Photo: Connor Martin

How to properly fish a spybait for big smallmouth bass

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Photo: Connor Martin

Fishing a spybait is possibly my favourite smallmouth bass technique, because when the fish want it, they’ll crave it above everything else. And while a spybait may look like a small meal, a big bronzeback will totally crush it—if you keep these key details in mind.

Spybaits are lethal on smallmouth when fished very, very slowly

First, spool on four- to six-pound-test fluorocarbon line. Not only is it near-invisible, it also sinks, helps you maintain speed and depth control, and doesn’t overpower the lure. Next, reel in extremely slowly. If you already think you’re crawling your spybait back to the boat, slow down even more. Finally, don’t impart twitches or any other action on the lure, even though you may think it looks static coming through the water. With spybaits, less is always more.

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