Ok, So You're Fishing A River For Smallies. What's Your 'go To' Bait And Why? 2024
YaknCole23 reply :
Water temps 60+ TIA!
scaleface reply :
TIA ?
Felixone reply :
On 5/6/2015 at 4:02 AM, scaleface said:TIA ?
thanks in advance. Sorry have yet to fish specifically for smallmouth bass so I can't help any further.
Scott F reply :
When the water in the river is in he low 60s, the smallies are starting to move onto beds. That's when I look for something else to fish for.
Hurricane reply :
Love the Rapala DT6 in craw... Or a spinnerbait or silver buddy...
Scott F reply :
On 5/6/2015 at 7:28 AM, 716BuffaloChris said:Love the Rapala DT6 in craw... Or a spinnerbait or silver buddy...
Any bait that dives 6 feet in one of my rivers gets stuck on the bottom. Same with silver buddies. Both of those baits are snag city in the rivers I fish.
Senko lover reply :
I would be chucking a senko, spinnerbait, and popper.
Hurricane reply :
On 5/6/2015 at 7:39 AM, Scott F said:Any bait that dives 6 feet in one of my rivers gets stuck on the bottom. Same with silver buddies. Both of those baits are snag city in the rivers I fish.
Try going with a tube or a shallow diving crank
a1712 reply :
3.75" Back Room Bait's Paddletails, color appr. for water clarity. Juniata and Susquahanna Guides order them 500 at a time, they catch fish. Water gets a bit warmer, Spinnerbaits and Squarebills. Brian.
Ozark_Basser reply :
Tube, jig, shallow crank.
Scott F reply :
Smallies are moving onto their beds with water temps getting over 60. No matter what you throw, the bites will be tough for a few weeks.
retiredbosn reply :
Depending on your latitude they could be post spawn, my home river doesn't see 60 till summer, bass spawn in the 50's. Although a warm water fish smallies thrive in cooler temps than their cousins. Anyway they should be active, obviously a 4" curly tail smoke 1/8oz ball head, 5" flukes, if they're feeding on chubs or suckers a gold blade spinnerbait, with a brown/gold skirt, motor oil with chartreuse grub for trailer. Pop R's work great, 6" lizard watermelon red flake weightless, and finally a bitsy bug jig 3/16 or 1/4 brown skirt with a little orange and a rage tail chunk. Good luck and let us know how you do.
EvanT123 reply :
If I'm fishing smallies in a river. Which I do 99.9% of the time. I always have two baits ready to go. A fluke and a tube. Pounds and pounds of plastics and hundreds in hard baits still can't beat the fluke or tube for me.
ChrisWi reply :
not all fish spawn at once though. So you can really catch fish at any stage.On 5/6/2015 at 8:43 AM, Scott F said:Smallies are moving onto their beds with water temps getting over 60. No matter what you throw, the bites will be tough for a few weeks.
jitterbug127 reply :
Tubes, jerks, shallow cranks, flukes, poppers, senkos and spooks are pretty much all I throw. Maybe a spinner. Some guys like dropshot, but I've never used them. Never caught a fish on a jig, but I am still working on it. Soft creature baits are ok.
The best baits fir me gave been jerkbait or tubes.
I fish a shallow river religiously, and the bite is tough, but these baits are all you need.
MSWV reply :
I often fish the New River in WV and Tubes, Senkos, Grubs, Squarebills, and Topwater are the baits of choice.. If the water is stained, try a spinnerbait. Fish calmer water thru postspawn, then go to current during summer..
Zach Nute reply :
There are a few baits that really come to mind when I think about smallmouth river fishing.. First would be a shaky head... I like throwing Reins Ring craw on it. Next would be a underspin, preferably by Buckeye Lures, or Punisher Lures. On that underspin I like to put on a reins Fat Rockvibe Shad! Lastly, I enjoy throwing a rattle trap, cant go wrong with that!
Frenchman83 reply :
From what I have gathered most people like 1-2 finesse baits and 1-2 reaction baits. You pick! So far I like spinnerbaits, swimjigs/flukes, tubes and a craw on a shakey head.
FryDog62 reply :
Yamasenko or hula grub...
BigSkyBasser reply :
Depends on the time of year. Pre Spawn is usually a universal favorite for smallie fisherman. Water temps are fluctuating and most of the larger fish if found shallower will be aggressively feeding and can be caught on most presentations. We live and die with a drop shot rod in the hand. However the just last week caught all of our nicer fish on wacky rigged stick baits and swimbaits.
masterbass reply :
Senko, x-raps and grubs
cgolf reply :
I have 2 that have caught 90+% of my river smallies over the last 8 years. Bandit 100, comes through rocks very well, and the 2.5" yum Crawbug. Both are capable and have caught the biggest smallies in my river system. While other baits catch fish, these have been very consistent for me from the opener to ice.
Subaqua Adinterim reply :
I have had some success on black bodied with silver blade rooster tail spinners or the watermelon body with gold blade in NY streams. Also a small jig with a Mr. Crappie black silver tuxedo 1& 3/4" crappie thunder grub.
Mass Bassin' reply :
The river i fish has a channel only 5' and the rest is knee deep so i toss a senko up current of a rock or stump and let it drift past and the fish takeing refuge from the current will dart out and grab it, but when im just drifting down river ill toss a spinnerbait or a jerkbait with a fast cadence
Dalton2018 reply :
I like to use a perch jointed scatter rapala, a yum bait that looks like a crawfish with a jig head in it, or a rooster tail
Danturner reply :
Hands down a heddon tiny torpedo in natural leopard frog pattern is my first go to on a river in the slower holes. The lure is very versatile in that you can crank it along the top, jerk it, or let it sit and pluck your line like a guitar string to simulate an injured bug (cicada, beetle, etc). However, if the shallows are sluggish and not hitting on top I'll jump to a brown or dark green tube with a weighted jig head (gitzit) and bounce it across the bottom and stir up some dirt to mimic a crayfish which seems to really wake me up. In the summer heat I hit the trophy am allies hanging out under a tree in the shade in slower holes with a simple soft plastic and hook with a twitching action through the water near the top about 0 to 1 foot down as it seems to offer the least spook to the wary old lunkers. Midrange though anything rapala seems to do fine I try never to go too aggressive with crank baits as experience has taught me that anything that clicks or rattles underwater does catch am allies but can spook the larger wary bass when the water warms up.
clayton86 reply :
All I fish lately is a small river for smallies although this year I've had a fly rod in my hands for it if the last month but I've used regular gear usually in the past. My go tos are white double tail grubs(mister twister, kalins,Arkie, rage, zoom) weightless flukes, manns baby -1, white spinnerbaits, rapala jointed J7 or J9, and husky jerks or pointers. Once summer hits I have a lot of luck with small buzz baits as well.
Catch 22 reply :
On 5/6/2015 at 7:46 AM, a1712 said:3.75" Back Room Bait's Paddletails, color appr. for water clarity. Juniata and Susquahanna Guides order them 500 at a time, they catch fish. Water gets a bit warmer, Spinnerbaits and Squarebills. Brian.
Tell me more about Back Room Co if you would. Maybe pm me, thanks.
I have messed up many smallie lips with a 3" avocado/red speck paddle tail when the water is clear. I like the black or smoke 3" sting ray grubs on a 1/4 head too.
C22
Quebecbassangler reply :
If it's pre spawn,cranks tubes plastics they all work,if their spawning and just guarding their beds they will be reluctant to hit much,plastics (worms,shad color minnows,crawfish)usually will get some strikes and find they work best for smallies up here during spawn,then again I have seen both large and smallmouth brush a plastic bait run slowly across their bed with their closed mouth,just to get it off their spot,other times I will get a reaction strike or protect the nest hit and those are usually on plastics
FishTank reply :
When I first went fishing specific for smallmouth several years ago, I was introduced to the Fat Ika. I have been using it with great success for large mouth. I plan on using it again on smallmouth as soon as I can get to a good spot again. I use to be a small mouth magnet.
Turkey sandwich reply :
A good start would include twister tail grubs, tubes, some basic spinnerbaits/Crankbaits and some top water standards like spooks, pop-Rs, Skitterpops, etc.
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