Guided Smallmouth Bass Fishing Trips in East TN
There is nothing more exciting than fighting a slab-sided smallmouth bass in the current. Their strong drag burning runs coupled with their explosive leaps out of the water making them one of the toughest freshwater fish that swims. They never give up and will fight tooth and nail until they are lifted over the side of the boat. Smallies will take a variety of artificial baits whether it be on light tackle or the fly rod. They also take many kinds of live bait too. Smallies will strike baits on the surface during certain times of the year. There is nothing more exciting to me than to watch a smallmouth take a popping bug on top of the water with a fly rod.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing Methods
Smallmouth Bass will hit a variety of lures and can be caught during all four seasons here in East Tennessee. Fishing with a variety of soft baits like grubs, tubes, and Senkos work well during Spring, Summer, and Fall. Successful smallmouth anglers have found that the most popular colors for soft baits include green, pumpkin, root beer, and salt ‘n’ pepper. Crayfish is one of the main components of their diet, so anything that resembles the color of the crayfish (usually brown) on that particular body of water would be the color of choice. An array of styles and colors of crank baits, buzz baits, and spinnerbaits will receive attention from aggressively feeding smallies. One of my favorite things to do is to tease up a big smallmouth with popping bug on the surface with a fly rod.
Smallmouth bass go on a feeding binge during the fall. This is the perfect time to fish as they fatten up to prepare for winter. Live shiners are a fantastic bait to use during this time of year. It’s also a great bait for the Spring and Summer months as well. I urge anglers whenever they use live bait to set the hook as quickly as possible. This will avoid gut hooking the fish. The winter months can also provide quality smallmouth fishing too. One of the most popular methods is to use the Float ‘N’ Fly technique. This technique works well on some of the large TVA lakes in January and February. Smallmouth Bass truly are a fish for all seasons in East Tennessee and can be caught with a variety of baits, methods, and techniques.