RIVER Smallie Thread

[fishnaddiction]

Hey MN  whats your favorite piece of structure to  use flukes around?  

[SmallieFever]

o cool  i like using rogues just dont have alot of success on them    do u know of the natural forage in the sus?  i know craws but is there shad in it?

I'm almost positive there are shad, but I've never used a bait on the susq that actually mimicked a shad specifically. All the jerkbaits were rogues, lucky-craft, yo-zuri, or something similar to that...nothing with a fat body like a shad.  Summer is when I've had the best success with the jerkbait on the river...all in "natural" colors and small sizes.

[brianbjk]

First of all what a great idea for this thread.  The stretch of the Wisconsin river that i mainly fish is preatty dirty so i'm somewhat limited as far as jerks go.  But i do really good on chompers tubes ( which are garlic scented i think that helps ) i haven't had much success with anything else. But this year i'm definately going to try more shallow cranks and colorado blade spinners. maybe some lizards and that fat ika roadwarrior has mentioned so much. Can't wait for the ice to melt and warm up around here. had record snow falls this year.

[smallieking]

o cool i like using rogues just dont have alot of success on them do u know of the natural forage in the sus? i know craws but is there shad in it?

I'm almost positive there are shad, but I've never used a bait on the susq that actually mimicked a shad specifically. All the jerkbaits were rogues, lucky-craft, yo-zuri, or something similar to that...nothing with a fat body like a shad. Summer is when I've had the best success with the jerkbait on the river...all in "natural" colors and small sizes.

o ok thanks   i have a box just filled with shad minic cranks   im goint to take it   along with a box of jerkbaits then a bunch of softplastics   i sure hope i can find a pattern  

[MNGeorge]

Hey MN whats your favorite piece of structure to use flukes around?

Any kind of current break.  Below islands, eddies, shallower flats etc.

[Bassnbrett101]

chompers tubes are amazing, i use the black neon, the green pumpkin and the smoke purple

[smallieking]

really? my favorite tube is the zoom tube in green pumbklin or junebug  

[skip]

x2 on the pumpkin and I'll add watermelon....both with glitter/spots.

[Phishin Fillip]

I fish on the New and Rappahannock rivers.  I can't wait this year to start canoing them but all other years I have just waded.

[smallieking]

yea  fishing out of canoes on floats is alot of fun

[fishnaddiction]

Hey MN whats your favorite piece of structure to use flukes around?

Any kind of current break. Below islands, eddies, shallower flats etc.

o ok  i was wondering if anyone uses them for around down trees?  

[smallieking]

hey fishn   a good lure for trees is a senko    rig it weightless and add a small lead insertion weight into the belly of it   pitch or skip the bait into the tree and let it fall in     use heavy fluoro or braid though because when u get a fish on   game on

[fishizzle]

Another crazy pattern I noticed on the CT river is to throw a tube near big carp in 2' of water and when the carp swim away the smallies eat up whatever is stirred up from the bottom

This happens during the summer with low clear water in Enfield

I saw some locals do it and they hammered them

crazy huh

[smallieking]

yea  there alot of carp in the rivers i fish   i will have to pay attention to that   wow  great tip

[BUCKEYEone]

Heading out for a couple hours tonight, I'm going to have to drudge through muddy and snow covered banks all night, but hopefully I'll figure out a way to get a bite!

[smallieking]

hey man  good luck   hopefully u figure them out and catch a bunch

[BUCKEYEone]

first day to hit 50 in central Ohio, so I have to give it a shot.  I'm taking my little brother out to see what he's made of, so hopefully all goes well!  With all the snow melt the water levels are up and muddy, any tips would be appreciated!

[roadwarrior]

Cold, muddy water is a poor recipe for success.    

[BUCKEYEone]

I know, I know, but even if I leave having hooked nothing, at least the lures got wet, and I've been waiting to do that since November!

[Grey Wolf]

I know, I know, but even if I leave having hooked nothing, at least the lures got wet, and I've been waiting to do that since November!

Go scratch your itch and good luck , those are some tuff conditions.

[BUCKEYEone]

As predicted, the only thing I hooked was a limb.  The river was up about 5 or 6 feet, so it was hard to even find a decent spot to TRY to fish.  The closest I came to a fish was walking over the dead Saugeye that got stuck on the shoreline from when the water was up a few days ago.  The itch was scratched though, first time out this year!

[smallieking]

welll at least its good to get out of the house for a little bit   im stuck waiting for the warmer weather too man    it seems so far away

[fishnaddiction]

yea  buckeye what lures were you trying?  just wondering  im having trouble catching bass right now too

[BUCKEYEone]

Honestly, I tried a little of this an that, just to play with some lures.  There was so much flooding that just under the water was a good 3 feet of thorn bushes and nasty underbrush, so I didnt throw anything I couldnt afford to lose.  I just played with different rigs, but it was impossible with the current.

[smallieking]

yea sounds really tough  all the run off  well i hope u do alot better the next time u get out  hopefully the conditions arent as bad