# River smallie tackle?



## andy_sarka (Sep 20, 2014)

What's best tackle for shallow river smallmouth fishing


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## SelfTaught (Mar 27, 2014)

2.75" - 3" tubes. Green pumpkin. You won't be disappointed.


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## andy_sarka (Sep 20, 2014)

Do you use them with floating jig heads?


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## sauguy (Apr 8, 2004)

buzz baits and poppers also other topwater baits


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## Tbomb55 (Nov 27, 2008)

andy_sarka said:


> Do you use them with floating jig heads?


There was a guy who posted some pics a while back of a weedless rig; basically a texas rig of a rubber worm with the tail trimmed off. You could probably do the same with a twister tail. This rig should eliminate a lot of snags, of which there is no shortage in local streams.


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## Ted Dressel (Dec 16, 2006)

Rebel Craws


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Ultra-light, or light action rod with 6 lb test. 8lb test won't cast small lures. For a real challenge or for really clear water use 4lb test. 

My go too lure is the rebel craw, 3-4" long. Don't use the smaller ones, the get messed up in current. I like blade baits like Vibes in heavy current. Lots of flash and they get down deep in the current where the fish are. I have also had success with beetle spins and in-line spinners. Never had much success with topwater or tubes. I also like to float a jig and half a crawler. Catch other species with the crawler as well. Early in the year, small baits work best. I've caught big smallies on a mini foo foo hair jig tipped with maggots. Later, in the summer, the rebel craw gets them. They will also attack 4-5" creek chubs floated under a bobber.


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Keep it simple. 1/16 & 1/8 jigs with a couple packs of tubes and twisters.

When i was younger, i had an entire fanny pack style tackle bag with every lure imaginable i would take. Still used tubes and twisters 90% of the time. I ditched the tackle bag and now go out with a single Altoid tin box full of tied craft fur and rabbit zonker jigs in my pocket most times.


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## the_waterwolf (Feb 8, 2013)

As another member posted on here, use ultra light tackle.

My favorite setup that I currently use is the following:

- G-Loomis IMX SJR 6400 5'4" rod
- Shimanno Saros 1000 series
- Power Pro 2 lb dia. braid

Below are the links to my tackle. My stuff is almost a decade old I believe, but it still works as flawless as it did on day one.

For bait, live bait has always proven to be my best friend, if it is reasonably accessible. Floating rapalas, mepps spinners, and a simple hook and zoom worm have worked well also.

Use a mono leader of 8"-16", depending on conditions.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fishing-rods/spinning-rods|/pc/104793480/c/104764680/sc/104836680/g-loomis-imx-spinning-rods/701873.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/spinning-rods/g-loomis/_/N-1102841+1000003479/Ne-1000003479/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104836680?WTz_st=GuidedNav&WTz_stype=GNU

http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fishing-reels/spinning-reels|/pc/104793480/c/104760180/sc/104837580/shimano-174-saros-174-spinning-reel/1397370.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/spinning-reels/shimano/_/N-1102842+1000004629/Ne-1000004629/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104837580?WTz_st=GuidedNav&WTz_stype=GNU

http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fishing-line/super-lines|/pc/104793480/c/104719680/sc/104612580/powerpro-braided-fishing-line-150-150-yards/738577.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/super-lines/_/N-1100386/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104612580


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## Flowie (Jul 2, 2015)

Small mouth 5 food groups

Tubes
Wake cranks
Spinnerbaits
Senkos
Sammies/ walk the dog baits

Early spring try a rootbeer tube...get darker later on in the summer w green pumpkin, grays w gold or red glitter etc.


As far as gear,
6 foot med/light xtra fast rod
3000 reel. Larger diameter spool = longer casts. I use a 4000.
Also look at your retrieve per crank...you can always slow down a retrieve but you can only speed up so much. A higher retrieve rate per crank of the handle is preferable.
I use flourocarbon..if you have clear water you might want to go that route. Mine is gin clear...if your water normally has some color to it...try a braid. It will let you free up some lures you might otherwise lose.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

bitsy tube


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## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

Bitsy tubes, larger green pumpkin tubes, rage craws check or pretty much anything that resembles a Crawdad or possibly a Helgramite. If I had my choice of one lure for small mouth it would be a green pumpkin with red flake Bitsy tube on a Owner brand weighted tube hook

Just went back and read a few post, Flowie makes a good point about different colors at different times of the year, if possible its good to find a few Crawdads and see what color they are and try to mimic that color


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

If you go back and read the original post, they are asking about SHALLOW WATER rivers. I've had luck with cranks, spinners, topwater, etc. in shallow water - but smallies will eat just about anything that fits in their mouth. If it is shallow water, that means i can usually see the structure and hiding spots. Faster search lures are not really needed for that in my opinion. You already know where the smallies will be sitting in low water situations when they have no other place to go. Shadow of the biggest boulders, near wood, at the bottom of small ledges, eddies. During low water (and even more important, during clear water times) i spend way more time picking apart a single boulder or downed tree with accurate cast rather than searching flats for roaming fish. Don't get me wrong though, come late fall with fish busting on schooling minnows in big open areas, an ultralight spinnerbait or tail spinner will keep you busy. Maybe just how i fish though.............


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## SelfTaught (Mar 27, 2014)

Attica fish has hit right on the head. If you want simple easy set ups that catch ALOT of fish guaranteed Bitsy tubes and twister tails. 
Key is finding any big boulders, logs, knee to waist deep cuts of water and the fish will be in there. I've pulled 3 pounders in crystal clear knee deep water by dropping a tube down under a big Boulder. Fish in rivers hide under them, you can't even see them, even with crystal clear water but they'll be under there waiting to ambush. 
I fish the Huron River & Vermilion religiously in the summer wet wading. From 5pm to sunset I will catch 15+ fish a night on Bitsy tubes. I take buddies all time and no one has ever out fished my tubes with regular 1/8 jig. You can buy the 2.75" tubes at wal mart for a couple bucks and pack 10 jigs for the same. I carry green pumpkin, watermelon flake green pumpkin, a light brown color and white tubes. 
Bring extra jigs because snagging and losing gear is part of the game in the river. Tubes catch me Smallmouth, largemouth, rock bass, crappie, gills, steephead, a cpl carp lol, and even some steelhead if they're in. I've had Multiple nights on the river catching 5 different species of fish. Good luck and have fun!


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## LatinoHeat (Sep 2, 2010)

SelfTaught said:


> 2.75" - 3" tubes. Green pumpkin. You won't be disappointed.


+1. Agree with everything said here. 100%


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## flathead10 (Dec 23, 2007)

andy_sarka said:


> What's best tackle for shallow river smallmouth fishing


Any rod and reel will work. I like a small spinning outfit spooled with 6 to 8 lb. mono. Rods to be 5 1/2 to 7 ft. depending on wether I am using artificials or live bait, with a light action. Jigs and tubes are hard to beat. I always end up going to the tried and true jig and twisters. Like the sassy-shad jig body with 1/8 to 1/4 lead head depending on the current. 3 inch twistertails work just as well. Shad type crankbaits work well. Rooster tails have thir place as well. Minnows and Craws are the smallies natural food so its hard to go wrong with any of these imitations. I prefer to use live bait when possible. 3 to 5 inch minnows are the ticket for me, numbers of fish and catch them as big as they get in the given body of water. I make a 1 ft.leader line with a barrel swivel, above that attach a slip-sinker of about 1/8 to 1/4 again depending upon current, slowly drift this through the deeper pools or bounce along a drop off or the bottom. Deadly.


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## Flowie (Jul 2, 2015)

flathead10 said:


> Any rod and reel will work. I like a small spinning outfit spooled with 6 to 8 lb. mono. Rods to be 5 1/2 to 7 ft. depending on wether I am using artificials or live bait, with a light action. Jigs and tubes are hard to beat. I always end up going to the tried and true jig and twisters. Like the sassy-shad jig body with 1/8 to 1/4 lead head depending on the current. 3 inch twistertails work just as well. Shad type crankbaits work well. Rooster tails have thir place as well. Minnows and Craws are the smallies natural food so its hard to go wrong with any of these imitations. I prefer to use live bait when possible. 3 to 5 inch minnows are the ticket for me, numbers of fish and catch them as big as they get in the given body of water. I make a 1 ft.leader line with a barrel swivel, above that attach a slip-sinker of about 1/8 to 1/4 again depending upon current, slowly drift this through the deeper pools or bounce along a drop off or the bottom. Deadly.


using live bait to fish for smallmouth will result in more gut hooks and hence higher fish mortality.


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## whalernut207 (Nov 9, 2013)

Tubes for sure. Smoke red flake hands down.


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## midoh39 (May 8, 2005)

2-3" tubes fished on an appropriate jig head 1/16-1/8 oz. Also I found my new go to smallie lure, a 3" keitech eazy shiner with a 1/16 oz swimbait hook.... seriously if you guys haven't tried this lure yet, you're missing out.


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