What bait/lure do you have the most luck with for SMALLMOUTH?

[Josh Sharp]

Just curious what's your go to small mouth bait??  For me it is the small finesse jig, with a small river bug as a trailer, they seem to love it!!!

 

 

[J.Vincent]

5 years ago it was a Tube Jig and Mojo Rig with 4” Senkos....but over the past few years it’s been Walk The Dog style Topwaters and Lipless CrankBaits with the occasional Spinnerbait.

[Hollada]

Depends on time of year, but if I had to pick one it would be close between a Ned and a dropshot.

 

my favorite is topwater, second favorite is a jerk, but those seem to be a condition specific bait whereas the dropshot and Ned are more general purpose baits for me.   

[WI_Angler1989]

My go-to for river smallmouth is a 2.5" Cabin Creek Salty Critter Jr tubes, green pumpkin blue, rigged on a black Cadman's Custom Jigs "Smallie Crawlin" jig.

I love fishing small tubes (craws and little creature baits too for that matter) for smallies. Getting to know the river bottom, finding where the fish are, and the "Thump!" Of a tube hit.... just can't be beat for me.

[Junk Fisherman]

Depends where and when I am fishing.

 

My #1 all-time big smallie bait is a large profile 4" tube.  Swimbaits, dropshot, and a Ned rig are my other main weapons.    

[Djohn]

Winter/spring - jerk bait

summer/fall - tube

[BoatSquirrel]

Here in TN, its prime jerkbait time.  Also a crankbait.  In a month, hopfully, the topwater bite will have woken up!

[TOXIC]

As A-Jay points out so eloquently Smallies will take a lot of different lures.  By limiting yourself to a favorite you might just be missing the bait they want that day.  I can tell you that it seems like every year we go to St Clair (smallie heaven for me) there is one bait that will outproduce the others.  The only way to find out what that bait might be is to rotate through the arsenal until one starts outproducing the rest.  Here is my "Arsenal" for St Clair every year. In no particular order:

Senko

Weighted Senko (Wong Rig)

Lipless (SPRO Aruku Shad)

Dropshot

Ned Rig

DShad (Yamamoto Fluke style bait)

Jerkbait

Tube

In-line spinner

Spinnerbait

Crankbait (SPRO Little John in different depth ranges)

Dropshot

 

So, as you can see no simple answer, no single favorite.  Dang I love smallmouth 

 

 

[ohboyitsrobby]

I catch 99% of my brownies river fishing I catch 90% of those on a 1/5 oz rebel wee craw in nest robber.

[roadwarrior]

#1  Rage Tail Menace (Smoke)

#2  BPS Tender Tube #71

#3  Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

#4  Alabama Rig

#5  Megabass Ito Vision 110

#6  Strike King Red Eye Shad

#7  Rage Tail Baby Craw (Watermelon/ Red Flake)

#8  Siebert Outdoors Jig Grid Iron G2/ Rage Tail Craw (PB&G)

 

[J Francho]

For most times outside of late pre-spawn and spawn, a small plastic presented on a drop shot rig or Hopkins Shorty spoon vertically jigged works best for me.  The tough part is finding them.  Getting them to bite, not so much.

[Dwight Hottle]

Big smallmouth love big jerk baits.

[Steveo-1969]

My go-to bait for the river smallmouth I fish is a 3/16 ounce Strike King Bitsy bug in blue craw, a Strike King Baby Rage Craw in blue craw, and the tips of the claws colored orange with Spike-It. I fish this bait more than anything else and I know at times if I fished with other baits I would catch more fish. But I don't care, fishing this little jig makes me happy. It's the "thunk" of the bite and the hookset that just gives me goosebumps!!!!!!

 

I love it so much I had @Delaware Valley Tackle build me a custom rod last year specifically to fish this jig.

[rod snapper]

My go to for moving water Smallmouth is a Rebel Wee, or Teeny Wee Crawfish. They will work all year round, and different versions can dive really shallow, or as deep as necessary in a river or creek. they are versatile, catch more than just smallmouth, are pretty cheap, plus they work.

[Mastermarsh]

River Smallies- Black Bitsy Bug w/ a black grub trailer will catch good numbers and size of fish all year long.

 

Lake Smallies- Swimbaits or Dropshot can be utilized the entire year and I'll typically have them tied on at all times while fishing for smallmouth.

[redmeansdistortion]

For me it's always 3" tube baits and 3" grubs.  I keep a large assortment of both in my vest in various colors.

[TnRiver46]

Tube, grub, pop r, worm, spook, rattle trap, buzzbait, swim jig, fluke, senko, frog........ those boogers eat anything! 

[Spankey]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Tube, grub, pop r, worm, spook, rattle trap, buzzbait, swim jig, fluke, senko, frog........ those boogers eat anything! 

 Great post.

 

They are not fussy. But you have to find out what their sweet tooth is after that day. 

[Spankey]

My biggest smallmouths have been caught with crankbaits. My biggest smallmouths have been caught in October. My biggest smallmouths were caught on a color that doesn't work as well for me throughout the heart of the season.

[billmac]

Jig and spinner.

[Log Catcher]

On 2/13/2019 at 7:05 AM, TOXIC said:

As A-Jay points out so eloquently Smallies will take a lot of different lures.  By limiting yourself to a favorite you might just be missing the bait they want that day.  I can tell you that it seems like every year we go to St Clair (smallie heaven for me) there is one bait that will outproduce the others.  The only way to find out what that bait might be is to rotate through the arsenal until one starts outproducing the rest.  Here is my "Arsenal" for St Clair every year. In no particular order:

Senko

Weighted Senko (Wong Rig)

Lipless (SPRO Aruku Shad)

Dropshot

Ned Rig

DShad (Yamamoto Fluke style bait)

Jerkbait

Tube

In-line spinner

Spinnerbait

Crankbait (SPRO Little John in different depth ranges)

Dropshot

 

So, as you can see no simple answer, no single favorite.  Dang I love smallmouth 

 

 

I'm not trying to hijack this thread but I have a stupid question to ask. What is a Wong Rig you have listed by the Weighted Senko?

[TOXIC]

16 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

I'm not trying to hijack this thread but I have a stupid question to ask. What is a Wong Rig you have listed by the Weighted Senko?

It's a rig that I originally learned from Judy Wong (another Yamamoto prostaffer who fished the LBAA), for fishing a Senko in fast moving water.  She used it in the discharge of a water supply.  I used it when the wind made our drift too fast for a tube.  I have since thrown it and retrieved it just like a jig and it worked well.  It's a 1/4 oz Gamakatsu Football head jig with a Senko rigged hook exposed.  The football head jig walks on the bottom giving the senko a unique action.  Very effective bait.  

[Glaucus]

I only target river smallmouth. I don't know of any smallmouth lakes around here. Good thing the rivers are loaded with them. 

 

1. Ned Rig. It catches big ones in these rivers. Finesse TRDs and the relatively new Finesse CrawZ.

 

2. 75 & 90 Whopper Plopper

 

3. KVD 1.5

 

4. Bitsy Bug Jigs

 

5. Grubs

 

 

[Will Wetline]

I'm a light line, clear water smallie guy whose favorite baits have changed over the years.

I've done a lot of business with GYCB 5" Hula Grubs, Gitzit 3 1/2" tubes, wacky rigged 4' and 5" Senkos and the original Duo Realis Spin Bait 80. I'd feel confident with any one of these on my line.

 

About three years ago after reading all the accounts of the Ned rig, I thought it would be great on my home water - and it is now my #1 go-to presentation.

 

[haggard]

1 hour ago, Will Wetline said:

About three years ago after reading all the accounts of the Ned rig, I thought it would be great on my home water - and it is now my #1 go-to presentation.

Home lake here is also clear and this season I want to focus on smallies with light tackle, looking forward to using the ned more.

 

What jig heads are those? I haven't seen that profile before.