Creek Smallmouth

[Collin W]

I would try the Ned Rig! If you are looking for a slightly smaller presentation, I would try the Z Man Shroomz Micro Finesse Jig. Pair it with the Z-Man Cruteaz trailer.

[Bdnoble84]

Every body of water is different, but in my small river 1/8 oz jigs with a 3-4" curly tail with a small beetle type spinner gets the job done most consistently. Hulagrubs in watermelon red flake can be the ticket at times as well. When they are active, spinnerbaits in chart/white with a chart willow blade burned accross riffles is a hot ticket. Other baits are "8 x raps in clown and rapala dt4 in crawdad. These are what i catch 85% of my smallies on. They seem to love anything in a shade of yellow/chart. I would say it is as much technique and presentation as it is actual lure however. Understanding current is number 1 followed by bottom structure. I catch alot of fish after my jig or crankbait bounces off of rocks or on the 4th or 5th cast accross a riffle burning the spinnerbait back. It seems like sometimes u really have to tick them off.

[Buckeye Ron]

On 3/12/2017 at 10:23 PM, Quarry Man said:

I am new to the creek smallmouth game. I am talking about small rivers. Not small streams or big rivers What are your tips? What lures, what time of year, where to find the fish, etc. thanks

 

Small poppers if they're busting minnows on the surface. I've also had very good success with a small plastic craw dropped silently near rocks or logs.

[PatrickKnight]

If I had nothing else but a 3-4 inch curly tail on an 1/8 oz jig for fishing smaller rivers I would be happy.

[redhawk1974]

On small creeks I really love to use 1/8 rooster tails and inline spinners.  Though I admit I have no luck with naked hooks but tons of success with dressed hooks.   Also like a rebel crawl fish crank and 3 inch grubs.  If I could only take one thing it would be the rooster tails.  Bass, panfish, trout, all will go after them. 

[oakeybassin]

There is a small river, and to me, it actually is more the size of a nice creek, but it is still classified as a river that I fish in Lancaster.  There is a place to put in to wet wade right behind the campus of the college I graduated from, so I spent quite some time learning the river.  My go to was tubes and the smallie beaver from Reaction Innovations.  There is an abundance of crawfish in this river, much like the Susquehanna, so fishing tubes and the beaver are great options that produce quite often.  Most of my fish have come from right on the edge of where a pool meets the outflow of some faster water.  I was surprised by the quality of some of the fish that were pulled out of this little "river."  I like to fish the creature bait on either an offset hook with a bullet weight or on a shakey head.

[Spankey]

"Rooster Tails" - "Mepps Anglia #3's" - "Blue Fox Dressed Spinners"

 

Probably what I'd have tied on to a first time to a stream I don't know much about and suspect bass are there. 

[Captain America]

I would use any of the mentioned plastics on a 1/8 oz jig head. (I have been experimenting with T rigged plastics for fewewr snags with good luck, and I am about to buy some shakey head jigs for the same reason). I like to tick the bottom of likely spots. (above and below snags and rocks, holes, eddies, etc.) I fish a smaller river and that always produces. Caught 10 out of a hole that guys were bow fishing right into bouncing a double tailed grub on a 1/8 jig through it. I usually let the current dictate my action unless i throw into an eddie where I will retrieve. One tip I have is that smallies love to hit on the swing (when your bait isn't dead drifting anymore, but the current is pulling your line and your bait "swings" until it is completely downstream of you). I like to let it sit at the end of the swing and twitch it for a few seconds too. Probably half of my smallmouth bites come on the swing.

[gall]

Like oakey I live close to the susky and the creek I fish spills into it and my productive baits are deff tubes usually with a wire weed guard due to the huge slab limestone senkos rigged weightless or light like 1/64 or 1/32 weight hooked casted up stream and dead stocked down and of course craw baits and also at least in my area prop baits like torpedo or crippled killers are extremely productive more so then walking baits and of course spinner baits burned pretty fasf

[Turkey sandwich]

4 hours ago, Captain America said:

I would use any of the mentioned plastics on a 1/8 oz jig head. (I have been experimenting with T rigged plastics for fewewr snags with good luck, and I am about to buy some shakey head jigs for the same reason). I like to tick the bottom of likely spots. (above and below snags and rocks, holes, eddies, etc.) I fish a smaller river and that always produces. Caught 10 out of a hole that guys were bow fishing right into bouncing a double tailed grub on a 1/8 jig through it. I usually let the current dictate my action unless i throw into an eddie where I will retrieve. One tip I have is that smallies love to hit on the swing (when your bait isn't dead drifting anymore, but the current is pulling your line and your bait "swings" until it is completely downstream of you). I like to let it sit at the end of the swing and twitch it for a few seconds too. Probably half of my smallmouth bites come on the swing.

 

This is how I picked up several smallies last weekend.  It's something I've picked up on thanks to fly fishing.  Turns out, those guys know a thing or two about fishing rivers.  

 

This is also where using high vis braid to leader is really helpful.  It gives you the ability to watch your line, mend it to keep your drift in line with the current speed, and watch for strikes.  A lot of strikes that come on a drift/swing are going to be difficult/impossible to feel, so a sensitive rod (I'll generally use a MLXF dropshot rod for 1/8oz or less fishing on the swing) and bright yellow or red braid can be the difference between catching a LOT of fish and getting very frustrated. 

[Sam__frederick]

I like to use a REBEL Teeny Wee Craw crankbait, but I also catch a lot of Rock Bass, and Bluegill.

[Cargojon]

On 5/25/2017 at 1:02 PM, oakeybassin said:

There is a small river, and to me, it actually is more the size of a nice creek, but it is still classified as a river that I fish in Lancaster.  There is a place to put in to wet wade right behind the campus of the college I graduated from, so I spent quite some time learning the river.  My go to was tubes and the smallie beaver from Reaction Innovations.  There is an abundance of crawfish in this river, much like the Susquehanna, so fishing tubes and the beaver are great options that produce quite often.  Most of my fish have come from right on the edge of where a pool meets the outflow of some faster water.  I was surprised by the quality of some of the fish that were pulled out of this little "river."  I like to fish the creature bait on either an offset hook with a bullet weight or on a shakey head.

I know what river and college you're talking about, my sister-in-law went there and I grew up in the area.

 

I live closer to Philly now, my best luck on the Schuylkill is Berkely Grab! 3" minnow on a drop-style rig.  Caught two of them in an hour this morning.

 

[oakeybassin]

15 hours ago, Cargojon said:

I know what river and college you're talking about, my sister-in-law went there and I grew up in the area.

 

I live closer to Philly now, my best luck on the Schuylkill is Berkely Grab! 3" minnow on a drop-style rig.  Caught two of them in an hour this morning.

 

I'm originally from the Plymouth meeting/Conshohocken area and I grew up fishing the Schuylkill.  I spent many a summer evenings wet wading that river right near the Fayette Street bridge.  Most of my luck was on tubes, Dingers and spinner baits.  Next time I am visiting family I'd like to get in and wade.  The only thing that is a bit unnerving is seeing the size of some of the catfish that I wade next to.  Makes me think I might be the victim on the next episode of river monsters.

 

While it is wider, the Schuylkill seems to fish very similar to the Conestoga that I fish near Millersville.  The Conestoga is much narrower though.

[Cargojon]

4 hours ago, oakeybassin said:

I'm originally from the Plymouth meeting/Conshohocken area and I grew up fishing the Schuylkill.  I spent many a summer evenings wet wading that river right near the Fayette Street bridge.  Most of my luck was on tubes, Dingers and spinner baits.  Next time I am visiting family I'd like to get in and wade.  The only thing that is a bit unnerving is seeing the size of some of the catfish that I wade next to.  Makes me think I might be the victim on the next episode of river monsters.

 

While it is wider, the Schuylkill seems to fish very similar to the Conestoga that I fish near Millersville.  The Conestoga is much narrower though.

That's pretty funny, I live 20 minutes from Plymouth Meeting (Limerick) and you live 20 minutes from where I grew up.  My daughter was actually born @ Lancaster Women & Babies off the M-ville exit of route 30.

 

Growing up I fished the Conewago in York County a lot, which I use a lot of the same techniques on the Schuylkill.