Northern Smallmouth Bass Fishing Guide

Mark Zona and Kevin Vandam share their favorite lures and gear for catching smallmouth bass during the pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn. Learn which type of structure to fish and the best techniques for finding smallmouth in all stages of the spawn.

Pre-spawn & Early Spawn

As the water begins to warm up to the prime temperature on Lake St. Clair, Mark Zona crushes the smallmouth using a swimbait and a dropshot.

When the sun comes out and the weather starts to warm up on northern lakes, like Lake St. Clair, the bite turns on. When the magic 49–52-degree water happens, hundreds of fish are coming to the bank.

Mark Zona catches large pre-spawn smallmouth bass by “scooting” a Strike King Rage Swimmer on the bottom to cover water and find the fish. The 3.25" Rage Swimmer is the best size swimbait to catch smallmouth bass, according to Zona. The Baby Squadron Swimbait Head pairs well with this small swimbait in the Green Gizzard Shad color.

Generally, when one smallmouth is found, many more are in the same area. So, once he finds the fish, he slows down in that area to “mop up” the rest. Zona prefers to slow down with a KVD Half Shell on a dropshot whenever he sees fish around or following his bait. Because the water is so clear, Zona uses a long 20-foot fluorocarbon leader tied to a braid main line with the FG knot. The FG knot is a very streamlined knot that will avoid getting caught in the rod eyelets when casting.

During the pre-spawn, the smallmouth go through transitions throughout the day, changing what they want to eat. So, Zona will change his baits back and forth from the Half Shell to the Rage Swimmer based on what the smallmouth are wanting. The Mark Zona Signature Series Rods and a Hypermag Spinning Reel are designed specifically for this style of finesse fishing.

During his trip to Lake St. Clair in May, Zona could see big smallmouth all around the boat for two hours with his Strike King S11 polarized sunglasses. Sunglasses are imperative for this type of fishing when the sun is shining to see all the different targets and rocks on the bottom.

Spawn

Kevin Vandam breaks down how to fish a tube, a wacky rig, and a Texas rig for spawning northern smallmouth bass in different types of cover.

The spawn can be a challenging time to fish where KVD lives in the north, but it is a fun time. The lakes are very diverse with largemouth and smallmouth bass and a variety of different cover options for the fish to utilize. The cover includes gravel, rocks, shallow vegetation, and boat docks. KVD likes to have baits that are prepared for anything, from open and sparse cover or heavy thick cover.

An old school tube on a light jig head is great for casting at objects in the water. Cast to any dark spot, light spot, weed clump, sand spot, rocky spot, or any other irregularity. Polarized sunglasses are essential during the spawn to block the glare and see these spots under the water.

The initial slow fall of a Coffee Tube catches a lot of fish, so the lighter the head on a tube, the better.  This is one of KVD’s go-to baits in the north because just shaking a tube on the bottom around spawning fish will catch them.

When fishing lakes that have a lot of grass vegetation and heavier cover, it is necessary to have something that is weedless but also covers water. A Texas-rigged Rage Bug is perfect because it has a lot of action but is compact enough to flip into heavy cover. This bait is versatile because it can be pitched in heavy cover, swam through the grass, or flipped directly into a fish’s bed.

KVD prefers to rig his Texas-rig with 20-pound test fluorocarbon on a flipping stick. The KVD 7’6” Heavy-action casting rod paired with the KVD Baitcast Reel will get fish out of thick cover in a hurry.

Another technique that is deadly throughout the whole spawning period is the wacky rig. KVD’s favorite bait to use on a wacky rig is the Strike King KVD Ocho because it is super soft and has plenty of salt to give it a good sink rate. The flat sides of the Ocho’s octagon shape gives this bait extra quiver on the fall.

To make the bait last longer, use a wacky rig tool to put an O-ring on it. A Mustad titan X weedless hook is great around cover and docks to avoid hang-ups. The fluorocarbon weed guard is very subtle so that the fish cannot see it in clear water.

These are KVD’s go-to baits and gear for when the fish are really focused on moving up shallow and getting into the cover.

Post-Spawn

Kevin VanDam shares how he catches post-spawn smallmouth Northern Michigan using the KVD J300 Elite Jerkbait. Watch as KVD shows off how a jerkbait is truly an all-season bait.

The jerkbait is an all-season lure that is great for covering water. During the end of June and early summer, the jerkbait is especially efficient for catching moody fish moving out after spawning. KVD recommends fan casting the bait around flats to help find where fish are, then slowing down if needed. To fan cast, simply cast your bait all directions in a fan-like pattern to systematically cover the most water.

The fish relate to transitions like a depth change, a cover change, grass clumps, where sand meets gravel bottom, and other composition changes. During the post-spawn, fish will group up and hunt in packs. So, like the pre-spawn and spawn, where you catch one bass, there are likely more around.

This is a good time for a reaction bite because the water is warm and the fish’s metabolism is high, so fish fast and cover water with a jerkbait and topwater. The KVD Baitcast Reel in the 7.5:1 gear ratio is just fast enough to pick up the slack line. Pair this reel with the Lew's Signature Series Jerkbait Rod to successfully work these baits. This 6’10” rod has Winn grips and short butt to fish comfortably all day. The fast tip and backbone to this rod give a jerkbait a very erratic action to trigger strikes.

All the lakes up north can be very diverse, so try to match the bait color to the lake’s baitfish. A natural color in clear water is great for imitating bait such as shiners, goby, and perch. The shallower lakes are perfect for fishing power baits, like a spinnerbait, jerkbait, and topwater.

The KVD J300 Elite Jerkbait is sold exclusively at Bass Pro Shops.