small mouth bass
small mouth bass Fishing Expertise
The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), affectionately known to anglers as a "smallie" or "bronzeback," is the largemouth’s incredibly aggressive, rock-loving cousin. While they don't grow quite as large as largemouth bass, they have a well-earned reputation as one of the hardest-fighting freshwater fish in the world.
Here is a breakdown of what makes the smallmouth bass such a prized catch:
Appearance
The Mouth: True to their name, their mouth is noticeably smaller than that of a largemouth. When closed, their upper jaw generally does not extend past the back margin of their eye.
Coloring: Instead of green, smallmouth bass are typically a beautiful bronze, golden-olive, or dark brown. Rather than a horizontal stripe, they often feature dark vertical bands or mottled bars running down their sides.
The Build: Their bodies are slightly more torpedo-shaped and densely muscular than a largemouth. They are perfectly built for navigating fast-moving currents.
Habitat and Distribution
Native Range: Originally native to the Great Lakes and the upper and middle Mississippi River basin, they have since been introduced to cool-water streams, rivers, and deep lakes across North America.
Cool, Clear, and Moving Water: Unlike largemouth bass that love warm, stagnant, weedy ponds, smallmouth bass thrive in cooler, highly oxygenated, clear water. They are the kings of fast-moving rivers and streams.
Rock Junkies: If largemouth love wood and weeds, smallmouth love rocks. You will almost always find them patrolling rocky points, gravel bars, underwater ledges, and boulder-strewn riverbeds.
Diet
Smallmouth bass are aggressive predators with a diet uniquely tailored to their rocky environments.
The Menu: Their absolute favorite meal is the crayfish (crawdad). A smallmouth will root through gravel and flip over stones just to hunt them down.
Other Forage: They also feed heavily on baitfish like shiners, chubs, and shad, as well as aquatic insects (like hellgrammites) and leeches.
Size and Lifespan
Size: They are generally smaller than largemouth bass. A typical catch ranges from 1 to 3 pounds. In most waters, a 5-pound smallie is considered an absolute trophy. The all-tackle world record is an incredibly impressive 11 pounds, 15 ounces (caught at Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, in 1955).
Lifespan: Because they live in cooler climates and fast-moving water, they grow slower but can live relatively long lives, typically ranging from 10 to 15 years in the wild.
Why They Are Popular
In the late 1800s, Dr. James Henshall famously wrote that the smallmouth bass is "ounce for ounce and pound for pound the gamest fish that swims," and modern anglers overwhelmingly agree.
When hooked, they fight with a completely different energy than a largemouth. Rather than head-shaking and giving up, a smallmouth will make blistering, drag-pulling runs, dive deep into the current, and launch themselves into spectacular, twisting acrobatic jumps. They are incredibly athletic fish that will test light tackle to its limits. Like the largemouth, they are predominantly targeted for catch-and-release sport, though their meat is firm, flaky, and exceptionally clean-tasting if harvested from cold, clear water.