Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieui):

Fishing for Smallmouth bass, or bronzebacks as they are called in some areas, is very popular with many fisherman across the country. Lots of fisherman claim that "pound for pound" the Smallmouth bass is "America's most fighting game fish". Smallmouth Bass are fun and energenic to catch and can be found in river systems, streams and creeks. They are also found in ponds, lakes and man made resiviors. The bronzeback offers lots of angling excitement.

When fishing for any predator fish species its important to find the forage (food) the fish are eating. When fishing for Smallmouth bass try and find shad, chubs or minnows as bass will follow the schools of bait fish around and feed when hungry.

When allowed by local and state laws trapping or netting bait fish from the water you'll be fishing is often well worth the effort. Crayfish are another Smallmouth favorite so be sure and have a few crawdad colored lures in your tackle box. Habitat is also important. Smallmouth can often be found around gravel beds and other rocky habitat. Old road beds or small rock slides where rocks and boulders have slid into the water are great places to fish for Smallmouth.

Smallmouth tend to be olive drab and or more brown in color than other black basses. Smallmouth also tend to have a shorter bottom jaw and will be thicker in girth than other bass of similar lengths. The key visual element on a smallmouth is the vertical dark bars that start at the upper back, run across the side and over most of the belly.