Looking at trying some new baits. Any and all helps thanks

Tube, Senko, Jerkbait, Spinnerbait, Popper.  In that order for me.

Rivers, or lakes? Spring, summer or fall?

7 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Rivers, or lakes? Spring, summer or fall?

Lakes middle to late spring and rivers spring and summer. Thanks

Suspending jerkbaits in the spring during prespawn in lakes. Senkos all year long in lakes and rivers. Walk the dog topwaters and poppers, spinnerbaits, and in-line spinners during summer on rivers.

Just now, Scott F said:

Suspending jerkbaits in the spring during prespawn in lakes. Senkos all year long in lakes and rivers. Walk the dog topwaters and poppers, spinnerbaits, and in-line spinners during summer on rivers.

I use almost all of these baits at those times. 

Thanks

I have caught both of my 20+ inch smallmouth and many in the 18-20 inch range on a lucky craft Sammy in rivers in the summer/early fall. By far my favorite smallmouth lure no matter what time of day. it seems I catch numbers with the average size being bigger than anything else I try.

Rage Tail Menace, MegaStrike MegaBug, BPS Tender Tube #71 and Siebert Outdoors 3/8 ounce jig (PBJ)/ Rage Tail Craw (PBJ).

 

For me its all the same regardless of lakes or rivers. In no particular order: 1/8 oz tubes, Rapala Husky Jerk (various colors), Mepps Aglia #3 brown/silver, 4" Kalins Lunker Grub (smokes and greens), and 1/4 oz finesse jig with a matching craw trailer. 

Let the fish tell you what to use, start with what seems like the best choice based on water color, temp, season and wind etc. 

Disclaimer:  I only fish smallmouth in a river, depth usually 4 feet or less.  And I'm allergic to treble hooks...  (I intended to try the Ned rig last year and never did, but if I fish it this year with success it will probably go on the list...)

In no particular order (though I usually try a jig first...)

1) 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 ounce finesse jigs, 2) Ragetail Menace Grub, 3) 4" Senko-style bait, 4) 3"-4" curly-tail grub, 5) Baby Rage Craw

Jerkbaits

Crankbaits

Hair jigs

Blade baits

Spoons

Rivers, primarily:

1/4 oz lipless crankbaits

Larew Sweet Swimmer on Owner Ultra Ballhead

Tubes

Road Runner with just about any minnow plastic

Slim, straight worms - generally rigged trig, or shakey

 

 

 

Rage Craw,Rage Menace,Swim jigs with swim bait trailer.Wacky worm and the Rebel crawdad crankbait.I fish rivers almost all the time and they work really well.Swim jig trailer i use the Creme real screamer.

On my lake, I target smallmouth early..........like the first couple weeks after ice out, then switch to largemouth for a while until the smallmouth hit the beds. I will bed fish for them a few times to get it out of my system, but I go back to largemouth once I get bored with it. Then just after the smallmouth pull off the beds, but before they go into there summer time stuff, I target them again.................Then it's largemouth all summer, with occasional smallies mixed in. In the fall I will fish for both, often in the same day, but in different places. In 2015 my top 5 smallmouth baits were:

#1 Yum Warning shot nose hooked on a dropshot 

#2 3" Havoc Pit boss on a 3/4 oz. biffle type wobble head

#3 4" wacky rigged yum dinger on a 1/16th oz. wacky jig head

#4  Chatterbait

#5 Silver buddy..........this was the first year I bothered to learn/use this style of bait, and it was eye opening.

Neko rig a zoom red blk finesse worm with #2 owner wacky weed guard.

Drop shot with strike king dream shot.

Vision110 or Jr any color will do but problue is killer here in WI.

Fat ika watermelon

1.0 strike king blue gill but when game time my MB knuckle does the trick.

Im a river(rocky river) smallmouth guy and my 5 go to baits are:

1)Cabin Creek Tube - I can fish a tube all year.  Ill drag it in Jan & Feb, bounce it in March, Texas rig it in April & May, bounce eratically through August, then reverse sequence.

2)Strike King 1.5 SB or 3XD Crankbait - Crankbaits seem to always catch some of my biggest fish during March & April when the water is Sexy Green to stained.

3)Spinnerbait - Rivers seem to be muddy atleast 30% of the time therefore a white spinnerbait is tied on!

4)Senko - Theres always those days when a senko will just outcatch everything else..

5)Heddon Topwater Torpedo will bring in numbers of Summertime bass!  I fish a clear one mostly during clear water.  And Ill fish with a Rapala Skitterwalk alot also..  

All good smallie baits mentioned. I'll give a second to two: the fat ika and tiny torpedo are very productive for me. 

30 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

All good smallie baits mentioned. I'll give a second to two: the fat ika and tiny torpedo are very productive for me. 

You can add the Fat Ika to my list, too!

 

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

You can add the Fat Ika to my list, too!

 

RW, what hook are you using for the ika ? Some 03 ewg seem to wad up and 04 are a hair too long (Gammy mostly)

https://store.baits.com/product.php?productid=125&cat=38&page=1

4/0 EWG Gamakatsu specially made for GYCB

11 hours ago, MSWV said:

Im a river(rocky river) smallmouth guy and my 5 go to baits are:

1)Cabin Creek Tube - I can fish a tube all year.  Ill drag it in Jan & Feb, bounce it in March, Texas rig it in April & May, bounce eratically through August, then reverse sequence.

2)Strike King 1.5 SB or 3XD Crankbait - Crankbaits seem to always catch some of my biggest fish during March & April when the water is Sexy Green to stained.

3)Spinnerbait - Rivers seem to be muddy atleast 30% of the time therefore a white spinnerbait is tied on!

4)Senko - Theres always those days when a senko will just outcatch everything else..

5)Heddon Topwater Torpedo will bring in numbers of Summertime bass!  I fish a clear one mostly during clear water.  And Ill fish with a Rapala Skitterwalk alot also..  

Thanks Ill definitely try all of these things coming spring /summer

4" weightless senko in the summer and Zoom Green Pumpkin Speed Craw, some luck with flukes as well. 

has anyone used a Gambler BB cricket for smallies?

I love me some Cabin Creek tubes! Salty Critter Jr's to be exact. I rig them up on confidence baits draggin heads and go town. It's completely weedless and the tubes are soft and have great action. 

Tube,crankbaits,spinnerbait, popper,soft swimbait. 

Zoom UV Speed Craw, Rapala XR8 silver, Yum Craw Papi and I aim to try the Rage Craw, Baby Rage Craw, Pit Boss Jr, Jackall Darts Hog and Rage Menace.