I was wading a creek yesterday for smallies, fishing a ribbit with a trailer hook. I was getting lots of strikes or so I thought. I started calming down and really watching what they were doing. Not sure how to explain it, it was like they were just rolling against the frog. They totally ignored my buddies buzzbait. He switched to a frog also and they were rolling against it too. Changed retrieve speed, color(from smoke to baby bass), paused, nothing seemed to help. Anyone ever seem this before? Confused and frustrated.

They seem to do that in the smalll creek that I fish in too. Often we use jitterbugs and popper type baits, but they do the same thing. If we get a hit, or a roll, we let it sit until they come back, we've let them sit for up to a minute, and they ( or another fish) hits it. I don't have an explanation for why they do it though. I would try downsizing your baits, just a suggestion. See what the rest of the guys have too say, i'm sure someone else knows somethin about this. Good Luck!!!

Thanks, the frogs sink but i apperciate the suggestion.

This is exactly what is happening to me in my river. Tons of hits but not very many hook ups on my buzz bait.

Downsize and go with grubs or shakey worms.

Follow up a missed strike with a wacky rigged Senko. You'll hook up then!

Follow up a missed strike with a wacky rigged Senko. You'll hook up then!

Can't really do that when you are wading in the river.  

Might try bein a little bit more sneaky too, like stayin a little lower or making longer casts. Sometimes this works for me. They can see you pretty good in the clearer streams. I've had them hit baits as soon as they hit the water some days. They had to see them coming and make a good guess where my lure would land. This was on an unpressured area. Sounds like they are just chickening out at the last second after seeing something they don't like, you/predator! I would try a curly tail grub rigged on a jig and fished a little deeper if possible. Like the other poster said too sometimes you just have to let it sit there for a bit on topwaters. If I had one miss a sinking bait I would just let it sink to the bottom and see what happened. If they think they injured it they would sure pick it up. If you can see them you are fishing pretty shallow, right? They may just be reacting to a bright sun too (too much light). I've noticed smallies even in streams are very sensitive to barometric pressure which also effects the light level. On a high barometer they might still feed but not shallow, have to go a little deeper. hth,   lp