6 Tips For Topwater Smallmouth Bass Fishing

Smallmouth bass anglers often face challenges in developing effective strategies for river smallies. But with some key tips in mind, they can experience consistent success throughout their season of pursuit. Here are some key tips for topwater fishing:
1. Walk-the-Dog
2. Chuggers and Poppers
3. Retrieve Speed
4. Lure Color
5. Hook Up
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Keep an eye out for these fish near current breaks, such as weed clumps, boulders, and logs in reservoirs and feeder creeks. They are likely hiding behind such obstructions. Also, look for them hiding among rock points, moored boats, and docks where there may be gaps.
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1. Know Your Water

Water and weather affect the fly fishing success. Smallmouth bass are highly visual feeders. They tend to be active during sunny daytime conditions and respond best to lures designed to mimic their prey. So, the summers are the best time for smallies. Water level, current, and temperature all play an integral part in smallmouth bass's behavior and feeding habits.

Fishing these water areas with a tube or smaller in-line spinner bait can be highly productive. Don't overfish these spots, as sudden movements could spook bass away and force them elsewhere. Instead, let the topwater bait fall before slowly working it back over the structure.
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What are the best conditions for topwater lures

Pro Tip: Smallies often ambush crankbaits that have fallen up current and will engulf them as they return up current from bottom depths.
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2. Know Your Lures

Smallmouth bass can be caught using both live surface bait and artificial lures. However, your selection will depend heavily on the time of year and fishing environment. Here are some recommendations:

1. A jerk bait can also be an excellent choice when fishing on shallow sandbars.
2. Use a standard twitching retrieve and test out different colors like natural shad and ghost minnow.
3. Poppers may also prove effective.

When fishing topwater lures, pay close attention to your rod tip, as subtle movements can indicate a strike. Mastering the control of your rod tip helps improve your chances of catching smallmouth by enabling precise lure action and timely hook sets.
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3. Know Your Location

Smallmouth bass are adept visual feeders and are typically more active during sunny daytime conditions. But this doesn't preclude them from being caught even in cloudy water as long as you understand their seasonal variations and feeding patterns.
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On rivers, look for rocky places where the current is passing over boulders and weed clumps. This is smallmouth's ideal habitat, and you may find it on riverbanks, or in reservoir shoals.

As soon as winter sets in and the bass move further offshore, we suggest targeting humps, individual extra-large boulders reefs, or shipwrecks within four to eight feet of water as targets.
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4. Know Your Time of Day

As said before, Smallies are excellent visual feeders and are most active during sunny daytime conditions. This gives you an advantage if you select appropriate lures, presentations, and baitfish-type patterns.

When fishing a river with rocky bottoms covered by heavy riprap and boulders, smallies often inhabit shallow sand pockets or sheltered boat docks where current currents conduct heat away from their natural home and draw prey closer. Such spots make ideal hunting grounds in the spring and summer months.

When fishing an underwater sandbar that quickly drops off into deeper, still waters, please don't waste your time fishing it lightly! Alternatively, try casting loud poppers at dawn or dusk for surface lures twitched at dawn or dusk, as this will draw smallies off their banks and into your boat for closer examination.
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What time is best for topwater bass fishing

5. Know Your Line

Understanding your fishing line is of utmost importance when selecting it for its intended use and conditions of fishing. Cheap, spool-filled lines available at big box stores may appear suitable but often lack abrasion resistance and visibility above water. Here are some tips for selecting a line:

1. Use 6–10 lb monofilament or fluorocarbon for most smallmouth topwater fishing.
2. Choose monofilament for improved buoyancy when using topwater lures.
3. Fluorocarbon sinks, so it's better for subsurface prop baits like crankbaits.
4. Prioritize abrasion resistance—especially in rocky rivers and around cover.
5. Avoid cheap bulk spools; opt for quality brands that offer strength and clarity.
6. Check line visibility in your fishing environment—clearer is usually better for wary smallies.
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6. Know Your Leader

Fly fishing requires understanding the topwater bite, which is crucial for triggering surface strikes during prime feeding times.

1. Using a fly with a long knotless leader and tippet and strike indicator, especially in cold, clear waters.
2. Abundant aquatic insects and rocky bottoms where smallmouth bass often hunt.
3. This method works exceptionally well when targeting those fish that favor hunting on river smallmouths.
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Big smallmouth bass prefer to hang out in places where current brings food directly to them, like sandbars, creek mouths, and sharp drop-offs. And, these areas generally offer multiple forms of cover, such as sand, rock, and riprap, that they can hide beneath.
These tips are applicable for the bass fishing world in any water. Still, for maximum effectiveness, it would be wise to conduct research into how your specific body of water behaves and then create tailored strategies specifically tailored for it. Understanding their movements within the river increases the odds of you successfully catching them from shore.
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Conclusion

Topwater smallie fishing is pure adrenaline—from the explosive eats to the bulldog runs in the current. But catching big river bronzebacks, especially quality smallmouth, isn't about luck. Success often comes from targeting deeper water where these fish stage, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When conditions align, you can experience a good topwater bite that keeps the action fast and furious.
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Want to Level Up Your Smallmouth Game? Let's Fish.

At Frontier Anglers TN, we specialize in topwater river smallmouth trips that get you into the action—close-range eats, aggressive surface strikes, and the kind of days you don't forget. We know where they hold and how to make them eat, from pre-spawn river stretches to late-summer ledges.

Call or text us today, or book online—your next smallmouth topwater blowup is just one cast away.