Smallmouth Vs. Largemouth

[BassinBoy]

From my experience and thoughts/experience from you guys, it seems that a lot of the same lures work for both of these fish such as senkos, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, tubes, jerk baits etc....

BUT, what lures have you found only really work for smallmouth and NOT largemouth? And vise versa

[wademaster1]

I think baits are pretty much interchangable for the two species....I go a tad smaller for the river smallies though...

[Siebert Outdoors]

To this day I have yet to find one.

[J Francho]

None, really.

[BrianinMD]

none that I have ever found

[smalljaw67]

I don't think there is anything that smallmouth hit that largemouth won't and vice versa. I do notice that smallies tend to react to bright colors a little more than largemouth but nothing that wouldn't catch the other species either.

[Dwight Hottle]

I can tell you jerkbaits work for smallies but not largemouth, right A-jay?

[J Francho]

Most of the differences in fishing specific baits for either has more to do with habitat.  I would no rather fish a slow sinking senko in 30+ FOW than I would want to fish a jigging spoon under shallow docks.

[Lucky Craft Man]

According to Dave LeFebre, worms don't work well on Smallmouth (this was a quote from either his PAA Presque Isle Bay Episode, which was actually filmed on Lake Chautuaqua instead of Presque Isle Bay, or the Lost Lake Episode, which is a show where the angler finds fish on a lake he is never been, that he filmed on Lake Chatuauqua).  Though, I have caught quite a few nice Smallmouth on Shakeyheads and Senkos, so I am not sure I believe that Smallmouth don't like worms.

[xbacksideslider]

Just my experience, could be an anomoly, but I get far more smallies on Yamamoto Ikas.

[J Francho]

I've definitely caught smallmouth on Texas rigged ribbon tail worms.

[SudburyBasser]

According to Dave LeFebre, worms don't work well on Smallmouth (this was a quote from either his PAA Presque Isle Bay Episode, which was actually filmed on Lake Chautuaqua instead of Presque Isle Bay, or the Lost Lake Episode, which is a show where the angler finds fish on a lake he is never been, that he filmed on Lake Chatuauqua).  Though, I have caught quite a few nice Smallmouth on Shakeyheads and Senkos, so I am not sure I believe that Smallmouth don't like worms.

 

I would love to know how he came to that conclusion. There are days when I absolutely smash the smallies with a 6" Senko. I'm pretty sure I'd do even better with a 5".

 

At any rate, to the original question: I really doubt there are many lures that you can't use on both LMB and SMB...at least I haven't found any to date and there isn't much I haven't thrown over the years. As those earlier have said, it has more to do with presentation and habitat.

 

I've definitely caught smallmouth on Texas rigged ribbon tail worms.

 

That I'm glad to hear since I bought a pile last month :-)

[ww2farmer]

I have caught smallmouth, and many good ones while targeting largemouth on just about every bait I own. And many good sized largemouth while targeting smallmouth. Those times of the year when both are in the same areas in my home lake are magic.

[J Francho]

Those times of the year when both are in the same areas in my home lake are magic.

 

Absolutely!  These two fish came from the same dock:

 

 

[Teal]

John thats a nice smallie!! I love that big grin on your face, it reminds us that fishing is fun!!

[J Francho]

Here's another shot of that fish:

 

 

[BronzeChaser]

I live in Maine and around here a lot of the lakes and rivers have both largies and smallies in them. Both species can and are caught on whatever particular pattern is hot that particular day. It helps to not try and separate them, although they do behave differently sometimes, both species are predatory fish and if presented with something that resembles their natural forage they will most likely eat it

[mjseverson24]

for me the only thing I can think of that does much better for largies than smallies is a 5" hollow body swimbait. I have cought 1 smallmouth on a swimbait, about 5 lbs. but have caught many largemouth on a hollow body.  for me that is probabily the bait with the largest success ratio. That being said I usually dont throw a 5" hollow body for smallies. 

 

Mitch

[A-Jay]

I can tell you jerkbaits work for smallies but not largemouth, right A-jay?

 

When you're right, you're right Dwight ~ especially that usless LC 128 . . . . . . . .

 

A-Jay

 

[clayton86]

Right now no matter what I throw I catch what ever swims. In the past week iv caught trout, pike,bass all on the same booyah spinner and Xr50 lipless same 3 species. I have however never caught a large mouth on a tube but I know they will hit it I just don't throw many tubes in largemouth territory usually rocks where it's mostly small mouth.

[A-Rob]

A heavy weighted flipping plastic and a 10" worm are the only lures that have not produced smallies and largies for me.

[flyfisher]

I think it more depends on river versus lake. None of the lakesi fish have both. Some baits just work better for me in rivers than they do in lakes and vice versa.

I also haven't had great success on large soft body swim baits for smallies but have on largemouth for sure. Now that may be because I think you can cover water better in a lake rather than drifting when you may only get a cast or two before you either drift by or eddy out somewhere.

[Ratherbfishing]

Most of the differences in fishing specific baits for either has more to do with habitat.  I would no rather fish a slow sinking senko in 30+ FOW than I would want to fish a jigging spoon under shallow docks.

Ditto.

[Brick]

I don't catch many largemouths on tube baits around here, but the smallies love them.  

[cyclops2]

The $ 4,000 fish finder catches more fish than a $ 4,000 boat

 

I still can not catch fish in a area where there are none