Hand tied crawfish jig pattern on a 1/8 ounce hand poured head with a 2/0 hook

My favorite is a craw or a hair jig.

I love the hair jigs and craws with bang scent applied to them.I

double tail hula grub by gycb on a 1/4 football head works around here.

Hula grub in 176 with a 1/4 oz. football head

Green Ugly 3.5 inch tube

Robo worm or a Shark on a dropshot

Normans Deep Little N in **** color

Revenge or Northstar 1/2 oz. spinnerbait in green or blue glimmer shad

Sammy

5 inch green pumpkin lizard in a light Carolina rig

LC Pointer 95 Ghost shad

These baits will always be ready to go any time of the year.

My favorite smallie "bait" is a live hellgramite lol

I catch them on all kinds of stuff to focus on one

White or pearl jig and twister

Jig and craw

Spinner bait

The 3 I tend to catch fish on year round

When I go on my bi-monthly canoe trip on the susquehanna river I absolutely slaughter them on a 3.5" Power Team Lures Craw D'oeurve. I use a 1/4 oz. Stand-up shaky head.

Rag Tail Baby Craw

Red Eye Shad

Hollow Belly

Shadalicious

Keitech Swing Impact Fat

Siebert Outdoors Jig/ Rage Tail Craw

Megabass PopMax

Lucky Craft Pointer

My first goto bait would be a 3.5 inch Mizmo small jaws tube. My second boot bait would be a 5 inch Yum dinger (I fish it either Texas rigged if fishing around heavy cover or wacky style if the cover permits).

1/4 oz smoke swim jig reeled swim-stop.  Perch shad raps and X raps work good too.

I have caught river smallies on just about every lure I can imagine, but there are only a few go to lures that are consistent for me.

 

-Bucktail jig.

-Dropshot w/ 4" stick bait.

-1/16-1/4oz. jig head with 1.5-4" grub.

-Slider jig with 4" stick bait.

-Roach Walker weight on a 3-way rig with a grub on a floating jig head (and most other river walleye rigs.)

-3.5" tube t-rigged on an EWG hook with rattle and a jig weight.

-Wacky rigged stick bait.

-1/8oz. buzzbait.

-Zara Puppy

If I had to choose one bait, it would be a no brainer:  Rapala Jointed Minnow.  AKA the "Broken Back Rapala".  Silver and Black in J-7 if I could only have one.  J-9 for bigger fish, J-5 if I end up in a creek; and if the water gets a lil muddied up I like the gold and black.  But, if I could only have one, it's the Silver and Black J-7.  I've caught too many fish on it under too many different conditions to not trust it. 

Northland Mimic Minnow in firetiger color...also has to have a brass colored beetle spin with it. If I run out I will go to a chartruse rooster tail with a brass blade.

when the water is cold- upper 30's to 45, I have had success with 3" charlie brewer bass grub with 1/16 oz slider head. Color- watermelon w chartreuse tail. Fished real slow.

Zoom 3'' Fat Albert.  I stock up on green pumpkin, salt and pepper and smoke.  They haven't let me down yet.  Usually throw em on a gamakatsu lead head.  Small salty crawl is another favorite.

If I had to choose one bait, it would be a no brainer:  Rapala Jointed Minnow.  AKA the "Broken Back Rapala".  Silver and Black in J-7 if I could only have one.  J-9 for bigger fish, J-5 if I end up in a creek; and if the water gets a lil muddied up I like the gold and black.  But, if I could only have one, it's the Silver and Black J-7.  I've caught too many fish on it under too many different conditions to not trust it. 

Its hard to beat these reliable marvels. 

shakey head /w rage baby craw or zoon finesse worm. jerkbaits are a close second.

One bait for Creek Fishin Im gonna have to say Chug Bug......................wait white 4" curley tail.....................no Fluke!!

This is a tough one because there is a difference between favorite and most productive! Lol

I have to say I've caught more river smallies on 3.5" tubes in purple smoke or gobie color than any other bait but I have the most fun with buzz baits and jerkbaits.

 

I've used a lot of x raps and lucky crafts and am gonna try some others this year.

on the rivers i fish i generally use a spinner. color is dependent on  clear skies or cloudy days. i seem to have the best of luck with spinners also a small stripped bass rapala that dives deep seems to pull them out when i come to deep spots.