Shallow Crik Help

[gall]

well like most areas in the us ive been hit hard be hot weather and no rain and lately the bite has died at the crik i can see a lot of smallies but they are just holding in the current and not making an attempt at any baits i run by them i know its probably due to the heat we've had and no rain but does anyone have any tips on baits i can use to maybe get a strike from them ive tried top water cranks lipless cranks soft plastics etc even my go to soft plastic craw hasn't produced bites i need help asap

[traindog71]

Been dealing with the same conditions here in KY, I have had the most luck very early in the morning, from 6AM-10AM, before the heat sets in. Most of my strikes have been coming on weightless Texas rigged 3" Bubblegum Yamasenko. Usually by 11AM the bite is gone for the day even though I can see them holding in the riffles.

[gall]

thanks for the tips ive been doing the same thing going early before the sun creeps in its just so painful seeing a nice bruiser sitting there 5 feet infront of you and knowing you cant do anything about it

[smalljaw67]

thanks for the tips ive been doing the same thing going early before the sun creeps in its just so painful seeing a nice bruiser sitting there 5 feet infront of you and knowing you cant do anything about it

Part of your problem is they see you too, with no rain here the water is gin clear and the fish can see you so not only do you have to keep yourself from being visible but you also need to downsize the bait. 3" senk style worms on a split shot rig using a size 2 octopus hook is a great way to get spooky fish to bite.

[gall]

ive downsized my bait to a 2.75" craw and ive been trying to hold off its just sometimes im walking along in the shallows and then one just slowly cruises up near me luckily i think we have a cold front coming through this week im hoping the bite will pick back up

[Matt22Ratcliff]

Ive been dealing with the same conditions here in Indiana and surprisingly the bite has not slowed nearly as much as expected for me, Sure im not catching the 3-4 lbers like in early spring but I can still go out and catch 4-10 smallies a day with a few 2 lbers mixed in, plus I normally only can fish mid day with some evenings sprinkled in. The key has been finding the deeper holes and or heavy structured areas. Try dragging a tube very slow across the bottom and WATCH your line very closely a lot of tube strikes occur on the fall or pauses after you drag it when you have quite a bit of slack in your line, if your line takes off reel in the slack and SET THE HOOK! Some days when the bite is really tough I've found that the best way for me to still catch fish is to VERY slowly drag the tube and allow at least 30 seconds in between drags it seems to really entice the finicky fish to strike.

Hope this helps best of luck!

[flyeaglesfly5186]

"Ditto"

TUBES TUBES AND MORE TUBES!

I guess the smallmouth in the Schuylkill river are ballsy. They literally swim right past me as I'm wading. And I've caught them as close as a few feet off the tip of my rod. We've had alot of low water conditions around here and it has made for some awesome holes to just stand next to and hit for hours at a time.

[gall]

thanks for the advice and what color tubes do you use i looked at my craws and there a mix between a blueish gray and a green pumpkin having a hard time finding the perfect color and do you reel it slowly or twitch it across the bottom and yeah flyeagles ive seen some bruisers roll up close to me and just sit there like im nothing same with the musky they are really ballsy around my area

[gall]

pretty similiar to that minus the orange pincers and slightly more a blue gray hint

[Matt22Ratcliff]

I use pretty much green pumpkin with everything, can't go wrong there. As for the action of the bait, let it get to the bottom and raise your pole slowly it is crucial when you are dragging tubes that you always keep the bait in contact with the bottom, after you raise the pole about a foot, lower it back down and reel in the slack, and repeat. Vary your pause time in between drags based on how aggressive the fish are.

[flyeaglesfly5186]

Geen pumpkin, brown, reddish brown. With the tubes it's all presentation.