How To Catch Bigger Smallmouth (And Largemouth) - Everything You Need To Know - Finesse Bass Fishing

Smallmouth are amazing! They're aggressive, even in cold water. They're willing to migrate huge distances for food. When you set the hook they give you a ride that is unrivaled by the other bass. There is little wonder why so many anglers love Smallmouth bass fishing. Targeting these predators requires a finesse touch and some unique gear that is often overlooked for the other bass species.  

While you can catch a smallmouth on virtually anything, the fish tend to favor clearer water and a true finesse touch will increase your odds dramatically. In today's video Tim dives into his favorite finesse tactics and equipment for consistently targeting these bronze backs. 

Below is a breakdown of the gear he discussed in order of appearance. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Finesse Keitech Swimbaits... 

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact 4.3 and 3.8: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Colors: Chartreuse Blue, Crystal Shad, Goby, Smallmouth Magic

-Tactical Finesse Swimbait Head 3/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

-2.8 keitech Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Colors: Electric Shad, Pro Blue Red Pearl, Tennessee Shad

-Dirty Jigs 1/8 oz Guppy Head 1/0: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

Finesse Swimbaits…

-Megabass 3" Spark Shad: http://bit.ly/2XcLZk4

Colors: Purple Haze, Real, Silver Shad

-Megabass 1/16 oz Okashira Head: http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

-Megabass Dark Sleeper 2.4" and 3": http://bit.ly/2TyR1GT

Colors: Donko, Haze, Hanahaze Wakasagi

Spy Baits... 

-Duo Realis Spin Bait 80: http://bit.ly/2oeVG1m

Colors: Ghost SX Shad, BK Ayu, Ghost Minnow

-Duo Realis Spin Bait 90: http://bit.ly/2nhw56N

Colors: Ghost Minnow, Purple Reign AM, Shiner AM

Hair Jigs... 

-Outkast Tackle Feider Fly 3/32 (Black): http://bit.ly/2G7TBwj

Dropshot Worms...

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

Colors: Chick Magnet, Green Pump Purp, Smoke Purp Flake

-Strike King Half Shell: http://bit.ly/2iR9awm

Colors: Morning Dawn, Magic, TW Green Pumpkin

Dropshot Rigging... 

Light Wire Hook- Owner Mosquito Light (Size 1, 2): http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

Medium Wire Hook- Trokar Dropshot (Size 1, 2): http://bit.ly/2ahxJOr

Tungsten Tie-On Weight- Swagger Tear Drop (3/16): http://bit.ly/37AVcrx

Tungsten Dropshot Weight- Swagger Tear Drop (3/16): http://bit.ly/2V2B63h

Tubes... 

-Dry Creek Tournament Tube 3.5": http://bit.ly/2cJwI6r

Colors: Old Ugly, Mocha Copper Pepper, Crazy Eddie

-Big Bite Tour Tube 3.5": http://bit.ly/32e23VR

Colors: Tilapia, Green Pumpkin Purple Copper Flk

Tube Heads... 

-Bite me 60 degree Flat Eye Head (3/16): http://bit.ly/2diyVXK

-Provider Tackle 90 degree (3/16): http://bit.ly/2OAvYRv

Z Man Ned Rig Baits... 

-Z Man Finesse TRD: http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR

Colors: Green Pumpkin Goby, Canada Craw, Mud Bug

-Z Man TRD BugZ: http://bit.ly/2oiavEE

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Mud Bug, Hot Snakes

-Z Man TRD TicklerZ: http://bit.ly/2mGyDAC

Colors: Green Pumpkin Goby, Canada Craw, Mud Bug

Other Ned Rig Worms... 

-Xzone Ned Zone stick Bait 3": http://bit.ly/2mRiYhF

Colors: 309, Green Pump Purple, Minnow Magic

-Roboworm Ned Worm 3": http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy

Colors: Desert Craw, TW Black Blue Pumpkin

-Missile Baits Ned Bomb: http://bit.ly/2XCOGwd

Colors: Super Bug, Bluetonium Green Pumpkin Core

Ned Heads... 

Tungsten- Swagger Flanders Head 1/6 oz: http://bit.ly/2KcIB6M

Lead- Z Man Ned LockZ HD Head: http://bit.ly/2kIgRYK

Stick Baits... 

-5" Yamamoto Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Colors: Baby Bass, Crushed Goby, Electric Worm

-5" Yum Dinger: http://bit.ly/2J8nMrF

Colors: Elders Magic, Green Pumpkin, Ozark Smoke

Stick Bait Rigging... 

-G7 O-Rings 7MM: http://bit.ly/2PWEkUs

-G7 O Ring Tool: http://bit.ly/2PRMNrG

-Owner Jungle Wacky Weedless Hook: https://bit.ly/2VKZl9U

-Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hook: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

Tim's Favorite Keitech Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis GLX 853C JWR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- Sunline Sniper 12 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Tim's Favorite Ultra-Finesse Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Conquest 902S SJR: http://bit.ly/2BiGUNi

Reel- Shimano Exsence 3000: http://bit.ly/2iMtscV

Line- Sunline SX1 Braid 10 lb: http://bit.ly/2tn8EzQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper 6 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Tim's Feider Combo... 

Rod- Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS 7'6" ML: http://bit.ly/2QHupT9

Reel- Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Line- Sunline 6 lb Sniper Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Summer Bass Fishing - 10 Bait Challenge!! Popper, Spinnerbait, Crankbait, Swimbait...

Matt tied on 10 different baits from swimbaits to crankbaits to a Ned Rig and he's going to see how many bass he can catch (and a few bonus species too!) We're in South Dakota on Lake Oahe for the first time ever. The plan was to do a "lake breakdown" but we quickly realized the bite was excellent and our time would be better spent having fun doing a challenge! We've only got a few hours before we need to get on the road to Wyoming but Matt is confident he can catch bass on all 10 baits, let's find out if he can do it before the Pike and Walleye chew them to pieces!

The 10 baits Matt chose represent virtually every style of fishing you can do while bass fishing. From ultra finesse, to serious power, to topwater, its going to take a lot of adaption to get it done. He always prefers to start by power fishing and today is no different... He begins with Megabass's Dark Sleeper, a fun little swimbait that is easy to use. After the Sleeper produces Matt moves on to a Keitech, a squarebill, and right on down the list he moves.

It really doesn't get difficult until he arrives at the finesse baits. While that might seem counter intuitive, not knowing the lake makes it difficult to slow down and fish individual pieces of cover. It takes longer than expected but one by one the finesse fish fall, leaving only a topwater popper. Its midday, hot, and bluebird sky but the smallmouth of South Dakota did not dissapoint, ultimately giving Matt the 10th bass he was looking for.

We hope you enjoy the video! Below is a breakdown of the 10 baits (and applicable heads) that Matt used to complete his challenge.

1) Megabass Dark Sleeper (Shirauo color): http://bit.ly/2TyR1GT

2) Keitech Fat Swing Impact 2.8 (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Dirty Jigs Guppy Head 1/8 oz, 1/0 Hook: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

3) River2Sea Biggie Squarebill (Rooster- Smalls Bumpin'): http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

4) Lucky Craft LV-500 (Phantom Chartreuse Shad): http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Hook Upgrade- Gamakatsu EWG Size 4: http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

5) Keitech 4" Easy Shiner (Silver Flash Minnow): http://bit.ly/2bxJK6H

Megabass Okashira Screwhead 1/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

6) Lucky Craft Flash Pointer 100 (American Shad): http://bit.ly/2aHz588

7) Rapala Husky Jerk Jerkbait (Clown Color): http://bit.ly/2YL2Sbt

8) War Eagle Double Willow Spinnerbait 1/2 oz (Mouse color): http://bit.ly/2w5zoor

9) Dry Creek 3.5” Tournament Tube (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2cJwI6r

Bite Me Flat Eye Tube Jig (1/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2diyVXK

10) Missile Baits Ned Bomb (Green Pumpkin Flash): http://bit.ly/2XCOGwd

Z Man Ned Lockz HD Head: http://bit.ly/2kIgRYK

11) Yellow Magic Popper 1/2 oz (Alewife): http://bit.ly/2al0dKP

Favorite All-Around Combo...

Rod- G Loomis GLX 843 MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 40 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 12 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Favorite Finesse Combo...

Rod- Expride 6'10" ML: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Stradic CI4+ 1000: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Line- 10 lb Power Pro Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- 7 lb Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Budget-Friendly All Around Combo...

Rod- Shimano SLX 7' Medium Spinning: http://bit.ly/2AdvIC1

Reel- Nasci 2500: http://bit.ly/2g278cC

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Stream Fishing Big Smallmouth In Clear Water!

The guys found a small creek loaded with smallmouth bass! The water is crystal clear and the fish are in all 3 stages of the spawn. There are fish just coming in from Lake Michigan, other bass on beds, and a lot of big bass cruising the edges and shadows in search of a big meal. Realizing the opportunity, the guys quickly began catching fish on everything from a dropshot to a swimbait. Come along for an exciting day of fishing and teaching as we explain how to fish for bass in current.

Its early Summer in Michigan and the fish are aggressive! We began by catching fish sitting along the edges of cover but as we moved farther up river we discovered spawners in the shallows. Toward the end of the day we realized post spawn fish would ambush reaction baits as well, catching them on swimbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater.

Fishing in current is all about understanding bass behavior. These fish face up stream and feed by sight. They're watching the moving water for any sign of food drifting by. When a meal appears they have one shot to capture it as it passes so strikes tend to be vicious! While neither angler had ever been on this fishery, Cobi guides in both Michigan and Wisconsin on a lot of amazing smallmouth waters. If you're interested in seeing more of his work, visit his instagram here: http://bit.ly/2XMpoPW

Below is a breakdown of the baits we caught fish on throughout the day. We caught them on an incredible variety of techniques so we will separate them into softbaits and hardbaits, including the colors used to successfully fool these smallmouth.

Softbaits...

1) Finesse Jig (Kentucky Craw): http://bit.ly/2eJinXo

-Smallie Beaver (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2dR6CkP

2) Strike King Half Shell (KVD Magic on Dropshot): http://bit.ly/2iR9awm

-Owner Mosquito Light Hook Size 2: http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

3) Roboworm 4" Fat Worm (Oxblood Light on Dropshot): http://bit.ly/2awYSxM

4) Megabass Spark Shad 3" (Real): http://bit.ly/2XcLZk4

- Megabass Okashira Screw Head: http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

5) Dark Sleeper Swimbait (Haze): http://bit.ly/2TyR1GT

6) Zoom Super Fluke (Smokin Shad): http://bit.ly/2aqys0H

-Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap 1/0: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

Hardbaits...

1) Splash It Popper (Chartreuse Pearl Shad): http://bit.ly/2Fp8MQV

2) River2Sea S-Waver 168 (Light Trout): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

3) Megabass Vision 110 Jerkbait (PM Twilight Chart Back): http://bit.ly/2j31TKb

Matt's most versatile Combo this trip...

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Aldebaran MGL 50: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

The Largest Freshwater Lake In The World: How To Find Fish (And Catch Them)

We're on Lake Superior, home to more than 20 million surface acres of water! We're here to catch fish without any outside help. How do we find bass in such a vast environment? Where do we start looking? Come along for an amazing journey as we explore the largest freshwater lake in the world in search of Smallmouth bass.

The key to breaking down such a massive lake is to forget how big it really is. Start with a map of the entire lake, pretend the lake is only 500 acres, and pick your key spots. No matter how big a pond, lake, or ocean is, they all have the same key "spots". Once you've selected points or coves that look good, its time to zoom in. Its at this point that you begin to see how giant the lake really is. Take each key spot you identified and break it down into smaller and smaller key spots. Now its time to begin fishing! Remember that in a lake this big not every spot will be a home run, stick to your pattern until you find the fish you're searching for.

In today's video the guys fished for 3 days. They found fish each day and were able to dial in the pattern a little better at each stop. While they never found the "motherlode" of big bass spots, they found some awesome fishing and had a great time on a fishery neither angler will ever forget.

Interested in finding out more about Cobi? Visit his Instagram page here: http://bit.ly/2XMpoPW

Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment we used on this once in a lifetime mission to explore the smallmouth of Lake Superior.

The baits in order of appearance...

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact 4.3: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Matt Allen Swimbait Head 3/8 oz: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

-Megabass Okashira Screw Head 1/16 oz: http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

-Megabass Spark Shad: http://bit.ly/2XcLZk4

-Megabass Vibration X Ultra: http://bit.ly/2GdQFjs

-River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq

-Keitech Fat Swing Impact 2.8 (Electric Shad): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

-Dirty Jigs Guppy Head 1/8 oz: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

-6th Sense Crush 50 Squarebill (Wild Shad): http://bit.ly/2HbaCGT

-Megabass Vision 110 (GP Pro Blue): http://bit.ly/2j31TKb

Matt's Favorite Combo from the trip...

Rod- G Loomis Conquest 902S SJR: http://bit.ly/2BiGUNi

Reel- Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Line- Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon 5 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Cobi's Favorite Combo from the trip...

Rod- Megabass Orochi XX WhipSnake: http://bit.ly/2XkVoej

Reel- Daiwa Tatula 4000: http://bit.ly/2zrq4id

Line- Power Pro Braid 10 lb: http://bit.ly/2g9c2GV

Leader- Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon 7 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju