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.