When fishing for clear water smallmouths, always keep things natural! Use baits that look and move like the bass’ local forage, and stick to deeper, darker water and shallower areas with heavy cover.
Smallmouth bass mainly prey on small fish like minnows, shads, and chubs. They also love to eat crayfish, insects, and tadpoles. Cannibalism among juvenile and adult fish is common in waters with low food abundance and high competition from other predators.
Smallmouth bass typically spawn between late April and early July in water temperatures between 55 and 70F.
While the average size of smallmouth bass is somewhere between 12 and 18 inches and 1 and 4lb, they can reach a maximum length of about 28 inches and a maximum weight of around 12lb.