In mid-August I encountered the rare phenomenon of Smallmouth Bass and rusty crayfish colliding on sand flats to both feed. On consecutive days, crayfish were invading the sandy grass flats to feed during lowlight conditions. At the same time, schools of feeding smallmouth bass followed the crayfish movements to feed on them in these exact same locations. Didn’t think smallmouth bass used weeds? Think again
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Category: Video Blog
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When Smallmouth Bass and Crayfish Collide
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Power Cranking Smallmouth Bass
The ideal smallmouth bass crankbait is a smaller, compact, realistic, and noisy representation of bottom-scurrying prey. In this case, it’s their favorite, the crayfish. In early spring as smallmouths prepare for their spawn, power cranking with a shallow diving crankbait will score big numbers of feisty, prespawn fish that are cruising the shallows for feeding, and settling near spawning sites.
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Jerkbaits for Prespawn Smallmouth Bass
Early spring beckons jerkbaits from tackle trays on lakes all over the country. But in the northcountry, it’s an underutilized tactic. Largemouths and smallmouths alike find suspending jerkbaits difficult to resist as they stage to spawn. In May and June when smallmouth bass are staging for the spawn, I consider a suspending jerkbait the ultimate lure. It’s the first thing I turn to before anything else. Smallmouths aren’t on top and they aren’t on the bottom. They want to eat as they prepare for the spawn, but the water is still pretty cold so they aren’t very active. A suspending jerkbait such as the Rapala Xrap triggers them to bite.
