A New Golden Age for Smallmouth
The Smallmouth bass boom across the United States and Canada is enjoying an unprecedented surge. From the clear desert reservoirs of Arizona’s Lake Havasu and Mojave to the legendary expanses of Lakes Erie and St. Clair—and even hidden gems such as Idaho’s Lake Dworshak—anglers are encountering larger numbers of truly giant smallmouth than at any previous point in modern history. In 2024 alone, Sturgeon Bay produced an eight-pound brute, and a Brainerd-area angler in Minnesota weighed a 7.15-pounder—just one ounce shy of the state record.
Several factors fuel this boom:
- Longer growing seasons in northern waters thanks to milder winters and warmer summers.
- Catch-and-release culture—particularly among visiting smallmouth enthusiasts—that protects trophy fish.
- Enhanced forage bases in many systems, providing nonstop, year-round groceries for bronzebacks.
- Expanded tournament coverage from organizations like BASS, FLW, and Major League Fishing, which has spotlighted northern fisheries and spurred better management.
Why We Love Them: Acrobatics and Versatility
Few freshwater fish put on a show like a smallmouth. Tail-walking explosions, repeated leaps, and brute power on light tackle turn every hookup into a highlight reel. Their opportunistic diet makes them even more accessible: crayfish, mayflies, gobies, shad—“whatever nature’s serving up,” as veteran guide Al Lindner puts it. That willingness to bite almost anything in the tackle box means endless options for new anglers and seasoned pros alike.
Two Core Combos That Cover 90 % of Situations
Fishing can be as simple or as specialized as you want, but if you’re building a smallmouth arsenal from scratch, start with these two spinning setups recommended by Jeremy Smith:
| Combo | Rod | Reel | Main Line | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Presentation | 6′ 10″ Medium, Extra-Fast | 2500-size | Hi-Viz Yellow Sufix 832 (braid) | Jerkbaits, popping tubes, any slack-line bite where seeing the line jump signals a strike |
| Finesse Long-Caster | 7′ 6″ Medium-Light, Extra-Fast | 2000-size | 6 lb Sufix NanoBraid | Hair jigs, light drop-shots, tiny swimbaits under ¼ oz that need distance |
Both outfits get a short fluorocarbon leader matched to the technique. While Jeremy fishes high-end St. Croix Legend Elite/X blanks paired with Daiwa Ballistic and Tatula LT reels, you can find identical powers and actions across many price points.
Pro tip: NanoBraid is a game-changer for casting feather-light presentations into the next ZIP code—equally deadly on panfish finesse rigs.
Topwater Tactics: Poppers, Walkers, and the Pink Factor
Al Lindner’s all-time favorite surface weapon remains the Rapala X-Rap Pop—proven again when one detonated his bait on top in a foamy eruption. But topwater efficiency skyrockets with the Rapala BX Waking Minnow. Its long-cast weight transfer, oversized silhouette, and raucous side-to-side crawl let anglers cover water fast and draw giants from deep cover or open-water “seas.”
Color matters less to smallmouth than silhouette—yet certain shades shine. Pink soft-plastic jerkbaits, pink X-Raps, or even a Terminator spinnerbait sporting rosy skirts routinely tempt trophy bronzebacks, and their high-visibility makes strikes easy to track.
Old-School Staples That Never Leave the Boat
While boot-tail swimbaits dominate social feeds, never shelve the classics:
- 3- to 4-inch white grubs on round-ball heads—deadly on wind-swept transition points.
- Tubes and stick worms—trimmed and Ned-rigged for a “poor man’s” finesse bite.
- Hair jigs—match-the-hatch silhouettes that coax bites in ultra-clear water when everything else fails.
Pink plastics, white grubs, and simple tube variations prove that “old school” still outfishes hype when conditions demand it.
Gateway Fish for Every Angler
Smallmouth check every box for introducing newcomers to fishing:
- Aggressive year-round—ice-through-fall (though many choose to give them a winter rest).
- Willing to bite multiple techniques—from finesse drop-shots to ½-oz walk-the-dog plugs.
- Aerial combat and bulldog runs—instant excitement that keeps even veteran anglers grinning.
Add expanding populations and near-universal distribution, and you’ve got the perfect species to hook a lifelong angler.
Finishing Strong: The Thrill of the Hunt and the Heart of the Message
Structure, Movement, and Versatility
Smallmouth bass are nothing if not dynamic. Unlike their largemouth cousins who tend to lock into a piece of cover and defend it like a homestead, smallmouth are wanderers, often moving like walleyes—on and off structure throughout the day. That makes targeting them a game of patience and patterning, especially in areas with scattered boulders or transition zones near deep water. Spot-Lock trolling motors like the Minn Kota shine in these situations, letting anglers hold perfect position to fan-cast and cover rock piles thoroughly.
When the smallies are cruising or chasing bait over 20 feet of water, a boot-tail swimbait on a jighead is hard to beat. That was the hot ticket on this trip, although, as emphasized repeatedly, if you’re fishing the right structure at the right time, “just about anything” can trigger bites—from swimbaits and jerkbaits to tubes and old-school grubs.
The White Grub Strikes Again
One of the day’s biggest fish—the kind of toad that anchors a memory for years—bit the most humble of offerings: a white grub on a jighead. Sometimes it’s the simplest baits that unlock the biggest rewards. As the fish surged and the angler shouted in delight, it underscored the recurring theme: smallmouth fishing is addicting, accessible, and profoundly satisfying.
“You keep coming back and coming back and coming back when you catch fish like this.”
Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool smallmouth nut or brand new to the pursuit, the appeal is universal. They’re everywhere—from lakes to rivers, from the Great Lakes to desert reservoirs—and they’re more abundant, aggressive, and bigger than ever.
