Whats a good bait for smaller largemouth/smallmouth bass? I was using a 5” senko today and got a few bites, but just wasnt hooking up.

Ned rig..4in senko...twister tail grub on a ballhead.

3" Bass Pro Stik-O.

Maybe it was too small?  Last weekend I got no bites on 6" worm, but changed to 8 and 9 and cleaned up.

Sounds like you're targeting smaller fish for a little more action, nothing wrong with that.

 

Small paddle tail swimbaits on a 1/16 head, Mepps #3, Ned rig , 4" Roboworms on a drop-shot all come to mind but can also yield bigger fish.

27 minutes ago, Bird said:

Sounds like you're targeting smaller fish for a little more action, nothing wrong with that.

 

Small paddle tail swimbaits on a 1/16 head, Mepps #3, Ned rig , 4" Roboworms on a drop-shot all come to mind but can also yield bigger fish.

yeah, pretty much. Roboworms? I dont have those. But i do have what’s in the picture below and a1/8 jig head, would that work?

35 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Maybe it was too small?  Last weekend I got no bites on 6" worm, but changed to 8 and 9 and cleaned up.

you think up sizing could help?? I use my castable fish finder and it does pick up fish in the lake, but the 5” wasn’t cutting it today

Road runners, jig/grub, ned rig, dropshot with 4” finesse wurmz

2 inch grubs, rooster tails, and 3 inch easy shiners

Small bass can be caught on any lure. I’ve caught bass that weren’t much bigger than the crankbait I caught them on. Are you sure your bites were bass and not bluegill?

Possibly sunfish hitting you today. I still like downsizing sometimes though! Picked up some Z-man flashback minis today. They look awesome. 

Sunfish/Bluegill,  they love senkos but they will hit just about anything when hungry. I have caught a ton of small bass in the ponds I fish on 5in senkos. In order to get the bluegill away, let the bait sit on the bottom, wait, pop it off the bottom, then wait again and repeat .  Doesn't work all the time but it does improve your chances.  Also, the right hook is important, I use either a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG with senkos. 

 

I posted this in another thread but when sunfish want to strike something, they will hit hard..... like this 1/2 oz spinnerbait. I caught a ton of largemouth this day but this one is the prize.  The hook is the same size as it's mouth. How I caught this thing just like a bass, leaves me scratching my head. 

 

Zara Puppy

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

Sunfish/Bluegill,  they love senkos but they will hit just about anything when hungry. I have caught a ton of small bass in the ponds I fish on 5in senkos. In order to get the bluegill away, let the bait sit on the bottom, wait, pop it off the bottom, then wait again and repeat .  Doesn't work all the time but it does improve your chances.  Also, the right hook is important, I use either a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG with senkos. 

 

I posted this in another thread but when sunfish want to strike something, they will hit hard..... like this 1/2 oz spinnerbait. I caught a ton of largemouth this day but this one is the prize.  The hook is the same size as it's mouth. How I caught this thing just like a bass, leaves me scratching my head. 

 

Green sunfish are crazy. 

Probably a sunfish or something. I just assumed it was a bass i guess

a crappie jig.

All my lures work for smallish bass...heh heh...haven't caught one over 17" yet this year.  

1/2 oz spitting spook.

Thing is amazing even in current

I bought some micro Rebel cranks and some Creme brand Fishing Favorites - tiny jerks and cranks. They are fun in small water with small fish.

 

Also, without changing rigs though I've exposed the hook on T-rigs when I was missing bites. Missed like 5 bites in a row until I did this and caught one on the next cast.

A 4" senko will catch fish both large and [very] small ?:

 

Rebel Crawdad Crankbait. They tear it up. All sizes of bass and about everything that swims 

On 7/2/2022 at 5:45 PM, Gregorym38 said:

yeah, pretty much. Roboworms? I dont have those. But i do have what’s in the picture below and a1/8 jig head, would that work?

you think up sizing could help?? I use my castable fish finder and it does pick up fish in the lake, but the 5” wasn’t cutting it today

Those grubs are legit. My wife loves them when she goes fishing with me. 

 

Personally, I try to use hardbaits on my local waters, but have and use grubs on an Owner Bullet Ultrahead when I need to.

1 hour ago, Drew03cmc said:

Those grubs are legit. My wife loves them when she goes fishing with me. 

 

Personally, I try to use hardbaits on my local waters, but have and use grubs on an Owner Bullet Ultrahead when I need to.

Thats the exact brand of jigs i have for it, lol