Smallmouth Fishing Asheville for River Giants!
Smallmouth fishing Asheville is great during the summer months in Western North Carolina. With fish getting up into the 4 pound range in the rivers, it can be a blast catching them! In this article Southern Appalachian Anglers of Asheville, NC talks a little about technique and what to use when targetting smallmouth bass May to September in the bigger rivers in Western North Carolina.
Smallmouth Patterns by Month
May: Smallmouth fishing is going to be harder this month than any other summer month. The bronzeback will be finished spawning and will be hiding in deeper holes or pockets, where they can feed easy. These deeper pockets also give the smallmouth a place to relax, out of the direct current.
June: Smallmouth bass will typically feed on the surface for the entire month of June. While still feeding on war paint minnows or the occasional trout, smallmouth bass find the bigger bugs that hatch more productive. Using small streamers, flukes, 4 inch senkos, and black streamers work really well when targetting fish in bigger pockets.
July: Cast poppers and topwater in slow moving currents for a big bite! When your popping bug hits the water it is time to twitch twitch twitch and watch explosive strikes! Smallmouth bass will come out of hiding when they hear a noise on the surface. If fish don’t bite that means that streamers sometimes will be more productive on that day. Cast a black or a brown colored streamer to entice a bigger bite.
August: Slower moving baits work well in deeper pools where smallmouth will be getting out of the direct sunlight and into some cooler water. Cast hair jigs and different types of crawfish imitations to get a strike. Use sinking line with all fly rods and 8 pound test with spinning gear. Your line will get beat up in the deeper pools and going up a diameter will help land bigger fish. In August the smallmouth will be harder to catch, but positing your boat just right will give you ability to not spook the big ones!
September: Cooler mornings and rising fish. Poppers, streamers, flukes and small crankbaits are the ticket as smallmouth begin to make their move up to feed on silver-sides and other baitfish. White streamers and different colored crawfish patterns work well for shallow and deeper pools.
Southern Appalachian Anglers is dedicated to keeping anglers across the United States who want to travel and fish Western North Carolina informed and up to date on river and fishing information and techniques. Stay tuned for our next article on Autumn Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Asheville, North Carolina.
Contact Us
To learn more about smallmouth bass fishing in Western North Carolina contact our guide staff at Southern Appalachian Anglers Online or call 828-691-1506 to learn more about our smallmouth bass fishing trips in Asheville!