Top Smallmouth Bass Baits of 2021

By Andrew Ragas

At the end of every season, I reveal the secret baits that caught the most fish for customers and I. 2021 was an extraordinary season for its excessive angling pressure, challenging weather and conditions, and very difficult smallmouth fishing.

There wasn’t a whole lot of artillery in my Ranger that spoke of dominance, but what you’ll read below will prove how fishing outside of the box, and creativity with new colorways or lure variations can help make a positive difference.

Big fish were not prevalent this year like seasons prior. Could all of our 20+ year old fish have grown conditioned to the fishing pressure? Did they become displaced and relocate to new lake areas we’re not hitting? Or did they expire from old age?

I have to be on the top of my game daily, and my only requirement in all fishing lures is they better catch fish for my guests and I, providing we are skilled at using them and manipulating their every movement and action. At any given time, I keep up to 10 assorted St. Croix Rods Mojo Bass and Victory Rods rigged and ready with a diverse variety of fish catchers at my Ranger’s front deck….. along with another 20 or so below in its rod locker. My philosophy is that a diversified lure selection will help not only make you a more versatile bass angler, but allow you to catch more fish and be prepared for the called upon presentation at any given time. 

Prime patterns and favorite lures can be revisited each year, especially as the environment and behaviors of smallmouth bass dictate their locations and influence their feeding habits. Each year a few annual constants remain, but new discoveries and techniques succeed in the underwater world below me.

As any observant and scientific-minded angler can conclude, the success you have with your favorite lures and technique-specific methods depends on weather and water conditions, fish locations, and habitats.

On the lakes and rivers you fished throughout 2021, what were some of your favorite and most productive methods to catch big fish throughout the year?

Lets highlight and introduce what worked best for Northwoods Bass in 2021.

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Strike King Caffeine Shad w/ Trokar EWG MagWorm

Glacier Ice

Equally effective for smallmouths, and sometimes even better depending on fish activity levels, soft jerkbaits in the fluke style like the Strike King Caffeine Shad can be fished with the same cadence as a hard jerkbait to draw strikes. In times when bass are conditioned or turning away, a soft minnowbait will outfish a hardbait. It draws strikes from aggressive fish, but also triggers reluctant strikes from wary and conditioned fish. Soft jerkbaits will produce when the hardbait won’t. It’s important to work a soft jerkbait with aggression so that fish never get a good look at it.

Most soft minnows share the same generic molds, and tend to be poured the same, containing durable yet stiff plastic formulas that impede and prevent the bait from achieving its action to entice a smallmouth’s interest. Contrary to these styles, the Caffeine Shad breaks traditional jerk minnow boundaries with its soft and salty texture and elongated sickle tail that drives its action. This bait is far from durable with my rigging method (below), lasting only a few fish per bait, but it catches and hooks into the most fish.

Rigged weightless with a 3/0 Eagle Claw Trokar MagWorm with plastic barb keeper, which gives it a slow sink, I make sure to pop the bait with a few upwards jerks and let it hang and glide slowly down a few feet in the water column. Smallmouths often slurp it and strike aggressively on the pause, and slow flutter downward. When it’s their time to be used, soft jerkbaits offer a greater hang time in strike zones and will always sink at a slow minimal rate. Additionally, they will offer livelier finesse action which I believe is what tempts conditioned fish and big and old experienced bronzebacks to strike. The soft jerkbait will often catch smallmouths from the same spots where the hardbait blew past them moments earlier, and will generate new strikes on conditioned fish. Beyond this reciprocation, they serve well as quickly fished search lures on calm lifeless days, and also when dragged on Carolina rigs.

Fishing with minnows is a visual experience. Because the majority of my bites occur on slack line while the softbait is on the glide downward, I always keep my eyes fixated on the top six inches of my rod throughout the entire retrieve. Regardless of light penetration and weather, it’s important to keep a watch on your line and the rod tip. I fish the setup with 10 lb. Seaguar Red Label. Many anglers favor some other kind of fluorocarbon line.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Tournament Bass LBC68MXF

 

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Rapala X-Rap 08 – Pink

This one is a no-brainer, except that Hot Head and Hot Mustard Muddler weren’t the hot colors like every season prior.

It was Mister Pink!

During a generation in which many smallmouth populations are now pressured and conditioned, making simple color adjustments are difference-makers.

Not many fish see pink on a daily basis. It is a highly visible colorway on our stained and clear water lakes. It’s a favorite on our cisco based fisheries.

Size 08 is applicable on spinning gear. Due to its slender profile and strong construction, the X-Rap is built for accurate, long distance casting. What separates this suspending jerk from others is I can fish the size 08 comfortably with my favorite 7ft med. heavy St. Croix Avid-X spinning rod with high-speed Quantum Smoke 30 Speed Freak reel spooled with 8 lb. Cortland Camo Mono.

The X-Rap incorporates a long-cast design, enabling weights to shift during the cast. Its weight-forward design is a benefit because it allows anglers to cover vast amounts of water quickly, making it an effective search bait. The key characteristic of the X-Rap is that it can be fished in any type of manner and according to the moods and feeding patterns of the fish. This correlates with the retrieve of the X-Rap and the way it is fished as it involves a lot of mixing and matching according to the behavior of the fish.

The X-Rap family of baits comes with a pair of razor-sharp VMC trebles, but I recommend swapping them in favor of Trokar Tk300 round bend treble hooks.

St. Croix Rod used: Avid-X AXS7MHF

 

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AR’s Supersize Ned Rig

The Ned rig came onto the bass fishing scene during the last decade when Ned Kehde concocted this jig worm. Since then, the entire bass fishing world has gone mad and fallen in love with it. It excels in difficult fishing conditions, on pressured waters, and is one of the best finesse fishing options to consider.

2018 was my personal introduction to the Ned, and many eye-opening experiences followed. Since then, I’ve kept it tied onto a rod ever since and our results in 2019 through 2021 were no different.

It’s a numbers presentation, but it’s one that targets some of the largest bass living in the most pressured lake systems. It’s also the bait to use when smallmouth don’t show interest in tubes or other bottom-dwelling jigging methods. It’s a trip-saver in coldfronts.

Traditionally a small profile, the Ned Rig is typically fished with a 1/16 to 1/8 oz. mushroom style jig head, and tipped with a 2 to 3 inch tail segment of a stick worm. The flat mushroom style jig head allows a stick bait to stand and be presented upright. This is an angle bass are new to.

Even though many anglers fishing the rig are scoring gargantuan numbers of bass and experiencing 50 to 100 fish days with it as a finesse option, the Ned Rig is my solution for big smallmouth when they’re fixated on leech patterns – typically from mid June through August.

Rather than use the most common Ned Rig sizes and styles, I have taken the approach to a different level and modifying it for my big bass. I fish it with a 5/16 oz. mushroom head. Then, rather than use a small piece of worm on the business end, I will rig an entire 5 inch full bodied stick. This weeds out all of the dinks. The modified AR ned is a trophy producing jig worm.

I bomb cast it for long distances, and hop and dead stick it along the bottom in order to imitate a leech. Always keep pressure on the line in order to detect the most subtle bites. An immediate hook set will result in the bass connecting with hook in the roof of the jaw, 99% of the time. You will want a 6’10” MXF Legend Elite, or 7’1″ MXF Victory spinning. On big fish waters, you can easily get by with a MHF as a better option.

Black colors only. Any worm manufacturer is fine. As long as it’s solid black or smoke color to represent a leech. I have friends (Execution Lures) custom pour me stiffer worms so I can catch up to 10 fish per 1 bait. I also turn to Kalin’s Fishing Wacko Worms, and Bizz Baits, too.

4 years of supersize worm, and our test subjects aren’t yet conditioned to it.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Elite ES610MXF / Victory Spinning VTS71MXF

 

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A jig and paddletail remains a simple and effective fish-finder for me. I’m sure it will play well on your favorite clear water smallmouth fisheries too. Take a paddletail, and rig it on a favorite swimming style jig head. Easy and engaging fishing!

It’s the perfect strategy for covering water on windy days, bomb-casting the open water amid cisco schools, and targeting big fish.

We fish with four jig and paddletail combinations.

 

Strike King Rage Swimmer with Trokar Boxing Glove Jig

 

Strike King Rage Swimmer with Kalin’s Google Eye Jig

 

5″ Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad with 1/2 oz. Trokar Boxing Glove Jig

PINKY

Fish bigger baits for bigger fish.

Throw unusual colors and weird shit to catch big fish that won’t bite normal looking colors. The only situation where it fishes naturally is on deep, clear lakes with cisco populations.

That’s the story about Pinky, a new color from Big Bite Baits.

We fish the 5-inch Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad paired with a 1/2 oz. Trokar Boxing Glove Jig. When big smallmouth are favoring a slightly larger profile, this combo is unbeatable. The larger profile of the suicide shad is one of the best representations of the most common size of ciscoes.

Lifelike with lively tail and available in many translucent colors. It’s also durable to withstand multiple bites while being hooked to the collar of a swimbait jig.

St. Croix Rod used: Mojo Bass Swim Frog MJC75MHXF

 

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4.8″ Kalin’s Tickle Tail with 1/4 oz. Northland Slurp! Jig

Bluegill Orange Belly

You will want to stock up on Kalin’s Tickle Tails.

We began fishing them in summer 2020. Results were immediate. In 2021, they were a player, spring through fall. Customers and I were hammering big fish with Bluegill Orange Belly throughout spring and fall.

Available in 2.8, 3.8, and 4.8 sizes, we only fish the 4.8.

On a straight retrieve, it swims great with wide wobble on 1/4 oz. Nortland Slurp! heads and a slow/medium retrieve. Meanwhile, work them thru deep water on football style swinging head jigs, or rip jig them on minnow profile heads along the bottom or thru weed edges.

They’re so fun and easy to work with the spinning gear. I fish them exclusively with a St. Croix Avid 70MHF paired with a high-capacity reel spooled with 15 lb. Cortland Masterbraid. My favorite color is the albino shad. This one is best on waters with a smelt or cisco forage base. For your yellow perch lakes, bluegill orange belly and sunny are my picks.

It’s a great time to load up on new product and honestly if it didn’t catch some big smallmouth for me, I wouldn’t be writing and sharing recent experiences about it.

Customer and friend, Barry, hammered ’em in 2021.

PS – Northland Tackle is having its annual Thanksgiving sale, enjoy 20% off your order when you sign up to their Dock Talk Newsletter.

 

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Bizz Baits Baby Bizz Bug

Bizz Baits has been a Northwoods Bass friend and partner for the past few seasons. Owner, Brian Souza, once confided to me in trying the Baby Bizz Bug as a standalone lure on crayfish infested waters. Simply rigging it onto a mini football head, and a flat mushroom head to achieve an upright ned-head style profile. 2 colors are suggested for this: Alabama Craw for brown waters and ones with rusty crays, and Magic Craw for clear water and sandy bottoms.

Fishing was challenging and difficult in 2021. We had many days of light bites and lousy conditions. During these trying times, a simple mini craw fished naked without anything else was all the fish wanted.

Less is more.

Beyond fishing with ned heads and finesse football heads, the Baby Bizz Bug is an outstanding jig trailer, and works well too on a downsized Tokyo Rig.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Elite ES70MHF / Mojo Bass Power Spin MJS71MHF

 

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Z-Man Finesse TRD – 2.75″

The traditional ned rig has ruined fishing for reasons I refuse to comment on. It falls into the same category as the drop shot, my least favorite method of fishing.

With everybody throwing ned rigs, could our fish condition to them? What if finesse eventually fails to catch them? What will we do next?

There were many days throughout 2021 in which nothing in the boat was working.

Often, a Z-Man Finesse TRD was the only thing they’d touch. A softer ElaZtech formulation and custom salt content allow the TRD to exhibit the precise sink rate, lifelike action, and irresistible feel that expert finesse anglers have learned result in longer holds and increased hook-up ratios. It will last thru dozens of fish before falling apart.

Many customers throughout 2021 brought their own TRD’s on trips. Perhaps everyone else knows something that I am too stubborn to know.

I’m thankful Cory Schmidt of Z-Man hooked me up with a care package.

If you add these to your arsenal, always keep them stored in original packaging for protection. Never store them together with different colors, or other types of plastics. Otherwise, they will bleed, warp, and disintegrate.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Elite ES610MXF / Victory Spinning Lightweight VTS610MLXF

 

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Rapala DT-4 Series Crankbait

On lakes, this little guy didn’t perform well.

On river systems, it kicked ass.

Crankbaits such as the Rapala DT-4 are a favorite for spring, summer, and fall river smallmouths. They are my best producers for when fish are utilizing mid-river channels, deeper holes with current, and slackwater areas in and around boulders and riffle runs.

The bite peaks in early spring and autumn in a water temperature range from 50 to 56 degrees. Under these circumstances I fish the DT-4 to search out pools and holes, looking for a reaction bite yet at the same time covering water in search for actively feeding fish. I don’t fish them slowly as one normally would with a fiberglass rod and a lower gear ratio reel. Rather, I power my way to ferocious strikes with speed and power. I fish it with a St. Croix Legend Glass 72MM, a 6;2.1 gear ratio Quantum Energy PT, spooled with 10 lb. Seaguar Red Label. The fluorocarbon line is important for casting distance, as well as abrasion resistance as you’ll be banging rock and boulders all day. This stick is a weapon for its bite detection, and ability to handle and lasso big fish through current.

The DT-4 Red Crawdad matches the hatch extremely well in most northwoods river systems. It accounted for some of my largest bass of the season, measuring up to 21 inches.

All DT series crankbaits are sold with very dull VMC trebles. In order to keep fish pinned with the most minimal of hooksets with medium action casting gear, I strongly encourage immediately swapping them in favor of Trokar Tk300 round bend treble hooks.

St. Croix Rod used: Legend Glass LGC72MM

 

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Rapala Skitter-V

Bone

Topwaters and surface baits, longtime bass fishing staples at night, are popular for smallmouths. They are hard to beat when surface activity is prevalent, the lakes are heating up from the sunlight above, and insect hatches take place. When either of these conditions are in play, topwaters often get eaten quickly, and generate vicious strikes.

2021 was a pretty good season for topwaters, with the bite lasting from late June through August. There was a long window and opportunity for them compared to our recent previous summers.

The Rapala Skitter V in BONE was a top-producing walk the dog topwater. It pushes a substantial amount of water, and it’s V cut underside prevents the bait from rolling over sideways.

Long casts on 20 lb. Cortland Masterbraid and 2 ft section of 16 or 20 lb. mono leader, with powerful sweeps of my St. Croix Victory Grunt VC71MHF to generate the optimal walk-the-dog retrieve cadence, and mix some pauses and breaks in between.

With a braided main line, you will want the mono leader; it keeps baits floating, and provides necessary stretch for successful hook sets so that you won’t rip the bait out from fishes mouths. The big strikes and huge fish surface lures produce from shallow water during July and August months will make you wonder whether you’re fishing the Amazon for peacock bass rather than the northwoods for smallmouth bass.

St. Croix Rod used: Victory Casting – The Grunt VTC71MHF

 

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If you’ve located the fish, and struggle catching them like we all did, try these smallmouth bass baits and tactics for next year. These all highlighted our season of excellent catches despite the difficulties. A diversified lure selection will not only make you a more versatile angler, but allow you to catch more fish. Prime patterns and favorite lures can be revisited each year, especially as the environment and behaviors of smallmouth bass dictate their locations and influence their feeding habits.

Chasing trophy smallmouth bass year round requires a good lure selection of fish catchers like this. Be diverse, and not one-dimensional. Don’t live by and die by one strategy, or prioritize the bling. A change in lure color or new variation in presentation will make a difference. And remember, sometimes less is more.

What were your best of 2021? Feel free to comment in the space below!