Smallmouth bass like to chase baits and they love to chase down soft plastic swimbaits. They will not always be willing to chase down a swimming bait, but when they are in the mood, a slowly retrieved swimbait can be deadly for catching smallmouth bass.
What Sizes are Best for Smallmouth Bass Fishing?
Smallmouth bass have a much smaller mouth than largemouth bass, so anglers catch good numbers of smallmouth bass with 4 to 5 inch swimbaits instead of the larger swimbaits that are popular for big largemouth bass. You can catch some giant smallmouth bass with the larger swimbaits, but you’re going to get a lot less bites. Stick to the 3 to 4 inch sizes if you want lots of action and upsize to the 5 inch swimbaits if you’re looking for some quality smallmouth bass.
Smaller Swimbaits are Great Action Baits
If you are just looking for action, it is tough to beat a swimbait in the 3.5 to 4 inch range.
How to Rig Soft Plastic Swimbaits
You can use a variety of different jigheads to pair with your favorite swimbaits for smallmouth bass. Swimbait hooks are awesome for the baits that are long enough. Some anglers even use a Texas rig or Carolina rig, but they aren’t necessary.
Pre-Rigged Soft Plastic Swimbaits
Pre-rigged soft plastic swimbaits are really cool baits. If you don’t want to mess with changing around your soft swimbaits and jigheads, just buy one that is pre-rigged and tie it on like you would fish a crankbait. If you want to use a variety of sizes and colors, you are going to have to re-tie or have several rods setup. These baits works great for smallmouth bass.
Best Techniques
Swim Them
Whether you choose to use a slow and steady retrieve or a faster retrieve, swimbaits make it easy on you as an angler. Just cast them out and retrieve them at the appropriate depth and you will catch fish.
Swimbaits as Trailers
Bass Jig & Swimbaits
There are many bass jigs that pair well with a smaller swimbait. If you are fishing some areas that have a lot of snags, the bass jig can help you fish a bait in these spots without getting hung up as much. These baits work great and they will catch some quality smallmouth bass.
Bladed Swim Jig & Swimbaits
Bladed swim jigs and smaller swimbaits work awesome together. Fish them slowly around productive areas and you’ll catch some bass.
Spinnerbait & Swimbaits
Spinnerbaits and swimbaits are an awesome combination for targeting smallmouth bass.
Underspin & Swimbaits
The underspin and swimbait is a great combination to target smallmouth bass. You have a lot of options, but some soft swimbaits do interfere with the blade on the underspin, so you need to make sure the bait is swimming properly. When the swimbait is kicking smoothly and the blade is flashing correctly, it can be an awesome combination for catching bass.
