Soft plastics - 3-5" tubes (VMC's tube jig heads are great anywhere from 1/8-1/4 oz), 2.5-4" grubs ( 1/16-1/4 oz ball jig heads is pretty standard), flukes/soft jerkbaits, soft plastic swimbaits (think 2.8-4.8" Keitech).  Drop shouted roboworms and craws can also be really effective.  

Crankbaits - I like the DT and Fat Free series run deep enough to rip up gravel through the entire retrieve.  Lipless - it changes all the time. 

Top water - Skitter pops, spooks, X-pop, Pop-R

 

Buzzbaits, jig-n-pig, pearl flukes, spinnerbaits, and tubes.

Erie Darter Jr's and hair jigs in cold water. 

I had to come back and add a green pumpkin zoom finesse worm to my list. 

Here's my basic starting lineup:

Fishing on top:  Heddon Spittn' Image

Fishing main water column:  Rapala X-Rap

Fishing the bottom: Fat Ika

 

 

That's a questions that has a different answer almost every time I go fishing LOL.

 

This girl was caught on a Yamamoto Hula Grub texas rigged. Several others the next day pushing 3 pounds were caught on wacky rigged assorted worms. Just letting them float down in the current, then watch for your line to stop and drag to indicate a bit.

With a shallow river I'd be tossing jigs endlessly depending on the composition of the bottom and the time of year. What conditions are you going to be fishing?

17 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

Here's my basic starting lineup:

Fishing on top:  Heddon Spittn' Image

Fishing main water column:  Rapala X-Rap

Fishing the bottom: Fat Ika

 

 

How do you rig your fat ika? Regular or backwards?  I've been experiment with them for river smallies, different weights, rigging, etc..

6 hours ago, BigSkyBasser said:

That's a questions that has a different answer almost every time I go fishing LOL.

 

This girl was caught on a Yamamoto Hula Grub texas rigged. Several others the next day pushing 3 pounds were caught on wacky rigged assorted worms. Just letting them float down in the current, then watch for your line to stop and drag to indicate a bit.

With a shallow river I'd be tossing jigs endlessly depending on the composition of the bottom and the time of year. What conditions are you going to be fishing?

Nice fish bud! Beautiful river too! 

Shallow current - Jackall flick shake, ima flit 100, weightless 3 inch Senko, curly tail grub, 4 inch Keitech easy shiner, Lucky craft skt mini, split shot. 

I fish a small-medium sized river that ranges 3 to 12 feet deep.  Have always done ok there in years past and switched lures this year and had my best year by far.  Mostly casting to shore wherever there were rocks or rip-rap.  Stained water - and smallies like white.  Went to a 5 inch Yamasenko in Blue Pearl (which is white with flecks).  VMC wacky hook with with single weed guard wire, 1/16 or 1/8 ounce depending on current.  What a difference the color made!

Next I plan to add a second lure - Fat Ika in the same Blue Pearl color and see what happens...

Yum craw in PB&J Texas rigged or if I'm fishing snags or a lot of rocks I'll go with a weedless jig head with a plastic craw attached. My second choice is a 1/8 or 3/16 oz. white spinnerbait. 

ned rig and old phillips crippled killer (other prop baits would work I'm sure)

 

rig for numbers - ck for the big ones over 20"