Smallmouth bass are notorious for being a little lure shy. Yet this is not always the case, as they are also notorious for being ultra-aggressive. Any smallmouth angler who has experienced a day when the smallies seem to bite anything that you throw at them will tell that story for years. However, more times than not, smallmouth bass are a lot less willing to eat your presentation and can frustrate the most patient of anglers. They seem to know that there is a hook in the bait they are chasing. This is when finesse tactics win out and can be the difference between a wonderful day of fishing and a long ride home.

The Bait Finesse System

The Bait Finesse System is gaining in popularity and has added a new dimension to finesse fishing. The Bait Finesse System (BFS) was developed in Japan—first for trout—but bass anglers soon learned that it was the perfect system for catching highly pressured bass. Under intense fishing pressure, bass will refuse to bite run-of-the-mill bass lures.

The bait finesse reel offers distance and accuracy, and my favorite—less line twist than spinning reels. There are specially made rods for the Bait Finesse System. The system allows you to cast very small baits—even 1/32-ounce jigs. With a bait this small, a limber, fast-action rod is best. If you don’t go below 1/16-ounce, a fast-action medium-light rod will suffice. However, to get the full benefit of the BFS, a BFS rod is best. These rods really help when using light line, which is a must when finesse fishing for smallmouth bass.

The great thing about these BFS reels is the drag. While they have a magnetic drag system to help prevent backlash when casting small baits, they also have smoother drags than the bigger, heavier baitcasters used for bass fishing. The very shallow spool that helps make long casts with light lures, also helps the line to be pulled from the reel smoothly while fighting a fish—another must with light line. Now that I have explained my new favorite way to finesse smallmouth bass, let’s look at when you might need to use finesse tactics.

Clear water

On Kentucky Lake, the water seems to be getting clearer all the time. It has also started to show signs of an improved smallmouth fishery. While it has always been a good smallmouth lake, in a few years, it could become a great smallmouth lake. If you fish where the water is crystal clear, you should be looking at using finesse tactics to catch more smallmouth bass.

Clear water allows bass to get a good look at your presentation. This calls for small-diameter fluorocarbon line and small baits. Also, lures of choice should be as realistic looking as possible. Think “match the hatch,” as in fly fishing. This is why I love to throw a Li’L Tuffy Swimbait (liltuffyswimbait.com) in clear water. These little swimbaits in shad color or blue perfectly match the small minnows that smallmouths eat.

When fishing clear water, smallmouth bass will often track your bait halfway to the boat or swirl at your bait boatside. Keep your retrieve steady all the way back to the boat. Even if the smallmouths are hugging the shoreline, they might be tracking your bait—especially a swimbait—so don’t assume that the bass are not on the bank just because it hit your bait at the boat. This is why realistic baits are important, as fish will follow it and decide to eat it or not. If they do, they probably decided that it was a real minnow.

Fishing pressure

Fishing pressure can put a damper on the bite. When smallmouth bass start to see the same baits over and over due to heavy fishing pressure, they may decide to stop biting anything that resembles these popular lures. This is a great time to do what no one else is doing, or at least with what fewer anglers are doing.

The lighter the line, the better. I know that even considering using 4-pound test line on a lake where there is a real potential of hooking into a 6-pound smallmouth sounds crazy. My philosophy, for what it is worth, has always been that if you don’t get a bite, you can’t catch the fish. So, if you want to catch more smallmouth bass, when they don’t want to bite, use the lightest line that you dare. Have courage, and remember that you might fish all day

High barometric pressure

Most people love to go fishing on sunny, bluebird days. This is a great day to be on the water, but not always the best time to catch fish. When the skies clear and the sun shines bright and warm, the barometric pressure is at its highest. This can cause bass to become less enthusiastic about chasing down your bait. With rising pressure or high pressure, a swimbait might not be the best bait to use.

Typically, during high pressure days when the skies are clear, bass will move closer to the bottom and refuse to chase your bait. Their strike zone shrinks, and you must get your bait close to the fish to get a bite. High pressure days usually call for bottom baits worked slowly around stumps or rocks where bass tend to want to be during this time. Ned rigs, shaky head worms and other bottom finesse baits like drop-shots can be the best way to get more bites.

Low barometric pressure

When the barometric pressure is falling and a cold front or storm is rolling in, smallmouths—like most fish—become more active. They feel more comfortable and will roam around chasing baitfish. This is a great time to throw little finesse swimbaits like the Li’L Tuffy Swimbait or any small-profile bait.While the fish are more active than when fishing bodies of water with clear water or high fishing pressure, finesse is still optimal for catching more smallies.

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