Plenty of hefty smallmouth bass fall for crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and midsize swimbaits all along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. These more aggressive lures have their time and place, but when it comes to consistently catching bronzebacks, nothing beats finesse tactics.
Bassmaster Elite pro, Jeff Gustafson, always has an array of finesse presentations ready to go when targeting big smallies. “On tour, we all use the ‘hardware’ we can—the crankbaits, jerkbaits, etc.—because we have a limited amount of time and these baits allow us to cover more water,” he explains. “But things have changed over the last few years with forward sonar, which anglers can now use to cover water without making a cast."
Finding fish with forward-facing sonar also lends to fishing finesse baits. “When anglers find fish with FFS, finesse baits are better because you can hit the fish perfectly with your cast. Also, it's usually pretty easy to figure out if they prefer a crawfish, a goby, or a minnow imitation (for fish looking up), using whatever knowledge you have of the forage on each body of water.”
Gustafson, who also guides smallmouth anglers on Lake of the Woods, summarized his top five finesse baits that will work anywhere bronzebacks roam. Here are the baits and rigs you should have ready at all times when targeting smallmouth this summer.
1. Marabou Jig
Once a well-guarded northern secret, the marabou jig has gained mainstream exposure over the past decade. Northland Fishing Tackle produces an Elite Series Marabou Jig that is built on a Gamakatsu hook and made with quality marabou.
“These jigs shine when smallmouths are cruising in shallow water from 4 to 10 feet,” Gustafson said. “I swim them along through the middle of the water column, without letting them touch the bottom. In shallow water, I'll go with a 1/16-ounce. For 5 to 10 feet, I like a 3/32-ounce. If it's windy or you're fishing in current, you can use a 1/8-ounce.”
Preferring a longer, softer rod for the marabou jig, Gustafson uses a 7-6 G. Loomis 901 NRX+ with a 3000 size Shimano Stella reel carrying 8-pound Power Pro braid and an 8-pound Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon leader.
2. Ned Rig
No matter where he's fishing, Gustafson knows he can depend on the Ned Rig. It is a simple, but effective bait. Using a Z-Man Finesse TRD, on a 3/16-ounce jig (see above) for less than 10 feet or a ¼-ounce for more than 10, he lets the bait quickly fall to the bottom to mimic a crawfish or goby.
“Sometimes, dragging the Ned rig gets bites, other times I'll snap the jig off the bottom in short hops to get a fish’s attention and generate a reaction bite,” Gustafson explains. For this bait, he likes to fish a G. Loomis 842 NRX+ rod, Shimano Stella 3000 reel, 8-pound Power Pro, and a 10-pound Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon leader.
3. Jig Head Minnow
Calling this bait a longtime staple for deeper smallmouths, Gustafson said his reliance on the jighead minnow setup predates the fairly recent forward-facing sonar era, which launched its explosive growth. His rig comprises a Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ on a Northland Smeltinator jig.
“Before FFS, we used this bait vertically to drop down on fish we could see on 2D sonar, or we would cast it across points and humps, to try and catch bass that were either suspended or looking up,” Gustafson says. “The biggest thing with the minnow is you want to try to keep the bait above the fish during the retrieve and make sure the bait is rigged perfectly straight so it doesn't twirl and twist your line.”
4. Dropshot
“The dropshot is mandatory equipment for smallmouth anglers, especially on the Great Lakes,” says Gustafson. “There are many good dropshot baits out there (finesse worms, minnows, craws), but you're going to see an explosion in the use of ‘dice-style’ baits on drop-shot rigs for smallmouths."
When Gustafson says "dice-style," he refers to baits that mimic small bugs or invertebrates. Another way to think about it, he explains, is as baits that are like an after-dinner mint, whereas a bigger bait might be a steak or burger that the fish might not be in the mood for all of the time. Choosing the Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot hook, Gustafson prefers a weight he can tie on, versus the clip-on style. He finds the latter tends to fly off his leader when a smallmouth jumps. His go-to setup consists of a G. Loomis 822 DSR NRX+ rod, a Shimano 2500 Stella reel, 8-pound Power Pro, and a 6-pound Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon leader.
5. Neko Rigs
Similar to the center-hooked wacky rig, the Neko moves the hook to the worm’s front third and adds a nail weight to the head. With a more direct cast and a faster fall, Gustafson finds the Neko rig highly effective for targeting timber, brush, docks, or grass clumps. Also, with the semi-weedless rigging (as opposed to an open-hook bait), a Neko rig deftly traverses cover.
“When it comes to using a Neko rig, don't just use a finesse worm, try expanding to use small creature baits, craws, dice baits, or Ned style baits,” Gustafson says. He uses the same G. Loomis 842 NRX+ rod, but switches back to a Shimano Twin Power 3000 reel with 10-pound Power Pro and a 10-pound Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon leader.