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Summer 2019
get down further, I’ll go up to a 1/2-to 3/4-ounce weight and a 24- to 36-inch leader.
Since these bass were feeding on baitfish I’ll start my bait selection out with a shad imitating bait, like the Zoom Super Fluke, but if those bass have been pressured, a plastic stickbait like a Yamamoto Senko or the Zoom Fluke Stick is a great choice to finesse non-active schooling smallmouth into biting.
With either style of soft plastic bait, you want to use a sharp, strong hook to ensure you get the best possible hook up ratio and for me the Eagle Claw Lazer TroKar Pro V Bend Worm Hook in a 5/0 or 6/0, is that hook, as it has plenty of room for the plastic to slide out of the way on the hook set, and the hook point is towards the back of the bait where the smallmouth will bite.
#2 DRAG TO DANGLE
When smallmouths are close to the bottom, they either aren’t very active, or they are holding tight to cover on the bottom that is holding the food they are eating…crawfish.
In this situation, it is hard to beat dragging a lure along the bottom, like a football jig .
Dragging a football jig around rocks, either vast flats with scattered boulders or a rock-lined bank, mimics crawfish and allows you to cover water quickly.
I use an All-Terrain Tackle Football Jig and select the smallest size weight that I based on the water depth, current and wind. By using the smallest size jig, it keeps it from falling in between the rock’s and getting hung up.
From a topwater plug to below with a Carolina-rig.
For a trailer, I’ll use a small crawfish imitating bait that mimics the color pattern and size of the crawfish that the bass are eating, such as a Zoom Super Speed Craw or Z-Craw Jr.
Smallmouth behavior is dictated by weather, meaning they’ll go from cruising a rock flat to being locked down to isolated boulders as conditions change. This is the time when you need to go from fishing that football head jig to sending down a dropshot .
Dangling a dropshot with a small finesse worm or other small plastic bait is a great way to pinpoint and catch cover- orientated smallies.
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