RIVER Smallie Thread 2024

smallieking reply :

hey was thinking about this for awhile i thought it would be a good idea to create a thread just dealing with river smallies so we could discuss success, failure, techniques/presentations, ask and answer questions and have fun

AKFerzy7 reply :

i just fish everything down stream. mostly shaky heads.

smallieking reply :

by downstream u mean just drifting baits?

pondhopper reply :

Great idea! Especially since I have a lot of river action on my plate for the up coming season.

smallieking reply :

lol yea me too i figure that almost about half of the smallmouth bass fishing topic is all about rivers so i thought it would be cool just to make a thread so we can discuss things here

mikel7 reply :

River smallies.com is just what you want

BUCKEYEone reply :

I've never fished a river for smallies, but cant wait to get started. Here is what I have learned so far: the weekend I decide to start fishing river smallies the river will flood to 4 feet above flood level. Not off to a good start

roadwarrior reply :

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River smallies.com is just what you want

Well, there are a few of us here that fish rivers for smallmouth, too:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1204041316

8-)

Grey Wolf reply :

This whole section is dedicated to small mouth , why would you want to break it down even farther .You either fish them in streams or lakes.Please clear this for my feeble mind to understand.

AKFerzy7 reply :

i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

Davis reply :

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i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

Same except I'm on shore because the creek is not very wide. Maybe 20 yards wide. Toss em up stream in the rapids and let her come down.....nails em. 8-)

skeeterman24 reply :

I'll be river fishing for smallies a lot this year too. I guess my biggest thing is seasonal movements on a river. Will the be deep even though there is current and have the same patterns as on a lake?

fishnaddiction reply :

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i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

Same except I'm on shore because the creek is not very wide. Maybe 20 yards wide. Toss em up stream in the rapids and let her come down.....nails em. 8-)

yea i like this technique alot too its not my go to presentation though i like fishing shallow in the morning then going to deeper pockets then if the heat and sun gets really bad then i go to the rapids and current for key bites

So what is every's favorite river smallie bait? mine would have to be the tube

basspro48 reply :

Are we just talkin small rivers here?

Because I also fish large tidal river systems for smallies as well as the smaller creeks.

smallieking reply :

anything dealing with current so yea large tidal rivers my favorite river bait would be a yum crawbug or baby craw

Yakangler reply :

I fish tubes at least half the time, all sizes. Also cast small suspending crankbaits with good success. Like to anchor just below riffles and nail 'em. Anxious to get back on the water this spring (WV) and work some more jigs.

Tin reply :

A River/Tidal thread would be sweet.

I fish the CT River for smallies with a white albino tube, drop-shot pillings, and thorw either Bandit 100 or SK series 1's around rocks where the current really rips around them.

I can't wait to get up there.

smallieking reply :

u do good on the strike king series 1? i tryed that crank a few times on a few rivers but never any success

basspro48 reply :

My favorite year round baits for the big tidal rivers are an LC Pointer 100 in chart/shad, Spro lil John in rootbeer/chart, Green pumpkin ZOOM finesse worm on a drop shot, and my homemade finesse jigs in PB&J.

A 3" tube texas rigged with a light weight is probably the best smallmouth bait for smaller rivers and creeks ever made. It drives em nuts, but small hair jigs and senkos have also done well for me.

Tin reply :

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u do good on the strike king series 1? i tryed that crank a few times on a few rivers but never any success

Yup, just slamming it into rocks. It's so cheap if the rocks destroy it isn't like destroying a LC.

Mobydick reply :

Can we post about streams also on this thread?

smallieking reply :

sure because creek fishing is just about the same as river fishing what is your favorite creek bait moby?

AKFerzy7 reply :

bandit 100s work well for crashing into rocks. havent destroyed one yet

smallieking reply :

o really? ive been looking for some durable cranks for that very thing ive been using rapalas which work great but if i wack one of a rock on the cast they just explode and the bill damages up quite quickly after a few days of banging in boulders hmm thats interesting thanks alot ak do u have suggestions on color or anything?

WV_Eagle reply :

My best results on the Potomac are either drifting (usually tubes or craws....have had some success with Berkeley Gulp minnows and gobies too) or pitching up to the riffles as others have noted.

Note to Yakangler. What river are you fishing in WV?

fishnaddiction reply :

hey WV i was wondering if u fish the south branch of the potomac i fished it once im not sure if i have the right name its really clear well that river is the best river i ever fish for riffle smallies i have never had the much success drifting baits through riffles like that

smallieking reply :

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My best results on the Potomac are either drifting (usually tubes or craws....have had some success with Berkeley Gulp minnows and gobies too) or pitching up to the riffles as others have noted.
Note to Yakangler. What river are you fishing in WV?

when u say drifting are u just drifting riffles or are u drifting wing dams or timber?

WV_Eagle reply :

Just drifting riffles...

fishnaddiction reply :

hey WV can u tell me excaltly how u drift ripples on rivers? i do good sometimes by throwing a single tail grub downstream and dancing it back up through the riffles but how do u do it?

Mobydick reply :

I mostly fish a small crick. We use rapala jointed shad raps in the spring, I went through 2 of them last spring. Then when it gets into summer, we throw tubes, senkos, and wooly hawgtails. Then in fall, it's spinnerbaits, and larger crankbaits.

smallieking reply :

hmm intersetting i use rapala jointed shad in the fall and then chatterbaits, worms and tubes in the spring then a bunchof stuff in the summer on creeks i never had any luck on spinnerbaits period

WV_Eagle reply :

Fishnaddiction,

I'm definitely no expert so this is for what its worth....

My general pattern is to anchor below some riffles or a ledge and pitch up to it and allow it to drift back over the ledge or around the obstruction. We have a lot of limestone ledges running laterally or diagonally across the Potomac where I often fish and the smallies like to lay up under or aside them. Often I'll just drift with the current usually on the steeper side of the river (for whatever reason, I always seem to do well where there are cliffs, even if they don't come down to the rivers edge) until I get to my next spot. If I'm feeling lazy I'll just let it bounce the bottom behind but more often I'll pitch it out at a 45 degree angle and bring it back to the boat slow.

Otherwise the standard stuff...bridge abuttments, large rocks or trees in the current, etc.

I make NO claims that I have it figured out (far from it!). This just what seems to work best for me. Heck, I learn new stuff on here all the time and these guys have way more time on the water than me.

fishnaddiction reply :

o ok thanks that great info my cousin showed me a way of fishing lures in current and i tryed it on one of the branch rivers of the potomac and i knocked them dead with it so i thought since u fish the potomac your info would be good which it is thanks

skip reply :

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hmm intersetting i use rapala jointed shad in the fall and then chatterbaits, worms and tubes in the spring then a bunchof stuff in the summer on creeks i never had any luck on spinnerbaits period

With spinners in the river. You might try placing an inline spinner at the top of a "chute" (with the point of the V down stream) and letting the current dictate the depth and speed (depending on the current you may have to do a slow retrieve) . Then when the spinner passes the point of the V start the retrieve.

Strikes will happen as the spinner comes back to the chute.

The small mouth in the lehigh river (NE PA) like to hide in the eddies and backrollers near the V point. Maybe its the same where you are too.

Also, just about anything that looks like a hellgrammite will work wonders.

skip

smallieking reply :

hmm yea i fish them and catch some on them no quality to the fish idk why either it seems to be a great bait but only dinks or rock bass will eat them i found alot more success using softplastics hmm idk i fish a bunch of different rivers and i really never found them really effective i will use them on creeks though for trout and catch a few

roadwarrior reply :

This is THE big smallmouth spinnerbait:

3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade

8-)

skip reply :

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hmm yea i fish them and catch some on them no quality to the fish idk why either it seems to be a great bait but only dinks or rock bass will eat them i found alot more success using softplastics hmm idk i fish a bunch of different rivers and i really never found them really effective i will use them on creeks though for trout and catch a few

Yeah, they are defiantly not the go-to bait in NE PA rivers either (at least for me). I haven't really given the other spinner baits (single will ow or otherwise) a chance...maybe I'll give that a shot this spring...

Tubes, tubes and tubes....with top water hard baits during select times of year.

But if you were going to try the spinner again...I would suggest finding some non-smooth water, and feeding the inline spinner down through the shoot and retrieve back to the point in the rapid 'V'.

There is a tour/guide group in the Lehigh Valley for small mouth fishing in the Delaware river (I think they are linked from this site)...who I ran into one night who strongly suggested Mephs #4

skip

Bassnbrett101 reply :

dot let him fool you, its not all tubes tubes tubes up here. I did great this year on jerkbaits and sammies. But everyone does use tubes.... lol

smallieking reply :

YEA skip i like your thought process tubes tubes topwater letal combo but yea like brett said u need different presentations in your arsenal as well

Brett what type of jerkbaits do u use? ive used the husky jerk and x rap both produced but not like i want them too just wondering if there is a secret bait or technique out there that i dont know about

Rick_T reply :

I like to use the Storm Rattlin' Chug Bug. It's a top water bait. It makes a great chug sound when you give the line a little snap.

I cast it near the shoreline and also around large rocks/structures. The water should be fairly calm and not too fast of current for best results.

skip reply :

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dot let him fool you, its not all tubes tubes tubes up here. I did great this year on jerkbaits and sammies. But everyone does use tubes.... lol

Since I can't post links yet... search this site for Husky_Jerkbait for a good article on this bait.

I read this article on this site. I use jerkbaits...I just didn't know that they were called that. To me there are far to many niche names/baits. I've always just considered these a type of crankbait. I'm still learning these things.

ANYWAY....the jerkbait is one of the hard baits I was talking about during those special times of year when you are tired of the tube

Interesting

skip

fishnaddiction reply :

i really dont like using the hard type jerkbaits but i love flukes

SmallieFever reply :

I live in upstate Pa, but once or twice a year travel to Harrisburg to fish the Susquehanna...it's my absolute favorite place to fish, period. My best trip down was last spring. The water was a bit high and stained and bass were transitional...some moved up in the grass on beds others scattered about. The bites were few and far between. We later moved up a tributary where the water was clear and 95% of the bass were on beds and VERY willing to bite our 1/8oz. watermelon tubes. We caught at least 30 a piece at the end of the day with four 4lbers and a 5lber and the average was 16". I had the time of my life and I hope to do the same here in a month or two when I make another trip down.

smallieking reply :

o really im going to the sus in may for the first time i keep hearing good things about it i cant wait im going with my neighbor and using his boat so i will be limited on the tackle i can take whats your favorites for that river?

Bassnbrett101 reply :

Skip i would have to say the only jerkbaits i buy anymore are made by lucky craft. I have tried every other brand out there but i just dont get the same results, you can catch a fish at any time of year on these baits. They are expensive but they're worth it, as long as you are good at casting anyway lol

Bassnbrett101 reply :

and btw i hate flukes 8-)

smallieking reply :

hey brett where do u buy your lucky crafts? the closest i know of is is at BPS in harrisburg just wondering because usally i cant get easy access to them

SmallieFever reply :

Smallieking,

I've caught them on rogues, various color tubes, senkos and "little beavers" with great success. I've seen guys do well with jig n pig and spinnerbaits although there weren't good numbers, just a few real good fish. It should be a blast. I know I can't wait!

smallieking reply :

o cool i like using rogues just dont have alot of success on them do u know of the natural forage in the sus? i know craws but is there shad in it?

MNGeorge reply :

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i really dont like using the hard type jerkbaits but i love flukes

I'm agree wholeheartedly. Except for topwater, I'd rather catch Smallies on soft jerk shads than any other presentation. ;D

fishnaddiction reply :

Hey MN whats your favorite piece of structure to use flukes around?

SmallieFever reply :

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o cool i like using rogues just dont have alot of success on them do u know of the natural forage in the sus? i know craws but is there shad in it?

I'm almost positive there are shad, but I've never used a bait on the susq that actually mimicked a shad specifically. All the jerkbaits were rogues, lucky-craft, yo-zuri, or something similar to that...nothing with a fat body like a shad. Summer is when I've had the best success with the jerkbait on the river...all in "natural" colors and small sizes.

brianbjk reply :

First of all what a great idea for this thread. The stretch of the Wisconsin river that i mainly fish is preatty dirty so i'm somewhat limited as far as jerks go. But i do really good on chompers tubes ( which are garlic scented i think that helps ) i haven't had much success with anything else. But this year i'm definately going to try more shallow cranks and colorado blade spinners. maybe some lizards and that fat ika roadwarrior has mentioned so much. Can't wait for the ice to melt and warm up around here. had record snow falls this year.

smallieking reply :

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o cool i like using rogues just dont have alot of success on them do u know of the natural forage in the sus? i know craws but is there shad in it?

I'm almost positive there are shad, but I've never used a bait on the susq that actually mimicked a shad specifically. All the jerkbaits were rogues, lucky-craft, yo-zuri, or something similar to that...nothing with a fat body like a shad. Summer is when I've had the best success with the jerkbait on the river...all in "natural" colors and small sizes.

o ok thanks i have a box just filled with shad minic cranks im goint to take it along with a box of jerkbaits then a bunch of softplastics i sure hope i can find a pattern

MNGeorge reply :

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Hey MN whats your favorite piece of structure to use flukes around?

Any kind of current break. Below islands, eddies, shallower flats etc.

Bassnbrett101 reply :

chompers tubes are amazing, i use the black neon, the green pumpkin and the smoke purple

smallieking reply :

really? my favorite tube is the zoom tube in green pumbklin or junebug

skip reply :

x2 on the pumpkin and I'll add watermelon....both with glitter/spots.

Phishin Fillip reply :

I fish on the New and Rappahannock rivers. I can't wait this year to start canoing them but all other years I have just waded.

smallieking reply :

yea fishing out of canoes on floats is alot of fun

fishnaddiction reply :

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Hey MN whats your favorite piece of structure to use flukes around?

Any kind of current break. Below islands, eddies, shallower flats etc.

o ok i was wondering if anyone uses them for around down trees?

smallieking reply :

hey fishn a good lure for trees is a senko rig it weightless and add a small lead insertion weight into the belly of it pitch or skip the bait into the tree and let it fall in use heavy fluoro or braid though because when u get a fish on game on

fishizzle reply :

Another crazy pattern I noticed on the CT river is to throw a tube near big carp in 2' of water and when the carp swim away the smallies eat up whatever is stirred up from the bottom

This happens during the summer with low clear water in Enfield

I saw some locals do it and they hammered them

crazy huh

smallieking reply :

yea there alot of carp in the rivers i fish i will have to pay attention to that wow great tip

BUCKEYEone reply :

Heading out for a couple hours tonight, I'm going to have to drudge through muddy and snow covered banks all night, but hopefully I'll figure out a way to get a bite!

smallieking reply :

hey man good luck hopefully u figure them out and catch a bunch

BUCKEYEone reply :

first day to hit 50 in central Ohio, so I have to give it a shot. I'm taking my little brother out to see what he's made of, so hopefully all goes well! With all the snow melt the water levels are up and muddy, any tips would be appreciated!

roadwarrior reply :

Cold, muddy water is a poor recipe for success.

BUCKEYEone reply :

I know, I know, but even if I leave having hooked nothing, at least the lures got wet, and I've been waiting to do that since November!

Grey Wolf reply :

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I know, I know, but even if I leave having hooked nothing, at least the lures got wet, and I've been waiting to do that since November!

Go scratch your itch and good luck , those are some tuff conditions.

BUCKEYEone reply :

As predicted, the only thing I hooked was a limb. The river was up about 5 or 6 feet, so it was hard to even find a decent spot to TRY to fish. The closest I came to a fish was walking over the dead Saugeye that got stuck on the shoreline from when the water was up a few days ago. The itch was scratched though, first time out this year!

smallieking reply :

welll at least its good to get out of the house for a little bit im stuck waiting for the warmer weather too man it seems so far away

fishnaddiction reply :

yea buckeye what lures were you trying? just wondering im having trouble catching bass right now too

BUCKEYEone reply :

Honestly, I tried a little of this an that, just to play with some lures. There was so much flooding that just under the water was a good 3 feet of thorn bushes and nasty underbrush, so I didnt throw anything I couldnt afford to lose. I just played with different rigs, but it was impossible with the current.

smallieking reply :

yea sounds really tough all the run off well i hope u do alot better the next time u get out hopefully the conditions arent as bad

nralover reply :

I fish them on 8 pound mono- all of my luck is with berkely gulp minnows, senkos, and hula grubs. I texas rig everything and use a very small bullet weight so the bait kind of bounces along the bottom with the current.

smallieking reply :

does anyone use topwater frogs for smallmouth on rivers?

bigseth12 reply :

I guess i will jump right in with my first post i only fish a river thats by my house im not really big on fishing but i like river fishing well i throw a frog sometimes on it my favorite is the bronze jr. i like it for bank weeds just cast it over there and retrieve it and those smallies will come up for it

smallieking reply :

o really? cool i have to try them this year has anyone started fishing rivers yet this year?

pondhopper reply :

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does anyone use topwater frogs for smallmouth on rivers?

I have tried them on a creek I fish a lot with mild success. The Zarra Puppy in the bullfrog pattern can be killer there, however.

smallieking reply :

i fish creeks sometimes but i have never tried topwater anything on them a buddy of mine fishes creeks all the time and he is going to try frogs this year on them

alarcher reply :

New to the site but a smallie lover and this thread has helped me already with awesome info. Thanks guys and keep up the fantastic advice!

smallieking reply :

really thats awesome welcome to BR

fishnaddiction reply :

what color tubes does everyone use for river smallies?

justfishin reply :

Throw up river my friend and use control in your slack for tubes and such, it will up your catch big time.

fishnaddiction reply :

yea ok thats what i do but i never catch as many as everyone else that i see throwing tubes i want to know what color everyone uses

smallieking reply :

junebug and green pumbkinseed are my favorites

WTRDOG reply :

Black blue flake,smeared in smelly jelly......

Bassnbrett101 reply :

I use four colors for all my fishing, Green pumpkin, smoke purple, black neon, and rootbeer with a red and black fleck. Can't go wrong with those four colors!

Sharkbite reply :

How about Sankos and Wacky Rigs in the river?

brianbjk reply :

i love throwing wacky rigged senkos for smallies in rivers. throw them i high percentage areas or once u have found some. i like to throw a crank or spinner until i find em then slay em with senkos and tubes

Sharkbite reply :

Ok great so I need to locate the fish with spinning or crank the hit with a sanko. What about T & C rigs? I don't have a boat yet so I am about to pick up some waders off ebay brand new Hogdman. Will these be safe in the river? So I should fish currents and rocks? What about under a bridge ther is more of them around then anything else

smallieking reply :

all depends on time of year and the depth of the water. Smallies will move into current when the water temp rises. They will go under bridges if it is deep. Just try a lot of spots intil you figure out what the fish are doing

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