FryDog62

I truly enjoy scraping the bottom for rocks with a variety of lures including: Football Jig Carolina Rig Ned Poop baits Neko

Well, I broke my favorite BFS rod - a Phenix Feather 7'1" LIGHT on a recent trip. I happened to stop into a new rod/tackle shop in the Minnetonka area and they had their rods 30% off. They had a new Phenix Classic BFS rod in the 7'1" and I picked one up. I can tell it's a little more sophisticated version of the regular Phenix Feather. To get additional distance throwing light 1/16th oz hair jigs, I considered getting the 7'4". However, the tip felt a little too light. If you've ever had a hard-charging smallmouth boat side it's a challenge landing a fish with a longer/light rod. I would liken the action of the Classic BFS to be somewhere right in between the regular Phenix Feather LIGHT and the Dobyns 700 BFS rod. I think the slightly softer tip will help me get a little more distance when casting the small hair jigs. Plus the handle is about 1.5 inches shorter than the Phenix Feather LIGHT was, so a little extra rod in front to get distance when casting. Have only cast it around on dry land so far, looking forward to getting out and trying it on the water soon ~

For me, Livescope is extremely important in terms of helping to identify the right structure for where smallmouth are vs. seeing actual fish. 360 Imaging is key too - between those 2 you can ID the high percentage spots and develop a strategy/game plan. But you will rarely see a fish or group of smallies to cast to.

You asked me about top lures for river smallmouth - and this is def a top 3 especially if there is cover or you need a more lazy/action spiral.

Another good option are Owner Phantom hooks. Similar to a Stupid tube except the Phantom rig is more center-weighted so you get a slower sink and spiral action. Best on 3 to 3.5 inch tube size, 2.5's probably won't fit.

Or poop on his hook and he calls it a JDM scat lure and goes fishing?

Texas Rig - 12 lb Sniper Jigs - 17 lb Tatsu

You need a lighter rod to get enough load to throw a 1/16th oz hair jig. Medium usually doesn’t cut it…

Dang gravel lizards keep hitting my Geecrack Free Rig… I guess they like the smell of burnt Fritos too ?

I fish the baby sized Deps Cover Scat, Yamatanuki, and the one you could consider adding - the smallest Fish Arrow "Heavy Poop." I throw them all on BFS - Phenix Feather 7'1" ML with a Curado BFS reel and 7 lb Sniper. The smallmouth in particular like the pumpkin/chartreuse colored Heavy Poop.

The rod I'm looking at is the one that KP Duty referenced. Waypoint Angler Supply in Spring Park, MN carries them and actually has them 30% off right now: https://waypointanglersupply.com As far as BFS reels - I have a Daiwa Air TW and Curado BFS... both would work great. I use 7 lb Sniper, or 6 lb Tatsu...

Berkley's new Slobberknocker (chatterbait) and Power Blade (spinnerbait) have longer hooks for the specific reason of eliminating the need for a trailer hook.

I'm a big fan of throwing hair jigs with fluorocarbon - I think you get a much better and more uniform sink rate. To minimize line twist I use BFS. Although I use a 7'1" Light baitcasting rod, I am considering a 7'4" option. I really don't like going longer than that - since smallmouth tend to make a run as they get close to the bank/boat and a super long/light rod gets cumbersome at that point.

Agreed, and for whatever reason in our area - when the water temp hits the magic 53 degrees - I automatically get strep throat and miss work for a week..

Yes, keeps plastics straighter, swims more horizontal, more durable with the centering pin... and the 5 inch Caffeine Shad absolutely fits perfect on the 4/0?

I've used similar - the down side was 2fold: 1) You don't get the center weight quite as well to keep the Caffeine Shad horizontal, and 2) The plastic seems to sag in the middle after a few casts. Between these two, it kind of works but tends to fall a little more like a wacky worm. Hard to explain, but just doesn't seem the same in terms of fall, sink rate and swimming effect. In a pinch, yes you could, but wouldn't be my preference...

In that depth I would go weightless. It’s a unique fluke style bait, you can swim it or jerk/twitch.

Best I’ve used for river smallmouth has been a Cover Pop. It allows you to either walk-the-dog or use as a standard popper. As Gimruis said above, sometimes there are current breaks, seams or open areas - so it’s good to be able to retrieve in different ways when needed.

Here's the correct 5 inch Caffeine Shad: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_KVD_Perfect_Plastic_Caffeine_Shad_5_8pk/descpage-SKPCS.html And the right hook is critical, either the 4/0 weightless, or the 4/0 3/32 oz depending on depth - but in a shallow river go weightless: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Twistlock_Light_Hook/descpage-OTLL.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_Light_3pk/descpage-OWTL.html

ALX IKOS Buzz, or its slightly more expensive version in the ALX ZOLO Dream. I have them both, extremely versatile and not as tip heavy as many St. Croix models.

4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT is the only hook I use for 2 reasons: 1) It balances out perfectly with a 5 inch Caffeine Shad to swim more horizontally. 2) Despite it being a “LIGHT” hook, it is in between a light wire and regular hook. I have never bent one out in 10 years and have even caught big pike with it frequently.

Nothing swims like the Caffeine Shad with that bubble tail... 21.5 inch river smallmouth below ~

Best lure I’ve used the past 10 years for river smallmouth is a 5 inch Caffeine Shad rigged on an 4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT hook. It swims and darts horizontally vs. traditional nose-weighted flukes that just dive straight down and often get stuck on the bottom/rocks, etc. Many times with a twitch or two you can get the Caffeine Shad to swim along with the current by itself and cover a lot of water or pockets/seams. Truly a unique and amazing lure at times. The air bubble in the tail is the secret sauce that makes this fluke bait rise above the rest. If fishing deeper banks and/or deep weed edges for largemouth, go with the same Owner hook but use the 3/32 oz weighted option. Color for the Caffeine Shads - Glacier for sunny days, Pearl Blue when it’s overcast - but they all work.

Although the SV reels from Daiwa are compact, I'm not a fan. I used to have a dozen of them from Tatula to Steez. I still have two SV's I use for skipping lures but traded the other ten off. The SV reels just don't cast well IMO... yes, they prevent backlash but at a cost - casting distance.

The times when I use XF are: Football jigs/bottom contact (Perfect Pitch Heavy-XF) helps to feel the rocks/structure. Free-Rig - to feel the sinker hitting bottom and/or make contact with the lure (Phenix Feather MHXF) Texas rig - you want to be in contact with the weeds/cover but not stuck in the middle of them. XF helps you know the difference. Dock skipping weightless/light lures (Tatula Elite Ehrler M-MH XF, or NRX 852c). Feel the fish inhale the plastic.