“For Bass on Home Lakes, Fish Mister Twister Plastics with Michael Andres”

Part 2: Grubbing for Smallmouth Bass

Editor’s Note: Michael Andres of Green Bay, Wisconsin, an avid bass fisherman, fishes the waters near his home, like most bass fishermen these days, because of higher gas prices. Fishing close to home often will produce more big bass than major reservoirs because smaller waters receive less fishing pressure. Too, you can fish them more intensely and learn where to find bass in them during all seasons. This week, Andres will tell us the techniques he’s developed that produce bass in both small and big waters.

Question: Mike, I know you fish for smallmouths as well as largemouths, what lures do you prefer when smallmouth fishing?

Andres: On the lakes I fish, I often will catch a mix of largemouths and smallmouths, especially when the bite’s on, and the fish are actively feeding. When this occurs, I like a 1/3-ounce ball-shaped jighead with a 4-inch Mister Twister Twister Curly Tail Grub. I’ll often be swimming the jig because both the smallmouths and the largemouths will be chasing bait.

Question: What color 4-inch Curly Tail Grub do you like the best?

Andres: I really like the smoke-flake color. I’ll be fishing these jigs on 10-pound-test fluorocarbon line because the water gets clear in these lakes at this time of year. In a day of fishing, we generally will catch six or seven smallmouths, averaging about 2-pounds each on the Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub.

Question: Around what kind of structure do you fish when you’re targeting smallmouths?

Andres: I prefer to fish around rocks, reefs or drop-offs. I really like a rocky bank that comes down to about 4 feet of water and then the bottom comes away from the shore and drops off into 10 or 15 feet of water. If I can locate this type of rocky shoreline, and the bottom has weeds, this spot is even more productive than others. On this kind of structure, I’ll cast toward the bank, swim the jig out to the lip of the break, drop my rod tip, feed out line and let the jig fall over the lip of the break. If the bass are feeding near the shoreline, I’ll catch them before I reach the lip of the break. But if a bass is holding onto, out from or below the lip of the break, the fish generally will take the jig when it falls.

Question: What’s your favorite place for catching smallmouths?

Andres: I like to fish the bay of Green Bay in Door County. I don’t fish for smallmouths nearly as much as I fish for largemouths, however, when I do fish for smallmouths, I bet on the Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub.