I’m clueless

[LrgmouthShad]

Hey there. I don’t know anything about smallmouth. I’d like to catch some on Oneida Lake sometime soon. Wondering if tackle I have for largemouth can be easily used for smallmouth as well. As well as some seasonal behaviors for smallmouth associated with late summer that I should be aware about. Little tips are fine too. I pretty much will have the following with me for my trip:

- Senkos

- Large swimming worms

- Spinnerbaits

- Buzzbaits, mostly 3/8oz and up

- Frogs 

I will start reviewing some articles here on BR to help me but posts asking questions have been very helpful to me in the past

 

[FishOn!GetTheNet]

Soft plastics like tubes and swim baits in and around rocks 

[cyclops2]

The fish will like your gear just fine. Are you using a boat ? If yes.  Do some trolling a t low speed. Smallies are VERY FAST fish for long distances & time. Not like a Largemouth at all.

 

A diving floater is fine for them.  Big lakes mean big schools are possible . Fish finder is needed for locating schools of bait & bass. I find 2 types of baitfish & bass.  shore or open water types.  My first fishing open water were a bust.  I thought the floating mass of echo was seaweeds.   ?    At the ramp I was told I was on the big schools of bait & bass.  If you find a big Echo 20 to 40' down ? have a second rod set up to get a  shad sinking lure in blue or green color.  I use a 1 ounce weight to go down faster a rubber swim fish with or without a tail is fine. 3 to 6" long will work.  BUUTT    The fish need to be active feeding. Sometimes the fish are satisfied And just travel together until hungry again.  It is a different type of fishing    Enjoy

[HaydenS]

Ned Rig, tube, finesse jig, swimbaits, dark sleeper, crankbaits, dropshot.  5-6 inch magdraft or other swimbaits/glide baits, smallies with go after this stuff too.

[DaubsNU1]

I never really fished for Smallies...Brother and I took our 80 year old Dad to Frances Case in South Dakota. 

 

We hammered them on NED rigs, Senkos, minnows on jigs. Had a blast.  

[cyclops2]

 

  Almost forgot . Smallies have much smaller mouths. They can be odd compared to Largemouths when biting lures. The rubber ones can be bitten on the 1" of the tail only. You fell a steady pull for several minutes . Then nothing of it pulls loose as the fish has had enough. I put a added tail hook when fishing schools.  let the hook point be fully exposed to make a solid hook up everytime.  A 1 ounce jig head is very goo in a rubber swim bait with a stinger.   Enjoy   ?

Most important !!  wear PROTECTIVE eye or sun glasses. Smalles will hold a lure TIGHTLY then let go as they come near the boat. I have been hit a few times in my 83 years.  Holding the rod to a side is a good habit.  ?

[LrgmouthShad]

Thanks for the comments so far. I am reading through A-Jay’s post on Brown Bass Tools that is pinned. I am on the weather chapter and fascinated by all the information. 
 

I have had people tell me that they thought that smallmouth were much like largemouth and that it’s just kinda luck which one you catch. I was not of this opinion at all and so just looking to learn ?.

[cyclops2]

I can give you a weather report on all fish. They do not have sun glasses. 

 

 But    The smallies will cruise ALL SUNNY DAY in any depth in full sunlight Then take a lure.  Largemouth are ambusher if there are docks & boats.    Smallies are always cruising looking for a careless meal.  They do crash into weed clumps to chase out anything in it.  Seen it many times in my bay.  They crash so the bait is chased into the most open water area.

[Sphynx]

Caught smallies on the vast majority of that list, though condition dependent I have to say that a Popper has far outproduced the buzzbait and frog this year for me on the river, but that is possibly a local thing as the year round primary forage around here is shad, or crawfish, and both of those are seemingly abundant at almost all times of the year, I would also add a paddletail swimbait (basic keitech style of a brand you like) has been a top numbers option for me this year, and a football head jig has consistently produced bigger fish when they are interested (I know, let me put my shock face on) you might also do well on lipless, or squarebills depending on where your fishing, and I seem to notice that a bit of chartreuse almost never hurts my presentations. 

1 hour ago, cyclops2 said:

 

  Almost forgot . Smallies have much smaller mouths. They can be odd compared to Largemouths when biting lures. The rubber ones can be bitten on the 1" of the tail only. You fell a steady pull for several minutes . Then nothing of it pulls loose as the fish has had enough. I put a added tail hook when fishing schools.  let the hook point be fully exposed to make a solid hook up everytime.  A 1 ounce jig head is very goo in a rubber swim bait with a stinger.   Enjoy   ?

Most important !!  wear PROTECTIVE eye or sun glasses. Smalles will hold a lure TIGHTLY then let go as they come near the boat. I have been hit a few times in my 83 years.  Holding the rod to a side is a good habit.  ?

Fantastic point towards the end of this, I find that smallmouth like to jump, a lot, this comes with all the usual risks, including an increased chance of flying trebles to the face, keeping your rod tip low can help minimize jumping, but they still do it with regularity...some sort of Eyewear is an absolute must when your running those risks unless you have an organ donor on hand and more money than sense 

[cyclops2]

I rate the smallies better thana pike, ANY trout stocked. Simple reason.  The small mouth .......WILL NOT.......die from Lactic acid build up !!   EVER  !!  I no longer try to catch other fish. They are to easy to kill from over exertion !!

4# test is death on them.   

 

I fished A trout stocked stream. FLIES only allowed.  I fished catch & release for big trout the first time there. Iwas catching only 16" & larger. It stopped feeding on my fly. I Walk to my car and a ranger checks out my license & asks me if I had any luck ? I tell him I ran out of fish in the big pool.  HE tells me to look at the lower pool on my way home.

 

Almost every big trout is dead and piled up in a corner.  I felt terrible.

 

Warning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LACTIC  ACID buildup KILLS some types of fish.  Yes I was using a 4 # tippet .   If you are a AMBUSH fish ?   You will DIE if played out too long !!!!!!!!!

 

Love the SMALL MOUTH BASS  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???

[Spankey]

Smaller 4-6” Trig worms, grubs, tubes, beavers. Crankbaits, spy bait. I’m a sucker for rock and stone. Maybe your finder will put some fish there if available at that lake. Start out with some pop-r type. Old Rat-L-Trap is always good for locating some fish. 
 

Fish what you have confidence in. Good luck, have fun. 

[Jigfishn10]

11 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Smaller 4-6” Trig worms, grubs, tubes, beavers. Crankbaits, spy bait. I’m a sucker for rock and stone. Maybe your finder will put some fish there if available at that lake. Start out with some pop-r type. Old Rat-L-Trap is always good for locating some fish. 
 

Fish what you have confidence in. Good luck, have fun. 

The last time I fished smallies I used this recipe. The hula grub on a black head jig was very popular at the time.

[roadwarrior]

1 hour ago, Jigfishn10 said:

The hula grub on a black head jig was very popular at the time.

 

I remember when the GYCB Hula Grub was first introduced. I prefer  a single

tail and still carry them. However, the Menace has superseded the bait.

[Jigfishn10]

2 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

 

I remember when the GYCB Hula Grub was first introduced. I prefer  a single

tail and still carry them. However, the Menace has superseded the bait.

For whatever reason I did better on the single tail that twin tail. not sure why though.

Are you rigging the menace vertically, horizontally or both ways equally.

It has to be 20 years at least since I fished for a brownie.

[roadwarrior]

Horizontally, T-rigged with a 3/16 or 1/4 oz bullet weight.

[Jigfishn10]

Sweet

Thanks

[nappyboy28]

14 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Thanks for the comments so far. I am reading through A-Jay’s post on Brown Bass Tools that is pinned. I am on the weather chapter and fascinated by all the information. 
 

I have had people tell me that they thought that smallmouth were much like largemouth and that it’s just kinda luck which one you catch. I was not of this opinion at all and so just looking to learn ?.

I specifically target smallmouth at the select lakes here in Texas sometimes. I have two rules I stick to and I always catch at least a few and sometimes I'll catch 20 of them.

1. Find rocks and deeper/cooler water (bonus if you can find shade with it)
2. Downsize your lures some

 

On our lakes and reservoirs out here I'll look for chunk rock and water that's 10+ ft deep. I'll start with a 1/4oz rat-l-trap in chrome or a Storm 360GT swimbait. If that doesn't work I use a 1/5th oz nedhead and canada craw TRD. It never fails.

[cyclops2]

Well there are 2 obvious possibilities for me not catching  bass or perch in any numbers everyday anymore. I now stink at catching perch or smallies.  Or  they only want fresh perch fillet strips.

Put fillet strips on everything I was not catching them on.

BINGO !!  Fresh RAW meat does it now.   ?

[Spankey]

9 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

Well there are 2 obvious possibilities for me not catching  bass or perch in any numbers everyday anymore. I now stink at catching perch or smallies.  Or  they only want fresh perch fillet strips.

Put fillet strips on everything I was not catching them on.

BINGO !!  Fresh RAW meat does it now.   ?

I don’t see where you have a problem. And I’m not even going to discredit your ability. No need to. Quite the opposite. The perch fillet strip is the answer you found. It’s working. Stick with that. I hope you are not feeling any shame because there is no need to. Go get um. 

[cyclops2]

I was very up set with a senior neighbor. Legal I guess.

 

 He bought a underwater T V system. Good grief . Ca see their scales color of lipstick etc.

Oh well. Live too long ?  You get to see your way of life destroyed.    Does every winning basser use TV also ?  I sure would if I were one.  The catching is childs play now. Anyone can bring in massive weights with no problem.

Next will be explosives & stun guns.  Why not 

[Dye99]

On 7/27/2021 at 6:52 PM, HaydenS said:

Ned Rig, tube, finesse jig, swimbaits, dark sleeper, crankbaits, dropshot.  5-6 inch magdraft or other swimbaits/glide baits, smallies with go after this stuff too.

THIS. In this order as well...