Hey guys do you think an eight inch long hair jig is too large for smallmouth bass? 

 

16 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Hey guys do you think an eight inch long hair jig is too large for smallmouth bass? 

 

Probably not for the one you're looking for.

A-Jay

I love 1/8 ounce for River Smallies. Never used one that big .

@A-Jay is right about the size issue. This bass ate the jig pictured above.  Just goes to show smallies will eat bigger baits when they want to. 

 

I knew it was a trick question..😂

42 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

I knew it was a trick question..😂

Me too.

A-Jay

Fish that plain or with a minnow?

@Dwight Hottle When they were on bait in the harbor in late march, I saw remnants puked up that were definitely over 6".  Didn't have my larger hair jigs with me, but a 5" deps death adder and a 5" geecrack revival shad on a 1/2oz 2/0 scrounger head with bill pulled off ripped and tightlined did a great job mimicking the alewives or shiners that were there as long as it was a pro blue or white/silver.  What a great bite, quickly becoming a favorite way to fish for them. 

 

scott

 

 

20 hours ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Fish that plain or with a minnow?

Either way but I fished it plain no bait. 

4 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Either way but I fished it plain no bait. 

Swim? Crawl?  Mid column? Bottom?

 

I tried a bunch of retrieves here, but they really only wanted the fast jump/glide to the bottom.  

 

scott

Slow crawl on the bottom. The area we were fishing was 5-15 deep with dirty water & primarily a sand bottom. All the fish were tight to the bottom & had washed out coloration. 

I'll never forget the 15-16" smallie that tried to eat a 10" crappie on one of our trips.  We found the smallie on the surface, struggling to get it down (there was no chance).  A quick trip to the boat and removal of said crappie (which was stuck and the smallie couldn't expel) and the bass swam away just fine, maybe with a case of a sore jaw.  The crappie, on the other hand, had a bad day.

 

Did you get a weight on that chunk?  Looks 6.5-7 from the picture.

5-4

11 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

5-4

 

Lake St Clair?

 

My wife wants to take me there this year, guided of course.

No Lake Erie.

Out here even 2lb smallmouth regularly puke out 6" smolt when they are outmigrating. The tanks that @Dwight Hottle is catching would likely just see that jig as a snack. 

On 4/23/2025 at 11:32 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

@A-Jay is right about the size issue. This bass ate the jig pictured above.  Just goes to show smallies will eat bigger baits when they want to. 

 

Most importantly you have to be around Hawgs to catch HAWGS!  Dwight is it possible to catch quantity and quality using small profile blade baits? Asking for friend!

Smallies will eat those small profile baits best when they are eating smaller baits on the bottom. Match the hatch always works. Just make sure your small profile baits have stellar hooks so when you hook the big one you can close the deal. 

On 4/23/2025 at 11:32 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

@A-Jay is right about the size issue. This bass ate the jig pictured above.  Just goes to show smallies will eat bigger baits when they want to. 

 

 

I fish a lot for Pike and Musky. Many times I have small Bass and Walleye hit big pike/musky lures that are almost the same size as they are. There are some gutsy fish out there to keep things interesting. 

Do these hang up on rocks