People often overlook Texas rigging when they think of Smallmouth because It's generally associated with largemouths and bank beating. However if you just up the gear (weights and a light wire hook for deep water reel sets,) It's just as effective as jigging and allows you to cover lots of water really quickly. I prefer a Hula Grub or a Strike King Ocho. We fish mainly for clear, deep water smallies in Montana. But a drop shot is always a healthy contender.

Dropshot, senko and probably a lucky craft Stacey 90 deep diver

1.Dropshot

2.Tube

3.Lucky craft pointer.....

Tube

Drop Shot

fluke

Seay Dawg

1. Gitzit brown craw salt and pepper green sparkle 3.5 in with 1/4 bite me weight.

2. Margarita or morning dawn roboworms 4/1/2 inch wih a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce weight.

3. A lucky craft pointer chart shad

I live & die by the small floaters by Rapala & Rebel.

All I fish is clear (15ft+) water smallies. I've had great success with various types of baits, but if I had to chose 3 for reasonably warm water (65+), they would be:

 

• Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig, 1/2oz. in green pumpkin/peanut butter bug - with a Baby Rage Craw (which I also use as a swim jig at times)
• Drop Shot using various baits, such as Gulp Minnows, 4" Havoc finesse worms, Strike King Gobies, etc.
• LIVETARGET Blueback Herring swimbait - fast-sinking - in silver blue

I've been reading that blade baits are great.  Seems like A-Jay feels the same way.  I gotta get some Silver Buddys & Heddon Sonars.

Try the Damiki Vault

Thanks, fish365...I'll give the Damiki Vault a try.  What color(s) do you favor?

Smoke colored grubs with black flake are great as you said. Yamamoto shad shape worms on a drop shot are mandatory in clear water smallie situations for me.

1.Jerkbait

2. Drop shot

3.Live target lures

Once the water temps dip below 55 here ~

It's all about the Blades Baits.

They all seem to work ~ Sliver dominates in the sun and gold rules when it's cloudy.

A-Jay

Blades are Good.jpg

Absolutely. . Sliver Buddy and the Sonar..

Livetarget Smallmouth Jerkbait

Xcalibur XCS100 Smallmouth

X-Rap Pop Yellow Perch

I also had excellent results with the Little John Lineup, as well as DT-6-14

I will be honest I have never been much of a plastics fisher, and I have never caught a Bass on a dropshot, I only recently caught my first wacky rig Bass, maybe caught a dozen texas rigged or deadstick rigged, and I have never caught a Bass on a jig. I admit I dont fish any of them very much, probably because I mostly bank fish and I like to cover as much water as fast as I can, and with such limited success with plastics, it doesent inspire much confidence.

1.LC pointer 100 size-

2.Roboworm straight tail worm on a Drop shot rig w/ an 1/8oz weight-

3.Heddon super spook jr.-