What is/are your setups for smallmouth?

[new2BC4bass]

I don't 'Smallmouth' fish.  I'm grateful for any fish caught in this area.  I have caught the occasional one so I guess any of my outfits could be considered Smallmouth rods and reels. 

 

TBH I'm not sure which rods I'd use if heading out strictly for Smallmouth.  Spinning: maybe an older Fuego 6'10" M-EF with an old Daiwa-S 1500CU.  Tip is softer than you might think.  Baitcast:  A conundrum.  A problem of excess.  Smallmouth 6'10" MF/Curado 51E or OG Tatula 7' MLR/Purple Alphas or OG Falcon Expert 7' MF/Purple Alphas.

 

EDIT:  Or a new Echo Carbon XL 5wt/Sword 5/6 with SC Frequency Boost WF-5-F.

[Standard]

I mainly do Smallmouth fishing, these are the 4 that consistently make it into the kayak:

Baitcasters:

Shimano SLX 150 DC / St. Croix Bass X 7' M Fast - Suffix 832 15lb braid flouro leader -- New setup this year that I bought mainly for crank / jerk baits, but I really like it so it tends to get used for just about everything

 

Shimano Citica 200 / Shimano Convergence 6'6" MH Fast - 30lb braid flouro leader -- First baitcaster I ever bought, years ago.  Workhorse that keeps truckin'.  Bigger lures or throwing into cover.

 

Spinning:

Pflueger President XT 25 / Fenwick Aetos 6' 9" ML XFast - 8lb flouro -- Finesse.  Tubes, smaller plastics.  Sunfish catcher if the big fish aren't biting.  Pflueger calls it a size 25 but it's more of a 1000 size reel.

 

Pflueger President 3000 size / Fenwick Aetos 7' M Fast - 10lb mono -- Backup rod, mainly.  

__

Force of habit that I tend to pick fast action rods.  Next plan is to a moderate action setup and see how I like it.

[TnRiver46]

Sometimes 7’ baitcasting broom stick with 50 lb braid and a frog or swim jig

 

Mostly 6’6” spinning rod with 6 lb mono (most of mine are too flemsy but oh well, just set the hook harder) with plastic worm or grubs up to 1/8oz weight

I also keep a 7’ MH baitcaster with 12 lb mono for top water, cranks, jerks, texas rig and shakey head over 1/8 oz, and some jigs 

 

I like to have a rod in the boat with 20 lb mono as well for rare situations, maybe flipping into laydowns or throwing a big topwater like bomber long A 

 

All waters around here contain smallmouth unless its a cattle woller 

[Finessegenics]

4 rods does the trick for me. 

 

Spinning:

6'10 ML/XF spinning, 10# braid to 8# leader: small plastics on 1/8oz or 1/16 oz jigheads.

 

7'1 M/F spinning, 15# braid to 8# or 10# leader: weightless senkos, flukes, heavier tube jigs, poppers

 

Casting: 

7'0 MH/F, 15# fluoro : Swing- heads, skirted jigs, texas rigs

 

7'0 MH/F (fishes like a ModFast), 12# copolymer: Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, topwater

[waymont]

On 5/8/2021 at 5:58 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

Ya I’ve heard leaders screw w presentation.

Not true at all.

[waymont]

Set ups:

G. Loomis JWR 752c/ Shimano Metanium 150 20lb braid-jigs

Shimano Expired 7' light +/ Daiwa Tatula LT 2000 8lb braid- Ned rigs

Daiwa Tatula 7'1" ML/ Daiwa Tatula LT 3000 10lb braid- drop shots, grubs

St Croix Legend Walleye 6'6" ML/ Tatula LT 3000 8lb braid- small swimbaits, grubs, small top water

G Loomis MBR 843c/ Tatula SV 30lb braid- whopper ploppers, spook, swimbaits

 

 

[Nelson Delaney]

Last time out, just 1 setup.  A NRX dsr822 with twin power 2500

[PressuredFishing]

alot of baits for lmb carry over for smallmouths, jerkbaits, cranks, and neds/bottom bumper baits are all solid choices, depending on your conditions

[Spankey]

3 minutes ago, PressuredFishing said:

alot of baits for lmb carry over for smallmouths, jerkbaits, cranks, and neds/bottom bumper baits are all solid choices, depending on your conditions

My set ups and baits carry over also. Really just a matter of what I take down to the river. Generally don’t fish Smallies real heavy. 
 

Shimano Symetres and Sahara’s on St. Croix Premieres and Avids Spinning. X-fast and fast. Cranking on two old St. Croix Premiere Crankbait rods Med. & ML w/ Shimano Corrados. Moderate tips with great cast ability. Shame they eliminated that series. On the river my hardbaits will not exceed 1/2 oz.. Majority are 5/16 and 3/8 oz. 

 

I’ve become a pretty big fan of Abu Garcia over the last handful of years. A bit heavier set ups for lake fishing. Heavier and deeper as well as the baits. 
 

Smallies will hit so many different baits. 

[Mr.C in Texas]

I travel light since I'm a kayaker 

6'10 ml Expride, Shimano Stradic ci4+ 2500, 10lb braid to 8lb fluorocarbon small swimbaits, dropshop, ned

6'6 M Expride, 2020 Metanium, 30lb. braid, 8lb fluorocarbon leader depends on what I'm throwing larger swimbaits, spinner baits, jerk, topwater

7'2 MH Posion Adrena, 2020 Metanium, 30lb. braid, leader depends on what I throwing light frogging, jigs chatter, larger swimbaits (5.8 keitech)