Hi, this is my first ever post so excuse any rookie mistakes, but i have been doing alot of smallmouth fishing lately on a local stream by me. The stream rarely gets deeper then 3-3.5 feet but when it does its often a large pool, and right outside these small pools there are schools of baitfish hanging i nthe shallower water that almost immediately spook and i think they are scaring all the smallmouth, any tips on how to stop this from happening? and  no i cant walk the bank because this stream flows through a golf course. when fishing this stream i usually throw a small weightless senko, small tubes, and grubs. any different baits/tips for this type of small stream fishing? All advice is appreciated, thanks in advance  

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

Perhaps make your Presentation (cast) from further away before you get to the pool.

A-Jay

Welcome to Bass Resource! You've come to the right place. What A-Jay is saying is probably your best option. That, or fishing dawn, dusk or at night.

Exactly, try standing back 30 feet or so, make a long cast in there with a fluke or similar bait and see what happens. 

Welcome to the forum!  There is a ton of info here.

There are some really good suggestions on here already.  One, I might add, builds on being stealthy.  Fish will orient into the current (face upstream) 95% of the time.  Approaching from down stream and casting up stream and past your target can also help conceal your position.  This will allow you to naturally drift your bait to spooky fish.  Also, keeping a lower profile while casting and working your drift can be very helpful.  Some of the best info you'll find on small stream fishing you'll find reading books and watching videos on drifting dry flies and nymphs.  Watch the videos, read the books, and apply the same drift techniques with your spinning gear.   Good luck!

When I fish in a creek I wear some sort of camo to blend in with the natural surondings. 

Welcome! I've been fishing small streams and rivers for smallies for over 50 years and sometimes I run into situations that stump me as well.  Lots of good advice already given,but I'll reiterate the go slow and stealthy comments. It's amazing how little it takes to spook smallmouth in a stream or small river. Walking on rocks and disturbing the bottom is very noisy to a bass. As is splashing the water unnecessarily.

Keep the sun in your face as you cast upstream if you can,remember shadows will spook the fish. If you can't just remember to be aware of where you're casting your shadow.

Long casts with lures that don't create a lot of splash will also help you. Work the area thoroughly before you move on to the next spot. Hope this helps!

A zara puppy or small jerkbait is an excellent smallmouth bait when they are feeding on shiners, which I assume is what you are seeing.

Seems you are describing the tail of a pool. I catch some of my biggest fish in the summer on overcast days at the tail of a pool. Bait fish will often stack up there and the smallies will follow.  Any soft jerk bait should do the trick. Fish upstream as mentioned above.