Fishing has to be one of the most famous pastimes in the world. It’s always depicted as a bonding activity for friends or a father and son team in movies, books, and most especially in real life. Some fish for a living, others fish for their family’s dinner, and others fish as their hobby – the game fishers. A famous game fish is the smallmouth bass. It’s a predatory game fish inhabiting shallow, rocky, and gravelly rivers in the northernmost part of the United States. For a fish that weighs about 4 lbs., the smallmouth is very tenacious. It hits fast and hard, and this is probably the reason why many game fishers are fascinated by it. The smallmouth presents game fishers with a challenge worth facing head-on.
Obviously, there are people with an unnatural gift for fishing and being successful at it. These people have the uncanny ability to catch and lure fish no matter how “slippery” it seems or what tenacity it shows. Then, there are those who usually have a hard time catching anything in their outings. Hence, it’s important to examine and learn some smallmouth bass fishing techniques to ensure success. You need to keep in mind that the nature of the smallmouth is dependent upon the competition in the water. For instance, if the water were high in competition, the smallmouth would be very aggressive. Nevertheless, if there weren’t much competition, the smallmouth fish would be fussy eaters.
Apparently, there is an art to catching smallmouth bass. It’s not enough that put bait on the fishing lure and throw it into the water, expecting a miracle of some sort. For one thing, a smallmouth wouldn’t pay attention to artificial bait; thus, the first thing you need to ensure is to use live bait. Live worms usually work wonders for a smallmouth. Another thing you need to remember when you’re fishing for smallmouth, especially if you plan to use baitfish, is to go for top water live bait and make sure the lake is very still. The logic is when you place the baitfish in the water, it becomes agitated, scared even, and dives deeper into the water. When the smallmouth sees it, it would follow the live bait deep in the water. It would be a good idea to cover a large area when fishing.
You also need to be aware of the fact that the phases of the moon can have an effect on smallmouth bass fishing. Hence, if you were planning to go fishing, it would be a good idea to do your homework and verify the phase of the moon. Otherwise, you just might end your fishing trip empty-handed. If you truly want to be successful with smallmouth fishing, use a spinning gear. Light or medium spinning rods and reels are perfect for throwing the lighter baits that smallmouth respond to. A spinning gear would certainly serve its purpose.
These are some of the simple tips you need to keep in mind when trying to fish for smallmouth bass.