Florida Bass Fishing Forum
Smallmouth, Largemouth, We're All About Bass!

What is the best way to catch smallmouth bass? Now i would like to go fishing mostly for smallmouth bass in the holloway reservoir in lapeer MI but i have never fished there before and if you have i would love to know what the best way to catch smallmouth bass is and if you catch other fish there then id like to hear what and how also but if you have never fished in the holloway reservoir but you have fished for smallmouth in very sandy brown water then id love to hear any tips thanks a lot!

how do i catch Smallmouth bass in kentucky at night? my dad goes striper fishing all night an wen i go i dont like grab hooking shad and waiting for them to be ate i like to be casting and reeling so what bait should i use in whaat color to catch smallmouth bass in lake cumberland?

How to catch smallmouth bass on artificial lures.?

how to catch smallmouth bass in southeast minnesota? i live in southeast mn, and i've only caught smallmouth in the mississippi river. i'm generally more concerned with largemouth, but smallmouth are fun, too. typically, i'll cast a rapala original floater (f-5) along the dike (which, here, are basically 20-30 feet long rock-covered slopes that run east to west) and reel it in relatively quickly toward shore. i was just wondering, where do smallmouth live? i mean, i've never seen one caught in any lake in my town, but i know they're in the mississippi main channel. also, what are some other ways i could catch them? i greatly appreciate any and all help, thanks

how to catch bass? i have a pond next door and i wanna catch bass.i think it only has smallmouth bass.i keep reading these things about bass hiding in the weeds or low or whatever.but it doesnt work.i jigged a worm for hours with nothing.help me.shalow or deep? bobber with worm or bobber with menow? jig or mr.twister worm.? (small mouth.) possibly large. most detailed awsner gets best anwser

how to catch bass good? i have a pond next door with SMALLMOUTH bass. i need help.i only want good good awnsers.ive heard stuff about crawdads and worms and crap and jigging.nothing works.and dont give me the crap about pro stuff.im not a pro so i dont know alot of stuff.people keep saying like 1/8 and 1/4 and like shad blood and crap.just give me something good and i give u ten points.plz

how big should your rod be in order to catch a largemouth bass in Liberty Reservoir in Marylan i want to know how big does your rod need to be to catch a striped bass,largemouth bass ,smallmouth bass , bluegill in Liberty Reservoir in MD

I need some help and advice on fishing for bass, walleye, and northerns.? Okay so im going to my cabin this weekend and they have a lake over there with both largemouth and smallmouth bass, and northerns and walleye. Its mostly bass, but they have a smaller population of walleye and northern. The fishing rod I have has a bobber on it. I want to go fishing for mainly bass this weekend. So where should I go to catch bass (middle of the lake, shallow spots, near weeds, etc). Would you reccomend fishing off a dock or going on the boat and going towards the middle of the lake? what kind of bait should I use? And how should I set my fishing rod up (should I use a bobber, should I use a sinker, how many sinkers if so, etc). Also, what bait and fishing rod set up, and location is best for walleye and northerns? Thanks in advance! By the way, im not the most experienced fisherman as you can tell

new to fresh water fishing, have questions? me and my dad have started to go fishing in the Delaware river and we dont exactly know what were doing. we fish from the bank, so we dont get it out super far. anyway i have a bunch of different kinds of lures and whatnot but i dont really know how to use them. spinning baits: we have like 10 of these spinner baits (look like these http://www.bassclubdigest.org/summer08/products/Rooster-Tail.jpg) now are we just supposed to cast and reel them in, or do we like let them sit out there, or do we let them float down stream? should we cast upstream or down? The next lure i have i dont know what its called but heres a picture http://www.tackletour.com/images/picmgbtlivejig40.jpg mine look like that but smaller, about the length of a pinky finger. i have never used this one but i know it floats, so how do i fish with this bait. "softplastics": i have some of these but dont use them either. do they even catch smallmouth bass, or a different fish. how do i put the hook in. and again, how do i fish with it. i should say that we fish for smallmouth bass and we occasionally catch pickerel

crankbaits? how do you use a crank bait to catch smallmouth bass?

how do I safely handle/unhook a fish (trout or bass) for catch and release? I have been getting into fishing recently and I really do love it but I find myself nervous and confused after the initial rush of getting the hook set. I have heard many different opinions, but the general consensus (please tell me if this is wrong) is that one should reel in the fish fast so it doesn't get too tired, leave it in the water if possible but limit the time out if a picture is wanted. Then get thin needlenose pliers and gently push down/rotate the hook so it comes out the same way it went in. However, I want to know what exactly I should do when the fish comes to shore. I usually fish from the banks of either my local creek or local pond and try to get near a deeper part with little to no rocks near the bank when reeling the fish in. I have heard that one should pick the fish up by the jaw (thumb in mouth) vertically while removing the hook. But I think that this could damage the fishes jaw if it flops around. What do with the fish when I get it hooked? How should I handle it safely, when I want to get a photo (keeping in mind I am on the shore)? I mainly fish large and smallmouth bass and trout (rainbow and brown). I use barbless hooks which I consider appropriate for the size fish.

I need to write a two page report on the smallmouth bass and I can't find enough info.? Even using Wikipedia, I haven't even written a half of a page. What are some good sites that have a lot of info on the fish. I'm looking for info about the fish, not about how to catch them.

How were these bass different? I am not talking about largemouth and smallmouth. I am talking about my tournament Saturday.I caught two bass One on one side of a bridge and another on the other side and one was a lot whiter than the other. One side has weeds and the other sid also has weeds but deeper. But shouldn't they be the same color. We notice that every time we go to this lake none were striped bass or hybrids They were both largemouth just one was whiter than the other

Bass identification help, are these pure Smallmouth? In my state (Rhode Island), Smallmouth Bass are basically nonexistent. I have a book that details all the lakes and ponds in my state, it was published in the late 60's and even then all of the ponds which previously had Smallies, were showing low or no populations after the introduction of the Largemouth. This was 40-50 years ago, so you can imagine now there aren't many populations left. I've personally been fishing over 10 years and only ever heard stories of how "they use to be here and there 30-40 years ago". Anyways, I found a small tributary river and caught what I know are some kind of Smallmouth, but I am not sure if they are a pure strain seeings how I've never seen any other Smallmouth besides all the ones I catch at this place. What do you think? http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p9/ead063/Fishing/102_1551-1.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p9/ead063/Fishing/102_1546.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p9/ead063/Fishing/0606091419.jpg http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p9/ead063/Fishing/0606091406.jpg

What's the best way to fish a river? I live in michigan and I like to fish the Grand River. Just wondering how can I increase my chances of catching fish? especially smallmouth bass and northern pike.

How Can You Tell If A Fish Is Big Enough? I caught a smallmouth bass today. It was about 20 inches long. I brought it home and went to fillet it. Now, it was my first time filleting a fish. I'm not good at it. But even if I piled all the meat together - there was barely any there. I feel badly for taking this one out (even though the cats had a very tasty lunch). In the future, how can I tell whether or not a fish is going to have meat on it? Is this just something that happens to everyone, or is there something I'm not seeing? :-/ I'm new at this whole fishing thing. TIA. I watched a good YouTube video on how to fillet. It was all skin and ribs with maybe 1/4 inch of meat on it. :-/

What type/size of a fishing rod/reel will i need to fish with on the Susquehanna River? I want to know how big of a rod i will need, and how big of a line i will need to catch catfishfish,musky,carp,and smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna river. I'd like to keep it cheap, and i'd like to stick with Shakespeare Rods..

smallmouth bass......? found a new fishing spot and caught my first smally. good size to. 1 1/2-2 pounds? but after that all i kept getting was tiny ones. how to i find the bigger ones and what is best to use. fishing in a creek.

I fish the mississippi, how can I catch walleye? I can catch bluegill and sheephead by the cooler full, rock bass, perch, some catfish and smallmouth, but walleye have always been a problem. Crappie also. any hints on the right time of year, rigs(with a description or where to look), lures, structure, time of the day, etc. I fish between Lansing IA and Dubuque IA. Thankyou

A little Ice fishing help? I'm a good fisherman and have been doing it 5 or 6 years now but I'm new to ice fishing. Anyone who ice fishes please answer me a few questions. First of all I live in wisconsin so what is a good Temperature to ice fish and what time between december and February is best? Second, how do I determine if thick the ice is? How thick should it be to safely walk on it? Also what do I do if something goes wrong and the ice starts to crack or I fall through? One more question, I plan to fish for large and smallmouth bass, how do I catch these things through the ice?

I need help setting up my line with my reel, I know how to spool it...READ DETAIL BELOW? Okay, now I'm not a greenhorn fisherman, I've caught trophy sized largemouth/smallmouth bass, walleye, wiper and pike. Also some pretty good sized trout in the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan rivers in Colorado. I've never rigged up my own reel and line for general fishing. I need to know what should be used for a main line and if a leader line is necessary. I'm using a Mitchel Advocate Silver Edition reel...let me know if i need a different one. This reel/line set up must be for good size largemouth and smallmouth, channel/bullhead catfish, bluegill, carpie, wiper yeah i'm 18 and it's something in my fishing life I have not done yet... Didn't realize it when i first put the details up: the reel is a "Mitchell Avocet Silver" yeah sorry about that one...I'll mainly be fishing for bass using lures yeah i did notice all that after I posted the question haha...

Clearwater River Smallmouth? I fish the Clearwater River In Central ID. It is a fairly fast moving river with a few deep pools. It has very little cover other than rocks and sand. I have a few questions about catching the larger smallies. 1. I mostly fish tubes with a 1/8 to 1/4 oz internal jig head or curly tail with same size ball jig head but I keep hanging up, near as I can tell the jig head is getting wedged between the boulders, I have tried Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, plain weedless bass jigs, ect. but they all get hung up too. The fish seem to like the lure touching bottom as the primary forage are craws and sculpins. How can I keep from getting hung up while keeping in contact with the bottom? 2. What kind of structure will I find the bigger ones hiding around? 3. I really like the drop shot rig but the ball sinker gets hung up almost every cast, how can I keep it from getting hung up? Dr. Powdersky-I have tried weightless plastics but they seem to like it on the bottom and the current washes a weightless rig downstream before it can even sink a few feet. as for line I'm using 10lb braid with 8lb flouro leader. the braid is almost as small as my 4lb flouro. The Wormist-I'll have to try that, it makes sense because I use pencil lead clipped to a swivel for steelhead and it don't hang up near as often as the drop shot weight.

Does anybody know what kind of catfish this is? http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i226/cardinal_1405/Image001.jpg one of my friends caught it.....i was wondering what type it is, how far i need to cast out, and what kind of bait i need to use to catch another one [the place my friend caught it at was a small farm pond].....the pond is loaded with bluegill, smallmouth, largemouth, and rock bass.....im trying to land a nice catty but all im getting is bass and bluegill.....family and friends have all asid that they have caught massive catfish many years ago in that same pond.....i dont know what to do, please help!!! thanks in advance.

how to catch smallmouth bass in Indiana portion of lake Michigan? I don't have a boat so only shore tips needed many thanks to all that answer

How do I catch jumping walleye in 4-12 feet of water? Theres a lake i fish in northern michigan that is mostly dominated by walleye, and smallmouth bass, The lake is relatively deep, close to 80 ft at the deepest, and i never have any luck during the day for walleye or small mouth. I've noticed that right around 9 ocklock p.m., the fish begin to move into shallower water, ranging from 4 ft to 12 ft, and they are jumping, just tons of fish jumping left and right, but im finding it increasingly difficult to hook into any of the fish. What can I do or use to entice fish to bite?

Which fish were jumping at the lake? I've recently started a new hobby -- fishing! Last Sunday my buddy and I went to Bald Eagle State Park , PA at dawn to fish. There were fish jumping out the water all around us, one every minute at least, so we thought we'd catch something for sure. We figured they were bass (woops) and started throwing out topwater jerkbaits and regular buzzbaits and didn't catch anything. The sun came up and the jumping subsided completely by around 8am. We were totally bummed. So, any idea what they were? We later speculated they were crappie but I just read they don't jump out of the water either. The PA website says this about the lake: "Common species are crappie, yellow perch, tiger muskellunge, channel catfish and largemouth and smallmouth bass." Any tips on how to actually catch them next time? Thanks =)

using Zoom Baby Brush Hogs For Fishing? i just added these to my tackle box, not to familiar with using them but i see they are fairly popular. I got them in watermelon candy color. I will be fishing a small river, not that fast moving but will these catch me smallmouth bass? How should i rig them?

Spotted bass in pond? Hey guys I don't know for sure if this is the the heading to post this under but i figured people will still end up reading it. Me and my fishing partner have a pond we've found with a lot of what we believed to be largemouth bass. After reading an article online on spotted bass saying that the spots look just like largemouth but are normally smaller in size and fight like dogs made me start thinking about our pond. The majority of the fish are on average 1.5lb but fight like dogs! We catch them mainly on Red Eye Shads and power worms. The fish we catch on more of a "largemouth" lure like a big bass jig or big spinner bait seem to differ. They are normally bigger, around 2lb and don't fight nearly as hard. So my question is this. Could it be that the pond holds largemouth and spotted bass? It seems we catch them on things normally used for smallmouth but also on bigger lures normally for largemouth. Then the difference in the fight. But I'm beginning to repeat myself lol. So any help would be great. Possibly how to tell the difference for sure not just on opinion. Thank you

How do u catch smallmouth bass? I'm a starter so plz help me just write down how u catch the smallmouth bass or plz just write down ur techniques or methods to caching smallmouth bass thanks :)

How to catch smallmouth bass? Just write done how u rig ur line when u fish smallmouth bass plz go threw it step by step thanks plz and detail to thank u so much :)

Smallmouth bass question? I need to know how I can catch smallmouth cuz I'm just a starter to the great sport of fishing and I want to know how to catch smallmouth plz write ur answer down step by step and plz write down how to do the rig plz and thanxs

bass fishing with live bait question? i fish in a lake nearby sometimes and i really wanna catch largemouth and smallmouth bass but never can i know there are some in there because my friend caught a huge one when he was useing worms and ive never caught one that big and he was using worm it was a one time thing but can i catch a sunfish (becuase i always do) and hook it live and have a bigger chance of catching one would they eat it? and if so how big would it have to be? could i also use bluegill? and also...ive tried everything bread worms crankbaits jigs texas rigs and the bass wont bite but im 110% sure there are THRIVING bass in there oh and ps i alway catch something there its an awesome lake i alway catch alot of bluegill and sunfish and maybe 4 huge catfish and its in arizona idk if that will change anything

Why aren't fish biting? I have found an un-fished remote pond. I live in New England. The pond is pretty good size. Around 4 acres maybe. It is fed from a stream from the north, and overflows at the south. From what i have seen there are small mouth bass and lots of bluegills. I havn't really caught many big fish in there. I can catch tons of small smallmouths all day. If there are small fish, doesn't mean there are big fish? There has got to be big ones in there. The biggest ive caught is a 16" smallmouth. How can i tell if real big ones are in there? Somedays the bigger ones nail a jitterbug...other days...absolutely nothing. Why is this? I knew weather had something to do with it, but im not sure what variables are most favorable. I have tried cloudy days, and before and while it was pouring.

How to catch Bass in a pond on hot summer days? Ive been going to a little pond lately that has Smallmouth bass Largemouth bass...but mainly smallmouth,theres 3 pond, the first one shallow,then they get deeper as the ponds go on,,, theres also weeds in random spots.

How do you clean a fish thoroughly while camping? It is family fishing week, and my friend and I were thinking about trying to catch and eat it while camping, but that's thing, it is the FIRST time we will have done either... Fish in the region include: -bass (I think smallmouth) -lake trout -black crappie -brook trout

How do I catch smallmouth bass? We have a lake and we can't seem to catch any fish. Minnows are jumping out of the water and we haven't had any luck catching fish. What lures are best to catch smallmouth bass and what techniques. Thanks.

can smallmouth bass be kept as pets? I was considering.. If I manage to catch a juvinile (at the legal keeping size limit) smallmouth Is it even legal in the state of california to keep it? And would a 300-500 gal tank be enough for it to thrive? and how long until it needs be replaced for a larger tank? I figured since smallmoth dont usually go too much over 9lb they commonly grow to about half the size of a largemouth (or a bit more) and even less compared to a florida bass. I also firgured it would like to have some elements similar to the enviorment it would have been landed from. so I though At whatever lake I manage to land a young smallmouth I bring some goggles and look at the lake floor to see if I can buy some stuff similar to the lakes. I really would have to think this through since even though relativly smaller than largemouth they can get pretty damn big in comparison to most pet fish . If this isn't possible I guess when I take my first fishing trip I'll just release all the fish I catch. (well unless it's illigal to take home a bass to cook as a meal) though I'm not sure I'f they would even taste good. anyway off topic here if I can keep it as a pet and can manage to feed it and give it a nice spacious enviroment would it survive? Thanks!

Where are the Smallmouth Bass located on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes in MN? I've got a tourney on the Whitefish this weekend. We found the good-sized Largemouth, but didn't have time to locate the Smallmouth- the chain is HUGE. (Our pre-fish day cost about $140 in Gas & a 2 hour drive one-way, so, I don't think we'll be able to make it back before tourney day, due to cost and time.) Any Smallmouth info for Whitefish would be excellent. Thank you in advance. PS- I know how to catch them WHEN we find them. I need general directions and depth (specifically) for the Whitefish Chain. Thank you!

SMALLMOUTH bass fishing questions (and largemouth too)? Im goin fishing in northern virginia tmrw someplace with smallmouth bass most likely priblem is i normally fish for largies in ponds or lakes and dont river fish much. How can i catch a smallmouth in a river with 2 foot visibilty? do you use the same methods as largie? im goign to ***** tmrw to get some stuff what should i get for larrgies and smallies i want lots of good year round or summer and spring lures that are pretty easy to use? but some smallie stuff for tmrw

Small Mouth bass fishing? Im goin fishing in northern virginia tmrw someplace with smallmouth bass most likely priblem is i normally fish for largies in ponds or lakes and dont river fish much. How can i catch a smallmouth in a river with 2 foot visibilty? do you use the same methods as largie? im goign to dicks tmrw to get some stuff what should i get for larrgies and smallies i want lots of good year round or summer and spring lures that are pretty easy to use? but some smallie stuff for tmrw

Gar, bowfin, drum and mudcat. Are any of these worth trying to eat? I'm lucky enough to live next to a river that produces largemouth, rainbow and brown trout, crappie, bluegill, chain pickerel, kentucky bass, sauger, walleye, spoonbill, smallmouth, white bass, hybrids and blue cat. Occasionally, I can't catch any of these delicacies and end up with the junk fish in the question. Would you eat any of those? If so, how would you prepare them? btw, I know the river I live by sounds unbelievable. Look up Little Red River in Arkansas if you must.

advice for starting up a fishing guide.? I want to start up my own fishing guide, i know the fishing area well. I have caught a bunch of musky, smallmouth bass, and numerous of other fish. I know numerous techniques and i fish year round. I know i can put clients on the fish i just need to know on how i should start up a guide service. From everything i read i know that it will be tough starting out and my funds better be right before i quit my job. Any advice would be great thanks.

how to catch spawning smallmouth bass? what are some good lures and techniques to catch spawning smallmouth bass. where i live the smallmouths spawn in mid june to early july

How many different species of freshwater and saltwater fish have you caught since you started fishing? My "guesstimate" is that I have caught about 15 or more kinds of s/w fish from ocean waters and 40+ kinds of freshwater species. That list alone would include carp, buffalo, black & white crappie, bluegill, rock bass, white bass, whitebass/striper hybrids, yellow perch, grass carp, walleye, lake trout, northern pike, muskellunge, largemouth & smallmouth bass, blue catfish, channel catfish, black/yellow/brown bullhead, redear sunfish, green sunfish, rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, yellowstone cutthroat trout, Colorado greenback cutthroat trout, grayling, whitefish, redhorse sucker, dogfish, chain pickerel, mooneye, not to mention king salmon, silver salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon and striped bass in both fresh and saltwaters. I am blessed to live in Alaska, but sometimes I miss the mixed bag I was used to in the lower 48. There was ALWAYS something somewhere waiting to be caught, no matter what time of the year it was. I hope you are all taking full advantage of that opportunity. Good luck and good fishing!