Inline spinner for shallow rocky river, smallmouth

[GGzet]

Hello from Japan. Recently i found a new good spot at near river, but it has fast current and bottom of small stones. 

I may assume, that the depth in the center of the river is around 4 foots, and pretty shallow near banks.

Have tried to use super shallow cranks (0-30cm), but current is too strong to have a stable retrive. 1m+ cranks hitting bottom and not sure is it ok or not.

Checked old topics related to the same problem and people advice to use a inline spinners. It sounds interesting to try, but there is several doubts:
 

1. I am baitcast user and most of the inline spinners what i can find at local shops/amazon in range of 2g - 6g. Not sure about 6g and bank casting. 90% of my cranks is Daiwa Peanuts II, 9g and it's my comfortable weight.

 

2. Found a Daiwa spinners in 7g, 9g and 11g, but their color choise is very limited compate with USA variants:

 

3. If i use a spinning reel, what is suitable weights to use? Have pretty cheap reel with 8lb mono.

 

To clarify, my current setup is:
Rod: Shimano bass one ML 6'2" regular action
Reel: Shimano SLX MGL 70
Line: 30lb braid line 0.2mm diameter 
 

[jimmyjoe]

4 hours ago, GGzet said:

Have tried to use super shallow cranks (0-30cm), but current is too strong to have a stable retrive. 1m+ cranks hitting bottom and not sure is it ok or not.

 

   Shallow cranks (like the Rapala balsa minnow) are the right idea. I would also use lures that resemble crayfish. If you use a spinner, a design like the Panther Martin might be best.

   On the spinning reel, I would try a light (7g - 10g) spinnerbait. It will resist hanging up better than an in-line spinner.   Good luck!     jj

[Armtx77]

Rooster Tails are a GREAT option, as well as the Panther Martin's. You can find both from 4grams on up.

 

If you are fishing that fast of moving current that it will affect the action of a crank bait. Yo may want to walk a little ways and find calmer water.

 

[garroyo130]

Mepps black fury #3 is a solid producer for me. It casts well especially if you get the dressed version of the bait. 

[Finessegenics]

For the spinning reel and 8lb mono, I think the 9 grams would be perfect. Of course it also depends on the depth of the river and the current. However, none of the sizes you mentioned would really overpower your rod, assuming it is a medium power. Just be careful because it sounds like you may get snagged on the rocks a lot, especially with a bait that has treble hooks. 

[Kev-mo]

Not sure what the gram weight is but the #4 mepps gold or copper blade similar to the pics you posted does well for me! You could throw that on your your current setup, altho 20 lb braid might make it easier.

[king fisher]

Inline spinners have been  the most consistently producing lure in small fast streams, for me no matter what species of fish I have been  pursuing.  Can be worked, straight down stream, swung across stream, and worked through pockets, eddies, and pools.  Will snag some,(switching to single hooks helps some) but can cover the water very effectively.  I would start with size #3 French blade, 1/4 OZ. such as Mepps or Blue Fox Vibrax.  As others have mentioned Panther Martins are also very good and can work when French blades don't.  The spinners in your pictures look like they would work great to me.  

[looking45]

Try using a glide bait. They run shallow and you should be able to retrieve  it without hitting the bottom

[Vilas15]

Panther Martins are the best spinners I've found. They work best on a spinning reel, however don't be afraid to use larger, heavier spinners to make it work on a baitcaster. Small fish fill still hit a big spinner.

 

If you use cranks, try using jerkbaits. Twitch them as they float downstream. You don't need to retrieve them. Yo-zuri pins minnow is a great bait.

[NOC 1]

I'm partial to the Blue Fox Vibrax spinners myself. 1/4 (7gm) or above should be do-able with your set up I'd think.

[Scott F]

The spinners you showed in the picture should be perfect. Just remember, do not stop during your retrieve. Keep the bait moving or it will get snagged. You have no access to baits from USA?

[scaleface]

I wish I had a picture but will try to explain it .A  lure I use in heavy current below a dam is a 1/8 ounce jighead with just the body of a grub so that it doesnt extend past the hook . Then I use a spinner blade on a swivel as a trailer . I was able to cast it with baitcasting gear and caught lots of species of fish including both largemouth and smallmouths . It worked great in strong current . 

[The Bassman]

57 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I wish I had a picture but will try to explain it .A  lure I use in heavy current below a dam is a 1/8 ounce jighead with just the body of a grub so that it doesnt extend past the hook . Then I use a spinner blade on a swivel as a trailer . I was able to cast it with baitcasting gear and caught lots of species of fish including both largemouth and smallmouths . It worked great in strong current . 

Sounds similar to what has been my secret weapon this spring. It's a 1/4 oz. MB Dark Sleeper with a tail spinner. Should be great for stream smallies. Total weight is 7g. (Pic is actually a 3/8 version) Both have been deadly.

[Smells like fish]

Texas rig a crankbait. I think in Japan it is called jacking. 

[Finessegenics]

1 hour ago, Smells like fish said:

Texas rig a crankbait. I think in Japan it is called jacking. 

Sounds like an easy way to get snagged ?

[Smells like fish]

58 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

Sounds like an easy way to get snagged ?

Sometimes you have to pay to play. 

[GGzet]

Thanks a lot for the priceless advice. For now, I decided to order Daiwa spinners #3 what mentioned at the first post, golden color. Surprisingly, but it feels more than 7g (received it already). Will have a try it on this weekend on baitcaster and, if it's hard to cast, swap on spinner reel.

And I definitely looking forward to trying out a Mepps and other types of inline spinners in the future.

[fishwizzard]

I have more or less given up on inline spinners and replaced them with small spoons.  1000x more durable and seemingly just as effective. There are a ton of great little Trout spoons from Japan,    if you have a local tackle shop I would start there. 

[GGzet]

12 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I have more or less given up on inline spinners and replaced them with small spoons.  1000x more durable and seemingly just as effective. There are a ton of great little Trout spoons from Japan,    if you have a local tackle shop I would start there. 

What size or type of spoons you use? I can't decide on shape, size and colors, will be happy if you can share your experience with examples!

[GGzet]

3 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I use Daiwa Crusader spoons or the Yapada knockoffs from AliExpress.  I tend to stick to gold, silver, and chartreuse.  I mostly fish them for white perch and trout but I catch plenty of smallmouth bass on them as well.
 

There are pickerel in most of the waters I fish and they will trash a little in-line spinner most every time and even just using them for trout/perch the wire will eventually bend to the point that you’re going to start getting a ton of line twist as the lure spins in the water. The casting distance is also a lot better. 

https://www.finesse-fishing.com/jdm-spoons-shop.html

 

This is the site that turned me onto small spoons of an in-line spinner replacement. Obviously you can probably just buy them locally but his site has a lot of good English language information about the various Japanese spoons.

 

The Yapada spoons from AliExpress are very good for the money, but the split rings are complete junk and should be instantly replaced. The hooks are either Owner single hooks or a very good knock off.

Thats a big help, thank you. Checked local amazon and it's really a lot of different spoons, include Daiwa Crusaider in different sizes and colors. 
Not sure about trout in a place where i am fishing, but hear you can catch a ayu, carps (koi), small/big mouth bass and catfish.
Right now i have a shimano SLX MGL 70 baitcast reel. It's pretty compact, but is baitcast fine for trout fishing? As far as i know spoons is pretty lightweighted and little size. For example Daiwa Crusaider can be bought in 3 variants: 4g/28mm, 7g/35mm, 10g/40mm. May assume, that 7g and 10g is OK for baitcaster.

Or i can get a not expensive 2000 spinning reel for it, because have ultra light or light rod for it.

[fishwizzard]

15 hours ago, GGzet said:

Thats a big help, thank you. Checked local amazon and it's really a lot of different spoons, include Daiwa Crusaider in different sizes and colors. 
Not sure about trout in a place where i am fishing, but hear you can catch a ayu, carps (koi), small/big mouth bass and catfish.
Right now i have a shimano SLX MGL 70 baitcast reel. It's pretty compact, but is baitcast fine for trout fishing? As far as i know spoons is pretty lightweighted and little size. For example Daiwa Crusaider can be bought in 3 variants: 4g/28mm, 7g/35mm, 10g/40mm. May assume, that 7g and 10g is OK for baitcaster.

Or i can get a not expensive 2000 spinning reel for it, because have ultra light or light rod for it.

7g or 1/4oz is as low as most baitcasters work well at, so it's worth a try if you want to, but either a spinning reel or a BFS reel would likely be better.  Spoons, like inline spinners, will catch most any fish that eats other fish.  

[roadwarrior]

Try the LFT Live Magic Shad