River Smallmouth Lure Selection

[Mossyoakglock]

I have been fishing the Duck River in southern middle TN more lately and fish for pretty much anything that swims. I don't usually go after any one species since I just like being out and fishing. My main lure is a Rooster Tail since I can catch pretty much anything with it (Rainbows, Smallies, bream/bluegill/redeyes, etc).

 

The other day I caught a nice smallmouth and got to thinking I want to try and target them more. I have been reading up on lures and these are what I found to be some of the better ones.

 

Small Fluke

Heddon Torpedo

Buzzbait

Brushhog

Tube

Jig

Spinnerbait

Soft craw

 

When selecting color do I need to just go with a craw color/pattern or are there other colors to consider? Whites, shad colors, etc? I know water clarity and weather/season will play a factor but what about in general?

[Steveo-1969]

You shouldn't need to overcomplicate your color selection.  For soft plastics and jigs in my river I mainly stick to green pumpkin and watermelon red (or variations of these).  I've also had success on white flukes, but a buddy swears by green pumpkin flukes. 

[Cgrinder]

I like natural craw and tube colors in clear water. Matching the hatch isn't necessary, but I feel more confident if my craw looks exactly like the craws in the river. 

 

If there are rainbows around, a rainbow trout pattern Rapala X-rap could be very effective.

[Mossyoakglock]

I was mainly going to keep it in the crawfish color family and not go crazy with different colors.

 

With the topwaters I wasn't so sure. I didn't know if a shad color or chrome worked better on the top or if color really mattered.

 

I might pick up a Rainbow color Rapala or something. I actually caught the Smallmouth and Rainbow on the "Rainbow" color roostertail.

[Crestliner2008]

I would favor a simple 1/8 oz. ball head jig dressed with a 3" curly tail grub of your choice. Caught a ton of smallies on this over the years. They can be caught on just about anything that moves.

[Balshy Fishing]

I've said this in every other thread; Chartreuse Mister Twister Twister tails on a jig > 

 

Catch walleye and bass on 'em easily. 

[JayKumar]

Rootbeer or green pumpkin swimming grubs or hula grubs on a jighead = money! Other than that, crankbaits (Luhr Jensen Speed Trap is one of my faves for smallies) and topwaters (Spook Jr is one of my faves) are what I would fish. Good luck!

[Mossyoakglock]

Any particular color or pattern on the Spook Jr?

 

We went this weekend and had some decent luck. 1 or 2 smallies but a lot or Rock/redeye bass. And one decent Rainbow. Caught the Rainbow on a silver Torpedo and the everything else on a craw colored Bandit 200.

[starweldpro16]

I don't fish many rivers,but here is my read on the smallie in general.  I carry lures for top water,mid depth cranks or spinner baits,and stand up jigs and grubs. Colors are pretty simple. the curly tail grubs are chartreuse and smoke/glitter. The top water are Rapala or Storm brand,and what ever color suits the clarity, or my fancy, that day. I run from 2" to 5" floaters. If I have a spinner bait on,it's usually white. I do well with white. probably because I run it most of the time. I carry other colors. Chartreuse,black,brown and a green camo looking jobbie. Willow blades in nickel on the white. Cranks are Storm or Bomber. Blue/silver,black/silver or craw. I have a bunch of cranks and play around with different finishes,but I could live with these if I had to. As has been mentioned earlier,chartreuse grubs and jigs = money. My heaviest smallie came to a chart Galida grub on a plain ,unpainted, undressed stand-up jig. Can't be any simpler than that.

[CDobber]

I would favor a simple 1/8 oz. ball head jig dressed with a 3" curly tail grub of your choice. Caught a ton of smallies on this over the years. They can be caught on just about anything that moves.

Had this exact post running through my head today as I was fishing the bottom side of a dam for the first time.....didn't have success but the location that was available along the shore was too close to the dam, would have preferred being 50-100' down river.  Felt very shallow, even that light of a rig (with a small blade) was catching up on rocks and eventually broke off.

[Driftb]

When the water is low and clear, try a 3.5-4" tube or grub in natural colors, like Green pumpkin or root beer.  Make sure you get the hook size and weight right. Just heavy enough to hit bottom on a slow drop.  If the water color is stained, go to brighter colors, like Chart or white,  Stickbaits are can be good anytime, but especially in cool, somewhat stained water.  If the water is really riled up, I will fish a 1/2 oz spinnerbait white or chart with brass blades.  Evenings and fall, try topwater, and don't be afraid to go big. I like to walk the dog, but you'll have to figure out what works for you.  Poppers, props, dogs all catch fish.

[papajoe222]

I have two favorites for the shallow rivers I fish. A #7 Original Floating Rapala-Gold/Black and a Squirrel Tail Mepps.  I can keep both of these up off the bottom to avoid getting hung up and they're easier to 'steer' into productive areas than bottom bouncer's

[MN Lakes Area 14]

Try to pick up what your lake has to offer most. My lakes have abundance amounts of craws. Reds, oranges, browns, and blue too! Or maybe they feed more off the baitfish.. Once you know, base your colors more off that. And when you do figure it out, it's gonna change the way choose all your colors on your home lake!

[Turkey sandwich]

Keep it simple

Grubs/tubes - 2.5-4" on as light a jib as you can run and still get it to sink. I've gone anywhere from 1/32 to 1/4 oz depending upon the depth or the river, the current, and the activity level of the fish. Colors - keep it lifelike- think crayfish when the water is clear/lightly stained (pumpkin, green pumpkin, watermelon, watermelon red fleck, etc) as it gets a little more stained, I like using those same colors with a chartreuse tail. As it gets more stained, I'll use more chartreuse and/or something dark - junebug or black perhaps.

Also note - you want light line here. I like 6-8lb mono and no more than 10lb fluorocarbon. I've gone as low as 4lb with light jigs and finicky fish.

Crankbaits - you first want something that's going to be one smashing into rocks without getting hung. (Flat bills are great for this) Second, I like something that has a wider wobble (right now, I like Rapala's scatter rap) for fishing flats on the river where I can't see the weed edges or all of the underwater structure/eddies. Those things kick up sand/dirt/gravel all over the place. Colors - if it's clear, match the baitfish and crayfish they're likely eating. If the water is muddier, high contrast colors work great - everything from Sexy shad to chartreuse/fire tiger/clown, etc. I'm not on the water 3days a week anymore, but my rule was always to get crazier with the color as the water got murkier. Also, when the water is dark, rattles can come in handy.

Spinnerbaits - high visibility - willow blades, low visibility - Colorado blades. Keep appropriate weights to fish the water column. I treat the colors for spinner baits, just like plastics above. Also, if fish are coming up short or you're missing hits, a trailer hook is typically a good idea.

Topwater - note top waters float on their own, so a heavier 12lb+ mono line-leader can be a good call to keep the bait on top where it's most effective.

Walking baits - different sizes are great, but I've had a lot of success catching smallmouth on big ass Zara Spooks just walking he dog and pausing. I've been successful using spooks in the more lifelike colors and in stained water I keep crazy colored Yo-Zuri walking baits in my box.

Poppers - probably my favorite way to catch smallmouth in a river - the classic Pop-R is still great, but I love the Skitter Pop. I like to keep the colors natural and I've had several completely destroyed by bass, pike, and musky over the years.

Jerk baits - some people love them, but they haven't been my biggest producers. Colors are treated like above based on water clarity. Note - countdown and suspending jerk baits can be killers on lakes or ponds, but in the current, you'll be snagging/losing baits like crazy if you aren't super careful. Stick with floating options unless the rivers your fishing have some real depth.

My .02 hopefully is is helpful.