Pro angler Jay Przekurat shares brown bass wisdom thatโll work right now.
In the northern and middle America states, smallmouth bass are either in post-spawn or post-post-spawn, meaning transition away from shallower spawning areas to deeper waters.
With regards to the former, the smallmouth bass post-spawn period, as B.A.S.S. Elite Pro Jay Przekurat defines it, is โbasically any water temps 60 degrees or higher. Summer patterns come into play from the high 60s through 70s, although depending on the locationโlike northern waters into Canada, smallmouth can spawn into August.โ
Przekuratโs quick to point out that the โpost-spawnโ period means more than just surface water temperature.
โWeโre talking if itโs a windy day and the water is turned up and itโs 60 or greater bottom to top. And, for the most part, with water temps in the 60s, Iโm basically fishing the same presentations I use during the spawn.โ
For the young ace that meanโs drop-shots, Ned Rigs, jerkbaits, and other baits you โcan get around beds and over rock and sand flatsโฆ things that stay up off the bottom.โ
โThen, as water temps climb into the upper 60s to 70s, you start getting algae growing on rocks and stuff like that, making it a little harder to drag baits. A small black, purple, or black/purple marabou jig is great during the spawn and keeps catching fish a long time after, too. A lot of guys give up marabou jigs after the spawn, but smallies will eat them pretty much all the time.โ
As smallmouth vacate shallower haunts with escalating water temps into summer patterns, Przekurat starts โbeefing up spawn and post-spawnโ baits. For example, heโll fish spinnerbaits, bladed jigs ala Strike King Thunder Crickets, and A-Rigs when the fish are positioned deeper, roaming, and really putting on the feed bag.
โDuring summer, smallies can be just about anywhere. It really depends a lot on wind direction and being in the right area with food, the right water temp, the right bottom, etc. Smallies will swim and swim and swim to get on food. They roam a lot farther than most anglers might think.โ
Thatโs where Przekuratโs electronics enter inโespecially during the post-post-spawn period of summer.
โI use my LiveScope probably 50 percent of the time. But a lot of times, honestly, itโs hard to consistently use LiveScope because the water is so clear and I can cast nearly 100 feet. On a lot of waters, casting to fish 50 feet out doesnโt get you much. The bass have already seen and heard your boat. So I look out as far as possible with my LiveScope, get an idea where the fish are, and make super-long casts. Then I keep my fingers crossed that they bite before theyโre aware of me.โ
When asked if he thinks the pinging from FF sonar turns off smallmouthsโor conditions them in some wayโheโs ambivalent.
โYou can spook them in clear waters, definitely, but smallmouth are inquisitive fish. They react to a lot of sounds and the presence of baits more positively than you might think. Drop an underwater camera and youโll have them come right up and bump it with their mouths. Theyโre curious.โ
Przekurat also likes fishing swimbaits in summer, casting them as far as possible, letting them hit bottom, followed by a slow retrieve back to the boat, never letting them touch bottom again.
โThatโs a great way to cover water, an easy way for any level angler to fish, and just a great way to get bites,โ says Przekurat.ย
Summer Jerks
When it comes to jerkbaits, Przekurat deviates from the cast, twitch, and pause crowd, once again making Olympian casts and working the bait quickly back to the boat. โI donโt let it sit there and pause it forever like a lot of guys. If youโve got a good wind going, throw it outโlike with the wind if youโre working down a breakโand rip it pretty good. At maximum, Iโll pause it only occasionally for two seconds. Iโm looking for the aggressive bass.โ
In terms of jerkbait gear, he likes 12-pound fluoro and Strike King KVD Elite jerkbaits that he says have improved action and needle-point sharp, triple grip hooks that donโt require swapping out.
Talking color, Przekurat says thereโs really only one color you need on most smallmouth waters and thatโs Pro Blue. โI might throw the Ayu pattern occasionally, but for the most part, itโs all Pro Blue. Just gets the job done everywhere. Matches a ton of bait.โ
Drop-shotting & The Damiki Rig
Another technique Przekurat puts into play from spawn through late summer is dropshotting. โ
โAs smallmouth transition out deeper, I start active LiveScoping. Obviously, you donโt have to worry about spooking them like when theyโre in five feet of water. A dropshot works great for tough fishing conditions. I always have one on deck in case I see fish close to the bottom,โ says Przekurat.
โThe Damiki Rig starts to play a lot, too, during post-spawn through summer. I donโt care what anyone says about post-spawn. Those fish will start to feed on alewives and pelagic baitfish right away besides gobies on the bottom. Post-spawn and summer fish arenโt always on the bottom, and they arenโt always suspended.โย
Orange Ainโt Just For Halloween
Looking ahead toward crawfish molting periods in mid-to-later summer, Przekurat has a few tricks up his sleeve, including transitioning from his confidence green pumpkin patterns to more vibrant bait hues.
โCome summertime, I’m always dipping my plastic tails and the like into orange stuff, making it as vibrant as I can. Earlier in the year I prefer more dull colors, but in summer, Iโll go to the more vibrant oranges and reds to mimic craws.โ
Favorite Summer Smallie Waters
Having fished north to south, east to west, Przekurat has had the opportunity to fish every bucket-list smallmouth bass river, lake, and reservoir in the country.
His favoriteโin terms of quality and size bronzebacks?
โNumber one is definitely Sturgeon Bay,โ says the Stevens Point, Wisconsin, native. โAnd number two would be the St. Lawrence River connected to Lake Ontario.โ
It should be noted that Przekurat caught a four-day total of 102-9 to win the 2022 Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence Riverโat the time, the record for smallmouth-only bags caught in a Bassmaster event. The feat earned him entrance into the Bassmaster Century Club and $100,000.
Take Home
Give Jayโs advice a shot on yourย local smallmouth waters. His tournament track record proves his methods work. Period.ย
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