Getting Smallmouth off Live food

i would say try to starve it until it takes other foods

Yup. You're gonna have to starve them.


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Where did you get them? I got mine from jonah's aquarium and It ate bloodworms, clam, and beef-heart frozen cubes right away. I do not know how long they were kept in an aquarium, or even if they are a captive bred smallmouth bass. Honestly, bloodworms work for any fish I ever get, then I switch them over to something else like beef-heart and squid. I'm just posting my experience with the one bass I have, so listen to the others more than me since I've only had the bass since February. I have read that they love crayfish. I would feed mine crayfish if I could find any that are for food and not pets.

i easily got LMB fingerling and fries onto mysis shrimps and bloodworms cubes, you could try that

I usually just put all of the types in at once (usually just bloodworms and beefheart, but sometimes clam and/or squid).

I did throw dry pellet food in there once for my bluegills, and the bass was so eager to get fed it swallowed half before realizing he does not like them. He could not spit out the pellets since he swallowed them all before the realization.

I never have fed my fish live food, so I can't say it would work 100% of the time. It is worth a try.

I would switch them over to krill as they float, once they get use to you feeding them start to drop in floating pellets as well during the "feeding frenzy". They will initially spit them out, but will eventually start to take them.

I found freeze-dried Krill is like crack cocaine for fish. They definitely get addicted to it. Might be easier to transition from Krill to pellet than live food to pellet. If nothing else Krill is a lot easier to feed than live food.

the stuff my bass eats are:
freeze-dried krill (I think because it is close to crayfish)
beefheart cubes
Hikari food sticks (sometimes)
squid cubes
cut up clam meat
live earthworms
bloodworms

Any might work, and it is healthier for them if you vary their diet (from what I know). Please update how it is going so we can help if you need it or just for fun (If you want to). I am happy that they are eating krill.