Best bait is free lining live shads on major lake points, but that is a pain catching them

Texoma
Belton
Bridgeport
Canyon
Amistad
Ivie
Possum kingdom used to be good. Golden algae took care of that.

Any left in Meredith?

Do they taste the same as large mouth bass ?,

asking for a friend.

I'm in Nevada, Tx., near Farmersville and Roysce City.
I've asked the same thing in the fishing forum.

I've never caught or fished for smallmouth, and I'm dying to try!

...!

I've caught a couple, but by accident.

Whitney also. At one time the state record came from Whitney. Not sure if it still stands.

I find them fairly easy to catch in the fall on Texoma beating the rocks with a crankbait, they tend to bite better for me earlier in the morning up shallow, they tend to move out as the morning moves on.

Just switch to a deeper crankbait, I like Bandit Mistake color

Smallmouth…my favorite fish.


Once you fight a good one it’s not the same catching regular old largemouth.

Aside from a big pumpkinseed a small mouth is imo the prettiest freshwater fish we have in North America.

I have found a guide out of texoma says he starts catching a bunch in mid April to June. I’m stoked to go , never caught one before

Pretty fish for sure and they fight real hard… you’ll enjoy it!

Better. I think they taste almost as good as crappie. I filet them, coat with mustard and Louisiana fish fry and fry them in hot grease. Delicious!

Nothing better in freshwater then catching a 3 or 4 lb smallie on a topwater. I have caught them on top on Texoma mid morning after striper fishing. I look for submerged boulders.

I went to school in Michigan and one of the few things I miss from up there besides lots of public hunting land are the smallmouth that I caught out of rivers. Haven't found anything like it in Texas. I wouldn't move back just for the fishing though, the women up there are ugly or at least the ones I'm not related to are.

Same, but we fished night time using dark, large spinners with large willow leaf, cast to shore and bring back slow and low.

Used the same technique at Whitney and would slay them at night in the heat of summer. usually the quite time with less boat traffic and better temps. Fished Whitney in the 90's, so not sure how it is now

Fished Whitney a number of times between 2016-2022 and caught exactly zero smallmouth. Lots of largemouth, some spots, and more striper than you can shake a stick at. It’s a shadow of its former self where smallmouth are concerned.

Belton. Stillhouse has a few too.

Caught this one on Canyon. Don’t catch many there but the one’s I catch are good ones.

Sad to hear that about Whitney, I generally was after striper, but in the summer heat, those sm where a blast. Only found them on the dam riff raff and cliffs around soldier park