What to buy... what to buy...

[B1gD4ddy]

After some horrible outings sharing tackle with a visitor I have now lost a bunch of tackle I need (want) to replace...  I now have a couple "tree frogs" ugh missing jig heads and trailers aND a shallow diving crank MIA..  but hey everyone loses tackle in trees right, at least that's what I'm telling myself now..  of course I had to raz my buddy but anyways it brings me to the question what tackle should I buy..  what are some of your go to tackle?  Do you have a link or pic of it?

I have been fishing rivers a lot as of late but do some lake fishing also but mostly water with current.  

Thanks everyone I hope this can be of some help to some other novice anglers also

[HeavyDluxe]

If you're fishing rivers, the jighead and soft-plastic grub is an oft-overlooked producer... And, they're inexpensive (assuming you're somewhere that can use lead weights) enough to be a good option for your guests.  If they get tree'd, it's not a huge deal.

Beyond that, I still think that weightless senkos flat-out catch fish and do so at an affordable price - particularly if you're willing to use non-GYCB versions.  

[jtharris3]

One of my river "go to's" is a simple jig and grub. Some days it just can't be beat. I also always hit the river with some small to medium sized original Rapalas and small Husky Jerks. The small Rebel Craw crank baits work very well too. 

Orig. Rapala - http://www.***.com/Rapala_Original_Floater/descpage-ROF.html

Husky Jerk - http://www.***.com/Rapala_Husky_Jerk_Jerkbait/descpage-RHJJB.html

Rebel Craw - http://www.***.com/Rebel_Wee_Craw/descpage-RBLWC.html

The small Rebel Pop R is another good one when the top water bite is on. http://www.***.com/Rebel_Pop-R_Topwater_Popper/descpage-RPR.html

[papajoe222]

My favorite river bait was a Lindy Fuzee Grub. Not too expensive and they really produced some nice fish despite their small profile.  Don't rule out a tube jig either.  They're a little difficult to feel the bottom with, but the action they give off when sitting still in the current is hard to beat.

[bigbill]

River fishing for bass it's inline spinners and spinflys. I drag them around and over exposed rocks into the pools. I cast down stream and let the current move the blades. Don't move the bait too fast. Fish it slow.

[B1gD4ddy]

Thanks everyone for the ideas..  I got a booyah spinner white and it got me a pile of dinks (numbers day not quality fish day) on Saturday and 2 which were just over 2lbs I was very pleased..  

I also got a craw fish crank which didn't bring in anything as of yet..

I got a booyah crashin/poppin frog which I ended up losing I'm not sure exactly what happened there was a big explosion and when I went to set it there was no resistance, I'm assuming my knot came undone but that has never happened to me before I use the palomer knot on everything as its the one I have the most practice with.  So a new frog was lost but at least not in a tree. .

I had luck with a jig head and grub also..  I was throwing a double tail white and a single tail black and white and also a bright yellow..  the double tail got me a lot of dinks then I ran out, I got a few on the black and white not too too many but hammered it home on the bright yellow caught about 30 more dinks on that..

Thanks again everyone for the tips and ideas

[Cgolf]

Yum crawbug on a jig or slider head works great in rivers for all sizes of smallies. Buy the size that matches the craws in your river, for me the smaller crawbug works best. Also like a tube they are hollow and you can put some gel scent in them to give you the extra bit to set the hook which isn't always easy in current with the line getting tugged offline by the current causing a slight lag in the hookset.

Bandit 100's and the Strike King shallow model square bill have been solid for me.

And of course the NED rig, I have caught everything from gills to the biggest smallies in the river on that bait the last 2 years.

[timsford]

Bandit 200 and bomber 5a and 6a in craw colors, hair jigs, tubes, war eagle finesse spinnerbaits, 1/8 oz buzzbaits, small poppers, grubs, 3-4 inch paddletails, and senkos are my go to river smallmouth lures but in shallow rivers I'd probably use the bandit 100 and bomber square a more

[Wildbillb]

15 hours ago, B1gD4ddy said:

I got a booyah crashin/poppin frog which I ended up losing I'm not sure exactly what happened there was a big explosion and when I went to set it there was no resistance, I'm assuming my knot came undone but that has never happened to me before I use the palomer knot on everything as its the one I have the most practice with.  So a new frog was lost but at least not in a tree. .

 

If your line was all kinked up at the end where the knot would have been it was your knot coming undone.  If it was not id say a pike probably grabbed your frog and cut the line.

 

I have pike take my topwaters often.