Smallmouth are one of my favorite fish to catch. They are great fighters and also make excellent eating. Here is a fish that seems almost unwilling to quit fighting, regardless of their size. Smalleys, also called “bronze backs” and “brown backs”, like clearer water than the Largemouth. They can be found in streams, rivers, adjacent to rocky areas, stumps and sandy bottoms of lakes and reservoirs. The Smallmouth also prefers cooler water than the Largemouth, and can be caught in both still and moving water. The Smallmouth will usually forage for crayfish, insects, leaches and smaller fish. Where legal, these can be excellent bait, but any lure that mimics these will usually do almost as well.
On light tackle, Smallmouth are one of the fish that will delight young people and get them hooked on a lifetime of fishing fun and adventure. Once they have a little experience catching panfish such as Perch and Bluegill and they have gained some strength and agility you can take your children fishing for Smallmouth. They will enjoy the challenge of battling this ferocious lightweight champion of the Sunfish family.
I prefer to use an ultra-lite spinning rod with 4 or 6 pound test line when fishing Smallmouth. With this setup, every movement of the fish’s efforts to escape is transmitted to the angler. Many anglers prefer heavier equipment and they probably boat more Smalleys than I do, but I believe I feel much more action with lighter equipment.
One of my favorite techniques for fishing Smalleys is to use a 1/16 or 1/32 ounce crappie jig a foot under a small bobber and to cast this very close to a rocky or sandy shoreline. If there is a fish in the area it may strike immediately after the jig touches the water. If not, alternately work the rod tip and reel and slowly retrieve the bobber with short hard jerks moving the bobber from 2 to 12 inches at a time.
I got a great lesson one year in Ontario Canada on a fishing trip. A fisherman from Louisiana that fishes at the camp I regularly visit was cleaning his mess of Smallmouth at the end of the day. After he filleted them, he took a small brush from his pocket and under a stream of running cold water he vigorously scrubbed the fillets. He explained that this cleaning technique greatly enhances the flavor of the fish when they are cooked. Well, we tried it ourselves and have done so ever since. When cleaned in this manner it is hard to tell the difference between them and Crappie when eaten.