It wanders erratically under a multitude of retrieve speeds and cadences. Its polycarbonate or circuit board lips are able to withstand the frequent punctures from digging into the hard, impenetrable lake bottom. Hook points may impressively dull in the process. Colliding into wood, rock, and boulder, its frivolous wobbling and vibration aided by noisy rattle chamber wakes up the sleeping smallmouth neighborhood after dark while most other humans are likely asleep, never knowing about this bite’s existence. If it survives and withstands an entire summer of abuse, it’ll have a lot of battle scars, smallmouth wounds, hook rash, and scratches imprinted all over its body come Labor Day. Launch late. Fish later. Noisy, shallow crankbaits. Big smallmouth bass. After dark fishing. This bite lasts for a good 6 to 8 weeks if the right conditions and situations align. More than 10 years have passed since composing my first article ever on the subject. We continue seeing the same number of anglers looking for northern smallmouths after dark….. ZERO!   Setting the Scene It's late-July. The daytime surface temperatures on my favorite northern Wisconsin