Both the crayfish and minnow are replicated well with plastic lures.

Suwannee Bass are energetic fish. When they see a lure or bait they like, they launch at it and strike hard. When angling along a rocky or wooded underwater structure, such as sunken logs, the use of a crankbait will prove successful.

Try cranking around a limestone rock bank with fallen trees or brush where the water depth is 10 feet or less. The Rapala DT6, Storm WiggleWart and Bass Hunter’s Bass Magnet are most successful with the Suwannee in these conditions. Use colours in crayfish or Firetiger and use a 6- to 12-pound test line.

Other good lures to use are a 1/4- to 1/2-ounce spinnerbait such as the Snagless Sally in-line spinner, 4- to 6-inch plastic worms, grubs and 1/4-ounce jigs with plastic crawfish trailers.

When casting a baitcaster or spincaster, find a steep bank and make short casts toward the bank. As the Suwannee Bass hide under outcrops around underwater debris, many of the strikes will come from the bank.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission backs up this claim. Jerry Krummrich, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was able to gather enough research from experienced anglers that illustrate that most river bass strikes occur off steep shorelines by shallow, silt-covered bottom zones with lily pads.

Fishing Tackle

The Suwannee Bass does not get much bigger than one pound, with the largest ever caught coming close to four pounds. Light fishing tackle is recommended for catching Suwannee Bass but care must be taken when selecting bait size as the largemouth bass in the same distribution can easily reach over ten pounds. For this reason, ultra light tackle is not recommended.

An eight to 12 pound test line is recommended due to the nature of Largemouth Bass being in the area. Keep the drag loose in the event of a strike by a lunker largemouth.

Plastic Baits

Both the crayfish and minnow are replicated well with plastic lures. Another successful plastic lure is the plastic worm. Small plastic worms can also be very effective at catching Suwannee Bass.