Any suggestions on what would be the best baits to throw in a fairly small river this time of year?

If you are going for small mouth, I would throw the smaller Bomber Fat A's they are chronic small mouth bait.

Especially crawdad color...

Try some of the small slender pointers and crankbaits in crawdad colors. I start throwing tubes as well when the water gets colder.

For numbers of fish in a smaller river you can't beat a 1/8 oz. Rooster Tail in yellow coachdog.

pointers, x-raps, rouges, floating rapalas, senkos, spinner baits

Did that clear it up?  

I like the Zoom straight trick worms in some sort of green, weightless if there's not too much current.  Cast and twitch it back, or let it drift with a twitch now and then.

I like to throw small rat-l-traps!

For river smallmouth, nothing beats a 3" or 3.5" tube texas rigged or on a jighead slowly hopped and dragged along the bottom. I throw a tube in the Rivanna (also a small river) and the pony pasture section of the james about 90% of the time and really punish the smallies on it.

Other than tubes I'd reccommend small finesse jigs, a 1/4oz buzzbait, and a pointer 65 or other small jerkbait.

There's a small stream near me, maybe 25-30 ft across that connects with the upper James River and it's loaded with smallmouth of all sizes. I only carry 3 baits when I go there.

- 5" Power Bait shaky worm on a 3/16 oz Spot Remover

- Tiny Torpedo

- 1/4 oz finesse jig (brown) with a Zoom Tiny Chunk (pumpkin)

Tube on a jighead.

Most of the good stuff has been mentioned.  Don't forget the Beetle Spin either, they can be deadly.

Most of the good stuff has been mentioned. Don't forget the Beetle Spin either, they can be deadly.

LOL!!! The beetle spin........that lure catches everything! Pickeral, catfish, carp, bass, gills, walleye, crappie, the list goes on.

Panther Martin spinner in size 9. Colors gold or orange.