The 3 Baits You Need For Prespawn Smallmouth!

[@douglaswheeler3720]

Lol!!!!! Your reaction, to the interruption, was priceless 🤣!!!!!!!

[@MattStefanFishing]

haha!

[@juleswinnfield826]

Lol..... The "Dad sigh"..... classic. Thanks for leaving that in. Great simple approach to pre S smallies. Keep up the great work.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Haha! It made me laugh when i watched it

[@mikepuusa6084]

Spot on about the new record. We got all kind of 8 pounders and bigger every year up here in Canada

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks!

[@FishnTheSouthOkanagan78]

I agree with the TRD, I use bubble gum color, really easy to see when near a bed Smallie. For a swimbait, A Megabass dark sleeper, Smallies hate that thing when it’s on its bed, they’re thinking it’s another fish trying to take over their bed. The other one I use recently is a Strike King rage baby bug in Pearl color, again easy to see when it’s in the gin clear Canadian waters, on a weedless ned head, that way it doesn’t snag on buoy rope or other debris in and around the bass’s bed.

[@MattStefanFishing]

all great baits!

[@fishinwiththegriffins7304]

Nice list. I'm a little shocked that inline spinners and tube jigs didn't make the list. Those are my 2 confidence pre spawn smallie baits. I really enjoy your videos. I'll be watching a lot of them in the next month or 2. Basically, I'll be stealing your brain LOL. Thank you, I appreciate what you do for the sport of fishing.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Both great baits!

[@itllkeal]

I was catching 3plus lb smallmouth on a chatterbait and 1 to 2lb ones on a popper last spawning cycle but a chartreuse hairjig showed me how big a spotted bass can get. Next year I'm going to try a hair jig tied to back hook of a popper and see what happens. Thanks for all you've invested in the channel

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome

[@rvfishingyet]

I was fishing 2 of those over the last month in Wisconsin. I gotta learn that marabou. Look forward to that video!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Nice!!

[@57strub]

I have caught more big smallies this spring than ever before. Almost all on a swimbait. Kind of neglected the Ned rig and Marabou Jig so far because the swimbait is so good. But will put more time with them as I know they produce also. Good to change it up.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome!

[@lannyseals2084]

Awesome tip's man! I live here in central Ohio and giant smallies are few and far between, but when you find one it's worth it for sure..maribou jig's and the finesse TRD's are two of my favorite to use.. stay safe and healthy out there!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks!

[@blackhillsbassing6167]

A+ on the swim bait, it will catch the bigger fish

[@mikek3638]

Matt, I’m rewatching some of your vids. What wind range do you fish the maribou? I find it to be difficult to cast on windy days. Thanks

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll fish it when it’s super windy but stay down wind and make the cast with the wind

[@alanwolnik5658]

How about rattling off a couple of those Wisconsin lakes for big smallies. Especially in the Minocqua area..😉

[@MattStefanFishing]

Honestly there are about 50 good lakes throughout northern Wisconsin that have trophy class smallmouth fishing

[@johnnymassengale6275]

Suppose to go to St. Lawrence River the first week of July. I'm hoping the Canadian side is open.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Im supposed to fish it the end of july and hoping the same thing

[@joeyborawa3806]

What type of rod /reel and line combo do you like to use for those presentations?

[@MattStefanFishing]

For the most part on all of them I us a 7'3" or 7'6" ML fast action spinning rod. I use a 6lb fluorocarbon leader to a 10 lb braid mainline.

[@shawn_r_schultzfishing4883]

Always looking to get a new PB smallie, but honestly they're all fun to catch!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Absolutely!

[@FishnTheSouthOkanagan78]

Can’t wait to see your marabou jig video Was that one of your boys or wife interrupting your segment?

[@MattStefanFishing]

my boy hank telling me one of our baby chicks juped out of the box we were raising them in.

[@johngrimes7510]

Tube bait Green pumpkin

[@MattStefanFishing]

Man a tube is not one of my favorite baits, but i can’t argue with you when there’s probably been more smallies caught on a green pumpkin tube than anything else

[@gregphelps1989]

Been catching a bunch of smallies up here on the Fox River from the bank... mostly on wacky rig with a 4in stick bait... do u think a 5in stick bait is too big for them? Only seem to have luck on the 4 but fish are averaging about 1-2lbs.. looking for bigger obviously lol just hesitant to go to the 5in

[@MattStefanFishing]

No the 5 inch is not to big but i do better on the 4 inch or even 3 inch size for smallies

[@erikanderson1142]

Great video! Hitting Geneva night fishing 8pm to 9am. Do great on largemouth any smallmouth advice for that lake?

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’m surprised you don’t catch as many or more smallmouth night fishing on Geneva. This time of year I would be concentrated on the large spawning flats with some née weed growth coming in. That lake can be spectacular!

[@CougarClan]

What weights for the maribou jig and the ned rig do you use the most Stefan? Great channel!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Ill throw anywhere from 1/16 oz to a 1/4 oz. just depends on how deep im fishing and how windy it is. Generally, i want my bait to hover right off the bottom and will use the lightest weight possible.

[@CougarClan]

@@MattStefanFishing Thank you Matt! :))

[@wesvyverberg9517]

Thanks for the vid Matt. I fish Lake Erie out of Buffalo Harbor spring and fall and we catch em on Ned there in the spring, some guys throw red squarebills and lipless. Curious your take on chucking a glide bait for smallies when chasing a trophy and if so will they eat the Arashi 19? I have ghost rainbow and oikawa mesu. My boater is always busting my balls when I Chuck the DUO Apex Vibe 100 saying it’s too big for smallies to eat but I finally caught one on it out by galoo on Ontario. Btw What was your kid saying about fish out of water in the vid?

[@MattStefanFishing]

Haha! One of our baby chickens escaped out of the box we have them in. As for the glide bait it is an absolute fantastic search bait and giant smallie chaser. You can’t go to big. The issue is most of the time they just follow it, but you can lots of times throw a small chase bait and get them to bite or come back a few minutes later and catch them on a normal bait. The other issue is when they do bite the landing percentage is bad since their mouth is so small. Big glides are a tactic I use a lot in the summer and fall on Sturgeon Bay to find fish and generate a big bite. It’s also unbelievable the smallmouth I catch while Muskie fishing with Muskie baits that are much bigger than the glides you mentioned.

[@wesvyverberg9517]

@@MattStefanFishing lol on the chickens. I’ve been testing the Arashi in my pool, so far no bites but it swims so seductively I wanna jump in and eat it!

[@wesvyverberg9517]

@@MattStefanFishing you mentioned throwing small swimbaits 2.8, 3.3, 3.8 but what about chucking a-rig? I have crushed the smallies on it in the fall on chaumont but have never thrown on Erie in the spring. Is there a reason why you recommend just a single swimbait as your search bait? Perhaps ease of covering water compared to the rig which can be exhausting?

[@MattStefanFishing]

@@wesvyverberg9517 A-rig is killer on fall and early Prespawn smallmouth!

[@satori5184]

Nice!

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for watching

[@eagleeye9549]

I found this new inland lake last year and I was catching 3lb smallies left and right and this year I have not even caught one! The lake is bowl shaped and the deepest spot is 24 feet I have been all over this lake this year and not one bite from a smallie....I am at a loss.

[@MattStefanFishing]

they are somewhere! Keep looking and you'll find them

[@eagleeye9549]

@@MattStefanFishing thanks! I have been catching a lot of 3 to 4 lbs largemouth but I would love to catch those smallies again. Lol

[@sauve12]

Livescope is the answer 😂

[@mikek3638]

Would the jerkbait get the honorable mention? I know you throw them, but just wondering why it was not in your top 3. Thanks!

[@MattStefanFishing]

its a great prespawn smallmouth bait

[@TheDruxlol]

what are some of them lakes lol