What are some good finesse style swimbaits and jigheads I could throw on my medium light for smallies? Maybe baby keitechs or those Zman swimbaits? 

Short Keitech Easy Shiners on an 1/8 oz. round ball jig head work well on my ML spinning rod. Lures in 3-4 inch lengths are good.

BPS Speed Shads and Strike King Rage Swimmers in the 3 inch size are always good.  As for jig heads, a normal run of the mill 1/8 oz to 1/4 oz lead head contingent on amount of current you are dealing with, but if you want to spend a little more money Keitechs Super Round Tungsten jigheads are superb. 

Your intuition is right. Slim Swimz on a 1/16 oz jighead is great. I can recommend a few but if there’s one I’d have to stick with, it’s that. 

Baby Bull Shad

 

Check out Yo Zuri lures. They make a lot of smaller, shallow running  jekbaits and cranks and otheres that are just killer for smallmouth in a creek or small river with light tackle. I can tell you that just because a creek is small doesn't mean there are not some surprisingly big smallmouth in the better holes ~ don't take a knife to gun fight.

I'm from Ohio so I am not sure where you can get these baits out of state, but . . . Big Joshy Swimbaits in a 2.27" on a 1/16 oz. Owner ball head jig.  Smallmouth here in creeks tear them up.  I've also used them in Virginia and Maryland on rivers and creeks with great success.

I might be the only one but, other than as a jig trailer, I haven't used paddle-tail swim baits much. I played with them on a keel weighted hook some but I didn't stick with it for very long.

I LOVE a 1/8 oz guppy head with a 2.8 Keitech. A 2.75 Rage Swimmer is more durable if you don’t have super glue. Smallmouth will smash it and it has become one of my go to baits. They have landed a couple hundred smallies for me easily.  

16 hours ago, MGF said:

I might be the only one but, other than as a jig trailer, I haven't used paddle-tail swim baits much. I played with them on a keel weighted hook some but I didn't stick with it for very long.

Try 2.5-3 inch on ball head jig. (Sometimes I even drop down to 2”) Small ones out produce big ones for me about 99 to 1 

The temps this week have raised the water temp to low 50s and the bass are on the move. 

Tonight on my local river i was throwing a menace grub on a worm hook with a maribou skirt tied to a 1/4 oz bullet wt.

Feeling really great and confident reelibg it back in and then i see a big femsle 

 

 

Check out the B Fish'n Pulse-R, 2.45".  The tail kicks even at an extremely slow pace.  It puts most baits of this type to shame.  The ribs may have something to do with it.  I like Sassafras, purple/chartreuse tail and Stewart's Pro Blue.  I rig them on a 1/8 to 3/8 ball head when current is higher and step down to lighter mushroom heads in the summer/fall low-water period.

22 hours ago, Pickle_Power said:

Check out the B Fish'n Pulse-R, 2.45".  The tail kicks even at an extremely slow pace.  It puts most baits of this type to shame.  The ribs may have something to do with it.  I like Sassafras, purple/chartreuse tail and Stewart's Pro Blue.  I rig them on a 1/8 to 3/8 ball head when current is higher and step down to lighter mushroom heads in the summer/fall low-water period.

Sounds right up my alley 

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sounds right up my alley 

You won't be disappointed with the Pulse-R, or their Moxi which has more of a grub tail.  Walleye guys swear by them around here and they just happen to catch everything else too.

I still use Strike King's bitsy bug jigs with 1/8 or 1/4 oz sizes. They are cheap, effective, and available everywhere. It won't break my heart to lose a few by snagging. 

Honestly, Tackle HD has their HD Swimmer in 3.5" and 4". I love the Iridescent Blue color on an 1/8oz ball head. They swim fantastic and are super durable.