Smallmouth Bass

Average length of the Smallmouth Bass is around 14 to 22 inches and weights between 1 to 5 pounds. Its golden brown to green on the back, with lighter sides and milk white belly. Common names for the Smallmouth Bass are: northern smallmouth bass, black bass, brown bass and white trout. It is commonly found in lakes Superior, Ontario, Huron, Erie, Lake Of The Woods, Lac Seul, Sturgeon Lake, Lake St. Clair, Lake Nipissing, Rainy Lake, Lake Simcoe, Crow (Kakagi) Lake, Minnitaki Lake, Perrault Lake, Rice Lake, Wabaskang Lake, Cedar Lake, Lakes Dinorwic and Wabigoon, Lake Temagami and Eagle Lake.

Popular Baits For Smallmouth Bass

Popular Baits for Smallmouth Bass are crawfish, minnows, leeches and hellgrammites. Also try using anything that resembles a minnow such as streamer flies and plastic worms.

Where To Look For Smallmouth Bass

Spring: Smallmouths love rock and spend most of their time in these hard structures. Post-spawn smallmouths will remain close to shallow rocky areas until the temperature of the water warms considerably. Points, shoals and islands are their preffered spots. Start in each area in the shallows moving deeper until you start getting bites. Preffered baits for the spring season are crankbaits and jigs. A sure bet to entice smallmouths is by using crayfish coloured baits.

Summer: In the early mornings and evening periods is when the smallmouths are in the shallow waters feeding aggressively. Using topwaters will lead to best results and heart-stopping action. During the daytime they will retreat to deeper water and will be anywhere from six to thirty feet deep. They always seem to be around same structures, such as humps, shelves and drop offs. Once you get one, the other smallmouths will surely get excited and there will be more to come.

Fall: Possibly the best time to fish for smallies because at this time of the year they gorge themselves on minnows and crayfish in anticipation of winter. Searching is the key, and you should concentrate on spots where you've had success earlier in the season. Best bet is to look for points, saddles and shoals in waters between 20 foot and 35 feet deep, beggining at the lower end of the spectrum. Best lures to use are rattle traps, cranks and jigs.