Smallmouth Bass are a popular game fish in our area for many reasons. For starters, there are good numbers of them within the Wisconsin River and its flowages, including true trophy class specimens exceeding five pounds. In addition to being locally plentiful, they are exciting to catch as they put up a powerful battle, often displaying their acrobatic prowess by going airborne multiple times. July can be an excellent time to target smallmouth and often lends itself to one of the most thrilling of tactics to target bronze backs fishing with surface lures.
I am a surface bait junkie; to me there are few things that make my heart pound harder than a solid strike on top of the water be it bluegill, bass, or musky. Being a successful surface bait fisherman for smallmouth begins with the proper equipment. Longer rod lengths excel for fishing with top water lures; it is seldom that I fish with a rod shorter than 7 feet anymore, especially when fishing baits on top. Longer rods not only give an angler better leverage for hook sets and fighting fish, but when using surface lures it allows the angler to keep as much of the line as possible off the water; this aides in maximizing the action of the lure, makes the presentation as natural as possible, and in ultra-shallow water situations, aides in preventing spooking of fish. For smallmouth bass, I prefer a 7 to 7 1/2 St. Croix spinning rod with a medium action. I complete the outfit by adding a spinning reel spooled with a supple line such as Berkley Trilene XL or Stren Magnathin in either 8 or 10 pound test.
There are a variety of lures that will score on smallmouth that fall into the category of top water baits. One of my favorites is the popper style lure such as the PT Pro Popper, Power Pop Frog, and Frenzy Popper. These lures are surprisingly versatile, and will work in conditions ranging from glass calm to a slight chop. Work the popper with a stop-and-go retrieve, varying your cadence and the amount of time the lure sits at rest. There have been days when the smallmouths have dictated that we let the lure sit for over 30 seconds between pulls in order to provoke fish strikes!
Walk-the-dog style baits such as Frantic Freds and Zara Spooks and Puppies are mesmerizing lures to use both to the fish and fisherman. This family of lures typically works better during calmer water conditions and during daylight hours. As with poppers, it's important to work walk-the-dog style lures while varying both your retrieve speed and cadence. There will be days when the fish want longer pauses and an irregular retrieve just as there will be days that are just the opposite just keep experimenting.
While there are volumes more that could be written about fishing with surface lures, one rule that needs to be followed at all times is the, "reel till you feel" technique. Simply put this means that no matter when your eyes tell you, you hold off on setting the hook until you actually feel the weight of the fish. With all the adrenalin pumping during a top water strike, it's easy to pull the bait away from a fish before it's had the chance to get the bait in its mouth. Train yourself in this manner and I will guarantee you will boat many more of the fish that strike. I'll see you on the water