Smallmouth Bass Fishing Techniques Must Include Persistence

Smallmouth bass fishing techniques must include persistence as the smallmouth bass are one of a kind, the lesser known little brother of the gigantic largemouth bass. The smallmouth gets its name from the size of its mouth. Now this is not to say that the mouth is incredibly smaller in proportion to its body mass, just that the largemouth has that name covered. The smallmouth has a range of about three-quarters of The United States and most likely will be found in flowing rivers and still lakes. The bass can be anywhere there is enough water for it to swim and mate and eat. There is a giant population of smallmouth as they are one of the most successful game fish of the country.

One of the states that have a lesser population of smallmouth is Florida. The smallmouth may venture as far a northern Georgia and even can be found in certain locations of southern Georgia but this is rare. What is the reason for this? The heat. The bass like milder weather and warm water but not as warm as their larger brothers down south. This is certainly a survivorship tool as the largemouth most certainly would not get along with the smaller less mouthy cousin.

The smallmouth hit just about anything that a largemouth would except that the northern variety prefers a lighter menu. Crayfish and worms make up a big portion of their diet and these are just not so plentiful in the south as the north. The smallmouth makes up for its name and size when it is hooked and knows it. The fish is revered for its ability to launch and aerial assault that is sure to please even the most die-hard largemouth fisherman.

The smallmouth can be hooked on live bait or a variety of artificial lures. A great tactic is to use rattle trap artificial or a deep diving bottom bumping rubber worm. The color and weight of the presentation is indicative to where the fisherman is casting into. A big clear lake will call for a darker colored more obvious worm while the darker more sinister waters of a marsh or bog needs a lighter color. The contrast is the important reason behind the color variation and this is the number one theory of smallmouth bass fisherman everywhere.

The largest smallmouth bass on record was caught in the great state of Tennessee by a man named D.L. Hayes. The massive fish weighed in at a staggering 11 pounds 15 ounces! That’s amazing seeing that the average specimen is around three pounds and that’s being kind. The smallmouth that grew that big must have eaten everything in the lake. That’s a big smallmouth. The average smallmouth pales in comparison to this as is the case in any world record. The rarity of this catch is that the smallmouth was caught in a river stream in the foothills of a mountain. The home of the usual trout-family related species. Out of place and oversized, strange.