# Favorite river smallie lure?



## hunt (Aug 25, 2009)

so far my brother and i have never been skunked at the river, but i was just wondering what everyone's favorite river lure is for smallmouth? so far we have found our favorites are rooster tail and mepps spinners. however, we have caught a lot on rebel craws and double tailed jigs (not sure of the official name). I'm just looking to broaden my arsenal of river lures. any input would be appreciated!


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## Fishguy777 (Jul 8, 2012)

Try 3 in' tube jig 1/8 jighead. Or same thing with curly tail grub. Tube color I usually go for crayfish colors-green ,brown, rusty orange. Grubs I use silver, white, copper, chart. These are very productive for me. Either just cast & retrieve or slow jig it. GL!


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

I like Panther Martins as far as inline spinners are concerned. The tempered blade makes it way easier to get spinning. We do our best with the orange dressed tails. Gold or silver depending on water clarity


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

Mann's Minus One! I like to throw crankbaits and the Mann's Minus One always seems to catch a smallmouth.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Spinnerbait - 3/8 oz either all white or white/charteruesse


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## celtic11 (Jun 30, 2011)

Im new to the smallmouth game but I've had good luck with both a 3.5" strike king coffee tube rigged on a 1/8oz jighead (make sure you get oversized jigheads), and also a Rebel wee craw. In the last month I've caught a handful on each bait. Nothing huge yet but quite a few in the 12-15" range.

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## celtic11 (Jun 30, 2011)

Also, my minimal experience tells me that when you find one there are probably more there. Once I caught the first one, I've grabbed another 3-4 in the same area.

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## idratherbefishin (Jul 2, 2011)

Green Pumpkin Bitsy Tube on a 1/8th oz tube jig. Cant miss!!


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## Govbarney (Jan 3, 2011)

Can't choose just one, so I will give my top three.
3) Black Pond Magic Buzz Bait w/ a Chartreuse grub trailer
2) 2.3 Inch Big Joshy Swaggin' minnow in either Sugar or Salt & Pepper
1) 2-3/4" *Original Floating Rapala* in Silver and Black, which in my humble opinion is the greatest single lure ever made in the history of man.


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## gerb (Apr 13, 2010)

black/blue buzzbait....although i bet if i hit the streams with my redfish magic, that thing would produce like crazy as it has for me down here.

...only fish i havent got on it: a dang redfish


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## USMC_Galloway (May 13, 2011)

My go too is a size 5 jointed shadrap in baby bass....


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## Darwin (Apr 12, 2004)

Cotton Cordell Big O. My favorite hands down.


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

If I had to choose one lure to take id take a bitsybug jig trailed with pumpkinseed 3" power grub.

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## selfproclaim (May 19, 2011)

White buzz bait (cavitron specifically) small square bill crank bait in copper green shad color (lucky craft). Any tube really, color depends on time of year. I have been successful with green, grey, white, copper, and others. The most versatile is probably a grub on a colored jig head. I like blue, white and chartreuse jigs with something green for grub. Purple is a surprisingly good color as well.

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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Homemade foiled crank that dives to about 3-4 feet followed by dardevle imp spoon. If topwater is on buzzer, sometimes nip-i-diddee (casts far) or jimmy. Also like the 5/8 oz subwart and rapala husky 13. If topwater is really on (fall water releases) ill chuck a luhr jenson woodchopper for the big gals (it also catches just above dink size). And i like the rapala countdown 13 too, especially in rainbow trout. And pretty much any spoon.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

USMC_Galloway said:


> My go too is a size 5 jointed shadrap in baby bass....



I had one of those and loved it. Lost it to a snag and found one on ebay. When it arrived it was a small container of hand sanitizer?!?!


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## Outdoorsman4Christ (May 29, 2012)

KVD 1.0 any shad configuration serves me very well


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

I like and have used a lot of the lures mentioned above but one I haven't seen and has been terrific for me this season is a wacky rigged Yamamoto senko 3 or 4" in a variety of colors. I have thrown bubblegum on some days and crushed them but each day is different it seems.


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## selfproclaim (May 19, 2011)

Good call MD!


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## dirty sea (Oct 23, 2011)

MDBuckeye said:


> I like and have used a lot of the lures mentioned above but one I haven't seen and has been terrific for me this season is a wacky rigged Yamamoto senko 3 or 4" in a variety of colors. I have thrown bubblegum on some days and crushed them but each day is different it seems.


x 2 on this. All you need is some split/drop shot hooks and a pack of senkos. I like the 4 and 5 inch variety. The Yamamoto Senkos work the best IMHO. Not sure why. I think they sink faster than other brands.

Also, the tiny torpedo has been great for me this year. Color unimportant. Retrieval nuances are. Nothing beats the top water strike!


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## Fishguy777 (Jul 8, 2012)

@ buckeye Md I got nice 20in on Erie with the yamamoto. It's close to 6lbs. How do u up load pics??? Caught it years ago...more than 10. Had it mounted.


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## ripping lips (Jul 10, 2012)

white jig and white grub always get's the job done. for larger bass i tend to use a pop-r


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## Gman56 (Mar 18, 2012)

This bait is getting hard to find, but it's my number one producer. 3" charlie brewer slider grub on a charlie brewer slider head. Darn near snag proof and the smallmouth love em. favorite color is a dark coffee brown (not sure of the color for ordering)


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

^ Equals fish finder!


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

I have zero confidence in spinnerbaits. Zero. Cant catch squat on the full size ones.


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

Senko's catch fish in puddles, but if I'm fishing the river, NOTHING beats a Rebel Wee Craw.

$4.14 at Wally World. When I go river fishing, I grab 3 wee craws, thow them like crazy, and I reel in smallies every single time. It is, in my opinion, the best river smallie lure ever invented.

My 2nd favorite is a dark colored 3 inch tube.

If I can't catch a smallie using those two lures, I go home.

Since 2008, I haven't gone home skunked using that combo. I am NOT an expert fisherman, and I have been spoiled by a private lake for my entire life, but when I do fish the river for smallies, the combo of Wee Craws and 3 inch tubes has never let me down.


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

JamesT said:


> I have zero confidence in spinnerbaits. Zero. Cant catch squat on the full size ones.


In the river, I agree, but then again, my previous post indicates my reliance upon said lures.


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## DCfisher (Apr 11, 2004)

Rapala SSR #5, bluegill color.


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## Govbarney (Jan 3, 2011)

jcustunner24 said:


> Senko's catch fish in puddles, but if I'm fishing the river, NOTHING beats a Rebel Wee Craw.
> 
> $4.14 at Wally World. When I go river fishing, I grab 3 wee craws, thow them like crazy, and I reel in smallies every single time. It is, in my opinion, the best river smallie lure ever invented.
> 
> ...


Do you have a color of wee craw you always use , or do you mix it up?

In my experience the lighter color ones don't catch as many fish as the Darker color ones. Lately I have had a lot of luck on the Dark Red &Brown Wee Craw , or what I think people have been referring to as the "Nest Robber" color.


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## celtic11 (Jun 30, 2011)

Govbarney said:


> Do you have a color of wee craw you always use , or do you mix it up?
> 
> In my experience the lighter color ones don't catch as many fish as the Darker color ones. Lately I have had a lot of luck on the Dark Red &Brown Wee Craw , or what I think people have been referring to as the "Nest Robber" color.


I've used the mainly the brown one that fades to orange on the bottom. I just try to pick ones close to the color of the craws in the creeks I fish. 

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## freshwaterwhale (Jul 8, 2012)

For my area I do great with a arke gold spinner on a 1/8 oz head with pumpkin/chartuse Berley powerbait twister tail for numbers of fish ,but for large fish I catch most on a Rebel fat A in baby bass finish .


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

I think you mean bomber fat a.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Ricco Pop or Pop R 1/4 oz.
Terminator SpinnerBait 1/4-3/8 Oklahoma 
War Eagle Spinner bait 3/8 Single Willow
Big Joshy 2.75
Norman Fat Albert Squarbill
Strike King 1.5 SB
Peppers WEC Crankbaits (Sweet Pea, Sand Flea or E1)
Rapala Husky Jerk HJ8-HJ10
Rapala Floater F9-F13


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Nice, you got some of the wec cranks. Ive got a couple cant remember models.


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## cubsfan (Nov 17, 2008)

jcustunner24 said:


> Senko's catch fish in puddles, but if I'm fishing the river, NOTHING beats a Rebel Wee Craw.
> 
> $4.14 at Wally World. When I go river fishing, I grab 3 wee craws, thow them like crazy, and I reel in smallies every single time. It is, in my opinion, the best river smallie lure ever invented.
> 
> ...


But have to agree on the wee craw


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## Tom8142 (Feb 18, 2012)

Gonna try a wee craw but they have been blowing up a tiger strip pop r


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## JohnPD (Jun 12, 2012)

Up here I like the Rebel Craws for lures, but honestly seem to catch more smallies on live crawfish that I catch with a small minnow net, nightcrawlers on a small jighead, and live chubs.


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## blackbeatty (Apr 3, 2012)

If your a fan of the rebel crawl, which you should be try and find the rebel hellgrammite. I catch more fish per cast and more species. Smallmouth, saugeyes, channels, rock bass, bluegill, carp etc......


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## geoffoquinn (Oct 2, 2011)

2" yellow twister with a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jig head.


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## gerb (Apr 13, 2010)

caught 6 more bass today with my redfish magic spinnerbait. if you dont have a lot of confidence in spinnerbaits, this is the one to throw.


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## celtic11 (Jun 30, 2011)

gerb said:


> caught 6 more bass today with my redfish magic spinnerbait. if you dont have a lot of confidence in spinnerbaits, this is the one to throw.


I don't know anything about it but it sounds like I should look it up. Who makes it?

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## gerb (Apr 13, 2010)

strike king makes it. this thing puts out a serious vibration in the water.

i cast as close to banks or structure as i can, and just go with a steady retrieve about 1' under the surface.


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## Joeb8741 (Jul 17, 2012)

I am a big fan of no snags and top water early and late, Zera Pups seem to always produce quality fish and got to love the top water action. Have to twitch them back and forth and change up the speed!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Post is going strong,ill chime in.........Buzz baits my fav for river/creek smallies!


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Think of covering the water column more than the bait. Smart man once said "They're either lookin up, or lookin down."

1. Full sized white spinnerbaits and black buzzbaits. Gotta have 'em.
2. Plastics - 3" green tubes, 3" grub, 4-5" white fluke, Senko
3. Cranks - any good 2-4' diving square bill, Rattletraps, and a Lucky craft Pointer 100

Those are what I think to be strong baits in each category for catching bigger fish. And you can cover the water column top to bottom in each category. Then you just let the fish tell you what they're digging that day...or pooch off your partner...whatever.

I always try to start a float making sure I throw something different than my partner until we figure out what they want.


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

gerb said:


> strike king makes it. this thing puts out a serious vibration in the water.
> 
> i cast as close to banks or structure as i can, and just go with a steady retrieve about 1' under the surface.


I think I have a few of these I used in the salt. I just need to dig them out of my saltwater gear.


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## gerb (Apr 13, 2010)

right on, i mainly use them for bass. have the most luck with the color as shown.


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## BigRed89 (Jul 22, 2012)

rebel craws, try different colors


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