CatchM

I just started fishing lakes(in NJ) that have primarily smallmouth bass and i have fallen in love with the species. However I am still trying to figure them out. I have grown up ocean bottom fishing and LMB fishing, so I'm used to fishing cover oriented fish. It's my understanding that while smallies do gravitate towards some kind of cover the type of cover they like is different and they do not relate as closely to cover as LMB. So my question is, where can I locate smallies? If I dont see a bait ball or a school of smallies on my helix 5 chirp what am I supposed to look for?

Thanks for the fast replies guys very helpful! I've been fishing them the way I fish for largemouth. I do tend to look for cover and hug the bank to an extent. I plan on fishing Clinton res in west Milford this Sunday(weather permiting). Hopefully I'll have more success

I have been fishing the same 3 reservoirs for about a year now in northern NJ they're a perfect size for my boat and holds nice smallmouth. I do well enough to keep me coming back but cant get the high valume of fish I can pull at smaller grassy LMB lakes and ponds that I have been fishing for years. I love these reservoirs for the smallmouth and sheer beauty that my other fishing holes lack but 2-3 fish a day isn't scratching the itch. I use heavy whopper plopper, 4in tubes, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and senkos primarily. I use 6-10lb trilene and stay away from swivels and snaps as much as I can. I'm not sure if it's the reservior or the smallmouth or maybe even both that I'm having a hard time figuring out. I would love to hear from anyone who fishes smallmouth or similar conditions.