The myth of the herbivorous smallmouth

[MassBass]

Recently I was at a coldwater lake in the norh of New England. My buddy and I approached a bank, with overhanging oaks. The acorns were falling in with a slight breeze in a particular spot, PLOP, PLOP. I threw out a floating crankbait, bam smashed as soon as it hit water. Landed the fish, close to 3lbs. Next cast, smash on splashdown, didnt connect. My bud had two hits to, on splashdown. By then I had tied on a walkbait, with another hit, on splashdown, not on the walk. When the frenzy cooled off I said man we should have had 5 fish there, only got one. I thought you could throw a kiwi over there and it would get hit. 

 

My point is, I think these fish were keyed in on acorns. The sudden loud splashdown would trigger a reaction strike, whether the smallmouth ingested the acorns I am not sure. The way the fish reacted to lures made me think they were looking for that splashdown. Would a smallmouth react to a blueberry, blown off a blueberry bush on the edge of a rocky island? There was a myth at a campground I once stayed at that this was so. 

 

Thoughts on herbivorous smallmouth behavior?

 

 

[A-Jay]

That's a new one.

I'm in the 'I doubt it' camp. 

 

A-Jay

[Fallser]

   There might have been caterpillars or cicada dropping out of the tree.  You didn't see any fish swirling where the acorns hit, but as soon as you dropped a floating lure that looked like food in the area you had a strike.  My guess is the dropping acorns attracted smaller fish to the area and when something landed on the water that didn't sink and moved it registered as food and the bass went after it.  I have seen something similar when I was fly fishing for trout on a stream in the Catskills.  I was fishing by a bridge and there were caterpillars dropping into the stream from the bridge as soon as one hit the water a trout would grab it.  I tied on a caterpillar imitation and did what I had been taught to do.  Toss the fly upstream and let it drift into the feeding zone.  The trout ignored my fly, even though they were still grabbing the ones that dropped off the bridge.  Instead of doing the "correct" cast.  I tossed my fly up into the air and let it plop down on the surface.  I ended up catching a half-dozen trout doing that.

  I doubt a bass would react to a blueberry dropping into the water.  A carp might.

[Spankey]

I’m always throwing crankbaits (a lot). I’ve been experiencing somewhat the same thing recently on the river. And in the past over the years. Not necessarily with acorns or blueberries falling into the water but landing my cast real close to the bank or if I’m fishing a point that sticks out, casting into the corner of it. And at some smaller rock outcroppings at the bank corners. All with tree overhangs but in my case they are smaller bass slashing and striking my lures. And it seem to be an instantaneous reaction as soon as the lure hits the water. I figure these smaller bass relate to shallow water and smaller bass can be picked off of the bank. The generally to the bank. 
 

I’m not implying there are never bigger bass there. I know bigger bass crash these same spots chasing baitfish up into these shallows. Prime time to cast there. Visual wakes of these bigger Smallies are pretty clear. But my recent hookups have been smaller smallies doing all the slashing at my baits. My better bites have been coming in 8-9 feet of water. 
 

In your case I hope they are bigger fish. I’m not implying they are dinks or runts doing that to you. Every body of water is different. I can’t say that I’ve seen river smallies react to nuts, leafs or a blossom hit the water. Bugs yes. 
 

By the size of the guy that bit for you at least you are in a good spot. 

[PaulVE64]

My clinical assessment is that since we know the bass are there and aggressive they are keyed in on something.

I'm going to guess that possibly something was feeding on the acorns like caterpillars and other insects?

 

That's my guess 

[Tennessee Boy]

The bass are collecting the acorns to use as bait for catching squirrels.  ?

[Chris Catignani]

Smallmouth hitting acorns is....ugh...hate to say it....nuts.

 

There is also the possibility that acorns just happen to be falling on their favorite spot.

[Bluebasser86]

There was probably bugs falling out of the trees as well. The smallmouth were just playing the odds that if they grabbed enough of the things falling in the water, eventually one would be edible. 

 

 

[Benjamin J]

Not sure about smallmouth, but I've had largemouth spit up multiple small pinecones at once. Definitely an interesting topic.