Swimbaits appeal to the smallmouth’s inherent curiosity. (Photo courtesy of Storm)
November 05, 2025
By David A. Brown
Curious and aggressive smallmouth bass deliver on the sporting expectations with feisty battles marked by surging runs and impressive leaps. They’re no push-overs, but smallies aren’t the pickiest of eaters, so you have a good assortment of presentation options. Here’s a look at the common producers.
1. Dropshot Across the board, you’ll rarely find a smallmouth angler without at least a couple of dropshots on the front deck. One of bass fishing’s most versatile presentations, this controlled-depth rig offers several adjustment points to dial in just the right look for whatever scenario you face. For starters, artificial bait options range from simple leeches, to delicate worms like the 4-inch Roboworm , to generic minnow forms like the XZone Slammer or Great Lakes Finesse Drop Minnow . Hooking styles vary based on where you’re fishing and what you’re trying to accomplish, but nose-hooking is most common.
One trick savvy anglers employ for baits with deeper bodies is to insert the hook point directly into the tip of the bait’s nose and bring it out the head. Contrast this to the common method of inserting a hook in the bottom of the bait’s head and bringing it through the bait’s entire thickness, the tip-entry method improves hook sets by leaving less plastic in the hook’s bend.
Dropshots are standard smallmouth tools. (Photo by David A. Brown) If smallies are just nipping at a bait’s tail, replace the standard short-shank dropshot hook with a finesse worm hook and thread the bait onto the hook. This improves hook-up ratios, by moving the point closer to the bait’s outer end. Another short-strike solution — wacky rig a small worm on a short-shank hook. Compact, enticing, efficient.
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Dropshots definitely accommodate the current fuzzy dice bait craze, and given the smallmouth’s unquestionable crawdad preference, tail hooking a small craw bait might convince a couple of the tough ones. Also try a small 2- to 3-inch tube.
Leader length generally considers two main criteria—habitat and forage. Around aquatic plants, a longer leader keeps the bait higher and more visible, but when smallies are picking crawfish or gobies off the bottom, go with a shorter leader. (Dial in exact positioning based on each day’s dynamics.)
Dropshot weights are generally divided into round, tear drop and cylinder shapes. The first two usually get the call for sand, gravel and isolated rock, while the slender cylinder excels in weeds and other snaggy scenarios. Weight size typically corresponds to depth, but windy days might necessitate a little heavier weight than you’d normally select. In most cases, a fast, accurate fall is essential to successful presentations, so make sure you can punch through sloppy waves and hit the target area. Elsewhere, a diverse array of baits/rigs will deliver smallmouth success.
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2. Jig Head Minnow Once a well-guarded secret originating in East Tennessee, the Damiki Rig (aka “moping,” in northern waters) has become one of the most impactful trends in recent years. The basic technique involves threading a baitfish form like the namesake Damiki Armor Shad , a Great Lakes Finesse Drop Minnow , Rapala Mooch Minnow , YUM FF Sonar Minnow , Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ , or Yamamoto Hinge Minnow onto a jig head and making a vertical presentation to fish suspending in the water column or pinned to the bottom.
The jighead minnow is a versatile bait. (Photo by David A. Brown) Technique-specific jig heads vary from the simple ball head design like the YUM Forward Facing Sonar Minnow head, to detailed designs with eyes and gills like Northland’s Smeltinator Jig head . Consistent for all is the 90-degree line tie essential for holding a bait perfectly horizontal in the water column.
Because heavily pressured fish often become too wary to tolerate a boat sitting over them, anglers have developed cast-and-retrieve techniques, generally referred to as “strolling.” To maintain that horizontal posture with lifelike side-to-side rolling action while steadily reeling a minnow above the fish, strollers switch to task-specific jig heads.
One option is a 45-degree line tie like the that of the VMC Minnow Shaker . Elsewhere, the Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Rollin Strollin Jig Head places the line tie behind the weight, roughly parallel to the hook shank, while the Tree Shaker Tackle Dream Stroller includes a welded ring positioned on the line tie for maximum motion.
Tip: Even thought the jighead minnow is considered a finesse technique, don’t assume you have to stick with those 3- to 4-inch baits. Coaxing finicky fish, maybe grinding out a bitter cold day, or matching-the-hatch might require a smaller profile; but when the fish are chewing, upsizing to a 5- to 7-inch bait.
Jerkbaits like Megabass Vision 110 are great for mid-depth presentations. (Photo by David A. Brown) 3. Jerkbait A popular choice for mid-water column presentations and targeting rock piles/rock reefs, jerkbaits like the Strike King KVD 300 , Megabass Vision 110 , or Luckycraft Pointer 100 mimic the wounded baitfish image that smallies instinctively attack.
Each day will define specific preferences, but a snappy, aggressive retrieve usually works best for the brown bullies. Pay attention to hook choice, as round bend trebles tend to snare the less aggressive fish that just slap at your bait, while trebles with inwardly angled points, like the Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grips securely hold the ones that “eat it.”
You might also need to adjust a jerkbait’s sink rate/depth range to reach the target zone. Options include adhesive lead strips, upsizing hooks, or wrapping lead or copper wire around hook shanks. For visual appeal, a red hook on the front position creates a target point, while a feathered tail hook might turn lookers into biters. Also, the VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble adds eye-catching bling, as does the SPRO One Touch blade. The latter comprises a wire hanger that clips to a treble hook’s eye and dangles a flashy blade secured by adjustable beads.
Soft jerkbaits like the Zoom Fluke offer a more subtle presentation for less aggressive fish. Around vegetation, rig the bait weedless on a wide gap hook, but when open water allows, nose hooking the bait creates more action.
Smallmouth love crankbaits over gravel and rock. (Photo courtesy of Chad Pipkens) 4. Crankbait For covering water over gravel or scattered rock, crankbaits like the Damiki DC 300 or a Rapala DT20 allow you to bump across the structure to generate the sight, sound and vibration that hungry smallies can’t miss. Depending on the scenario, you don’t necessarily have to hit the bottom; as ticking over the tops of low grass beds will also trigger bites. When the bite is on, lipless baits like a Strike King Red Eyed or a Yo-Zuri Rattlin’ Vibe are a fun way to catch ‘em.
Smallies will come up for topwater lures. (Photo by David A. Brown) 5. Topwater Sight feeders driven by voracious appetites, smallmouth won’t hesitate to sprint from 20-plus feet deep to blast what resembles a baitfish struggling at the surface. Traditional walking style baits like the Heddon Super Spook Jr. , Rapala Skitterwalk , or Yo-Zuri 3DR-X Pencil will deliver, while noisy popper/chugger style baits like the Rebel Pop-R or the Storm Chug Bug add and enticing element.
Clear and calm days best accommodate the ruse, but you’ll increase the appeal with chartreuse and other bold color patterns. And don’t hesitate to mix in some commotion with a sputtering topwater like a Heddon Tiny Torpedo or Spinnin’ Image .
A Ned rig makes a great crawfish imitator. (Photo courtesy of Pradco) 6. Ned Rig A real workhorse in the bottom bumping, crawfish imitating game, the Ned’s simplicity is its biggest benefit. A simple stick worm like a 3-inch Yamamoto Senko , Z-Man Finesse T.R.D. , or YUM Ned Dinger threads onto a mushroom shaped head designed to stand so the bait stands up in a defensive position. Small craw baits like the Savage Gear Ned Craw , the YUM Ned Craw , or the Lunkerhunt Finesse Craw (prerigged) are an easy sell.
Hair jigs mimic multiple smallmouth forage items. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Gustafson) 7. Hair Jig A short, compact jig tied with layers of fluffy marabou, this one’s a northern smallmouth staple. On the retrieve, those downy feathers contract to resemble a leach or aquatic insect, while a pause allows them to flare outward with a baitfish profile.
Tip : Sliding a piece of stick worm body onto the hook shank adds bulk to keep the marabou pushed outward, while also increases weight for longer casts.
Tubes tempt smallmouth on a regular basis. (Photo courtesy of Z-Man Fishing) 8. Tube While flipping Texas-rigged tubes for shallow largemouth is kind of an old-school deal, rigging this bait on a jig head and hopping or dragging it for smallies maintains its modern cred. One of the best crawdad imitations you can throw, the tube can also mimic gobies, juvenile bream and other baitfish. Moisten a tear drop shaped head, insert it into the hollow body and then force the line tie through the tube wall. Z-Man recently released the Llama TubeZ Jig to match the Llama TubeZ .
9. Carolina Rig A popular technique for stealthily presenting a bait off the bottom, add a slip sinker flanked by rigging beads to your main line before tying to a swivel. Add a buoyant monofilament leader to the swivel’s opposite side and tie on your wide gap hook and craw, creature bait, or stick worm.
Swimbaits like the Storm Largo Shad can be killer on smallies. (Photo courtesy of Storm) 10. Swimbait A user-friendly concept, the basic leadhead jig and soft plastic paddle tail tempts smallies coast to coast. Models like the Keitech Swing Impact Fat , Storm Largo Shad , Z-Man DieZel Minnowz , and Strike King Rage Swimmer make excellent search baits, as well as targeting baits for particular sweet spots.
Depending on depth and forage, you might throw something in the 2.75- to 4-inch size, but don’t hesitate to send a larger profile swimbait into smallie land. Often, they’ll follow a big profile into range of a lighter closing presentation like the dropshots and minnow baits, or a smaller swimbait.
