Most effective river bait for quantity.

[Bird]

Myself and my much younger brother took to the river yesterday morning for a 12 hr float, I was exhausted. 

 

My very 1st fish was nice smallmouth on white 1/4 spinnerbait but as the morning went on I noticed how much fun my brother was having just catching whatever. 

 

I haven't thrown simple old school tackle in years but decided to tie on a Mepps #3 inline spinner and from that point on it was fish after fish after fish, nothing big but entertaining and a nice change of pace for the day.

 

One thing I did do as soon as I got home is debarb the treble on the mepps, terrible on the fishes mouth, terrible. 

[king fisher]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

Myself and my much younger brother took to the river yesterday morning for a 12 hr float, I was exhausted. 

 

My very 1st fish was nice smallmouth on white 1/4 spinnerbait but as the morning went on I noticed how much fun my brother was having just catching whatever. 

 

I haven't thrown simple old school tackle in years but decided to tie on a Mepps #3 inline spinner and from that point on it was fish after fish after fish, nothing big but entertaining and a nice change of pace for the day.

 

One thing I did do as soon as I got home is debarb the treble on the mepps, terrible on the fishes mouth, terrible. 

You can buy Blue Fox Vibrax #3 spinners with an optional single hook.  Just as effective as one with a treble, but kinder on the fish.  You may hook a few less fish, but once you have one hooked you have less chance of loosing it.  Not sure if Mepps offer a version with a single hook, but you could buy hooks and change them out.

[PourMyOwn]

2" grubs on a jig head. I spent many days catching fish on the Connecticut river with a white grub. It caught a lot of different species, was easy to fish and cheap to lose.

[NYWayfarer]

Hard to beat an in-line spinner for quantity fishing. Panther Martin, Blue Fox Whiptail and Vibrax are some of my favorites.

[Glaucus]

The Ned Rig by far. Z-Man TRD in either Coppertreuse or Green Pumpkin/Orange.

[JediAmoeba]

For me it is 3-4" stick baits wacky rigged.  I easily catch 50 floating down the Delaware in a few hours without any ability to stop and catch more than 1 out of good holes.