Hey guys,

   I'm in no way, shape, or form a smallmouth fisherman. I fish too far south to encounter such a species but I've read up on these fish some. Through out my readings, I have began to think that SmallMouths act in a similar way to Spotted Bass ( the dominent fish in my region). I was wondering if yall smallmouth fishermen had any proven techniques that would work on both. I fish primarily a lock and dam river system but I travel quite a bit over the state of Alabama to large lakes such as Martin and Lay. So any multitude of ideas and tips would be great. I'm really look to experiment and find new fish in new ways. Thanks for your attention.

I would say that you are correct in that they both pretty much have a bad attitude, which is what makes them so great.

I would probably recommend a suspending jerkbait such as a Lucky Craft Pointer.  I have also done very well with a standard 4" Senko on both Spots and Smallies.  However, if the water is clear I would say that a jerkbait is one of the best, as Spots and Smallie's do like to school and eat shad in most places and jerking a shad bait through the school is killer.

Another bait that works very well especially in the spring is a lipless crankbait burned on points and flats at the mouths of creeks and spawning bays.

Other than that finesse jigs work great with a double tail grub as a trailer dragged across the bottom is killer all year.

Hope this helps some.

Steve