04-25-2003, 12:54 AM
[cool]Smallies are more of a cold climate species. You can knock about 5 to 8 degrees off the preferred ranges of the LMB. They wake up sooner in the spring and stay active longer in the fall.
Almost as soon as smallmouth become active at all, they will hit small spinners and crankbaits...as well as the standard plastics. They tend to like bright colors in the colder water though...like chartreuse and hot orange. In fact, the "fire tiger" finish on various lures is one of the best for smallies early...and does some good things for largies too on occasion.
Wherever smallies depend on perch for a big part of their groceries, you will do well to serve up some perch colors in your lures...and/or tip your jigs with a piece of perch meat (where legal). As soon as the water warms enough for crawdads to be coming out of their winter holes under rocks, start dragging small crawdad colored plastics. In some waters the smallies seem to key in mostly on fish dinners. In other ponds they dine on freshwater lobsters more.
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Almost as soon as smallmouth become active at all, they will hit small spinners and crankbaits...as well as the standard plastics. They tend to like bright colors in the colder water though...like chartreuse and hot orange. In fact, the "fire tiger" finish on various lures is one of the best for smallies early...and does some good things for largies too on occasion.
Wherever smallies depend on perch for a big part of their groceries, you will do well to serve up some perch colors in your lures...and/or tip your jigs with a piece of perch meat (where legal). As soon as the water warms enough for crawdads to be coming out of their winter holes under rocks, start dragging small crawdad colored plastics. In some waters the smallies seem to key in mostly on fish dinners. In other ponds they dine on freshwater lobsters more.
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