Smallmouth fishing in the winter time can be one of your best chances at catching a trophy. Smallmouth bass are naturally skittish fish and the winter time offers less fishing pressure and fewer boats on the water. This is when the bass tend to lose some of their weariness and can be caught easier. In the winter smallmouth bass tend to form tight schools so if you catch one there is likely to be a few more in the same area.
Where: Smallmouth are a very structure oriented fish, especially when it comes to rocks. In streams and rivers smallmouth tend to hang out behind large rocks offering them a break in the current, and an ambush point to snatch up prey items swept past them by the current.
In lakes smallmouth will also be near the large rocks that offer them their favorite prey item , crayfish, rock dams and rocky points are extremely good places to find smallies in the winter.
When: The best fishing for winter smallmouth is just before a good rain or snowstorm. the barometric pressure drops and really gets them going. The overcast conditions will also help you out by reducing the visibility in the water. Making it easier to fool the fish into taking your bait.
How: This time of year the fish are primarily feeding on bait fish. A nose hooked live minnow hung below a float works great. Similarly a small crappie jig in 1/16 ounce or smaller hung 7-15 feet below a float is deadly to smallmouth this time of year. Keep an eye on the float sometimes a bass will come from below and take the bait doing nothing to the float but making it lay down. If the float does anything strange set the hook. Finally a 1/2 ounce or smaller jig and pig can work well if worked slowly. Crayfish are in short supply during the winter. Sometimes the temptation is too much for a smallmouth to pass up.