BEST LARGEMOUTH LURES FOR SMALLMOUTH

[ratherbfishin1]

So I am going to southern Missouri in a few weeks for a smallmouth and trout fishing trip. We will be on the north fork of the white river... I think that’s what it’s called.  The water is crystal clear and only like 5 feet deep.  If I remember correctly the bottom is slate and or small rocks.  The water isn’t also really cold.  What lures that I already have for largemouth might work for smallmouth.  I don’t want to have to buy new stuff and I figure largemouth lures would work.  What are some all around good lures for smallmouth that I probably already have from largemouth.  I know this is a very vague question but I have very little experience with smallmouth and want to keep things simple.  Thanks!

[Black Hawk Basser]

Senkos, plastic craws, 4" tubes, small spinnerbaits, small shallow diving cranks, suspending jerk baits, hair jigs, 3" twisters.

 

I really like natural colors like browns and baitfish patterns but wild stuff like Firetiger work also, at least where I fish.  It's also a fairly clear river(in Iowa).

[Arobb2012]

Topwater poppers, walking baits and buzzbaits. Don't forget the ned rig. It can save you from a skunk.

[rejesterd]

The same things generally work imo.  I think the only thing smallmouth probably eat more of is crawfish.  So they respond to tubes and craw-colored crankbaits a little better.  Otherwise, just fish them like you would largemouth.  I catch both in my lake almost every day, and I catch them in the same spots schooled up with each other.  

 

For a very clear rocky lake (which is just like the one I fish on), think more about the color than the baits.  You want to use natural colors that aren't too bright during the day, unless it's very windy.. then you can use more chrome/shiny versions of those natural colors for things that run high in the water column.  But otherwise, natural colors.. green pumpkin, bluegill, brine/perch, orange/brown, white, etc.

 

And light fluorocarbon line when finessing.. loosen that drag a bit and just let them run around.

[Scott F]

16 minutes ago, rejesterd said:

The same things generally work imo.  I think the only thing smallmouth probably eat more of is crawfish.  So they respond to tubes and craw-colored crankbaits a little better.  Otherwise, just fish them like you would largemouth.  I catch both in my lake almost every day, and I catch them in the same spots schooled up with each other.  

 

For a very clear rocky lake (which is just like the one I fish on), think more about the color than the baits.  You want to use natural colors that aren't too bright during the day, unless it's very windy.. then you can use more chrome/shiny versions of those natural colors for things that run high in the water column.  But otherwise, natural colors.. green pumpkin, bluegill, brine/perch, orange/brown, white, etc.

 

And light fluorocarbon line when finessing.. loosen that drag a bit and just let them run around.

I fish clear rivers for smallmouth quite a lot and never worry about color. As a matter of fact, Bright gaudy colors work very well for smallmouth. River smallies are very different from largemouth. Largemouth avoid current, and smallmouth are found very near current. In rivers, which bait you throw is not as important as where you throw it. Smallmouth will sit in ambush points and attack anything that looks like food that is flowing by with the current. They don’t have time to look a bait over that is moving by them so they often are not very choosy about what they will eat. They can get choosy about when they’ll eat. If you only threw topwaters, unweighted Senkos, or an in-line spinner, you will get any active bass that you put in front of a fish. Tubes, Ned Rigs, and weighted lures will catch fish but if you aren’t used to fishing them in current, you can expect to lose numbers of baits. 

[rejesterd]

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

I fish clear rivers for smallmouth quite a lot and never worry about color. As a matter of fact, Bright gaudy colors work very well for smallmouth. River smallies are very different from largemouth. Largemouth avoid current, and smallmouth are found very near current. In rivers, which bait you throw is not as important as where you throw it. Smallmouth will sit in ambush points and attack anything that looks like food that is flowing by with the current. They don’t have time to look a bait over that is moving by them so they often are not very choosy about what they will eat. They can get choosy about when they’ll eat. If you only threw topwaters, unweighted Senkos, or an in-line spinner, you will get any active bass that you put in front of a fish. Tubes, Ned Rigs, and weighted lures will catch fish but if you aren’t used to fishing them in current, you can expect to lose numbers of baits. 

I'm not saying bass in a lake are exactly like bass in a river, but non-feeding bass don't sit in ambush points and attack anything that looks like food.  Of course you can catch feeding bass on just about any color or lure if you get it near them.  But most of the time, bass aren't actively feeding.. those are the ones that require more thought about color and presentation. 

[ratherbfishin1]

Ok thanks for the replies everyone!

[Djohn]

4 or 5 inch senkos, smaller tubes, twisty tail grubs, small swin baits

[RyneB]

tubes, poppers, finesse jigs, Ned rigs, senkos, spooks, buzzbaits.

[TOXIC]

To be honest, I can't think of any Largemouth lure that wouldn't catch a smallmouth????  Throw what ya got!!  

[CrankFate]

I never caught a small mouth on anything other than a bright colored crankbait. But I caught so few of them that the statement can’t be worth much.

[J_Pearson]

Just my opinion, but I feel anything that would catch a largemouth has the potential to catch a smallie. 

 

My personal best example of this was a small keeper smallmouth I caught during a Tuesday night T up here in NE Indiana...It blew-up on a frog through a mat in a dead-end channel..in a whole foot of water...

 

Of course, that example is an extreme, but none-the-less valid. Big baits like glide baits get smallies attention going.

 

Big topwaters and any of your jigs I believe would be great changeover lures this time of the year...plus there's always a Senko, which I haven't found a species of fish that Won't pick one up.

 

Good luck!

 

Jonathan

[Russ E]

like everyone else stated any lure for a largemouth will work for samllmouth.

A few local lakes here have a mix of both. often times you catch them in the same place on the same lures.

I caught both of my largest smallmouths on a shakyhead with a zoom trick worm.

Was not specifically targeting smallmouths either time.