they tend to be aggressive, so a variety
of presentations will work. But in low competition waters, they
can be very finicky. Here, a slow, tantalizing presentation draws
the most strikes.
Small sized smallmouth are more aggressive than large ones and
generally inhabit shallower water.
Smallmouth are prone to spooking, even in waters where they are
normally aggressive.
Most smallmouth are caught near the bottom, but you can also
catch them on the surface. However, they are not as vulnerable to
surface presentations as largemouth.
In most waters, smallmouth bite best in early morning. In clear
lakes, they may bite best at night, especially in summer.
