Advice for Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass

[LuckyLittleFisher]

Hello guys, I found largemouth bass and smallmouth bass may have similar habits, but I would like to ask experienced anglers:

what are the differences in their most suitable activity depth and temperature？

and what are the differences in their fishing details and techniques...?

thank you!

[Swamp Girl]

Welcome LLFisher. In a nutshell, if you look over the side of your boat and see rock on the bottom, you'll likely land a smallie. Cast a smaller lure. For largemouth, cast a larger lure at weeds. 

[TnRiver46]

Depends on where you are, the only difference where I live is one of them is green and the other is brown. Often get all 3 species of black bass in the same spots doing the same thing 

[Spankey]

In waters (rivers and lakes) that hold both I think you will be pleasantly surprised that both can be caught in the same spots. And using the same baits. I’m sure in different regions this probably doesn’t hold true. A lake I fish contains both but primarily is a largemouth lake and catching Smallies is always a treat. 

[Swamp Girl]

Amendment: On the coast of Maine, smallmouth prefer rocks and largemouth prefer weeds. Seemingly, in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, if you want to catch smallmouth, cast into weeds. 

[gim]

Both are superior to their ugly, fake unemployed cousin, the rock bass.

 

That is all

[Spankey]

48 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Amendment: On the coast of Maine, smallmouth prefer rocks and largemouth prefer weeds. Seemingly, in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, if you want to catch smallmouth, cast into weeds. 

I would say up there you are spot on. I fish a few rivers down here that have structure and characteristics that will hold both. Had numerous times over the years that you’ll be fishing a laydowns, while working it back toward the shoreline. Both have been caught off the same structure. 
The fishing in my backyard is not a Mecca or picture perfect form of Americas best bass fishing. But they are here. They are fun to go after. 
I love catching a nice Smallie out of those thick river grass mats. The color of them can get almost a solid black color. Those mats can hold a bunch of minnows. I like fishing a weightless Fin-S-Fish type in that stuff. 

[GaryH]

@LuckyLittleFisher first welcome to BR. Don’t forget to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself on the introduction forum. All good advice was giving. Like was mentioned above it all depends on where your located and where you fish. Have fun learning the different areas.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

Amendment: On the coast of Maine, smallmouth prefer rocks and largemouth prefer weeds. Seemingly, in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, if you want to catch smallmouth, cast into weeds. 

If only we had weeds in TN 😂 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Most of the smallmouth I catch are in 5-10 feet of water. Seems like it’s always around rocks. A spinning worm with the tail dipped in chartreuse dye is effective. 

[WRB]

Both are Black Bass that evolved in different regions of North America. Largemouth prefer  a warmer ecosystem then Smallmouth. Both have been transplanted into different regions and adapted to their climates, very adaptable fish.

Largemouth are just that they have bigger mouths and capture prey by engulfing it in lieu of biting. LMB have a wider variety of prey sources then Smallmouth just anything they can engulf is prey from terrestrial ( above water) to all types of aquatic prey including large insects, all types of fish they can swallow, crustaceans like crayfish, amphibians like frogs and salamanders, etc, etc.

Smallmouth have smaller mouths and that restricts the variety of prey sources. Smallmouth can engulf smaller prey and will bite before engulfing some prey types like crayfish. 
Location depends on preferred prey source, smaller fish and crayfish (crawdads) are top of the menu for Smallmouths and tend to move around hunting prey more often the LMB.

LMB prefer to ambush prey more often and locate where prey will come to them in lieu roaming.

Both bass can be caught on the same lures at the same location depending on the prey they are feeding on.

Determine the prey type being preferred and the bass will be close to that location and depth.

Tom

[TOXIC]

In addition, a 2lb smallmouth fights like a 5lb largemouth.  They don’t give up.  

[Spankey]

Types of lures are countless. Most (maybe all) will catch both. But difference sizes, weights, running depth and colors will narrow things down for you to try. 
I can’t tell by your post as to whether you are new to bass fishing but there are so many techniques that it’s hard to absorb all of them real fast. Soft plastics are very productive and might be a good starting point. 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

I fish a few rivers down here that have structure and characteristics that will hold both. Had numerous times over the years that you’ll be fishing a laydowns, while working it back toward the shoreline. Both have been caught off the same structure. 

 

I too have caught hundreds of smb and lmb in the same locations. My advice was about the trend, not the exceptions. If I'm casting deep into weeds, i.e. 100 yards into weeds, way at the back of a bay, I'm fishing for lmb and catching lmb. Likewise, if I'm on a great rock flat, far from weeds, and casting to a boulder, I'm casting to smb. 

[gim]

I'll be the voice of dissent here.

 

I don't remember the last time I caught a largemouth and a smallmouth in the same body of water.  The lakes here that have largemouth typically don't have smallmouth.  And the lakes/rivers here that have smallmouth typically don't have that many largemouth.  I see largies as more weed-oriented fish and smallmouth as more rock-oriented.

 

We have a few lakes that have both but there is a dominant version in all of them.  And for being the land of 10,000 lakes, there really aren't that many that have catchable populations of smallmouth near me.  They tend to be bigger water or rivers, whereas the rest are largemouth lakes.

[Spankey]

58 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I too have caught hundreds of smb and lmb in the same locations. My advice was about the trend, not the exceptions. If I'm casting deep into weeds, i.e. 100 yards into weeds, way at the back of a bay, I'm fishing for lmb and catching lmb. Likewise, if I'm on a great rock flat, far from weeds, and casting to a boulder, I'm casting to smb. 

Believe me I’d never question how you fish or what you’d ever post. Somewhere along the thread I must have said something that wasn’t correct. I’d never question or doubt what any of you guys do or how y’all fish. 

[MediumMouthBass]

7 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Amendment: On the coast of Maine, smallmouth prefer rocks and largemouth prefer weeds. Seemingly, in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, if you want to catch smallmouth, cast into weeds. 

This is the most true thing ive ever read on this forum.

 

I caught my biggest PA smallie (4lbs) in a very clean rock bottom lake.

However the area of that same lake that produces the most smallmouth is on the other side, its right off the boat launch and is mud/rock bottom with weeds and grass all over. They are mixed in with the largemouth. One day it was cast after cast smallmouth, in the grass.

 

Now smallmouth do tend to stay in rocky areas, and largemouth grassy ones instead.

But its not a guarantee, both species will travel all over a body of water. I also caught my biggest LM from that lake (3.75lbs) in the same area as my biggest SM. Clean and rock bottom.

 

Temperature for me is odd, in the hot summer months i have caught both species in shallow muddy areas, and clean deeper rocky parts. I dont fish for bass in the winter, and spring and fall they probably stick to their well known areas (rock for S, grass for L). Your best bet is to cast everywhere, learn where you are fishing, try finding a map of the lake online for areas with downed trees or big rock piles.

[LuckyLittleFisher]

11 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Most of the smallmouth I catch are in 5-10 feet of water. Seems like it’s always around rocks. A spinning worm with the tail dipped in chartreuse dye is effective. 

May I ask what boat model you have got for such a shallow water ,thank you!

[Skunkmaster-k]

On 12/9/2024 at 10:26 PM, LuckyLittleFisher said:

May I ask what boat model you have got for such a shallow water ,thank you!

It’s an 18’ StarCraft. 

[BassinBrett]

I fish Lake Minnetonka frequently in the summer and it is a grass lake.  There are very few place with any rock.  This summer was unusual because I caught just as many smallmouth in the grass as LMB.  The previous 7 years fishing Minnetonka I had only caught to other smallmouth.

 

On Mille lacs lake I have never seen a LMB. Mille lacs is almost all rock.