Oh man, you’ve caught the smallmouth bug. Welcome to the club! These fish are pound-for-pound some of the hardest fighters in freshwater, and when you start dialing in on the big ones, it gets even better.

Go Big or Go Home—The Right Fly Selection

While smallies will eat a lot of different flies, big smallmouth bass are predators that key in on larger, meatier meals. Here are the fly patterns that consistently bring out the biggest bass:

• Game Changer (Articulated Streamer) – This fly has serious movement in the water, mimicking a wounded baitfish, which triggers aggressive eats from territorial fish.
• Clouser Minnow – A must-have for any smallmouth angler. Weighted eyes help get the fly down, and it perfectly imitates a fleeing baitfish.
• Murdich Minnow – When smallies are chasing shad or other schooling baitfish, this fly is a killer. It has a flashy, darting action that triggers reaction strikes.
• Near-Nuff Crayfish – In rivers, big smallmouth are often focused on crayfish. Fish this fly near rocky structure, and be ready for a hammer of a strike.
• Dahlberg Diver (Topwater Magic) – If the water is warm and bass are feeding near the surface, a Dahlberg Diver twitched along structure or in low-light conditions can get explosive topwater eats.

Presentation: How You Fish These Flies Matters

Even with the right fly, how you fish it is just as important as what you’re fishing. Big smallmouth don’t want to waste energy on something that doesn’t seem worth the chase.

1. Fish the Structure – Big smallies hold near rock piles, submerged timber, and undercut banks. Target these areas and don’t be afraid to cast tight to cover.
2. Work the Drop & Pause – Strip your streamer aggressively, but make sure to add pauses in between. Smallmouth often hit the fly as it drops, not during the retrieve.
3. Go Low & Slow in Cold Water – In cooler months, switch to weighted flies and slow your retrieve way down—big smallies won’t chase far in cold water.
4. Topwater in Low Light – If it’s early morning or late evening, switch to poppers or divers. Big bass are more likely to commit to a surface strike when the light is low.

Final Thought

If you’re looking for trophy smallmouth, think like a predator. Big bass don’t waste energy on tiny insects—they hunt, chase, and kill larger prey. Use bigger flies, focus on structure, and fish aggressively. Once you hook into a true river tank, you’ll never want to fish for anything else!