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Summer 2022
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especially with forward-facing sonar now in play. Still, there are also the classic signs of baitfish activity, including watching the bird activity or visually looking for surface disturbances.
One of the best ways to fish for schooling spotted bass and smallmouth is with a topwater and choosing the heaviest and best casting bait is always a good approach.
If you can reach the school the instant they start to bust the surface, your odds of hooking up go way up. The heavier baits will also allow you to contact them before they realize the boat is there, which often dissipates the school.
FIND THE OFFSHORE STRUCTURE AND COVER
Both spotted bass and smallmouth bass will gravitate to offshore cover and if the water is clean enough, they won’t have a problem attacking a topwater bait, even if they are sitting in 15- or 20-feet of water if you can place it over them and get their attention.
Some of the best places for spotted bass are around submerged timber and brush piles or cane piles in some parts of the country. These types of vertical cover are perfect for suspending spotted bass and locating them with forward-facing sonar and casting a topwater to them is a proven approach. For smallmouth, rocks and humps hold them and the same principle applies; they will have no problem rising to a topwater bait.
BIGGER BAITS, SMALLER MOUTHS
Both the spotted and smallmouth bass obviously have smaller mouths than their largemouth cousins, but they may like bigger baits as much as or even more. Large
topwater baits have a knack for catching big spots and smallies and it’s partially due to their aggressiveness and ability to draw fish from deeper water.
One of the best options for both species is a pencil popper-style bait like the ima Little Stik, which casts exceptionally well because of the lure’s shape and heavy weight. These lures are also excellent for these species because they make such a big surface commotion to call them up from the depths. For a large bait like this, it’s impressive how ferociously these two bass species will attack these types of lures.
TRY WAKING AND SKIMMING
At certain times of the year, fishing a wake bait along the surface is one of the best ways to draw up big spotted bass and smallmouth. It’s effective in clear water and there are pockets of the country where fishing a wake bait is the best option for these two species, especially early in the year.
There are regions of the country where wake baits like the Bomber Long A, Cordell Redfin, and Berkley Surge Shad and various balsa versions are fished religiously and not often discussed. The subtle movement of these baits on the surface draws fish from the depths and makes for a great follow-up bait when standard walking topwater baits stop getting bit.
Along the same lines, topwater baits with more subdued action sometimes outperform aggressive topwater. With a unique, tight walking action, lures like the ima Skimmer skim the surface and appeal to lure-wary fish.
Fishing topwater for any species is fun but spotted and smallmouth bass take it up a notch. They sometimes play by their own rules and act a little differently than largemouth, but they can’t stand a topwater bait which can lead to some exhilarating fishing. •