
Photo by Joshua Johnson on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Smallmouth bass
Micropterus dolomieu
- When
- May–Oct — May, June, July, August, September, October. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it holds
- Rocky points, current seams and clear gravel bottoms.
- How to know it
- Bronze-brown with vertical bars, red eye, and a jaw that ends level with the eye — not past it.
- What to know
- Pound for pound the hardest fighter in fresh water. Loves cool, clear, rocky water.
- The tactic
- Tube jig or drop-shot on rock; topwater at first light.
Seasons, size limits and catch limits change every year and differ by water body. Check the current regulations for your province or state before you fish.
Found in these regions
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