Bass fishing may be habit-forming Abundant ‘Smallies’ are big fun

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With Maine being predominantly a cold water fishery, most anglers have tunnel vision regarding the most sought after finned quarries. From one sporting generation to the next, over the last couple of centuries, native brook trout and landlocked salmon and togue have comprised the holy trinity of the devout order of the rod and reel. It’s not that the masses of hook and creel weekend water worshippers are misinformed, but more that the flock is misguided. Certain facts must be brought to light!

Fact one: Smallmouth bass hit a surface plug like Cassius Clay hit Sonny Liston – hard, fast, and with definite malice and forethought.

Fact Two: When the water in regional lakes and rivers recedes and warms and fishing results for most gamefish declines noticeably, bass fishing action increases proportionally.

Fact Three: Even youngsters and neophyte anglers can catch smallmouth bass during late July and August when the surface feeding frenzy is occurring.

Fact Four: Along with the ability, most local sportsmen already have most of the equipment necessary to go right out and enjoy a t

Topwater bass outing on a nearby waterway.

Fact Five: You should be geared up and going bass fishing at the earliest possible convenience.

Be forewarned however, that this endeavor can turn into much more than a hobby or pastime, and can seriously jeopardize your work ethic. It can also be hazardous to your health, since your wife may just beat you about the head and shoulders with your bass rod for being away so often and ignoring family, friends and anything or anyone else that might interfere with fishing.

Smallies

Smallmouth bass thrive in cold water lakes, ponds and streams, and from Southern Aroostook County to Kittery Point, Maine is inundated with dependable bass waters. Compared to largemouth bass, which favor warm water, experienced anglers will vouch that pound for pound, smallies strike harder, are more acrobatic and exhibit more stamina during the fight. Many fishermen that have caught both species feel that the smallmouth is more wary, harder to fool and often more fussy concerning baits.

Smallmouths are also regionally known as black bass, bronzeback and even tiger bass. Varying in color from pale yellow to dark brown, depending on where they reside, they usually have an olive-gold color with a bronze luster. The sides have dark bars or bands. The eye is bright red and the belly ranges from white to gray in color. A 2-pound smallie is an average fish, 31/2 to 4 pounds is bragging size and a 5-pound smallmouth bass is a trophy.

Maine has more than 250 lakes and ponds with fishable populations of smallmouth bass and at least 50 rivers and streams where excellent number of bronzebacks reside. When the weather turns warm, the smallies move closer to shore and into shallower water to feed on crayfish, frogs, mice, bugs, flies and most other small animals unfortunate enough to fall into the water. During this part of the season, the bass will strike baits throughout the day, regardless of how hot or sunny, which is the exact opposite of most cold water game fish. This fact alone makes smallmouth fishing a worthy endeavor.

Topwater Tactics

Bass readily take all types of plastic worms, lures, flies, spinner baits and plugs underwater, but nothing compares to the spectacular surface explosion of a big bass engulfing a topwater bait. Recognizing spots that attract and hold bass and casting the surface bait in their range are the two main prerequisites to elicit a smallie to attack.

Look for large submerged rocks or ones partially exposed in 6 to 10 feet of water, and for smaller rocks in shallow water right along the shoreline. Offshore bars, gravel reefs, underwater islands and weed beds are other fairly shallow holding spots. Rocky points sloping into the lake and ledges that form shelves into the water often attract fish, and weedy shorelines are always a sure bet for a bite.

Smallmouth bass like shade, so cast under trees and brush overhanging the water, near stumps, sunken trees, along docks and under bridges. Don’t neglect the smallest obstacle that might offer cover, and explore clear, shallow, bankside waters, as I’ve seen many 2- and 3-pound smallies caught in less than 18 inches of water.

Three dependable methods of fishing bass, from least to most effective are: wading, floating, and motoring from spot to spot. Wading anglers can slowly walk the shoreline of brooks or rivers and cast to likely spots. This method will even work along pond and lake edges where access is available, and with spinning or bait casting rigs, long, accurate casts allow thorough coverage of adjacent water.

Floating fishermen need to have two vehicles, so one can be left at the takeout spot and another driven to the launch site. A stable 17- to 20-foot canoe is the most common craft for floating streams, and some bass anglers even use them to paddle and cast surface baits around the edges of small ponds. While wading is a bit restrictive, float fishing allows an angler to explore more water and difficult-to-reach holding locations.

A 16- to 18-foot deep V-hull boat with a flat inside deck, a gas motor on the stern for speed, and an electric motor on the bow for stealth, is an excellent outfit for big water bass plugging. Anglers can move quickly to a good stretch of shoreline, then cover it with casts while slowly sliding along using the quiet electric motor. Once one spot is fished over, fire up the big motor and hotfoot it to the next likely area. It’s the best combo of speed, followed by near silent propulsion, to allow a caster to thoroughly fish the best portions of a large waterway. Only an electric motor or a push pole allows a caster to sneak within easy casting distance of spooky smallies in the clear water.

Topwater Tackle

For all-around smallmouth casting, a 6- to 61/2-foot graphite, freshwater rod of medium weight is perfect for the average caster. Once a good bit of experience has been gained, it’s great fun to use a 5- to 51/2-foot ultralight outfit. On one of these limber, buggy whip size rods and miniature reels, even a one-pound bass is an exciting challenge. Although the pros and more experienced casters favor bait-casting reels, they take a good deal of practice and often create backlash problems, so experiment with one before purchasing. Most Maine anglers have a couple of old freshwater spinning reels of various sizes kicking around. A small- or medium-size reel will work well for casting surface baits and they seldom tangle up or have mechanical problems.

Buy name brand monofilament line in 6- to 10-pound test strength and fill the reel spool to capacity to facilitate casting and increase distance. Opt for heavier strengths for fishing among weeds, lily pads and around stumps, sticks and logs. Many bass lakes also have plenty of toothy pickerel, so a short shock tippet of very heavy leader, or even light wire, will save money by preventing expensive plugs from being cut off and lost.

Best Baits

Without a doubt, consistent topwater smallmouth action depends almost entirely on the angler’s selection of surface plugs. Unlike most species of cold water game fish that require a soft, well-placed cast and retrieve, bass go crazy over, and travel good distances, to strike a flashy plug making a good deal of surface commotion. Being opportunistic feeders that quietly lay in wait for prey, a lot of noise, splash, and water turbulence signals meal time to a smallmouth.

Surface plugs are often called hard baits, and are constructed of balsa wood, hardwoods and plastic. Each plug has a series of treble hooks and they come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, weights and actions. A few surface plugs are constructed of pliable rubber to resemble frogs, mice and even small birds and other creatures that might fall into the water.

Minnow plugs are light, slim, floating lures with small lips that resemble and act like a minnow. By reeling slowly and twitching the rod tip at regular intervals these plugs resemble a wounded baitfish on the surface. Rapala, Rebel and Yo-Zuri manufacture a wide variety of durable and effective minnow plugs.

Poppers and Chuggers are topwater plugs with a slanted or concave head, which splashes water and makes the sound the name suggests with each rod flick. Even when retrieved slowly these plugs push a wake and create a noisy ripple. Pop-Rs, Z-Pops, Topknockers and Skitterpops are proven poppers and chuggers.

Heddon Torpedos and Lazer Eye Twin Props are well known propeller plugs. These baits have one or two small propellers that spin during the retrieve to create a wake and send up spray as a crippled minnow might. Also called sputter plugs, even a slow retrieve will create a predator attracting wake.

Stickbaits, such as the popular Zara Spook, look like a cigar and have no built-in action or motion. Anglers use rod movement to make this type of plug “walk the dog,” a swaying, erratic side-to-side motion across the water surface that incites bass to attack.

The ever changing myriad of vivid color combinations, surface textures and holographic coatings make current topwater plugs extremely realistic and effective. Since major changes occur each year, it’s understandable why long-term bass anglers own tackle boxes the size of steamer trunks, which in turn leads to the sixth and final fact about topwater bass fishing: Tackle manufacturers, fishing buddies and especially the smallmouth bass should in no way be held responsible for the obsessive, compulsive behavior the sport of fishing surface plugs creates. It’s a hobby and habit you’ll love to indulge, and the time is right.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached at graves@umpi.maine.edu