Creek Bass 2024

BooyahMan reply :

Anyone fish small shallow creeks for bass? If you do, what is your method of choice for targeting these fish and what is your PB creek bass to date? There is a tiny creek that is maybe a foot deep in the summer and 10 feet wide (huge estimates as I'm bad with guessing distance) and I target the Largemouth with size 0 or 1 spinners that I put together myself.

Here is a photo of my PB, a 14.5 incher. You can sort of see the creek in the background:

Ozark_Basser reply :

Catch some crawfish in the creek and see what color they are. Find some soft plastics that mimic the crawfish in the same range of color or better yet get a sane and catch some of your own to use as bait. Jackal I shad's in green pumpkin rigged on a shakey head reeled slowly on the bottom work really well in the creeks where I used to live also. When the waters warm, I always did really well pumping smaller swimjigs with a twin tail trailer attached. If you have casting gear, a Rebel F30S in Gold/Black rules in the summer in NW Arkansas on the Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek.

mrmacwvu1 reply :

Floating jerk baits, tubes, and finess worms for me.

Montanaro reply :

Poppers can be really fun

Wacky senkos

Those fish are usually uneducated and hungry. Small and simple usually does it

BammerBass reply :

On 11/27/2014 at 5:11 AM, BooyahMan said:

Anyone fish small shallow creeks for bass? If you doarbeled t you, what is your method of choice for targeting these fish and what is your PB creek bass to date? There is a tiny creek that is maybe a foot deep in the summer and 10 feet wide (huge estimates as I'm bad with guessing distance) and I target the Largemouth with size 0 or 1 spinners that I put together myself.

Here is a photo of my PB, a 14.5 incher. You can sort of see the creek in the background:

Nice one!! Love that green coloration. Id say finesse worms, crawfish, and heck, even live night crawlers could get you some nice results. Now that I thi k about it, I've had a few catches in our local creek several years ago that would run a good 2 lbs easy. There sre indeed good bass to be found in creeks, heck a buddy of mine caught his biggest bass ever in that same creek. It was 8 lbs 9 oz on a black zoom worm. Id imagine once you get a good feel for that creek you'll be pulling 3 and 4 lbers regularly, and you'll eventually run up on a hog.

Paul Roberts reply :

Great thread idea! I've LOVED little creeks. My dad and I spent countless hours perusing local creeks. No planning, just get in the car and drive til we came to a creek. We fished jigs (mostly) on UL tackle and caught whatever was there -various minnow species, bass, pike, pickeral, and trout. We fished both hair/feather jigs I tied myself and plastics: curly-tails and grubs w or w/o an overhead spinner (for visibility, buoyancy, and "grip").

I came to especially love stream smallie fishing. As to size, it depended mostly on stream size (volume in particular). They ranged from 10" to 14" on most small "creeks". Rivers produced fish up to 22" for us. Some mid-sized streams could give up 15ers. Small small tribs of lakes had spawning runs and in those waters smallies topped out from 15" to 18". At the trib mouths the fish could break 20" But, I was and still am, just tickled to catch... whatever's there. I still love 9" smallies on UL tackle. I could catch them all day, and have.

Creeks can hold big popns of smallmouth too. I didn’t tend to tally but I did have a 100 fish day on a mid-sized creek once. It was always fun to see how many we could catch from one pool, and where the big ones were.

I found few streams with LM in my area though, bc most waters had too steep a grade. But I did have one that was slow and running through swampy ground that had both LM and crappie in it. My best there was in the 14” class that took a small Bayou Boogie lipless. I remember that fish and that lure and that strike really well. I don’t know why it’s so etched in my mind. Maybe it’s my general love of plying moving water for hidden surprises. That LM bolted up from a grassy embankment and engulfed the little plug at my feet. I can still picture it, although it was nearly 40 years ago. And it still gives me a rush.

Streams require really active, target oriented fishing. It’s just plain fun. Maybe the best “fishing” there is.

Bluebasser86 reply :

One of my favorite after work spots is a creek. I mainly catch them on topwater, shakyheads, and wacky rigs. Most are around a pound but I caught 4 pound largemouth several years ago while I was actually fishing for catfish with a chunk of cut shad. I've caught lots in the 3lb range, mostly on the shakyhead and wacky rig.

Ozark_Basser reply :

Another thing to mention about creek fishing is stealth. Long casts and being quiet are just as important if not more important than bait or technique. Big bass can be really weary in creeks with such shallow, clear water. My biggest weighed smallmouth out of a creek was just over 4 lbs. Biggest largemouth was probably about 4 lbs, didn't have a scale, but I've caught a whole lot of creek bass between the 3-4 lb range.

BooyahMan reply :

Great advice and stories so far! I definitely agree with the stealth aspect; these fish are always incredibly easy to spook but they are d**n aggressive when they don't notice you. The largest one I've seen was a chunky Largemouth that looked to be in the 3lb range but the second I saw it, it saw me and bolted.

Forgot to mention that I also use 2" plastics (curly tails or swimbaits) to catch them too. I mostly sight-fish for the bigger ones and if I don't spook them first, a well positioned cast will usually elicit a strike. Even if I can't spot them, a long cast and burning the lure back many times would get an aggressive chaser or two. There is one exception to this that sticks out in my mind though. There was one bass that I thought I had spooked after making a couple of terrible casts. Moved down the creek a bit to where it had settled but couldn't get it to strike the swimbait when I was just burning it back. Decided to kill the retrieve right in front of the fish and saw it inhale the lure in the blink of an eye. I don't think I've set the hook faster since.

I think creek fishing and frogging are my two favourite ways to target bass.

Ozark_Basser reply :

On 11/27/2014 at 3:41 PM, BooyahMan said:
I think creek fishing and frogging are my two favourite ways to target bass.

That smallmouth that went a tad over 4 lbs was caught on a black Spro Bronzeye frog. Don't discount the frog on creek bass, especially in the dead of the summer with high skies when creek bass get buried up in shady spots or in heavy cover.

BooyahMan reply :

On 11/28/2014 at 5:13 AM, Auggie14 said:
That smallmouth that went a tad over 4 lbs was caught on a black Spro Bronzeye frog. Don't discount the frog on creek bass, especially in the dead of the summer with high skies when creek bass get buried up in shady spots or in heavy cover.

I plan to try it next summer. The short section of creek that's fishable had a few trees come down which created a couple of logjams; should make for some interesting fishing and hopefully some good bass will hide there.

Ozark_Basser reply :

On 11/28/2014 at 5:25 AM, BooyahMan said:
I plan to try it next summer. The short section of creek that's fishable had a few trees come down which created a couple of logjams; should make for some interesting fishing and hopefully some good bass will hide there.

I'd say you'll find some there. One more thing, a jitterbug at night in the summer can be a whole lot of fun. Just watch out for snakes. Oh wait you probably don't have snakes where you live. Lucky you. We have cottonmouths here that love to follow a jitterbug right to where you are standing. We tend to stay out of the water at night and where a headlamp.

VtGr0wn reply :

Small yamamato senko at least 4 inches,that or a creature bait...

10-15 inch river/creek smallies all day long not huge but fun fish, smallies fight till the end!

hoosierhawghunter reply :

My PB came from a creek about as wide as a semi. 5 ft deep is the deepest it got. Spillway from lake. Caught a 7.4 on a ribbit frog.

Quantumbrick reply :

I second the wacky rigged senkos. Probably one of the most suble techniques.To cast to a sight fish, drop out a bit, usually a few feet depending on how far you are casting, of line and let the lure hang. Then pull out some line from the reel, this also depends on how far you are going. Slowly start moving your rod until the lure begins to swing like a pendulum and once it gains enough force let go of the line you are holding and give the rod tip a flick. With enough practice you can toss it about 25 feet and have it slip into the water without a sound. As a plus there is no fast movement which will spook creek bass and it is very satisfying to do. On a final note, try going with a multiple piece ultralight, a bobber, small hook, small weight and a few nightcrawlers, it's probably my favorite thing in the world watching a bobber move or a rod tip bouncing. Man this post brought back memories. Cheers!

HoosierHawgs reply :

Stick worms have done it for me as well. Small jigs also do a good job of mimicking the natural forage (crayfish). Most of your presentations are going to be a lot subtler than they would in a larger body of water. With so little water fish are much more aware of everything around them. How much pressure does the creek you are fishing get?

gulfcaptain reply :

There aren't many "creeks" to fish in around where I live, but there are some bass in some of the flood control channels. Just have to find the right holes. And when you find the right hole it's pretty good fishing in some of those overlooked places. Found dropshottng works really well.

BassnChris reply :

On 11/28/2014 at 5:39 AM, Auggie14 said:
Just watch out for snakes. Oh wait you probably don't have snakes where you live. Lucky you. We have cottonmouths here that love to follow a jitterbug right to where you are standing.

When I read the topic of the post......that is the first thing that came to my mind.........Snakes ......Yikes!

BooyahMan reply :

Thanks again everyone for such awesome advice. I can't wait to try these techniques next season!

On 11/28/2014 at 11:00 PM, jakob1010 said:
How much pressure does the creek you are fishing get?

As far as I know, it's just me and a couple of friends, though a group of kids recently discovered it as well. It's a very short stretch as most of it is protected salmon habitat, so there really are only 2 or 3 spots depending on water level. It gets real tough in the dead of summer when it's running low as those fish seem to bolt no matter what I do haha. I have had them come back to grab lures though if I let the run calm down for half an hour.

On 11/28/2014 at 5:39 AM, Auggie14 said:
I'd say you'll find some there. One more thing, a jitterbug at night in the summer can be a whole lot of fun. Just watch out for snakes. Oh wait you probably don't have snakes where you live. Lucky you. We have cottonmouths here that love to follow a jitterbug right to where you are standing. We tend to stay out of the water at night and where a headlamp.

No snakes thankfully. The only thing we have to worry about is the odd cougar and in very rare instances, bears. I think I'm more worried about being mugged at this spot as it's not well lit but still in an urban area.

On 11/28/2014 at 12:35 PM, hoosierhawghunter said:
My PB came from a creek about as wide as a semi. 5 ft deep is the deepest it got. Spillway from lake. Caught a 7.4 on a ribbit frog.

Now THAT must have been something! Well done! The creek I fish never gets near to that depth, and when the water does come up after some rain the bass seem to vacate. I'm guessing Largemouths don't like current too much. Wish we had Smallies!

Ozark_Basser reply :

On 11/29/2014 at 11:44 AM, BooyahMan said:

Thanks again everyone for such awesome advice. I can't wait to try these techniques next season!

As far as I know, it's just me and a couple of friends, though a group of kids recently discovered it as well. It's a very short stretch as most of it is protected salmon habitat, so there really are only 2 or 3 spots depending on water level. It gets real tough in the dead of summer when it's running low as those fish seem to bolt no matter what I do haha. I have had them come back to grab lures though if I let the run calm down for half an hour.

No snakes thankfully. The only thing we have to worry about is the odd cougar and in very rare instances, bears. I think I'm more worried about being mugged at this spot as it's not well lit but still in an urban area.

Now THAT must have been something! Well done! The creek I fish never gets near to that depth, and when the water does come up after some rain the bass seem to vacate. I'm guessing Largemouths don't like current too much. Wish we had Smallies!

I'll take snakes over bears and cougars any day. When the water comes up I always target places that provide refuge from current and fish REALLY tight to cover. I've always found it harder to catch a bunch of good fish with higher water than lower water though. I love it when the water gets real low in the summer. Those bass get really predictable and they feed a whole lot more. You just can't let em know you're there.

Paul Roberts reply :

Snakes, cougars, bears -use respect and wherewithal, not fear.

greentrout reply :

I live in the Bayou City with bayous and creeks off those bayous. In truth, our creeks look like ditches many times. But don't let that fool you, the LMB lives and thrives in those slow moving waters in 90 plus degree weather. . The width of the creek is no more than 3 yards at times.

Old school basser....

unageo09 reply :

I love creek fishing! Especially in the summertime. The top fish was caught on an Alabama Rig, the smallie on a Storm Wild Eye Shad.

SRQbass reply :

I fish a clear manmade creek in Florida with topwaters. it is about 6 inches deep in most places, and produces a lot of snook and tarpon as well. My PB from that creek was probably around 3-4 pounds on a doa lures 4 inch cal shad. I was actualy targeting snook at the time.

SRQbass reply :

On 12/1/2014 at 11:20 AM, greentrout said:

I live in the Bayou City with bayous and creeks off those bayous. In truth, our creeks look like ditches many times. But don't let that fool you, the LMB lives and thrives in those slow moving waters in 90 plus degree weather. . The width of the creek is no more than 3 yards at times.

Old school basser....

My favorite creek is full of runoff and looks like a ditch in the side of the road; but I guess that's what it is. I actually prefer this because nobody thinks to fish it, so a lot of the bass aren't familiar with lures and will eat anything.

BooyahMan reply :

On 12/5/2014 at 6:04 AM, SRQbass said:
My favorite creek is full of runoff and looks like a ditch in the side of the road; but I guess that's what it is. I actually prefer this because nobody thinks to fish it, so a lot of the bass aren't familiar with lures and will eat anything.

Exactly this. No matter what I'm fishing for, I love finding spots that most people would just walk by without a second glance. I've gotten this down for Steelheading but am still learning a lot when it comes to Bass and where they can be found.

paul25 reply :

Small pop r's, finesse jig's, and zoom lizards have done good for me in my local creeks , with lizards doing the best most of the time

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