Category: Smallmouth Bass
-
Weeding out Smallmouth Bass
By Andrew Ragas Smallmouth bass prefer sand, rocks and wood in conjunction to major depth contour. However, they can also be found using weedlines at certain times of the year. On natural lakes and reservoirs, anglers can expect to find big smallmouths in the underfished habitat of weeds.
-
Wading for River Smallmouths
By Robert Conley & Robert Fuchs As the alarm sounds you will always laugh to yourself at its irrelevance, you have been lying there with your eyes open counting down the minutes. Is it the part of your brain that is instinctively waiting for the sound? Is it the anxiety that you didn’t pack everything…
-
Sight Fishing and Spawning Science
By Josh B. Peacock Up here in the far North, when the water temperature begins to rise (55°F +), the days are growing in length (photoperiod) and the lunar phase gets right (full moon or new moon). Additionally, the lilacs have bloomed, the snapping turtles are laying eggs, and more importantly, bass are migrating into…
-
Ten Smallmouth Bass Methods for 2013
If you’ve located the fish, try these ten smallmouth bass methods for 2013. A diversified lure selection will not only make you a more versatile angler, but allow you to catch more fish. Prime patterns and favorite lures can be revisited each year, especially as the environment and behaviors of smallmouth bass dictate their locations…
-
My Top Ten Smallmouth Bass Fisheries: Part 2
My compiled list of top ten smallmouth bass trips and destinations has a few things in common, which are personally important to me: The abilities to produce sustainable boatloads of trophy fish; Public access without heavy angling pressure; Minimal travel time and the fewest expenses so that it’s easier on the pocketbook; and record fish…
-
My Top Ten Smallmouth Bass Fisheries: Part 1
Whether I’ve been there or not, I showcase a complete list of trips and destinations, and bucket lists that trophy smallmouth bass anglers should consider for 2013 and beyond. Smallmouth bass are undoubtedly my favorite species of freshwater gamefish. From the sophisticated gear and tackle, to the techniques and pursuit, and angling battles and their…
-
Tube Trick Smallmouth Bass
By: Andrew Ragas The spring fishing season and its weather inconsistencies often resembles the shape of a roller coaster that is full of inclines and declines. For instance, there are periods of warmth which lead to good fishing, periods of cold which lead to miserable fishing, and never a consistent happy medium that is somewhere…
-
Live Bait Bass: Matching The Hatch The Easy Way
By: Andrew Ragas Most bass anglers will cringe at the concept of fishing with live bait, let alone the thought of ever using it. Putting the ego aside, as water temperatures at your favorite bodies of water cool down to below 50 degrees in mid to late fall, fishing with live bait is an excellent…
-
Chicago Smallmouth Bass
By: Andrew Ragas Smallmouth bass are arguably one of the most fun and sporting fish to catch, and personally one of my favorites. They are historically native to most rivers and streams in Illinois. Within the last quarter century their self-sustaining populations have been established in some of our inland bodies of water to offer…
-
Smallmouth Spectacles with Rapala’s X-Rap
By: Andrew Ragas The long and warm dog days of summer morph into the shorter, cooler and crisp days of early fall. Water temperatures on lakes that were once warm at 75 degrees begin to gradually plummet into the cool 60 degree range, triggering a transitional period feeding binge for all species of fish. Summertime…