For those who may have missed the pre-spawn and spawning time for catching smallmouth bass we still have hope for catching smallies during the early summer smallmouth bass fishing period before the full onslaught of summer. There is little doubt catching large bronzebacks becomes more difficult as the summer wears on, but if you know where to fish and the correct baits to use these elusive lunkers are still catchable. Read on for a few tips to help you land more smallmouths during early summer.
On most lakes and rivers the smallmouths become far less aggressive after the spawn. This is due to several factors with water temperatures being top among them. Weather plays a huge role in the smallies activity levels, and thus the feeding aggressiveness of smallmouth bass may be hitting eagerly when conditions are perfect and a few days later appear to have left the waters completely. This is especially true after the spawn in small lakes has ended, but if you are fishing a large lake keep in mind the sheer size of the lake means the fish will spawn over a longer period of time, so keep moving to new locations and you will find aggressive smallies willing to take your bait.
Early summer smallmouth bass fishing generally falls in the month of June for many regions of the country. For the first few weeks post-spawn the fish are going to be in their growth period. This is a great time to be fishing for bronzebacks because minnows and other food sources will be low so the fish are going to be more willing to hit most any lure presented to them. Many nice size smallmouths are caught during this period.
Pay attention to the water temperatures during this period. Look for those days when the wind is calm and the temperatures have reached at least seventy degrees. In these conditions the smallies will migrate back into deeper water and hangout around submerged deep structures. Look for the areas where humps and flats lead to a deep water drop-off and this is where the fish are going to be.
Once you have pinpointed these spots start with deep diving crankbaits. If this proves fruitless go to deep jigging as large smallies often grab these jigs aggressively.
Early summer smallmouth bass fishing can be very exciting when you locate the fish. Get out there and go after them because these might well be the days when you catch more smallies in one day than you can catch in two weeks of hard fishing!
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