Sakakawea Summer/Fall Smallmouth Bass

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Sakakawea Summer/Fall Smallmouth Bass

Here are some of presentations I use to chase Sakakawea smallmouth bass in summer and fall. I tend to bounce back and forth between both shallow and deep patterns. When I look shallow (1'-6') I'm looking for a weed/rock mix or wood/rock mix and usually the presence of lots of shiner minnows. Shallow cover can produce both numbers of bass and big bass all summer and fall. Whopper Plopper 130s are one of my go-to big smallmouth baits and they are super effective along shallow weeds and wood. Twitching texas rigged zoom super flukes in and along weeds can be super effective. Pitching jigs and tubes along the base of stumps is a consistent producer. And cranking lipless cranks, squarebills, and spinnerbaits along shallow weeds and wood can tear it up as well. When I'm fishing deeper structure I'm often looking for structure in the 15'-30' range that isn't far from at least 60' or deeper water. The smallies eat lots of shiners on these structures along with ambushing offshore smelt. Pay attention to the smallies responses to your presentations and their locations in the water column. I catch them everywhere from the bottom to the top in deep water. The fish can adjust position quickly depending on bait and currents/water clarity/weather conditions as well. A couple favorites of mine for targeting offshore smallies on Sakakawea include dropshotting Zoom Finesse worms with a size 1 Owner Sniper Finesse Neko hook and a topwater to keep handy for schooling fish busting bait on the surface.

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