Unfortunately, during this time of
year, the fish are lethargic, so you will have to
put the proper amount of work in to get a bite. In other
words: you need to spend ample time pissing them off.
When the fish become annoyed and interested enough,
that’s when they will go for the kill, and you will be ready.
What is the best way to annoy a smallmouth? Lots of move-
ment.
Jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits are good, and
the longer the wiggly tail, the better. Yank those lures like it’s
going out of style, and eventually the fish will become agi-
tated and strike. The spring season usually brings muddy,
murky water, so you will want to use a bait that you can see
somewhat easily. Red, pink, white, and silver hues are con-
sidered to be best, and the murkier the water, the brighter
you may want your bait to be, depending on the depth.
Cranks work best in open water that’s deeper. The limited
coverage means that the smallmouths will most likely be
near fallen trees or river boulders, so cast there. Spinner-
baits and some other varieties are good to use in shallower
water, or water that has a lot of cover, such as trees, grass,
weeds, and brush.
44 | Spring 2018 | Adventure Outdoors
Beyond being lethargic and in pre-spawn mode, the
weather will have a lot to do with how the fish are biting.
The colder waters won’t be appealing to them, and the fish
will move less. The warmer waters in the southern regions
are ideal, because the higher temperatures mean more
movement. Check the water temperatures and know what
time of day will be the hottest in your area of choice.
Your thermometer will show you the way. The areas where
early morning hours bring the cold may warm up in the af-
ternoon sun, so doing a bit of wading for those warmer
patches will be beneficial to you. Whatever you do, don’t
try to fish for smallies too early when it’s still cold outside –
you will certainly come home empty-handed.
Make sure you choose bait that has similar hues to what the
area provides as natural food sources; Smallies won’t be
fooled easily. If you are paying close attention to matching
their regular food source, they will be much more likely to
jump at the opportunity of a wiggling lure. In the colder wa-
ters, however, matching food sources doesn’t matter nearly
as much, because the fish are used to not seeing many ap-
petizing things during this time anyway. Therefore, anything
shiny and moving will automatically get their attentio n, and
it will be up to you to get them interested enough to bite.