Smallmouth Bass

Small mouth bass fishing takes place all over America. It is as far north as Canada, to the upper and middle Mississippi River, the Great Lakes region and the Hudson Bay area. These bass have a number of nicknames: bronzeback, brown bass, smallie, bronze bass and small mouth. Small mouth bass are a hard fighting, fresh water fish.

They are brownish green to bronze in color with dark vertical bars on the side. The eye is reddish. The length is from 12 to 22 inches. The weight is eight ounces to seven pounds. The males usually average around two pounds while the females can vary from three to six pounds. Depending on where they are found, they may be smaller or larger. Farther south, where the summers are longer, they may be larger as they have a chance to grow. Their shape may vary as well. Those found in rivers tend to be a dark brown, while those found in lakes around sand may be a lighter yellow-brown. In nature, they eat a variety of food: crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, and aquatic insects.

The habits of the small mouth vary a somewhat according to different locations, so you need to know about where you live locally. Small mouth bass have very good smell, sight and hearing senses. They tend to shy away from light. They also tend to swim in schools, so if you catch one in one location, you may catch another.

They are active in cold waters. In early spring, you may find them 20-30 feet deep. As the temperatures warms, the bass will start moving to cooler or deeper holes. They prefer cooler temperatures than large mouth bass. It is a fish that is sensitive to pollution, so if you find small mouth bass in a certain area, it is an indication of relatively clean waters.