The last time I wrote about swim jigs, largemouth were the target, but I have found a few more uses for my swim jig in the last few years. In today's article, we will look at targeting springtime smallmouth. You will be as amazed as I have at the catching power of the swim jig.
Springtime Smallies
After spending the long winter in the depths, smallies can't wait to get into the shallows to put on the feed bag while looking for spawning areas along the way. One of the main baits to target springtime smallies is a tube bait. But a few years ago, while on a smallie outing to Chequamegon Bay, a tube was the last thing that a smallmouth wanted. We had to dig into the tackle bags for a new bait to get some bites.
I tried a Texas rigged Stick Worm rigged on a weighted hook, and I had a few smallies take the bait, but I was not setting the world on fire. There had to be a better option. Having been largemouth fishing the weekend before, I had a Swim Jig already rigged and ready to go on one of my rods. Grabbing the rod, I fired a cast to the edge of the shoreline, letting the bait sink to about a two count. I started to reel the jig back to the boat slowly. After a few turns of the reel, the line tightened. I set the hook, and after a short run, the smallie was air bound, and the fight was on.
As the day went on, the Swim Jig fast became the bait that caught fish. The smallies wanted a moving bait, but breaking it down further, they wanted a jig/grub combo. This swim jig/grub combination was the ticket the first day. With the smallies just seeming to start their search of the shallows, they had roaming on their minds. Having seen the weather forecast for the next day, we decided to spend one more day and try our swim jig tactic. However, when we got back to our fishing area, we noticed a change had taken place overnight.
Moving into the back of the bay, we noticed smallies starting to hold next to cover, selecting places to spawn in a few days. Casting the swim jig in the area close to the smallies did not get any attention from them. Today's fishing was about getting the jig next to cover. When we would see the smallies sitting next to the cover, we had to drop the jig next to the cover to get a bite. We could still catch the roaming smallies in the shallows with the swim jig in between stops.
When the two-day smallie catch-fest was over, my partner and I had landed almost one hundred smallies. The majority of these fish were taken on an Outkast Swim Jig.
When it comes to rod and reel set up for this smallmouth tactic, I generally fish a 1/4 ounce to 3/8 ounce Outkast Swim Jig on a baitcaster setup. For this, I use a seven-foot medium action baitcaster rod, teamed with a matching reel, spooled with twelve to fifteen-pound fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon line gives me more sensitivity than mono. Also, the lower line stretch helps get a good hookset at the end of the cast.
Some of you may opt to use a spinning setup for this type of fishing. If that is the case, I would recommend using a seven medium action rod, teamed with a matched reel, spooled with either ten-pound fluorocarbon or twenty-pound braid. If the smallies are a bit line shy, use a fluorocarbon leader with the braid.
I feel the key to this bite is the jig and grub combo. When using this tactic, experiment with your grub offering to see how the smallies react and make changes from there.
Create some memories. Please remember to practice CPR (Catch, Photo, and Release). The future of fishing is in your hands.
