How would you fish this small river/big creek?

[MattinOK]

I'm going to fish a small river/big creek on monday that has sms in it. The layout is like this.

--------------||||----^-------------

deep 14'ish  Bridge    deep 14'

                      5' or so

the ^ is a rocky point that sticks out into the river and is only about 2 feet deep. The only places for you to stand is under the 2 lane bridge, and on the rocky point. I'd say they're about 20-30ft of good standing space. It's an old fasioned 6 piling bridge. The forage of the river is perch and panfish. This will be my first time fishing for smallies. I was thinking topwater, rat-l-traps, and tubes. Anything else you can think of to add to this list?

[Lund Explorer]

Thinking that the point is down stream from the bridge, the first thing I would do is to sneak up downstream of that point.  Then I'd cast a floating perch Rapala upstream of the point and let the current carry it down into the eddy below it.  Twitching the bait to keep it on top.  I might even try to use the Rapala as a jerkbait a few times. Then I would work the whole point area with a tube.  I wouldn't forget to work the face of the point where the current turns out into the main stream either, before working my way to the bridge.

At the bridge, I would work the pilings and current breaks with a tube first.  If I couldn't reach all the pilings with the tube, a Rat-L-Trap or a medium sized spinnerbait could cover the other side of the stream.

Good Luck!  Bring us back some pictures.

[smallieking]

agree. Also try a rapala DT4 or DT6 in bluegill color around shallower shoreline cover. that might produce for you. but for that deeper water deff a shakyhead worm or dropshot good luck

[CWeb Canada]

  Quote

Thinking that the point is down stream from the bridge, the first thing I would do is to sneak up downstream of that point. Then I'd cast a floating perch Rapala upstream of the point and let the current carry it down into the eddy below it. Twitching the bait to keep it on top. I might even try to use the Rapala as a jerkbait a few times.

I couldn't agree more. The floating Rapala in the 3" early in the year and 5" in the fall is one of my all time favourite Smallie baits (Pop-R is the other) I agree with the Perch recommendation but if there are shiners and such by the bridge, maybe try the Black and Silver. I always found that for holding fish, depending on how fast the current is actually cast down current, reel the bait upstream with some twitches and then let it flutter back to the top as it drifts down stream, repeat several times before re-casting. This technique is the same premise as fly fishing where you drift the bait past the fish over and over again.

Note, a lot of your strikes will comes as the Rapala is drifting back to the top....hang on, cause they'll rip the rod right out of your hand just before it hits the surface.

Best of luck,

CWeb