PaulVE64

I must be the odd man out. All my bass setups are spinning with oversized reels and 10# - 30# hi vis braid main line. Everything gets a 6' mono leader 12# - 20# on an FG knot. BUT - I fish for river smallies in 2' - 10' depth, rock bottom, clear water and always current. I want a thin main line I can see.

I like to tie the FG with tension on both braid ends and tension on the leader too. Havent had many fail over the past 6 years. I normally use a 12# - 20# mono leader that's about 5' long. I dont think the particular knot or tying technique matters, just use the knot that you can tie consistently and confidently. My 2 cents

My PB smallie was on a 110 Wplopper in bone. It had barely touched the water when a 22" beauty dragged it down. But that was like 5 years ago. For jerkbaits I usually throw a soft plastic fluke. Northern pike like hard jerkbaits alot and I'd prefer to leave those savages in the river.

I've snipped the 3rd hook off alot of my treble hooks but I didnt know you could buy them that way! Did this for all my larger jerkbaits, the ones that northern pike seem to enjoy in my river.

Fly fishing for smallies is a blast but sometimes I just want to burn a crank too. Its alot of fun to mix things up.

Its important to me to annually learn (or relearn) a new rig or technique every year. I fish for river smallies and over the past season I think I got a lot better at reeling up slack while dead sticking on the river in current. I'm sure it helped me reduce gut hooking and I may have picked up 1 or 2 more fish each time I went and my average size was way up to around 2#. I certainly felt like I went back to finesse basic and colours.

I'm only any help with river smallies but a 4" yum dinger on a split shot rig is known to be a favorite of very large river smallies in my waters.

I've used pam on the tip guide (spinning) but never had trouble with the reel.

1/16 oz black marabou (hair) jig with a stump of a fluke tail or senko works in sub 50 water.

My biggest river smallie was prespawn but I didnt land anything above 4# just a bunch of high 3#. I fished much less this year but my average size was up from last year so that's a positive. And landed a PB on a flyrod.

I've caught alot of walleye on a squarebill this time of year while speed cranking

Was a good year on the river

Several types of hair jigs and a soft plastic jerkbait

Is there current, weeds, rock bottom or just water.

Weightless double fluke rig Pow

River bass are dealing with alot.

#3.86 river smallie on a 5" green pumpkin black flake senko with spinning tackle and a #3.3 river smallie on a tiny 1.25" lg fly pattern I came up with this spring.

My tackle shop stocks 100 packs of green pumpkin 4" yum dingers and 100 packs of green pumpkin 3" tubes. My tackle shop guy is excellent.

I am a huge fan and fully endorse finesse jigs made of diverse materials. I've used marabou with synthetics, deer, wool, zonkers, silicone and rubber on a hook every which way I can think of for early winter and spring smallmouth. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm7TgTOupMP/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Goby/darter/sculpin

What's the saying? "Fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times, not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once."

Near #3

My river has dropped a foot in the past 24 hrs but is still 3' higher than this summer's reg. levels and the river temp is low 40s with 12" visibility. Basically opposite of the conditions I've fished all year. I found them on an inside turn in slack water with almost no current and 4 fow. Basically the water I didn't fish all year. Lol

If the water is dropping they are normally heading to deeper stable water out of the current. They may not be feeding but that's where they chill out as it were.

It's getting cold in Canada. Water temps are low 40s. Caught this gal today, probably the last of the year. I normally can't catch smallies from Nov.- Feb. But wish me luck, I'll be fishing again this year.

I like to move around especially when the water is low.