Smallmouth bass exhibit never-ending contrasts in location and behavior. They’re predictably unpredictable, which makes them both dependable and elusive.
At times, feisty bass literally try to rip the hooks off fast-moving lures.
Other times, only the slowest, subtlest, most natural presentations garner bumps, thumps and heavy sensations—the tell-tale indicators of reluctant biters.
And in between, well, smallmouths display a wide range of temperament and behavior, from blasting the surface to hugging bottom; and slamming subsurface lures to tentatively pecking at subtle worms, grubs and hair jigs.
One minute, they’re tigers. The next, they’re kittens. Until they feel the hook. At that point, the claws come out. Look out above!
In BROWN BASS PATTERNS, the Angling Edge staff details wide-ranging bronzeback behavior throughout the changing seasons. Where they lurk. How they react. And what it takes to catch them on a consistent basis.
Your best bet? No preconceived notions. Come prepared to do battle using 8 or 10 lure styles and tactics. Then give the fish a choice, and let the bass tell you which presentations they prefer on any given day.
Get it wrong, and you might fish right through hordes of smallies with nary a bite. But get it right, and they’ll stretch your string like there’s no tomorrow. Because with the correct Brown Bass Patterns, smallmouth fishing is as good as it gets. And no fish puts up a better battle than a bruiser brown bass on the line.
