# What to use for smallmouth?



## Jollygreen68 (May 31, 2004)

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and to bass fishing and have been receiving some pretty good advice already on the forum (thanks to everyone)and was wondering if you guys that fish for smallmouth could fill me in on how to fish for them and what lures, plastics, etc do you use to catch them with? I really want to catch big large mouth but have been told that smallmouth are actually more fun to catch and fight better so I thought I'd go fish for them as well. Plus I like fishing in moving water more so than standing water (I used to fish for steelhead and trout in the Santiam Rv in Oregon with my uncle every other summer during my younger years). Also any tips on where to actually catch the little guys would be much appreciated as well as I have no idea where to find them. And if anyone would like to take me out and show me the ropes on how to fish for LM or SM, that would be cool. Just drop me a PM and maybe we can go out sometime. Thanks everyone, Ryan


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Welcome aboard OGF. I usually fish for smallies up here in the Cuyahoga using tubes(3" Smoke/pepper is HOT), white or silver in-line spinners(Panther-Martin's or Roostertails), or a rebel craw crankbait.

There are others here with A TON more experience that I have who fish for them, so I'll let them answer.

BTW, later in June, our live chat guest is a BIG TIME smallie guy. Tune in and ask him what's hot.

Details are posted, I think....  

Carl


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## twistertail (Apr 10, 2004)

The baits that Big Daddy said work great! You are pretty close to some great smallie fishing, Big and Little Darby Creeks. I fish Big Darby all the time down by Circleville but know there are a few guys that fish up your way and to pretty good. I know you can fish at Darby Creek Metro park or if you can find some land owners along the creek that will let you fish that would be even better. Fish the holes at the bottom of riffles and in the current breaks. Drop a tube or jig and twistertail right where the water forms a little eddy and you should almost always catch a smallie. The bigger ones wont be so easy but you will get a few of them if you fish enough but you should be able to catch just about all the smaller ones you want. Wading is the best way to fish for them, well at least thats what i like to do.


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## oufisherman (Apr 10, 2004)

I've found that here in Southern Ohio on the Hocking, I can't go wrong with a dark brown/black tube fished on a Texas Rig. I have heard that alot of guys also like fishing a tube on a jighead. It's all up to you, I use the T-rig because I'm used to that.
I also have one or two small crankbaits in crawdad color to fish in holes or around riffle areas. Sometimes small spinnerbaits will catch some smaller fish. But my big fish bait has been tubes around any type of wood structure. Good luck!


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## Flipp (Apr 5, 2004)

I fish for smallies all over ohio, and I use a vareity of lures to get. THe best bait for me is a 4 inch green pumpkin tube on a 1/4 - 3/8 oz jighead. Then a crankbait charturese or craw color. Spinnerbait, and a zoom super fluke in white for clear water and chart for muddie water. I don't know how many people flip for smallies but I do it and I've caught some of biggest smallies flippin believe it or not.


Hope this helps

Good Luck


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## DCfisher (Apr 11, 2004)

Jolly, the most productive bait I have found for catching smallies on darby is a 2.75 black neon tube rigged on a plain old round head jig. I use jigheads with light wire hooks so when I do get hung up on the rocks I can easily get my tube back without breaking off. the rock bass love these tubes as well. you will find lots of helpful info from everyone here. this is a great site. but if you want to know more about river fishing go to riversmallies.com.


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

a MAX tube rigged with a 1/4oz tapered tube head with atleast a 4/0 hook, 5/0 works better, black/blue jig and pig and a compleatly chart. tandem spinnerbait.


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## ncraft150 (Apr 5, 2004)

Just before sunup on the Ohio River they nail black buzzbaits.


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## Bassmastr (Jun 8, 2004)

The best bait you can possibly throw for Smallies is a 3 1/2 green pumpkin tube with a 1/8 ounce worm weight. This combo can rarely if ever be beaten!!!


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## JBJ (Apr 11, 2004)

For smallie hunting in rivers I like to use Bomber FatA's in firetiger or silver/black or blue back crankbaits. Bandit Footloose and 100's in pearl/chartreuse back and firetiger. Spinnerbaits from 1/4 ounce to 3/8 ounce. 
On lakes I also use Yamamoto Hula Grubs and various tubes.
For flipping/pitching around wood and structure, I like to also add Zoom tiny brush hogs to my list.


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## TritonBill (Apr 9, 2004)

Nobody mentioned Senkos that I saw.... Senkos work wonderes on Smallies. Rig them Texas Rigged or Wacky Style or Carolin Rigged depending on where your fishing. 

Other than that tubes work well, don't get stuck on one color, smallies often will want different colors on different days depending on sunlight, cloud cover, etc. I like around 3 different colors consistently. Also one day they'll want them draggin on the bottom the next day they'll want them suspending off the bottom. It's the subtleties that will turn an average day into a great day of smallie fishing.


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## smalliehunter (Apr 12, 2004)

That growing up in Northe Eastern Ohio fishing the Tuscarawas River and the StillWaters that the smallies love a 3 inch white curly tail on a jig head.....a rebel craw and spinner bait in close second.......but right before dark a black buzzbait is TOPS........... Now down here where i live now, fishing the local rivers, the craw dad crank bait is tops.......... have tried the jig/with tails and tubes, but no luck........ spinnerbaits is ocassionally productive, but nothing beats the craw around here.......


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