Smallmouth Bass Fishing Tips

By Trevor Kugler Platinum Quality Author

In this article, I'm going to discuss some basic and very effective smallmouth bass fishing tips. These smallmouth bass fishing tips are going to be focused on fishing for these wonderful fish in the flowing waters of rivers and streams, so if you happen to be exclusively a boat angler, this article may not appeal to you. If, on the other hand you're like me and enjoy fishing for smallmouth bass in flowing water, you should find some valuable information in this article.

For the beginning part of my fishing career, I was primarily a trout fisherman, and had the pleasure of being taught how to fish for trout by a man who I considered a master. As my fishing career continued , I quickly came to the realization that smallmouth bass could be caught in rivers and streams using many of the same techniques that are used to fish for trout. Below are a few of the best smallmouth bass fishing tips that I've come across, and any or all of them will help you catch more smallmouth bass, especially when fishing in the flowing waters of either a river or stream.

* Work With The Bottom - Don't be afraid of the bottom, which means; don't be afraid of getting snagged. When fishing in the flowing water of rivers and streams, the bottom is your friend. As a matter of fact, you want to bounce your offering off of the bottom as much as possible. I've become so accustomed to getting snagged, that it doesn't even bother me anymore. My fishing mentor used to always remind me, "if you're not getting snagged, you're not fishing in the right place". Don't let getting snagged bother you, it happens.

* Make Sure That You're Fishing At The Best Times - A great smallmouth bass fishing tip is to make sure that you're fishing when the fish are the most active. If you didn't realize it, there are times of the day and/or month when smallmouth bass (and all fish) are more active than others. Knowing which times are more conducive to fishing is simply a matter of having the proper information. Some people will claim that you have to buy something to know this information, but that's not true. All you have to do is a little research, that all.

* Present Your Bait Naturally - What do I mean by this? Simple. Anytime that you use live bait, you want it to look as natural as possible. This is achieved through the use of a set of pre-tied gang hooks. Smallmouth bass love live worms, and when live worms are rigged on gang hooks, the results are quite impressive. All too many anglers don't realize that simply "threading" a live worm onto a single hook isn't the best way to fish with a worm. The way to present live bait (especially live worms) naturally is through the use of gang hooks.

* Pay Attention To Your Hands - Many anglers overlook their hands, but all anglers need to remember that fish, especially smallmouth bass, have very sensitive senses. This means if you have any foreign substances on your hands (such as nicotine or gasoline) fish can smell this and are much less likely to bite whatever you happen to be using for bait. This is especially true for those of you who fish with live bait. Your bait needs to small like the bait and not a cigarette! A great tip is to rub your hands in a clump of grass of dirt before baiting up. This will eliminate any unnatural odors that may be on your hands.

These simple, yet effective, smallmouth bass fishing tips will help you catch more 'smallies', especially when fishing in the flowing waters of your favorite river or stream. And if you've never had the pleasure, hopefully you can hook into a 3-4 pound smallmouth in said river or stream. Catching smallmouth in the manners described in this article is as much fun as can be had with your clothes on, I promise you.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!

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