When should I throw moving baits instead of finesse?
Try a surface or moving presentation when fish are feeding up or searching shallow flats, weed edges and rock features. This can happen beyond dawn in Canadian water where temperature, light, cover and prey suit fish. If fish will not chase, adjust speed or depth and use a precise presentation; do not decide from the month alone.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about What this means for fishing
- What are the best conditions for a smallmouth trip?
- Why does finesse fishing rule for smallmouth?
- How do I fight a smallmouth — bow to the jump?
- What about barotrauma when I catch smallmouth from 10 m (33 ft) or deeper?
- What is the best season to catch a trophy smallmouth?
- Do smallmouth bite at night?
- Does rain help or hurt smallmouth fishing?
- How do I avoid deep-hooking smallmouth on finesse baits, and how should I hold one?
- Is live bait effective for smallmouth bass?
- Can you troll for smallmouth bass?
- Do in-line spinners and spoons still catch smallmouth?
Same topic, other species
- What is spider rigging? — Crappie
- How should my approach differ between clear and stained water? — Largemouth Bass
- What release gear do I need before targeting muskie? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- How should I run an ice hunt with electronics? — Yellow Perch
- What is the ice-fishing playbook for pike? — Northern Pike
- Why do people say a thermometer is the most important trout tackle? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- How does a crawler harness work, and when should I pull one? — Walleye