Best Smallmouth Bass Lures

Nothing beats the thrill of a successful catch, especially if you’ve been fishing patiently for hours. On the other hand, we all feel a special kind of pain when we spend all day fishing without a bite.

A good fishing lure can make the difference between a successful day and an unsuccessful one. They’re not magic – even the best lure in the world won’t catch a fish where there are none to be found – but they can give you the edge you need to bring in the lunker you’ve been dreaming about.

Smallmouth bass lures fall into several categories since these particular fish change their habits depending on what time of year it is, and whether they’re in lakes or rivers. As a result, the ideal tackle box will have several different baits and lures to handle all possible scenarios.

We’ve reviewed the most popular smallmouth bass lures online, making sure to choose at least a few of each variety. We’ll tell you everything we learned about them: the pros, the cons, and what role each of them plays in your fishing kit.

Best Smallmouth Bass Lures

1. Yakima Bait Wordens

The Yakima Original Rooster Spinner is a well-designed spinner with realistic swimming action. You really have to keep reeling constantly if you want it to perform well, though. If you relax for a second, it sinks very quickly, and the treble hook can snag weeds and grass. That said, the hook is quite sharp, and is made from high-quality nickel.

This lure is available in six sizes, as well as 111 colors. It’s safe to say that no matter where you live, it matches some of your local baitfish. Unfortunately, the paint job is cheap and starts to flake quickly, but the lure is inexpensive enough that this isn’t much of a problem.

Pros

• Nickel treble hook
• Realistic swimming action
• Available in 6 sizes
• Available in 111 colors
• Affordable

Cons

• Cheap paint
• Drops like a rock

Why It’s Recommended

The Yakima Original Rooster Spinner has a classic, basic design that fish still love to bite.

2. Sougayilang Spoons

The Sougayilang Spoons are a set of gold, highly reflective lures that are designed specifically to catch a fish’s attention in a school, or in wide-open water. The dimples on the surface make them glisten, and the S shape causes them to oscillate from side to side with the slightest motion. They come five to a set, for the same price as some other single lures.

Of course, the low cost comes with a significant drawback; the hooks are weak and easy to bend. You shouldn’t have a problem with smallies, but if a big largemouth grabs your lure instead, be prepared to lose it.

Pros

• Very affordable
• Highly reflective
• Natural oscillating motion
• Comes 5 to a set

Cons

• Weak hooks

Why It’s Recommended

The Sougayilang Spoons are a set of smallmouth bass baits that are ideal for clear, open-water fishing.

3. Rapala X-Rap Jerkbait

The Rapala X-Rap Jerkbait is designed for depths of 3 to 8 feet. This makes it a solid choice for fishing in rivers or shallows. The square bill creates enough drag to pull it underwater but is short enough to let it wobble from side to side like an injured baitfish.

At .437 ounces, this lure is beefy enough to cast 50 yards or more. It’s available in ten different colors, and the nickel hooks are corrosion-resistant and extremely sharp. That said, they have undersized barbs that make us question their reliability in a fight with a feisty smallmouth.

Pros

• Sharp nickel hooks
• Erratic action
• Great for shallow water
• Available in 10 colors

Cons

• Small barbs

Why It’s Recommended

The Rapala X-Rap is a high-quality, shallow-running jerkbait.

4. Dynamic Lures

The Dynamic Lures HD is advertised as an ice fishing lure – and it’s certainly good for that! – but it’s really an all-purpose 2-inch blade bait that’s useful anytime you want your lure to stay in a single spot. The #10 hooks are razor-sharp and are strong enough to pull in even the largest bass. It’s available in 10 colors, including trout, perch, and crawdad colors to match local baitfish populations.

The only complaint we have is that it’s made of plastic. It’s high-quality ABS plastic, but it’s still not as tough as steel. Normally, we couldn’t care less, but blade baits are small and need the extra strength. This isn’t some chintzy, lightweight lure, though. The internal metal weight keeps the nose level and gives it enough heft to cast it long distances.

Pros

• Sharp #10 hooks
• Available in 10 colors
• Internal metal weight for balance

Cons

• Made of plastic

Why It’s Recommended

The Dynamic Lures HD is a solid blade bait that comes at a reasonable price.

5. Cotton Cordell Gay Blade

The Cotton Cordell Gay Blade is a blade bait that can vibrate like a crankbait. It has dual-line tie holes, so you can tie it off in both spots and wiggle your rod to make it dance. It’s available in 1 ½-inch and 2-inch sizes, although you’ll really want the larger one for catching smallmouth. It’s heavy enough to cast a long distance with accuracy.

This lure is available in four colors, but pricing is very inconsistent. Some size and color combinations are inexpensive, while others are fairly pricey. The hooks are sharp and corrosion-resistant, but they aren’t very forgiving and can be hard to remove without breaking.

Pros

• Dual line tie holes
• Excellent casting
• Dual front hook and triple rear hook
• Available in 4 colors
• Available in 2 sizes

Cons

• Inconsistent pricing
• Weak hooks

Why It’s Recommended

The Cotton Cordell Gay Blade is ideal for snagging a smallie right out of the middle of a school.

6. Johnson ThinFisher

The Johnson Thinfisher is a classic, stainless steel blade bait that’s as effective as they come. It has three line tie holes, so you can use more than one to shake the lure as you see fit. There’s also an internal weight, which rattles around and creates noise and vibrations. It also makes it heavy enough to cast as far as you need to.

This bait is available in eight different colors to match your local baitfish. The hooks are made of corrosion-resistant nickel, which should be standard industry-wide but isn’t. They’re a little on the small side, but have enough strength to hold up to a tough fight.

Pros

• 3 line tie holes
• Available in 8 colors
• Corrosion-resistant nickel hooks
• Internal vibrating weight

Cons

• Hooks are on the small side

Why It’s Recommended

The Johnson Thinfisher is a tried and true blade bait that will get smallies biting in a hurry.

7. Strike King Jigs

The Strike King Tour Grade Swim Jig is a beautiful, hand-painted lure that’s designed to wiggle and vibrate enticingly as you reel it past cover. It’s available in three weights and comes in ten colors. Heavier weights are good for a longer cast, but lighter weights give you a little more control.

The #10 hook is sharp enough to punch through just about anything and strong enough to hold up through a long fight with a river smallie. Unfortunately, it’s made of stainless steel, so you won’t want to use this jig in saltwater. The pricing is highly variable, with some weights and colors being very affordable while others cost almost four times as much.

Pros

• Realistic swimming action
• Available in 3 weights
• Available in 10 colors
• Sharp, strong hook

Cons

• Inconsistent pricing
• Hook is stainless steel

Why It’s Recommended

The Strike King Tour Grade Swim Jig is a well-designed lure that’s great for trawling past cover.

8. BiCO Original Jig

The BiCO Original Bass Jig was designed specifically for skipping across the bottom in deep water. You can swim it if you like, but you’ll be missing out on its best feature; the light weight and durable bottom make it bounce around like a bottom feeder when it’s directly on the lake bed. It’s available in 12 colors, and the weedless design means you won’t be snagging it on any grass.

The nickel hook is suitable for all water and is sharp and tough. Our only real complaint is that the jig as a whole is fairly light, and doesn’t cast very far without adding some weight to it.

Pros

• Ideal for skipping
• Available in 12 colors
• Sharp nickel hook
• Weedless design

Cons

• Too light for long-distance casting

Why It’s Recommended

The BiCO Original Bass Jig is one of the best skipping lures around. It’s perfect for water that’s too deep for crankbait.

9. Nichols Lures Pulsator Spinnerbait

The Nichols Pulsator Double Willow Spinnerbait is a beast of a lure. To begin with, the Mustad hook is one of the best in the business. It’s nickel, it’s sharp, and it’s strong enough to handle even the beefiest lunker of a largemouth. Smallies are no problem for this lure.

The Pulsator is available in 38 colors and three different weights and has an adjustable threaded rod on one side for controlling the length of the crossbar and the rate of spin. This lure will cost you, though. Make sure to use a heavy, 14-pound line to make sure you don’t lose it.

Pros

• High-quality Mustad hook
• Comes in 38 colors
• Available in 3 weights
• 3D eyes

Cons

• Pricey

Why It’s Recommended

A well-made spinnerbait flails around like a wounded fish. The Nichols Pulsator Double Wallow does just that.

10. Rapala

The Rapala Deep Husky Jerk Lure is a deep diver where jerk lures are concerned, but for smallmouth bass fishing the 7 to 16-foot depth is somewhere in the middle. The internal rattle creates vibrations in the water that will get the fish’s attention, and the #5 nickel hooks are tough and sharp enough to get the rest of the job done.

This lure is available in 21 different color patterns to match common baitfish. It also comes in three sizes, although the smaller 4-inch size is more than enough for catching smallies. Not all colors come in all sizes, and as always the pricing has some variation depending on what you choose.

Pros

• Sharp nickel hooks
• Available in 21 colors
• Available in 3 sizes
• Internal rattle

Cons

• Variable pricing

Why It’s Recommended

The Rapala Deep Husky is a fantastic jerk lure. The yellow pike version, in particular, can get excellent results in the northern US.

11. Strike King SquareBill

The Strike King Square Bill Crankbait is designed for shallow-water fishing. It dives along a 3 to 6-foot arc, and the square bill causes it to flail erratically as you reel it in. Ideally, you’ll want to reel it in at a medium pace, enough to keep it moving, but also slowly enough to let it wander and bounce off the cover.

This lure is available in a whopping 58 colors. If you can’t find one that matches your local baitfish, you’re not looking hard enough. The hooks are extremely sharp, but they’re engineered from stainless steel, which makes them ill-suited for saltwater fishing.

Pros

• Razor-sharp hooks
• Square bill for erratic action
• Perfect for shallows
• Available in 58 colors

Cons

• Stainless steel hooks

Why It’s Recommended

If you’re trying to catch smallies in shallow water, it’s tough to do better. The Strike King Square Bill is all you need.

Key Considerations

If you’re not an experienced bass angler, you probably have a few questions about fishing for smallmouth. Entire books have been written on the subject, so it’s impossible to cover everything. Instead, we’ve chosen to focus on proper techniques and some of the most common bass fishing questions.

What is the Best Way to Catch Smallmouth Bass?

Leaving aside river fish – which we’ll talk about in a minute – there are two main populations of smallmouth bass. The first is in the great lakes region, and the second is in reservoir lakes down south. These two populations have different behaviors and need to be fished differently.

Great Lakes Smallmouth

Up north, smallmouth fishing is next to impossible in the winter. They tend to congregate near shore, and this water is frozen over in the winter. Ice fishing is one way to get at them, but that’s beyond the scope of this guide.

When spring breaks, smallmouth will be in shallow water, around 10 to 20 feet deep. They’re very aggressive at this time of year, so you can use any kind of lure you like. Surface lures can be fun if you want to see the fish jump.

Around July, they’ll move to 20 to 25-foot water, and from August until the first frost, you’ll find them in 25 to 35-foot depths. Since most of their prey stays near the bottom, a weighted jig or deep diving crankbait is the best way to get their attention at this time of year.

Reservoir Smallmouth

Reservoir lakes tend to have gravelly bottoms with different baitfish, so smallies behave differently here. During the April-June spawning season, they migrate to shallow gravel flats near shore. Medium diving crankbaits work well here, as do jigs and spinners.

In June, the fish move to shallow, 8 to 10 foot areas along gravel points. Crankbaits and jerkbaits are a good choice here, as are large plastic baits on a Texas or Carolina rig. The fish will migrate to deeper water throughout the summer, so late summer and early fall anglers will want to use their deep diving crankbaits or jigs.

Smallies will move into shore for the winter and generally won’t go any deeper than 20 feet in cold weather. Crankbaits and spinners are both effective in these waters.

What is the Difference Between Large and Smallmouth Bass?

At first glance, these two species appear remarkably similar. However, there are a few key details that set them apart.

• Size: Smallmouth bass max out at around 10 pounds. A largemouth can grow to over 20 pounds.
• Upper jaw: On a largemouth bass, their upper jaw extends above the eye. This huge mouth is what gives them their name. A smallmouth bass still has a pretty big mouth, but the upper jaw ends even with the eye, or slightly short of it.
• Coloration: Largemouth bass is light green, with dark green horizontal stripes and often spots. Smallies are a light brown, with vertical green stripes.
• The dorsal fin: The largemouth bass has two distinct dorsal fins. The smallmouth bass has a single fin with two lobes. This can be hard to spot if the fish’s spines are laid back, holding the fin against its back.

Besides their physical appearance, smallmouth bass also behaves differently than their larger cousins. Here are the most important differences.

• Location: Largemouth bass prefers to lurk in cover when they’re in a lake. In streams or rivers, they prefer current breaks, where they can lurk lazily and wait for baitfish to swim past. Smallmouth bass tends to swim next to cover, searching for smaller fish swimming in or out. In rivers, they like to swim in the current, actively seeking out prey.
• Conditions: Largemouth bass is lazy. They like to wait for prey to get close before they strike. The best days for largemouth fishing are cloudy days or days where the water is murky. Smallies are exactly the opposite. They’re active hunters, so they prefer bright, clear conditions. You can often spot them in open water on a clear day. On a cloudy day, they’re still out there, but they’re much harder to track down.

How Large do Smallmouth Bass Grow?

Bass grow continually throughout their lives and live to be around 10 to 12 years old. Lake fish grow bigger than river fish, while fish in small, stocked ponds tend to be the smallest. Generally speaking, the biggest smallmouth bass you’re going to catch is around 10 pounds. The world record-holder weight 11 pounds, 5 ounces, and was caught in 1955.

What is the Best Lure For River Fishing?

River fishing has its own unique challenges, particularly the fact that the fish are always moving around. The extra current and constant exercise give river smallmouth more strength than their lake-bound counterparts. This makes them tougher to catch, but gives you a lot more of the fight anglers crave when they’re fishing for smallies.

The best thing you can do is use the current to your advantage. Crankbait and jerkbait are good choices here since they’re designed to simulate actual fish. The current will cause them to move erratically, which is the best way to catch a bass’ attention.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, there’s a lot more to catching a smallmouth than throwing your line in the water and praying. To be successful, you need to understand the fish’s behavior, the local conditions, and how best to use your lure.

Smallies don’t stay put throughout the year. They have a migration pattern. Generally speaking, the warmer the weather, the deeper the water you’ll find them in. Fishing at 25 to 35 feet can be a gamble if you don’t have electronics or a detailed map. It’s simply too hard to locate cover, which is where smallmouth bass like to hang out.

The weather is also important. Hungry smallmouth often hunts in schools in the open water. On a clear day, you can spot them, and throw your bait right where they’re hunting. In cloudy conditions, it’s best to stick near cover, since they could be literally anywhere in the open water.

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