Pre-Spawn Smallmouth Bass Fishing

If you time your trips just right, you’ll be rewarded with trophy smallmouth bass.

Fishing on Cape Cod isn’t as easy for me since moving up to the North Shore of MA, but there are a few things that I venture down there for, and the pre-spawn smallmouth bass bite is one of them. It is difficult to pin down exactly when smallmouth bass will go into pre-spawn mode, but on the Cape it usually happens anywhere between late April and late May. During colder springs, the spawn may even be pushed well into June. This year; however, my first successful trip was April 21st.

As smallmouth move up to their beds in their pre-spawn mode they are not overly aggressive. After spawning, they will become aggressive as a mean of protecting their eggs and will virtually hit anything that poses a threat, but in the pre-spawn period they are mellow, often interested in two things only: making their bed and finding a mate. This behavior makes pre-spawn smallie fishing frustrating and exciting at the same time, and it usually requires a stealthy approach and quality polarized sunglasses.


Smallies beginning the mating process on a bed - they usually can't be caught at this stage.

I bet you’re thinking: “So if the smallies aren’t aggressive, and they aren’t overly interested in eating, how do you get them to bite?” The pre-spawn bite is unique and often takes patience in order to hook up. During this period, smallies will pick up a weighted soft plastic or jig just to move it off their bed. Most of the hookups occur just because the bass wanted to move the intruding bait off their bed, and had absolutely no interest in eating it. Accurate casts, good sunglasses, and ultra-sensitive tackle will be your friend during the pre-spawn bite. If you can’t see or feel the bass pick up the bait, you’ll miss out on some great action.

First thing to look for are the beds. Smallies will begin making their beds sometime in April on Cape Cod depending on the weather and sunlight we've received. A good place to start is the North East corner of a pond as it gets the most sunlight at that time of year. Beds will be anywhere between the size of a large dinner plate and a snow tube, and are often near some sort of structure.

Any soft plastic bait or jig dragged across their bed will likely draw a strike, but one method I like to imploy is what I call the "Drop and Drive." Locating beds is often difficult and sometimes you spot a bed too late and accidently spook the fish on it. That's ok! While you're over the bed drop your bait down onto the bed and slowly motor away with your reel in free spool or bail open, ensuring your bait is staying on the bed. Most of the time the bass will come back and pick up your bait to move it - that is when you set the hook! 

This nice smallie fell for the Drop and Drive trick.

If you haven't tried pre-spawn smallie fishing, you're missing out. It is likely too late as the smallmouth are in the spawning process or post-spawn, but make sure to mark your calendars for next year!

A 5lber that fell for a chigger craw/steel bullet weight combo.

Taken with a Pentax Optio WG-2

Taken with a Pentax Optio WG-2