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Smallmouth Bass
Species Information
| Scientific Name: | Micropterus dolomieu |
| Common Names: | smallmouth, smallmouth bass |
| Environment: | Lake, River, Stream |
| Ideal Temp: | 58-70°F (14-21°C) |
About 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.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing
| World Record: | 5.41 kg (11 lb 15 oz) Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, USA |
| # Fish Caught: | 70775 documented in database. |
| Earliest Record: | 1/1/1800 12:00:00 AM and located at 41.51485, -87.96632. |
| Latest Record: | 4/5/2025 5:14:46 PM and located at 34.68099, -85.93211. |
| Common Techniques: | Casting, Fly, Jigging, Trolling |
| Popular Lure Types: | Crankbaits, Flies, Jigs, Plugs, Spinnerbaits, Spoons, Topwater, Trolling |
| Fishing Spots: | 12013 Smallmouth Bass fishing spots. |
Latest Smallmouth Bass Fishing Reports and Spots
I know the picture does not show a big fish or even a lot of fish but rather a perfectly sunny day with little wind. This day was the exception (
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It’s spring time and there is all manner of fly fishing entertainment going on. Caddis is good on the White but slowing down some and some lonel (
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We went out this morning looking for walleye and the smallmouth were up shallow biting. Ended up getting their eight walleye and our limits of (
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DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE EARLY SPRING TACKLE I RECOMMEND Well it’s one of the most diverse times to fish SML right n (
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Guntersville is showing out this week for the MLF world championship. This lake is getting more dynamic as the years go by. The shallow bite i (
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DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE EARLY SPRING TACKLE I RECOMMEND This is and will always be the big fish month on SML! Smith (
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DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE LATE WINTER TACKLE I RECOMMEND Well damn I left for most of January and y’all got one of th (
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Yesterday fishermen had a lot of action almost everywhere. It was mostly small Perch and Walleye but the bite was steady all day. To 35″ plus N (
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DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE WINTER TACKLE I USE It’s about damn time I get another report out! Sorry about that folks. (
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The post Owyhee Wilderness 5 days for Smallmouth appeared first on Dreams On the fly. (
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