i fish a shallow river 6 feet at best with a foot or so clarity and part rock and sand

thanks

tubes, shallow cranks, small spinners, float and fly, jig, flukes, inline spinners.

tubes, shallow cranks, small spinners, float and fly, jig, flukes, inline spinners.

never tried flukes. how do you fish them

never tried flukes. how do you fish them

You can t-rig them with an offset 4/0 hook weightless and fish them like a jerk bait,twitching them erratically like a dying baitfish.

First choice would be a spinnerbait, with a main blade being an indiana blade with a small colorado as a kicker blade. Another good bait for that water would be a rattle trap, I've been getting bigger fish using the one knocker type like the Rapala clackin rap and the Xcalibur One Knocker, make a long cast and let it hit bottom and then rip it up and let it hit bottom and rip i up again and continue back to the boat or shore, this is a terrific way to search water as well as draw strikes from finicky fish. The 3rd way I would fish it is a noisy topwate, either a buzzbait or a prop bait like a Heddon Dying Flutter, Rapala X-Rap Prop, or a Smithwick Devils Horse.

Tubes both jig weighted and plain hooked for top water.

Tubes are good. But if you do not have a bunch of 1/8 oz. ball head jigs and a selection of 3" curly tails in your arsenal, you're missing out on a lot of action.

Tubes are good. But if you do not have a bunch of 1/8 oz. ball head jigs and a selection of 3" curly tails in your arsenal, you're missing out on a lot of action.

Agreed!

Where I primarily fish for smallies tubes are my go to but a few jig heads and 3in curly tails is my back up. Or, if I'm horribly bored and want to play with the rock bass.

With a rod and reel!

Kidding... crank baits sound like a great way to start. love shallow rocky ponds ....

Are you referring to the wapsipinicion in iowa? Depending on your location i can offfer a little help.

Are you referring to the wapsipinicion in iowa? Depending on your location i can offfer a little help.

yes i am. did go out tonight and got a couple on a spinnerbait with grub

What part of the Wapsi?

What part of the Wapsi?

central city area

With a rod and reel!

Kidding... crank baits sound like a great way to start. love shallow rocky ponds ....

I'm with Impacto, I'd start with a lipless or a square bill, craw colors. If that isn't working, I'd start working some tubes or texas rigged craws. Anything natural color with reds and orange mixed in.

I fish a river here that has about a foot of water clarity and never used to catch anything until I started throwing craw colored cranks or imitation plastics.

I fish almost the same type of water. Neon colored jerk baits and spinner baits work great. White top water baits aslo work good. And big white jigs work wonders. Lip less crank baits are hit and miss with me. I do not fish plastics munch. Do to current. I can cast out a 3/4oz jig. And it will still drift down the river because of the current.

Thats a little farther north that ive fished on the wapsi. I havent been there in a couple months but i imagine that river is 2' ave depth with this weather. In your area id recommend the maquoketa for smallies. The wapsi (at times of the year) is arguably one of the best big northern rivers in the state. Can be decent for walleye in the anamosa area in the spring. When i do fish that river i do smallie fish and the fishing can be very simple with low water. Riffle areas with deeper water using shakey heads and small jerkbaits seem to always produce for us on that river. The YUM crawbug in green pumpkin is killer (if you can find them).

Prior to the lake delhi dam accident the stretch of the maquoketa from the dam down to a county bridge 5 miles downstream was catch and release smallies. Was probably my favorite place to fish in iowa. Much of the stretch couldnt be accessed by shore but you could wade/boat it. Lots of steep bluffs and dropoffs. Downriver from the dam around the first bend the vottom contour starts to turn from the silty/mud dam aftermath to rock and trees and smallmouth are always there.

spinnerbaits,buzzbaits and poprs

Tubes are good. But if you do not have a bunch of 1/8 oz. ball head jigs and a selection of 3" curly tails in your arsenal, you're missing out on a lot of action.

If I had one bait for Smallmouth it would be a Tube 4" (watermelon seed) and the grub 2nd.