What is the best bait or lure to use in a creek? And where the best place to cast it?

What species of bass are you targeting? How big (wide) is the "creek"? What are the max. depth? What is the water clarity like? Are you shore-bound or using a small boat? 

 

I, for one anyway, need more information. Sorry.

My favorite creek bait is a Lunker City Hellgie on a jig head. Cast into little eddies behind rocks, or any other current break you can find. Small cranks like a Bandit 100, a Bagley Killer B1 or Bagley HoneyB will work some magic too.

My current favorite is a 1" gulp minnow on a 1/32 oz jig. Ultralight rod, 3 lb nanofil main and 2 lb mono leader. I toss it at deep spots or shadows and swim it back slowly. I like it because it catches most creek size fish including trout and smb. If I'm going for food I usually end up with a nice hodgepodge of sunfish, rock bass, smb, fallfish, or trout.

4-6" finesse worm on a 1/16 head. Fish any holes you can find, behind large rocks, undercut banks, under low hanging trees, and longjams/logs. Always try and fish downriver, throw upstream at a 45º angle and fish it as its coming down stream. 

Wow i just had the same question this morning. I just went creek fishing in pa and honestly i have to say i did well with inline spinners. Just use a mid retrieve and fish it up-stream and down-stream. I used a rooster tail and this other inline that looked like a minnow, anything in that nature. Always cast for the deeper parts of the creek, if theres trout and bass thats were theyll be. Best of luck!

I like using the smallest size Pop R they make in the creeks I fish. I catch a lot of bass and green sunfish on them and the occasional white bass, wiper, crappie, or catfish. A small grub on a jighead works well to catch about anything that swims.