Smallmouth Bass

Description 

Smallmouth Bass, like largemouth, are a member of the sunfish family, which includes bluegill and crappie.  They are one of the premier freshwater game fish, and were basically designed to be targeted with a fly rod.  They eat various food sources, jump and fight hard, and usually live in moving water.  To top it off, your trout rod will probably work for smallmouth bass.  They are called smallmouth because their mouth when closed does not extend back behind their eye, while the mouth of a largemouth does.

Size 

Smallmouth are smaller than their close cousins, the largemouth.  They can commonly reach 16 inches and 2 pounds, but the average size is typically around 12 inches.  A 20 inch fish is a true trophy, as these fish usually weight 5 pounds.  In the great lakes, as well as northern lakes like Lake Champlain, these fish have been caught regularly weighing 6 or 7 pounds.  The world record size is over 11 pounds, although I have never heard of a double digit smallmouth being caught outside of this one

 

Habitat 

Smallmouth typically live in streams, creeks, and rivers with rocky bottoms.  They prefer moving water, but are also commonly found in deep, rocky sections of large lakes.  Smallmouth can be found in most if not all major river systems in the midwestern United States.  They typically prefer cooler and more aerated water than largemouth, which is why they are more often found in moving water and lakes in the northern states.  They are ambush predators and typically lie in wait around structure.  Fishing logs, seams and eddies, and rocky points can be very productive.

Food Sources 

Smallmouth will eat anything in the habitat they are in.  In creeks, they eat crayfish, especially when they molt and are vulnerable.  They also love hellgrammites, cicadas, dragonflies and damselflies, minnows, and sculpins.  In the great lakes, the smallmouth have keyed in on the invasive round gobies, which help them attain good sizes.  Find what the smallmouth look to be feeding on at that specific time in your area to select a fly.

Techniques 

Smallmouth can be caught in numerous ways.  In moving waters such as creeks, they can be caught stripping flies, swinging, or dead drifting.  All of these techniques work especially well with crayfish flies.  Baitfish flies should be stripped or swung through productive runs.  Poppers can be cast into structure and retrieved back, as well as drifted through good-looking runs.

Equipment 

Rod: The best all-around smallmouth rod would be a saltwater 9 foot 6 weight with a fighting butt.  This provides a little extra strength to muscle these fish away from structure in moving water.

Reel: Any reel will do.  They do not pull tons of line, and can be controlled with a click pawl reel.

Line: Bass Bug fly lines with a heavier head to cast wind-resistant flies and heavy streamers do well.  Line your rod with a 6 weight.

Leader: I typically fish a 9 foot leader that tapers to 12 pound tippet, or about 2X-3X.  Spookier fish in clearer water may require a switch to fluorocarbon or a lighter, longer leader.

Flies: Imitate what the fish are feeding on at the moment, or a prey source in the area.  Minnows, crayfish, poppers, and terrestrials all have their time of year.