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Smallmouth Bass
Species Information
| Scientific Name: | Micropterus dolomieu |
| Environment: | Lake, River, Stream |
| Ideal Temp: | 58-70°F (14-21°C) |
| Technique: | Casting, Fly, Jigging, Trolling |
| Lure Type: | Crankbaits, Flies, Jigs, Plugs, Spinnerbaits, Spoons, Topwater, Trolling |
| World Record: | 5.41 kg (11 lb 15 oz) Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, USA |
| Other Names: | smallmouth, smallmouth bass |
The Smallmouth Bass is generally brown, appearing sometimes as black or green (seldom yellow) with red eyes, and dark brown vertical bands, rather than a horizontal band along the side. There are 13–15 soft rays in the dorsal fin. The upper jaw of smallmouth bass extends to the middle of the eye. The smallmouth's coloration and hue may vary according to environmental variables such as water clarity or prey diet. Males are generally smaller than felmales. The males tend to range around two pounds, while females can range from three to six pounds. Their average sizes can differ, depending on where they are found; those found in American waters tend to be larger due to the longer summers, which allow them to eat and grow for a longer period of time.
Their habitat plays a significant role in their color, weight, and shape. River water smallmouth that live in dark water tend to be rather torpedo-shaped and very dark brown to be more efficient for feeding. Lakeside smallmouth bass, however, that live in sandy areas, tend to be a light yellow-brown to adapt to the environment in a defensive state and are more oval-shaped.
They have been seen eating tadpoles, fish, aquatic insects, crayfish. They have been seen eating frogs, small mice,small birds, and even French fries. There are two recognized subspecies, the Northern Smallmouth Bass (M. dolomieui dolomieui) and the Neosho Smallmouth Bass (M. dolomieui velox).
The smallmouth bass is found in clearer water than the largemouth, especially streams, rivers, and the rocky areas and stumps and also sandy bottoms of lakes and reservoirs. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the Largemouth bass, and may be found in both still and running water. Because it is intolerant of pollution, the smallmouth bass is a good natural indicator of a healthy environment, though it can better adjust to changes in water condition than most trout species.
In conventional fishing, smallmouth may be successfully caught on a wide range of natural and artificial baits or lures, including crankbaits, hair jigs, plastic jerkbaits, artificial worms, spinnerbaits, and all types of soft plastic lures, including curly tail grubs or tubes with lead head jigs. Spinning reels or baitcasting reels may be used, with line strengths of 2 to 15 pounds typically utilised. Rods are usually of ultralight to medium-heavy action. They may also be caught with a fly rod using a dry or wet artificial fly, nymphs, streamers, or imitations of larger aquatic creatures, such as hellgrammites, crawfish, or leeches. Floating topwater popper fly patterns and buzz baits are also popular for smallmouth fishing. For river fishing, spinning tackle or fly tackle has been the most popular angling tools for smallmouth in North America for many years.
Latest Smallmouth Bass Fishing Reports and Spots
FISHLOLOGICAL SCIENCE: Where do worms live? – In the dirt. Where do fish live? In the water. Where do leeches live? -In the water. Conclusion – (
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The month of June can provide some excellent fly fishing on both the smallmouth and native brook trout streams. Let’s discuss the smallmouth Th (
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Ken Penrod’s Fishing Reports 43-Years. 1997 National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame-Legendary Guide. (Mailing Address) 1860 Robin Court Lusby (
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The delicate damselflies seen flying over the rivers from late May until October have appeal to the bass. They are 1-2 inches long The post Dam (
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Ken Penrod’s Fishing Reports 43-Years. 1997 National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame-Legendary Guide. (Mailing Address) 1860 Robin Court Lusby (
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Join us Saturday June 24th as Native Fish Society hosts our Second Annual Umpqua Bass Bash! This event will help remove Smallmouth Bass from the (
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Water levels have finally dropped after another bout w challenging conditions. The high country along central Lake Superior got hammered with u (
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Ah rain. The taps of raindrops are dotting my window as I sit in the dry writing this report. The scattered chances of precipitation that were f (
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Ken Penrod’s Fishing Reports 43-Years. 1997 National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame-Legendary Guide. (Mailing Address) 1860 Robin Court Lusby (
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Many of my customers have asked for information on fishing dry flies for smallmouth bass. I could tell they were serious because they The post (
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