Rods for small mouth in rivers

[BassBoy03]

If I am fishing for smallmouth in rivers can I use a medium heavy casting rod and a 6.3:1 reel 

 

[CroakHunter]

It's about the lures you use, not the fish you are fishing for. 

[frosty]

1 hour ago, BassBoy03 said:

If I am fishing for smallmouth in rivers can I use a medium heavy casting rod and a 6.3:1 reel 

 

Yes, as long as you can effectively cast smaller, lighter lures you'll do just fine. 

[Junebugman]

I have a loomis mossyback 6.8 and a st .croix legend extreme 7ft both spinning with small cranks worms etc for live bait with circle hooks only a skeet reese 7ft 2inch senko spinning with quantum reel.

[Bdnoble84]

Yes you can. Just depends on the size of lures you are using. If you are throwing cranks, jigs and buzz baits and spinnerbaits over 1/4 oz, should work fine. I use a 7' mh quantum alliance quite a bit for swim jigs. Does make it tricking manuvering on tight banks however and you have to have a quick thumb.

[bowhunter63]

I use alot of spinning rods for river smallies.If im throwing Spinnerbaits or Crankbaits i use a medium action baitcaster.Most of the time 3/8 is as heavy as i go.

[Steveo-1969]

Welcome to Bass Resource! As has already been said, if you can cast your lures effectively your rod will work fine. A couple years ago I tried using a MH/XF baitcaster for river smallies but I found that I couldn't effectively cast the lighter baits I was typically using. So I bought a M/F baitcaster and now I can cast the same lures farther and more easily. (BTW - your reel speed is fine)

 

Bonus - fighting the fish is much more fun on the lighter powered rod!

[roadwarrior]

Rod choices are based on weight and technique, it has nothing to do with "smallmouth".

 

[Further North]

On 7/19/2017 at 5:09 PM, roadwarrior said:

Rod choices are based on weight and technique, it has nothing to do with "smallmouth".

 

I agree with that, to a point.

 

Not using enough rod to land a fish can kill it.  Fine if you're going to eat it, not so much if you're trying for catch and release.

 

An example: My brother was tossing a smaller Daredevle for pike a couple years ago and a 45" musky came up and ate the lure...he was using a medium light spinning rig, and it took us forever to get that fish in the net.  We spent almost an hour with it after we unhooked her, reviving and doing everything we could to help her make it...she was exhausted by the fight.  She finally kicked up a fuss and took off for the lake bottom at speed...but I was concerned for quite a while.

 

There's not much you can do about situations like that...a bigger fish than we were after...but to take an ultralight into waters where a big smallie is a reasonable possibility could put a fisherman in a place where they kill a fish they hadn't intended to.

 

...again: Fine if they're going to eat it.  Not so much if not.

[Drew03cmc]

I fish smaller flows quite often. I prefer my 6' M Berkley Amp with Stradic 2500FJ spoiled with 15/4 PP S8S or a 6' M casting rod with my Revo Premier and 10lb YZH.

[flg2010]

 

I like cheap... Ugly Stick Gx2 6'8" works great.....I have several reels I use now.

 

 

 

[perd]

I fish for river smallies mainly with a medium heavy fast action rod. The river I fish is a fast flowing shallow river and I tend to toss chatterbaits, swim jigs, buzz baits and t rigs. I still catch a lot of dinks with all those baits.

 

I do fish hair jigs, grubs and wacky worms on spinning gear. I usually catch way more dinks on those baits so 90% of the time I'm chucking and winding on a medium heavy dobyns or St Croix.