Focus on Bronzebacks: Best Baits for Big Smallmouth

Understanding the Giant Smallmouth Bass

Whether it's a crystal-clear glacial lake, a swift-moving river, one of the great lakes, or a desert reservoir, there is one species likely swimming in all of them — giant smallmouth. Otherwise known as "bronze backs," smallmouth bass inhabit a large portion of our country's waterways, and in most places, grow to substantial sizes. Many anglers dream of landing an oversized smallmouth. In many places around the country, it’s extremely possible.

But what works best to catch really big smallmouth? There are thousands of baits on the market today that are geared toward bass, but it can be hard to choose the right one for the job. Here are a few of the top baits to catch big smallmouth, handpicked by some of the best smallmouth fishermen in the country. These anglers have spent countless hours chasing these brown beasts on some of the most coveted smallmouth waters in the nation.

The Power of Tubes

Just like bacon and eggs in the morning, one thing that goes hand in hand with big smallmouth is a tube paired to a great jighead. It must have lifelike action and mimic a multitude of different prey items crawling along the lake bottom. Tubes come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors, so choosing the right tube on the market can be tricky.

If there's one person that knows the ins and outs of fishing a tube, it's Mark Zona. He’s a well-known figure in the fishing community and has shared his expertise through various platforms. His choice is a Strike King Coffee Tube, specifically in green pumpkin with purple flake. This color is effective in mimicking crayfish or gobies, which are common prey for smallmouth bass.

Another proponent of a tube is Captain Joe Fonzi, owner of Thumbs Up Guide Service out of the eastern basin of Lake Erie. For him, the tube is the number one big smallmouth producer in his boat. He emphasizes the importance of a quality jighead to go with it, especially when targeting goby-eating bass. His favorite insert head for a tube is a Bite Me brand of jighead, as they have a roundish ball shape that bulges out the front of the bait, making it look more like a goby.

Paddle Tail Swimbaits

A paddle-tail swimbait is deadly on smallmouth from ice out to ice in. If I had to choose one bait to fish for smallmouth for the rest of my life, it would be a small swimbait. In every body of water across the nation that holds smallmouth, the hard-fighting bass usually eat some sort of baitfish. Whether it's perch, bluegill, alewife, gobies, or something else in your lake, there's a color and body style of swimbait that will match the hatch.

Destin DeMarion, a former Elite Series pro and owner of Big Fat Bass Guide Service, highlights the versatility of swimbaits. He prefers using a soft swimbait on an Angler Tungsten Eclipse Ball Head Jig. This jighead offers a realistic look with its screw lock bait keeper and distinct eyes, making it appealing to smallmouth bass.

Keitech is another brand that stands out for its variety of swimbaits, including the easy shiner, fat, and original swing impact. Their signature squid scent adds an extra attraction for smallmouth. Another unique option is the Megabass Dark Sleeper, which combines the features of a tube and a normal paddle tail swimbait. Its broad head design and lifelike appearance make it a standout choice.

The Jighead-Minnow Combination

With forward-facing, live-view sonar taking the bass fishing world by storm, it's hard not to incorporate this bait. While many anglers now associate this bait with FFS, this presentation has a past where it caught bass you didn't see swimming on the screen. Often called "snap jigging" by walleye and saltwater anglers, using a minnow bait on a jighead triggers reaction strikes from smallmouth on rock reefs or sand flats.

Many anglers often overlook this technique. It incorporates a short spinning rod, a large arbor spinning reel, and braided line to a fluorocarbon leader. When your bait hits the bottom, snapping the bait up aggressively is the key to triggering the strike. The bait flies by the smallmouth's face so fast they have no time to think — they just eat it!

Football Jigs

There is no bait out there on the market that is responsible for catching more and bigger smallmouth than a football jig. Paired with the right trailer, it's the best imitator of a crayfish available to anglers. Modify this bait to add extra detail to get more strikes. For example, consider the material the skirt is made from or how it's trimmed.

For smallmouth, we aren’t talking about larger, long-shanked football jigs that are used in places such as the Tennessee River impoundments. We are talking about the smaller, more compact versions. One of the premier jigs on the market that does this is the Beast Coast O.W. Sniper Football Jig. Its compact design, stout BKK hook, and tungsten compound head make this bait one of the premier jigs on the market. Pair this bait with a smaller craw trailer, ned-style bait, or a small soft swimbait and you've created a bait that giant smallmouth can't resist.

Choosing the Right Baits

In smallmouth fishing, there are tons of baits that catch giant fish, but only a few stand out from the rest. The baits mentioned here have accounted for more big smallmouth caught in the last decade than many other styles of baits on the market. Now, before you go in the comments section and say we forgot to mention a few, I'll admit we probably did. It's just hard to put all of the best baits into one short article. Hopefully, the recommendations listed help you narrow down your picks this year and land you a couple of big smallmouth during the season.