What Lure(S) To Use For Inactive River Smallies

[Preytorien]

I have an area I fish that seems to be stacked with smallmouth right now. They're holding in deeper (4-5ft) pools in the middle of the river. I only know because a covered bridge goes pretty much right over the top of them and I can see them stacked there like Lincoln Logs. There are literally hundreds. I caught one a few weeks ago, and only because I fished from the bridge and basically jigged a roadrunner in front of him till' he got mad enough to bite it. But it took a lot of work to get him reeled up the 30ft to the bridge. 

 

I have fished for 2 days straight trying to catch these guys, only to come up empty handed. I've used hair jigs, jigs, jerkbaits, lipless cranks, every kind of soft plastic imaginable. 

 

Are these guys just not catchable right now?

 

Here in Indiana we had a warm front (50's) hit the past couple of days, but the water is still 32-34F and rising due to runoff, it's also about 2-3ft visibility.

 

What lures/techniques would you try here?

[EvanT123]

I'm no winter smallmouth expert and your situation would drive me crazy as well. Have you tried dragging a tube and dead sticking it at times? Maybe a silver buddy as well?

[Ben Eipert]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Tubes if all else fails. Also try one on a 1/16 shaky head and let it fall real slow,

[Preytorien]

I think a tube or even senko would do alright, the only problem is that the river moves fast enough that pretty much anything 1/8oz or lighter is easily bounced downstream. I would've loved to dead stick it in front of a few but I couldn't keep it still. It's what also made me think twice about a jerkbait

[Bluebasser86]

I remember reading about a guy who used to swear by beetle spins and road runners for river smallies right after ice out. No rivers with bass in there around here but might be worth a try. 

[BigSkyBasser]

Are they suspended in the water column or sitting on the bottom? I would throw a really heavy jig with a rattle and a strike king coffee tube (probably black with red flake) as the trailer. Fish it back really slow. The biggest problem with winter smallies is you will generally always have to cast a painfully large amount of times to get bit. This or maybe a buddy blade in either gold or silver depending on the lighting and visibility.

[scaleface]

I would try a small  smoke grub on a black jig head with an eye. On slow moving baits in cold water and fish that are reluctant to bite , the eye has made a difference for me. I'd also take a black sharpie and color the line in two inch strips for about four feet above the jig.

[MSWV]

Ive done good on dragging jigs throughout the winter..  Drag them slow and let them sit for 4-5 seconds..  Another technique Ive found effective is to carolina rig a Bass Streamer.. A streamer fluttering in front of them will draw a strike a lot of times..  I guess this is a different version of the float & fly..

[Crestliner2008]

Since you apparently can fish directly over them from the bridge, I'd try a 1/4 oz. Silver Buddy vertically jigged. Drop it in. Let it sit on the bottom for a few seconds. Then just pop it off the bottom quickly enough to just start to feel the vibrations. Then quickly let it settle back down and repeat. If that doesn't get them, then try a wacky rigged 4" Senko on 6 lb. test fluorocarbon line. If all else fails, I've heard that grenades are almost fool-proof! LOL!

[JeziHogg]

Drop shot w/ a twitch tail minnow.

[roadwarrior]

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad. Cast, then keep your rod tip up

and reel quickly without pumping the rod. Let the bait fall on slack line.

When it settles to the bottom, repeat. 100% of your strikes will be on the  

fall.

 

 

 

 

[Glenn]

I think a tube or even senko would do alright, the only problem is that the river moves fast enough that pretty much anything 1/8oz or lighter is easily bounced downstream. I would've loved to dead stick it in front of a few but I couldn't keep it still. It's what also made me think twice about a jerkbait

 

Simple solution - use a splitshot rig with a heavy (1/2oz to 1oz) weight and a 3' or 4' leader.  Really it's a Carolina rig without all the swivels and beads to hang up on the bottom. 

 

Let the weight sit on the bottom, thus letting the Senko or tube drift down stream.  Lift weight, move it one foot, repeat.  Sometimes just let it sit and allow the current to move the bait in one place is all you need to trigger lethargic bass into biting.

 

Deadly.

[Preytorien]

Hm, I'll have to try these. We've got a lot of run off which has clouded the water something awful the past few days, not to mention the current has gotten much faster.

 

Once things settle down I'll give it a shot. 

[ClackerBuzz]

Jeff Little destroys river smallies year round. seems like most of his dead of winter sm come from dead sticking a small soft plastic ie tube/spade tail etc. i've seem him dead stick them from 20 seconds to 2 mins.

not sure if the 'winter' query will carry over but here's a link to his youtube channel (KayakBassFishing). he's got at least 10+ winter river smallie videos.

https://www.youtube.com/user/KayakBassFishing/search?query=winter

 

here's vid of him using a blade bait and a vid with the hornet/beetle technique. treble hooks are def easier from a boat/kayak. it's the same retrieve but i'd go with RW recommendation from shore b/c the upward hook of a hornet won't snag near as easliy

[Jtrout]

Put some smelly jelly craw daddy the pink color on your plastics n jigs

[Scott F]

Those fish laying like dead wood on the bottom aren't going to bite. Fish the areas near there for fish that may be more active.

[Preytorien]

Those fish laying like dead wood on the bottom aren't going to bite. Fish the areas near there for fish that may be more active.

 

I keep hearing that, but I'm too stubborn. All the other water near me is still frozen, the river's the only place I can get out.

 

An older fellow told me at the shop the other day that the smallmouth position themselves facing upstream like that because the current flowing across their gills acts as a replacement for them having to swim very much, they're very lethargic. He said you've got a better chance of catching a fish in a Ramada Inn swimming pool than one of those guys. Haha, I'm beginning to think he's dead on, those fish are NOT biting anything.

[MSWV]

I was dragging/deadsticking a 2.5" tube yesterday and found 2 biting fish..  They werent big but they were biters..

 

[Scott F]

On an afternoon when the sun is out, and the water warms up a bit, a few of those fish, that can be more stubborn than you, may move up into some shallower warmer water in a nearby eddy to look for a bite. A float- n-fly, sitting in that eddy may get you a bass or two.

[Dylcook91]

Castnet

[everythingthatswims]

Carolina rig a minnow and just leave it there. No shame in live bait fishing when the water is hovering above freezing

[Mothercanucker]

Drop shot for sure in my opinion.

[Chad L]

Drift a jointed shad rap just past then click in gear and let it swim and rattle right in the middle of them, the ones that are interested will attack it.

[duckmaster1]

That river you fish in, is it Sugar creek river?

I have fished that river and had fun catching smallies on it.

[Danturner]

Anything resembling a crawdad (tubes,jigs,cranks,etc.) they are a natural food source and also are known to eat bass eggs which make them natural enemies.