Best Smallmouth Bass Lures of 2026, Tested

Smallmouth bass are among the most exciting game fish to target. They’re accessible, fight hard, and crush a wide range of hard and soft-plastic baits. The best bass lures for smallmouth depend largely on where you chase bronzebacks.

Great Lakes smallies get most of the attention because of their sheer size, including the 9-pound New York state record caught in 2024. But anglers can find aggressive smallmouth in rivers and lakes across the country. To narrow down the best smallmouth baits, I focused on popular techniques and selected lures that pair well with each tactic. Here are the best smallmouth bass lures you can buy.

best ned rig bait

Z-Man Finesse TRD

The Ned rig is one of the best presentations for smallmouth bass, and the Z-Man Finesse TRD is the best bait for it. The Finesse TRD is made from Z-Man’s Elaztech material, which is extremely durable and buoyant. The result is a bottom-bouncing bait that dances along the bottom with its tail floating up. Because it’s so durable, a single Finesse TRD can catch dozens of fish before you need to swap it out. A Ned rig paired with a Z-Man Finesse TRD is one of the most reliable smallmouth baits out there.

best tube

Strike King Coffee Tube

A soft-plastic tube is a classic smallmouth bait, and the Strike King Coffee Tube is a perfect example of what to look for. For this technique, you’ll need a jighead designed specifically for tubes. Unlike most jigheads, you’ll actually slide this one up into the cavity of the tube before tying it on. Once you pop the eye of the jighead through the nose of the tube, you’re ready to finish rigging. Tubes are a beefier and heavier bottom presentation that pair well with spinning or casting gear. These baits are best suited for swift water.

best drop shot bait

Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm

A drop shot is one of the most effective smallmouth finesse presentations you can fish. I like to use a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm on this rig. While there are two sizes of this bait, the smaller MaxScent Flat Worm measures 3.6 inches and perfectly mimics a small baitfish nosing around the bottom. The drop shot allows the bait to wash and wiggle around with an uber-realistic action, all while keeping it in the strike zone. Greens, browns, and golds work well for bass relating to goby—the favored prey on many northern smallmouth fisheries—while silvers, whites, and grays are better when smallmouth are relating to other forage.

best spy bait

DUO Realis Spinbait 80

The DUO Realis Spinbait 80 is the poster boy of spy baits. Outfitted with two small metal props on the front and back, this slow-sinking lure can be fished right along the surface like a small topwater or wakebait, or you can let it sink down to a desired depth, where it can be slow-rolled back to the boat. A steady retrieve creates a slow-rocking movement. Pairing this subtle action with the spinning props is enough to trigger a reluctant smallmouth to strike. Not to mention aggressive takes from feeding fish.

best jig

Great Lakes Finesse Marabou Jig

A marabou hair jig is one of the sneakier smallmouth baits. While the Great Lakes Finesse Marabou Jig and other lures like it certainly aren’t secret at this point, this technique still requires resolve to implement. Because of this bait’s lightweight, fluffy nature, it’s hard to throw and must be crept along to keep it down in the water. But if you have the skill and patience, a marabou hair jig can unlock the jaws of stubborn smallmouth faster than anything else.

best swimbait

Keitech Fat Swing Impact

Paddle tail swimbaits like the Keitech Fat Swing Impact paired with jigheads are some of the best baits for targeting smallmouth. These lures can be fished on either spinning gear or casting gear at fast retrieves to cover lots of water—a critical element to finding and catching pelagic smallmouth roaming flats. Alternating between the 3.3-inch and 3.8-inch versions of the Fat Swing Impact will help you dial in on what the bass want on any given day.

best jerkbait

Megabass Ito Vision 110

Jerkbaits and big smallmouth go hand-in-hand, and the Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait to throw for big bronzebacks. The consistently erratic action of the Vision 110, paired with its long list of over 100 color choices, has set this bait up as the best jerkbait for targeting smallmouth, no matter what forage they’re chasing or what the conditions are. The old-school pump-pump-pause retrieve works well, but don’t be scared to mix it up.

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