# favorite creek lure



## ohiogary (Dec 14, 2006)

Id like to know what everyones favorite creek lure for small bass? My son and I have just started fishing creeks and in the process of trying to figure out this creek fishing , any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Rebel wee craws, small black and silver floating Rapalas, small spinners, and if you use live bait try minnies(craws are good but expensive) good luck.


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## Killer Rabbit (Jun 30, 2007)

I like floating rapalas ( or any other floating lure). You will catch fish with them, but if you get hung up give the line slack and you have a good chance to save your $5 investment.
I'm confused as to why anyone would buy crayfish. Invest in an aquariam net and turn some rocks over and you can quickly find all the bait you need.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I know alot of guys catch there own bait and I can see the reasoning...but I guess its just more convienant for me to go buy it...I havent used craws in a couple years..but I do pay for minnies and crawlers on a regular basis.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

you can catch craws while you're fishing
when i used to wade,i'd do just that.they're usualleasy to find in rocky streams and a 1 1/2 - 2 inch crawl drifted with just eneough shot to get it down and keep it moving is deadly on stream smallies.


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## Bubba bass bigfoot (May 8, 2006)

A little one inch white grub with a white head with black eyes. IT catches numbers and everything from 2inches to 12.


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## ohiogary (Dec 14, 2006)

I appreciate all the advice, lately I have tried a a number of ways, Ive tried live crawfish, sometimes they work best, rooster tails seem to catch the smaller fish, not much luck with the plastic craws, although they work well in the river.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I know alot of guys have pretty fair success with tubes as well as spinnerbaits.


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## Treebass227 (Jul 31, 2006)

Senkos have been taking some smallies. Fish them slow with no weight.


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## oufisherman (Apr 10, 2004)

I will give you my top two suggestions for summertime smallies. The first is some type of fat crank, depending on your setup. If you're fishing a medium action rod, go with the Wally Marshall cranks in light green. It has caught me 4 or 5 smallies 13" - 17 1/4" here in a small stream. It has also caught me the most smallmouth this summer. All I'm doing is reeling steady, with pauses here and there. IF fishing a light action rod, go with either Bomber ultralight cranks from Walmart or Strike King Bitsy Minnow in brown. The Bitsy Minnow caught me several Hocking River smallies before moving. 
The second recommendation is the Zoom Fluke and Zoom Fluke Jr in white. The last two trips with the Fluke Jr has resulted in about 12 smallmouth, with the biggest going 16". I work the lure with erratic twitches and no weight. It can be tricky in areas of faster moving water, but really effective. 
This time of year, DO NOT overlook the shallow riffle areas for smallies. On my trip today, using the Fluke Jr., that is where I caught the vast majority of my fish. At one location, I was throwing into 3-4" of water and twitching Fluke into faster area probably 3 feet deep or so. I had 4 smallies in about 15 minutes hammer the Fluke as soon as it the dropoff of the faster water. Definately exciting because all strikes were on top.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Rebel wee craw in either brown/orange or green/orange. Most any fish in the river will hit this. If bite is slow, slow down your presentation.


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## creekwalker (May 23, 2004)

I'm probably starting to sound like a Yum evangelist about now since every time this comes up that's my answer, but such as it is, still my answer 

Yum crawbug rigged weedless. I normally use the 3.5" variety in pumpkin flake I think the pattern's called.

I also like a black jitterbug during the summer, especially at dusk and on into dark.

I also normally throw a soft jerkbait (like a senko) and a tube jig as well. I also sometimes use the Rebel Wee craw thats been mentioned already, but also an original Rapala floating minnow works well at times.

CW


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## fratfish (May 16, 2006)

best creek lure i've ever used is the beetle spin, great on any size stream. caught everything from 1 inch panfish to a 14 inch sm on it. can be used as a spinner or jig(very effective for the sm). use it all the time and it def gets the numbers and variety(crappie, sm, lm, saugeye). bright green has been my best color, great little classic lure.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am still very old school. I still find myself going back to the usual standby for my, jig and twister tail. In fact I went last evening for a couple of hours and filled my small belt tackle box with all sorts of lures - several cranks, Mepps spinners, small spinner bait, tube jigs. When I finished up I had only used the jigs and a small bit of time with a Mepps Aglia. Jigs just are so versatile and are effective on fish of any size. If I am getting into much smallmouth action with sizable fish I will opt for other baits such as cranks but I did not find anything last night to change my approach. In a couple hours of fishing I landed 3 little smallies and nearly a dozen rock bass all on jigs with 3" twister tails in white.


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## archman (Apr 30, 2004)

1/16 rooster tail in black or chartreuse is my go-to lure, but everything that has been mentioned works well, too. Sometimes it just depends on the day.


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## bunkeru2k (Aug 26, 2005)

I am now a believer that the Norman Quarterback is the greatest creek bait ever invented. I can't find the color locally, but my dad has shown me the power of the brown/orange QB. He has a couple of them that are 25 years old that the fish are still hammering.


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## BiteMyLine (Sep 7, 2006)

I fish a local creek near my home very often and only take a few lures. Rebel Wee Craws are by far #1 (Brown/Orange), small floating rapala's, a couple of 1/8 rooster tails (black, white and rainbow only), and a couple jigs and twisters. Its hard to beat 1.5-2" fresh craws during summer months, especially when fishing rocky cover and moving water. If you can't catch a smallie on a wee craw, my guess is that you are fishing the wrong body of water, they are impossible to beat.


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

i fish Darby alot and i am a huge fan of inline spinners. my favorite brand is definitely Panther Martin because the shape of the blade makes it alot easier to get the balde spinning. rooster tail also has a line of spinners with the bulged blades. they should catch anything and everything in the stream including bigger sm.

i also agree with fratfish, beetle spins work great too. 
hope this helps and good luck


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## Bdrape (May 26, 2004)

I'm a little late on this, but not too much mention of the topwater bite. I am a topwater junkie and I have found some generic 1/8 oz buzzbaits at Gander Mountain that have worked great on creeks. They are so light that they can be pulled relatively slow and still stay on top. I have caught everything on these: largemouth, smallmouth, wipers, rockbass and even a northern. Also, the smallest size skitterpop is great for smallies.
Bdrape


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

I would go with a Rebel Craw and a topwater of some kind. You cant beat that combo. I've caught some nice smallies on a prototype bait we are making that is twitched on the surface. I'll talk more about it when it is available.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

Ive fished creeks for a long time with spinners, small cranks, and jigs only. Using ultralight spinning gear. I caught tons of fish and occasionaly some up to 16 inches.

I switched to Buzzbaits, 4 inch black senkos, 4 inch black sickletail powerworms texas rigged with a 1/16 oz weight. Sometimes a skitterpop. 
all on 10lb test baitcast gear. Fished in pools and riffles, and the same places as usual.

THE RESULT ___ I only catch about a third of the fish that I used too.
averaging from 10 - 18 inches and several up to 21 inches.

The thing is big fish like bigger bulkier lures, and smallies aren't shy at all about smashing a buzzbait in the middle of a shallow riffle.


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## footballnfishin (Feb 24, 2006)

i have been fishing both of the darby creeks b/c i live on the little this year i found a lot of success w/ bright colored rooster tails u will get a lot of rock bass w these and small mouth but traditonally i like the pumpkin seed and watermelon zoom u can put a rattle inside and it works very well


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

i throw many of the same baits mentioned already here , youve got some great advice from the guys !! 

I like to use the 3 1/2 inch Strike King Tubes (mustard color) rigged on a 3/0 EWG Gamakatsu Hook with a 1/8 oz Bullet weight !!!


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## seapro (Sep 25, 2007)

As mentioned, Jig and twister tail (white) for sure !! 
Rocket Shad - spinner bait - Any Walmart - Chartuese or white - deadly!
Northland Mimic Minnow - Silver Shiner paddle tail - stupid deadly!


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## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

my favorite is small cranks but also spinners and fly bass poppers!..like they already said those catchin your own craws and using them is deadly!


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## meanmuskie37 (Dec 27, 2007)

i definatley would go with any bright colored rooster tails. i have had great results with these in the Darby creeks.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Rebel Crawdad or white rooster tail, floating rapala in gold or silver would be up there as well.


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## Bubba bass bigfoot (May 8, 2006)

Changing my Fav lol, the grub catches to small of fish. It is now a 4inch Tube rigged how ever you want. Great lure.


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## stumpbumper (Jan 7, 2008)

I fish the sandusky river outside of bucyrus . its just about a creek by than,
and in the past i would fish it with ul gear , with no real big fish hooked. then i started fishin it just like i would any other body of big water. and was i blowed away in how many nice fish it did hold . the bigger the bait , the bigger the fish id hook in the pools and eddys. 4 in worm and lizzard, and 3/16 bass jig with a craw is my fav


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

rebel craw


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## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

I like to have these items in my river box every time: 3-4" dark, natural colored tubes, Zoom Fat Albert grubs also in a natural, some smaller white grubs, white Flukes, 1/8 oz. black buzzbait, a small spinnerbait of some kind, a few mepps in-lines, a fat bodied crankbait, 3" Husky Jerk, silver/black Rapala floating minnow, and maybe some small senko type baits. That should about cover my needs for any river situation. I like to have those items. Usually i just end up with a bag of assorted used plastics and a couple jigheads though and that seems to work most times.


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## Garyoutlaw77 (Feb 3, 2005)

Mepps spinners - squirel hair
Strike King Bitsy tube - w.mellon
3" *********** grubs - custom jig heads


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## redhotbuzz (Dec 2, 2004)

Yum Crawbug Watermelon redflake rigged on a H&H flutterhead jig 3/8 oz 2 aught ewg Soaked in yum crawdad scent .... for the killer shove an anchovy fillet inside


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## redhotbuzz (Dec 2, 2004)

That Crawbug is the big one 3.25 . Big bait Big Fish


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## WeekendWarrior (Jan 20, 2008)

Treebass227 said:


> Senkos have been taking some smallies. Fish them slow with no weight.


Watermelon Flake!! !%


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

My go to bait on a creek or river is a Mepps Algia. I also have a variety of flukes.

CG


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

I dunno about "go to" but the first and last thing I throw on any outing is a 1/8 oz buzzbait.


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

I am a pop-r nut as well as the buzz bait. But somedays a plain old jig and plastic is the ticket.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

2 inch watermelon colored Venom tube rigged with a 1/8oz jig head, hook exposed.


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## wargoth (Sep 11, 2007)

Best lure is the one that looks something like something the fish want to eat....


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## miyot (Feb 16, 2008)

I did see Mepps spinners mentioned, #1 size. Fished with the current, slow and deep. Just fast enough to make the blade spin. Best live bait, Soft craws, Helgramites, Minnows (stonerollers) A Rapala works as well.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

For smallies....Gitzit tubes work great. 

Also Ditchblades can work wonders


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## 1st shirt (Jan 11, 2008)

I like Mr. Twister grubs, yellow or white, on a light jig head. Slow retreive near the bottom. I sometimes like to throw a bass assassin or 4" worm too.


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## One Legged Josh (Jan 27, 2008)

Yellow or white twister grubs or my secret weapon Frog colored tiny torpedo for the topwater bite.


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