Smallmouth Bass Fishing Lures

smallmouth bass fishing lures, Favorite summer lures for smallmouth bass

Summer smallmouth fishing has arrived or is just around the corner for much of the country. Yes, it is time to think about patterning those smallmouth bass during the hot long days of summer. We also need to think of the baits we’ll be tossing at those aggressive summer smallmouth bass. I took a quick assessment of my lure choices and found that I could probably boil the vast majority of my summer arsenal down to five baits. These five baits can cover a lot of water conditions and all of the water column from top to bottom. Lets take a look!
1. Soft stickworm - fantastic bait down to about 8 feet depending on rigging. This bait though really shines in the shallow clear summer waters. Smallies love them!
2. Soft jerkbaits- Summer brings renewed baitfish activity and the young of the year. Smallies will actively and aggressively chase soft jerkbaits. These baits are available from a variety of companies and in a variety of sizes starting at about 3″. Match the size and coloration of your localbaitfish for best results in clear waters.
3. Prop baits - One of my favorite in this class of baits for smallmouth bass is the tiny torpedo. Prop baits are versatile baits. They can be “popped” on top with short jerks or even “dragged” to make abuzzbait like presentation. Aggressive summer smallmouth will annihilate the baits! Prop baits are great during the first hour or two of daylight in the summer but can be an “all day” bait if there is cloud cover.
4. Tube baits - Tube baits can be fished shallow or extremely deep depending on how you rig the bait. I like tube baits in the summer when presented with rising water conditions, cold front conditions, stained water, or when it just seems the bass are holding on deep current breaks. This is a great old standby. Try to match the color of local crayfish for best results. In stained water, go with something dark.
5. Crank Baits - Depending on design, crankbaits can cover water from 1 foot to 20 feet which is probably good for any smallie chaser! I like crankbaits in the summer when water conditions are rising on the rivers or when I encounter stained water. Some of my favorite color patterns incrankbaits contain crayfish colors such as reds, browns, oranges, black, chartrues. If your chasing smallmouth on lakes, you might want to match the baitfish colors and patterns