RIVER Smallie Thread

[smallieking]

hey was thinking about this for awhile    i thought it would be a good idea to create a thread just dealing with river smallies  so we could discuss success, failure, techniques/presentations, ask and answer questions  and have fun  

[AKFerzy7]

i just fish everything down stream. mostly shaky heads.

[smallieking]

by downstream u mean just drifting baits?

[pondhopper]

Great idea! Especially since I have a lot of river action on my plate for the up coming season.

[smallieking]

lol yea me too  i figure that almost about half of the smallmouth bass fishing topic is all about rivers so i thought it would be cool just to make a thread so we can discuss things here

[mikel7]

River smallies.com is just what you want

[BUCKEYEone]

I've never fished a river for smallies, but cant wait to get started.  Here is what I have learned so far:  the weekend I decide to start fishing river smallies the river will flood to 4 feet above flood level.  Not off to a good start

[roadwarrior]

River smallies.com is just what you want

Well, there are a few of us here that fish rivers for smallmouth, too:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1204041316

8-)

[Grey Wolf]

This whole section is dedicated to small mouth , why would you want to break it down even farther .You either fish them in streams or lakes.Please clear this for my feeble mind to understand.

[AKFerzy7]

i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

[Davis]

i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

Same except I'm on shore because the creek is not very wide. Maybe 20 yards wide. Toss em up stream in the rapids and let her come down.....nails em. 8-)

[skeeterman24]

I'll be river fishing for smallies a lot this year too.  I guess my biggest thing is seasonal movements on a river.  Will the be deep even though there is current and have the same patterns as on a lake?

[fishnaddiction]

i always get out the canoe and wade just below rapids and cast up into them and reel just fast enough to keep contact with lure. usually always out performs everyone else who doesnt put up the extra effort and just casts across the stream

Same except I'm on shore because the creek is not very wide. Maybe 20 yards wide. Toss em up stream in the rapids and let her come down.....nails em. 8-)

yea i like this technique alot too  its not my go to presentation though  i like fishing shallow in the morning then going to deeper pockets then if the heat and sun gets really bad then i go to the rapids and current for key bites  

So what is every's favorite river smallie bait? mine would have to be the tube

[basspro48]

Are we just talkin small rivers here?

Because I also fish large tidal river systems for smallies as well as the smaller creeks.

[smallieking]

anything dealing with current so yea large tidal rivers   my favorite river bait would be a yum crawbug or baby craw

[Yakangler]

I fish tubes at least half the time, all sizes.  Also cast small suspending crankbaits with good success.  Like to anchor just below riffles and nail 'em.  Anxious to get back on the water this spring (WV) and work some more jigs.  

[Tin]

A River/Tidal thread would be sweet.

I fish the CT River for smallies with a white albino tube, drop-shot pillings, and thorw either Bandit 100 or SK series 1's around rocks where the current really rips around them.

I can't wait to get up there.

[smallieking]

u do good on the strike king series 1?  i tryed that crank a few times on a few rivers but never any success

[basspro48]

My favorite year round baits for the big tidal rivers are an LC Pointer 100 in chart/shad, Spro lil John in rootbeer/chart, Green pumpkin ZOOM finesse worm on a drop shot, and my homemade finesse jigs in PB&J.

A 3" tube texas rigged with a light weight is probably the best smallmouth bait for smaller rivers and creeks ever made. It drives em nuts, but small hair jigs and senkos have also done well for me.

[Tin]

u do good on the strike king series 1? i tryed that crank a few times on a few rivers but never any success

Yup, just slamming it into rocks. It's so cheap if the rocks destroy it isn't like destroying a LC.

[Mobydick]

Can we post about streams also on this thread?

[smallieking]

sure because creek fishing is just about the same as river fishing     what is your favorite creek bait moby?

[AKFerzy7]

bandit 100s work well for crashing into rocks. havent destroyed one yet

[smallieking]

o really?  ive been looking for some durable cranks for that very thing  ive been using rapalas which work great but if i wack one of a rock on the cast they just explode and the bill damages up quite quickly after a few days of banging in boulders   hmm thats interesting  thanks alot ak   do u have suggestions on color or anything?

[WV_Eagle]

My best results on the Potomac are either drifting (usually tubes or craws....have had some success with Berkeley Gulp minnows and gobies too) or pitching up to the riffles as others have noted.  

Note to Yakangler.  What river are you fishing in WV?