What One Lure Can Always Catch Smallies For You? 2024

wwarren8200 reply :

Post a pic or write about your most reliable smallmouth lure and technique. Write about how you fish it and where or even post a pic of your biggest smallmouth. Thanks, Will W.

wnybassman reply :

I've caught them dragging tubes on every body of water in the state of New York that I have fished club and state tournaments on with the exception of the Hudson River, though I tried.

wwarren8200 reply :

Nice! I have nearly the same approach! Thanks, Will W.

tomustang reply :

Tubes and trickworms

Jar11591 reply :

YCB Hulagrubs and Storm Chugbugs have caught me more smallmouth than anything else. I fish the Hulagrubs anywhere there is a rock pile or drop off, and the Chugbug I fish early morning and as soon as the sun starts to set.

WIGuide reply :

I've caught them all over on a drop shot, usually with a finesse worm, or some other small bait made for the technique.

wwarren8200 reply :

The diversity yet utter simplicity of smallmouth anglers are shockingly all the same! My fav is dragging a tube or weightless super fluke jr's in Arkansas shiner or baitfish. Thanks, Will W.

Jig Man reply :

Melon pepper tubes; swimming or hopping.

smbrule! reply :

Tubes, tubes, tubes.

A-Jay reply :

That would be "The Magic Lure" ~ and I've yet to find one.

Despite the rather prolific population of smb here in northern Michigan, there are plenty of occasions that one is battling to keep the Skunk out of the boat.

Still, a drop shot and some type of small thin soft bait can often get an angler at least a couple of brown dinks.

But when the football sized bronze backs shut down, you might as well rollup the side walks and head for the barn.

A-Jay

NathanW reply :

You still got to find them but...

Drop shot will catch them any day of the year in ANY weather conditions. Which bait? Roboworm. I don't love throwing it, but that's the truth.

plumworm reply :

I have to go with everyone who said tubes. Dragging a crawfish colored tube works for me most of the time

wwarren8200 reply :

Wow I can't believe the simplicity of smallies! Now I realize that if you can't catch them on a finesse worm, craw/tube, or drop shot , they just aren't biting. I can't believe we are over complicating fishing for these magnificent fish. Just keep it simple guys/girls and they will bite. Thanks for the help,Will W.

Scott F reply :

On 2/12/2014 at 4:50 AM, wwarren8200 said:
Just keep it simple guys/girls and they will bite. Thanks for the help,Will W.

I wish that were the truth. It CAN be simple, it doesn't HAVE to be complicated, but it doesn't mean they WILL bite!

Siebert Outdoors reply :

Tube or jerkbait If one doesnt work the other will.

tbone1993 reply :

An old rapala fat rap ( fr-5) in brown crawdad color. I only have two of them but they have caught smallies almost everywhere I have thrown them.

wwarren8200 reply :

Nice. I have three custom cranks that I can always rely on, a buddy of mine paints them.

st041986 reply :

On 2/11/2014 at 10:18 AM, tomustang said:
Tubes and trickworms

Same answer for me as well.

papajoe222 reply :

For rivers and streams, I like a Mepps spinner with a yellow or chart. blade. For lakes, I prefer a SuperSpook Jr. , but I've caught more on a tube (green pumpkin with the ends dipped in Spike-It)

EvanT123 reply :

I like to think smallies will always eat. I generally start top to bottom. Topwater, fluke, grub then tube.

Those are all one type of lure. The specifics are up to the user.

flyfisher reply :

On rivers i can always catch them on a nose hooked 3-4" stick bait. Not the most exciting fishing but it never fails to produce

wwarren8200 reply :

Nice guys, my bait that always gets em is a 3" senko (green pumpkin) dipped in spike it. Thanks,Will W.

jkroosz reply :

Keitech shad impact on dropshot, or scrounger.

Felix77 reply :

Keitech EZ Shiner on a 3/16 bullet, draggin' Tubes or a drop shot and roboworm.

bulletboy3286 reply :

Im gonna have to say shakey heads, tubes, or finesse worms on a river system.

JayKumar reply :

Rootbeer curly-tail grub on a jighead (max 1/4-oz). Never fails.

wwarren8200 reply :

Thanks for the advice guys! It really helped me out! Thanks, Will W.

CJV reply :

My top 3 go to smallmouth lures would have to be 1) tube 2) jerk bait 3) drop shot .... If they aren't biting those three I head for the ramp!

ww2farmer reply :

If I am targeting them specifically, seems like a 4" senko on a wacky jig head always gets me a few.

Andy Fishes reply :

Go to bait? Tubes, flukes, and grubs. Other baits I like are jerks, wacky rigs, and shad wraps. If you want proof tubes produce I invite everyone to check out some of the fish they have produced and will continue to produce. Thanks ahead of time for stopping by!

wwarren8200 reply :

Thanks for the advice, Will W.

Crestliner2008 reply :

Over 40 years of fishing rivers and lakes, I've never found anything more reliable than a 3" curly tailed grub, on a 1/8 oz. plain jig head. This one offering has probably accounted for 70% of all the smallmouths I've caught (and released). Next would undoubtedly be the 5" Senko wacky rigged. Finally, if I'm fishing deep, off-shore structures, it's hard to beat the standard drop shot, with any kind of plastic you can imagine. The biggest hurtle you have to overcome is finding them!

Bassintheweeds reply :

Frogs

wwarren8200 reply :

Thanks for all the great feedback, Will W.

basseditor reply :

Tubes or 3" grub sixteenth or eight ounce weight

Hogsticker reply :

On 2/18/2014 at 10:25 PM, Crestliner2008 said:
Over 40 years of fishing rivers and lakes, I've never found anything more reliable than a 3" curly tailed grub, on a 1/8 oz. plain jig head. This one offering has probably accounted for 70% of all the smallmouths I've caught (and released). Next would undoubtedly be the 5" Senko wacky rigged. Finally, if I'm fishing deep, off-shore structures, it's hard to beat the standard drop shot, with any kind of plastic you can imagine. The biggest hurtle you have to overcome is finding them!

This, with the 1st option being a lipless crank

wwarren8200 reply :

Thanks for the great ideas,Will W.

roadwarrior reply :

These are my top producers:

Fat Ika

Rage Tail Baby Craw

LC Pointer & Smithwick Rogue

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

Berkley Hollow Belly

Bandit 200

Wiggle Wart

retiredbosn reply :

I grew up fishing the New and Greenbrier rivers for sheer numbers nothing beats a 4" curly trail grub smoke with black flake, max 1/8oz plain jig head, on those rivers. If you want more quality then craw imitators, bitsy bug jig with trailer. I find lake smallies more challenging.

Phauren reply :

No one has said beatle spins.......................... they are setting you up for failure! Seriously beatle spins in black or yellow

Southfork reply :

This has always worked for me when all else fails.

michael68w reply :

I always have lucky dragging a tube jig (I like poor boys 3.5 inch tube the best) or swimming a 5inch grub. I stick to really basic natural colors(pumpkin pepper, dark melon with purple,blue or copper flake, most variations of green pumpkin)

dag623 reply :

Another vote for tubes here

MichBassMan reply :

Tube, grn pumpkin or white, hop it, drag it, skip it, it doesn't matter just keep it in the water.

Greenstealth reply :

Tubes. I'm going to add a little blade above the tube to my line this year to see how well it works. If I were a betting man I'd say that I will try it for maybe three tubes until it becomes a pita when I start to run into snags and don't feel like putting another blade inline when I have to tie a new tube on. I figure a little flash wont hurt.

flippin and pitchin reply :

As much as I love tubes and Hula Grubs, I have to agree with A-Jay. The drop shot with a Robo Finesse Worm or Fat Goby is as reliable a bait and set up as there is out there. It's good for small schoolers and big fish alike. All three are tied on though. "Find em with a crankbait and catch them with plastics" is what my buddy taught me.

Oregon Native reply :

Cashed a lot of checks out west on the Columbia River with a football jig, tube, and a 3" Yum dinger on a drop shot. One of those was alwas money.

bowhunter63 reply :

Rage craw on a rage or a fluke really produce in the river systems.

slainempire reply :

not as much 1 lure specifically but for river smallies nothing beats craw style cranks that range from 1'-4' just behind shallow rapids where it starts to drop off. gonna use megastrike craw for the first time this year and im excited to see the results.

grizzgreen18 reply :

white double tail grub on a char jighead, first lure i ever learned to use and still the one i always know will catch SM everyday i go

nastynate reply :

I go with tube. I have other baits that will slay smallies in different conditions but a tube will work anytime of the year in any condition.

Dwight Hottle reply :

Three baits cover it all. No plastics needed.

1-suspending jerkbaits

2-luhr jensen hot n tots

3-hairjigs

OkobojiEagle reply :

On 3/15/2014 at 4:45 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

Three baits cover it all. No plastics needed.

1-suspending jerkbaits

2-luhr jensen hot n tots

3-hairjigs

I'm assuming you troll the Hot 'n Tots?

SENKOSAM reply :

Skirted jig and trailer near rocks.

pafishing717 reply :

belive it or not the daredevil spoon has been a vary good lure for smallmouth it was used to catch the sm in my profile pic

doyle8218 reply :

On 2/11/2014 at 8:41 PM, smbrule! said:
Tubes, tubes, tubes.

That's it !!!

normmcclean reply :

Lucky lady 3" red and black twitch worms run wacky on 132 slant head or weightless. Small presentation that kills even when the fish have lockjaw

DevilsAdidas reply :

I use 3" power grubs on a 1/8, 3/8 jig. when its colder i do not use a spinner and when its warmer i use a spinner. The smallies in the little miami and surrounding rivers love these. i have also found this year that my coffee vasaline attractant really seems to help when coated on the lure.

eli2 reply :

If I could only take one lure, it would have to be a green pumpkin tube.

Stingray23 reply :

weightless 5" Zoom fluke. 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. Killer

bassinKS reply :

Snack DaddyLures elite tube!

roadwarrior reply :

Rage Tail Baby Craw

Shane J reply :

Baby Craw has probably been eaten by more smallies than any other bait in my bag. The Grub is a close second.

roadwarrior reply :

On 3/26/2014 at 6:15 PM, Shane J said:
Baby Craw has probably been eaten by more smallies than any other bait in my bag. The Grub is a close second.

Fat Ika is another suggestion.

J Francho reply :

It kind depends on the lake. If you said Erie or Ontario, I'd say a small plastic on a drop shot, most times of the year, since they are out deep. If it's a Finger Lake, I might pick a spinnerbait or a fast topwater. Lakes up in the ADK, I'd probably say a grub.

Some baits are better in certain circumstances. Getting bit is more about using a bait that gets to the fish, and through any cover

Big Fish Rice reply :

Dropshot. None better.

Spotswood reply :

For me, I always reach for a 3-4" crayfish imitator like a chigger craw, or hair jig. But, last year I started favouring a shaky head with 5" worm, which is what fooled this beauty.

phototex reply :

For the biggest smallies, I like to fish rocky dropoffs at night with a 3/8 oz. sinle spin - black blade, black skirt, black trailer.

Smallie Seeker reply :

The fish in the pic is one of my better Missouri stream Smallies which I caught on a GYB creature bait. In fact most of my bigger smallies have came from the GYB. Don't get as many numbers but I'm usually the one out of the group who's got the biggest fish by the end.

Now my personal best smallmouth it was on a Rebel crawdad crank bait when I was fishing a 20+ mile 2 day trip in a southern MO stream.

It was late into the afternoon of day 2 and my buddy and I beach the canoe on the downside point of a small gravel island. Beautiful spot where the left and right channels of the stream merge back together and a good rapid forms. I catch several little smallies from the right and left side while wading in the middle. I toss my Rebel crawdad crank one last time to the right side channel and it gets slammed, rod buckles over and drag starts screaming on my Shimano Sahara as the fish bolts downstream. My buddy runs over and right as I'm saying how I think it's a catfish, the Smallie makes a huge jump at least 50 yrds downstream and my heart stops! My buddy grabs the net and I manage to fight her all the way back up stream, only to watch her dart through my buddies legs, and instincively right into the swift right side channel and back downstream again. Somehow I get her back upstream, and she breaks for the left side channel and back downstream once again?!?! For the third time I fight her all the way up the rapid, buddy nets her while toppling backwards in 3 ft of water, and all I see is his hand sticking up out of the water holding the net up with my fish in it! She was awesome! Lotta girth and had to be hovering around 4.5 lbs. We high five, take some nice pics with my phone, release her and finish the float. Fast forward to that evening, I'm nodding out in the passengers seat when buddy pulls over to the side of road to adjust the canoe on the roof and I hop out to help. Get back in car and a few miles down the highway he asks if I got my phone? I tell him it's in the middle console and he says that he had grabbed it thinking it was his and tossed it in my lap while i was sleeping... Well there's still a Blackberry cell phone on the side of hywy 44 in the weeds with pics of my trophy Smallie on it. I had marked the length on my pole and it turned out to be just over 22''. And I gots nothing but a story and an eyewitness!?!? By far the greatest bass fish fight I've ever had.

Moral of the story? Just because you catch several little smallies out of a spot it doesn't mean there's not a hawg under there that's not as fast as the little ones. And don't drop your phone that has the only pics of your personal best in the weeds!!!

ol'crickety reply :

For sheer numbers of smallmouth, it would be an orange F13 Rapala, which casts far, can be seen in the chop, and is most likely to trigger a strike in the first three twitches, although I have seen them hit the water and go straight down. Other than Senkos fished wacky style, which I use to follow-up a missed surface strike, I don't fish soft plastics much. On certain days, plain Mepps number 3 spinners in brass will catch fish after fish after fish.

bassboy33 reply :

If there is one lure that will always produce for me, its a 4 inch watermelon grub rigged on a 1/8 oz ball jig head. I simply cast it to the river bank (I fish the Columbia a lot) and simply hop it off the bottom and swim it a little.

MichBassMan reply :

Tube

Bassin207 reply :

What do you guys like using specifically around rocks? thanks

BassinBryce reply :

It seems I'm missing out because I don't fish tubes that much but I've always been able to get them on a hula popper or a jitterbug in the morning and dusk an a curly tail grub when they are real finicky

Kevin22 reply :

I don't think I have ever fished a senko around smallies and not caught them.

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